Driving in Snow

[Oldfart]

My KO2's work great in the snow here in the northeast. Our snow tends to be dense and have a lot of moisture, I don't know how they are in powder.

 

[maxr]

Owned property on Mt CB for years just below Banana Exit.
Gunnison (which you drive through to reach CB in the winter) in typically one of the coldest places in the 48 states during winter.

Tire sipping - as a couple people have said, sipping on snow tires is designed to hold onto snow so the embedded snowflakes help provide grip on the snow on the road. Sipping also makes the tire more piable and softer in colder temperatures. Truck tires with the 3PMSF rating have much better snow performance due to the slightly softer compunds that function better in low temps.

Tire pressure - your tire pressure will decrease about 1psi for every 10 degree drop so if you measure your tire pressure in a warm location, it could be too low once you are in CB.

biggest trouble spot on the highways leading to CB are the sweeping curves since vehicles typically understeer .... I've seen a lot of vehicles in the ditch or worse, have sliden across the other lane to the opoosite ditch.

 

[SilverBolt]

4X4 helps with the go but not the slow. If when coming to a stop you find your self sliding, bump the trans into neutral. While in drive there is still power going to the wheels. Bumping into neutral stop the forward motion.

 

[RamseyF]

weather mode, 4 auto or 4 high. if you have driven in snow its the same as any other 4x4 vehicle. I do like the snow/slippery(weather mode). its restricts the throttle response and helps prevent spinning. (not as fun but definitely safer)

 

[B Scott]

I live in Colorado and have a place in Winter Park CO. I drive a Gen 1 but all snow is not equal. Ice is the real issue most of the time. Minus a huge snowfall event CDOT keeps the highways clear of snow and sprays liquid ice melt behind the plows. I shift to 4 High when the rear starts to drift and never have had a problem. There’s always someone flying by for you to judge me conditions. Have a great time in CB. They’re getting good snow today!

 

[Winchester30]

weather mode, 4 auto or 4 high. if you have driven in snow its the same as any other 4x4 vehicle. I do like the snow/slippery(weather mode). its restricts the throttle response and helps prevent spinning. (not as fun but definitely safer)

Yes, agree with this plus mud/sand mode for deep snow fun!
Going on 4th Midwest winter with my Raptor, love it, bring it on!

 

[Bracamonte]

Lots of good advice in all these posts. Better to specify what kind of driving in snow you are asking about...road/highway or offroad?

Hwy/road:
-Realize it takes longer/further to stop; adjust accordingly
-Use 4A (or the weather/snow mode)
-Extra weight in the bed will help
-Assessing what kind of snow you are driving on plays a big part in knowing how fast you can go; knowing if there's a layer of ice underneath that snow, even more so. Hard packed is good. Hazard conditions increase when there is plowing on roads, then the little bit of layer of snow left melts easily, then refreezes to ice, then light dusting of snow again on top to hide it.
-Braking quickly or hard will lock of wheels. Traction is lost when this happens. If truck seems a little squirrelly, keep it a gear or two lower from normal comfort-ride, and keep the traction up. Downshift some to reduce how much braking you have to do.

Offroad:
-Use 4H or mud mode
-Disable traction control
-Consider using gear selector to limit how high the truck upshifts gears.

KO2's will be fine.

 

[NHbeast]

Beware when changing lanes.
Slush lines are EVIL.
They can pull you off the road.
Our tires float on snow...not ideal for traction.
Wide vs Narrow tires
Snow driving — Because there is low friction on the road, having greater pressure on the road is more important than having more surface area. Therefore, narrow tires perform better when the roads are covered with snow, since they can dig deeper into the snow, providing more traction.

 

[COLORAP303]

I very much feel that the deeper snow is much more forgiving than, say, 4-8".

Great advice here. While I have found that I can sort of drive on 'autopilot' in most conditions, even traffic, I do Not allow myself this luxury in snow/ice/wet leaves.

Yeah we have the most problems around here with 1” of snow with some ice as people get complacent. When it’s a lot people are actually careful enough.

 

[COLORAP303]

Your neighbors must suck at driving because Duratracs are better in snow than KO2s.

It was more of a ground clearance with that much snow. Not all of us can be a driving prodigy.