Just bought my D this october.
I live in Iowa, and the past few winters have been harsh. Since I plow snow in the winter(duh), I have to drive in the heart of the storm to get to work. So with that said I really wanted a 4x4. Eventually we will get some snow, and Im wondering how well D's handle in the snow. I cant wait, lotta videos of fun in the snow on the web.

Braking, cornering, on ice, on snow, what are the opinions of expeirnced Durango owners?
Ive read, the *** end likes to swing out when not in 4wheel.

How fast is too fast in 4wheel, 40mph?

 

Actually my D handles rather great in the snow and it is only 2WD. I just have a positrac reared and 31" max terrain tires and I really don't worry too much about the rear sliding around too much. Braking is also pretty good on the ice as far as past vehicles I've driven and cornering is about average on our rigs. Just make sure not to give it too much gas on the ice.

Not sure which engine you have in yours but I have the 5.9 and it likes to go go go!

 

I have the same D except mine is the 5.2L. It will handle great on the snow with the proper traction tires. I own BF Goodwrinch 31x10.5 AT's. However on the ice or heavily compacted snow (basically ice) remember 2wd or 4wd it doesn't matter ice is ice and needs handling with care but the weight of the D makes driving easier. Remember though a slide is a slide no matter what you drive you can gain control or overdue it and make matters worse. By the way I live in Washington state we get pretty good winters here but nothing like that in the north east. If I remember right Hydra said in 4x4 mode no faster than 40 or 45. I can't remember.

 

as long as you know what you are doing behind the wheel these trucks handle the snow great, i have used 4x4 once in the snow with mine (i live in the northeast, on the very southern edge of the snow band, but we still get plenty of it), ice is ice is ice, nomatter what you drive you will have trouble with it, 0 traction is indiscriminate of whta you drive, the only thing that will help on ice is studded snow tires, and even then idk how much they help, in snow these trucks are great, and about the *** end swinging out, i have just one question, who told you that? what where they smoking? and did they actually know how to drive or were they (like most people in my area at least) just pretending???

 

drive slow

 

i have a 02 durango sxt 4.7L dual overhead cam, k&n cold air intake,superchip,stock size cooper discoverer stt's,3 " dual flowmasters front to back, high flow catalytic converter, bilstein shocks all around, and live in the heart of good 'ol vermont!!!! in 2wd, its pretty good in the snow, as i like to get after a bit and play around blowing it sideways, and never once have i felt like im not in control. when the roads are icy or theres over 3 feet of snow i simply turn the **** to 4wd and this thing is like a tank. as long as your comfortable in the snow then let the durango do the rest of the work. make sure you have snow tires on, not all seasons. then have a set of summer tires. im a firm believer in having tires for each season, unless you live someplace where you only get 3 inches of snow a year. i absolutely hate studded tires!!!!! my opinion is, they are only good for getting going and then after that you might as well have ice skates mounted on your truck. get a meaty treaded tire with deep lugs. you dont want tread thats tight together, as that will pack with snow or ice then its like having bald tires. get something that will empty the treads, **** just go buy some cooper discover stt's!!!! a little expensive, but worth every penny!!

 

to be honest on most larger vehicles a good set of ATs are more than enough for snow driving, it is all that i have EVER used on my trucks, never once have i had a problem, do snow tires make driving in the snow a little bit easier? id say yes, are the necessary if you know what you are doing and have a capable vehicle and are careful? no chance in hell, and its a good tihng this is true as many people cannot afford to have 2 sets of tires and rims for their vehicle (hell i cant afford to have 2 sets of tires) and until someone can show me proof of a difference (i have no clue how to do that other than drive the same car/truck in the exact same conditions and have problems on ATs and not on snow tires) i will stand by that. now you must also keep in mind that not all A/T tires are good, some of them suck, PERIOD.

 

Get yourself a good set of tires with good tread. DON'T drive like it's 85 degrees in the summer during daylight hours! Drive like you want to preserve your life and the ones you love. I have a four y.o and a one y.o. I drive like ms. daisy when they are in the D with me. Even in good weather/visiblity. In the snow, nothing beats a 4X4. Ice is indescriminate, it'll make you spin no matter what. Take it easy and enjoy your new-ish D.

 

My vehicle : 02 durango 4.7 4wd, positraction from fac. with aftermarket on/off road terrain tires.

I havent done a bunch of snow driving but even when we had a foot? I drove alot in it and had no problems at all, I could even do the regular speed limit with no problem at all. So I say they handle very well in the snow. Just make sure to have a decent set of tires and you will be good to go!

 

Ive got decent A/T's, "like" new Yokos.
Thx for your input guys, I appritiate it. Im use to driving a Nissian d21, rear wheel drv. I had no weight in back, until i let the bed fill with snow Im usually out in the wee hours of the morning, so it can be some fun. . It handled so, so. At work I drive a nissian Frontier 4x4, loaded with 40 fifty pound bags of ice melt(usually) a plow, an a hopper(for ice melt), and nothing slows me down. So from the sounds of it my D is gonna be just fine, and some fun, cant wait.