moving north
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Professional
Joined: Feb 2013
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still have stock temp stat in there. never driven in snow or ice. but spent 16yrs there as a child, so i can only recall the parents driving. tires are good and wide for traction, 4X4 helps
Hey, that's my aunt!
I'm from MN. Awesome winters if you aren't a pansy. The truck will handle it just fine stock but the SALT IS HORRIBLE. The best thing to do is wash it once a week. There are automatic car washes all over for this purpose. Most gas stations have car washes in them. If you use good oil like 10-40w or 10-30w you'll be fine. Also, make sure the battery is newer and strong. I have a 840CCA sucker in mine and has always cranked right up, even well below zero. You may want to have the stock 195 deg t-stat if you don't already. Check the coolant to make sure it is proper mixture. Get good wipers, carry extra washer fluid, a big long arm ice scraper, extra gloves, hat, coat, hazard reflector, blankets, snacks, etc. for the survival kit. And last, be prepared to loosen your schedule to warm up your vehicle several minutes.
Ever driven in snow or ice? Slow take-offs, slow braking. Leave lots of room between you and other cars. They are very good about cleaning roads off but they can get slick in a jiffy. Get good all-season or all-terrain tires. No need for gimmick "winter tires." You will use 4wd on occasion. Be smart when driving and you too can avoid the ditch.
You may notice new noises or ticks of your truck. This is due to the cold affecting the materials and metals. Check for leaks and issues just like you would in extreme heat. You will enjoy true four seasons up there and people are nice but keep to themselves. There are tons of outdoor activities all year round from snowmobiling and ice fishing to water skiing and counting mosquito bites.
If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me.
I'm from MN. Awesome winters if you aren't a pansy. The truck will handle it just fine stock but the SALT IS HORRIBLE. The best thing to do is wash it once a week. There are automatic car washes all over for this purpose. Most gas stations have car washes in them. If you use good oil like 10-40w or 10-30w you'll be fine. Also, make sure the battery is newer and strong. I have a 840CCA sucker in mine and has always cranked right up, even well below zero. You may want to have the stock 195 deg t-stat if you don't already. Check the coolant to make sure it is proper mixture. Get good wipers, carry extra washer fluid, a big long arm ice scraper, extra gloves, hat, coat, hazard reflector, blankets, snacks, etc. for the survival kit. And last, be prepared to loosen your schedule to warm up your vehicle several minutes.
Ever driven in snow or ice? Slow take-offs, slow braking. Leave lots of room between you and other cars. They are very good about cleaning roads off but they can get slick in a jiffy. Get good all-season or all-terrain tires. No need for gimmick "winter tires." You will use 4wd on occasion. Be smart when driving and you too can avoid the ditch.
You may notice new noises or ticks of your truck. This is due to the cold affecting the materials and metals. Check for leaks and issues just like you would in extreme heat. You will enjoy true four seasons up there and people are nice but keep to themselves. There are tons of outdoor activities all year round from snowmobiling and ice fishing to water skiing and counting mosquito bites.
If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me.
Thread Starter
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Professional
Joined: Feb 2013
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i have seen under coating in a can, is that usefull? and what can you spray and not spray? as mentioned the previous owner may have done some salt water play time or it was a north truck and everything is surface rust or so.
my main concern is making it any more worse.
my main concern is making it any more worse.
I live north of Pittsburgh and we have fairly serious winters here as well....what I do is get one last good wash + wax right before the snow comes (around Thanksgiving) and apply the wax especially well around the wheel wells...for you, you'll want to focus on the wheel wells and the rockers (mine are painted with bed liner so no worries for me). After that, I lay down a big sheet of thin plastic and get the truck up on ramps and then touch up all undercoating with whatever brand I happen to have in my garage. I've heard that "bed armor" stuff tends to stick better so I'll be using that this year if I can. Hopefully you have a garage! Even keeping the truck garaged at night during the winter makes a difference in preserving the truck in my opinion.
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Professional
Joined: Feb 2013
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being born there and still have family there. florida is boring. the people are rude here. some not all so dont need anyone bowing up here. i will agree this time of year the weather is great.
Captain
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 728
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From: New Port Richey, Florida
I guess I'm the only one who enjoys living in Florida? Bunch of fun things to do and the weather is usually predictable. Spring is usually in the 90s, Summer it rains everyday, Fall is in the 70s, and Winter is in the 50-60s. Maybe that's just in my area? I don't know.
And to stay on topic. I would buy 5 Raptorliner kits and coat my whole truck. Or I would sell it because the strict, wacky northerners would say my truck isn't worthy to be driven on their roads.
And to stay on topic. I would buy 5 Raptorliner kits and coat my whole truck. Or I would sell it because the strict, wacky northerners would say my truck isn't worthy to be driven on their roads.
You'l get more rust that's for sure. welcome from NY to the rust belt. where they plow shovel down sparks/salt flying even when the roads are clear/dry. suggest over AMP rate batt/ block warmer/undercoat
Champion
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,717
Likes: 10
From: N/A
Wide tires in snow/ice not a good move tall skinny with lots of syping is what you want in a winter ice tire. An all season tire is not a good tire for the winter a truck M&S tire or yes a real winter tire will work much better than any all season tire will ever work in the snow. If you don't believe in real winter tires then you have never tried them.
Other than that most have given you good ideas on what to get/look for, make sure your block heater works, use proper weight winter oils, when you are warming the truck up make sure you put it into "N" so the oil in the trany gets moving.
Other than that most have given you good ideas on what to get/look for, make sure your block heater works, use proper weight winter oils, when you are warming the truck up make sure you put it into "N" so the oil in the trany gets moving.
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 487
Likes: 1
From: Evans City, PA
i have seen under coating in a can, is that usefull? and what can you spray and not spray? as mentioned the previous owner may have done some salt water play time or it was a north truck and everything is surface rust or so.
my main concern is making it any more worse.
my main concern is making it any more worse.
That was my main concern as well, I just use the spray on stuff in the aerosol cans for the undercarriage. The raptor liner is good stuff to put on the body (that's what I have on the doors and rockers on my truck)....but underneath is hard to get everything super clean and sanded down so the raptor won't stick very well. I'm going to use the "bed armor" stuff from advance auto...just knock off all the loose surface rust you can with a wire brush or something and then go to town with the bed armor. Make SURE you do it when the truck is completely dry underneath too...don't want to be trapping any moisture underneath the undercoating. I'm hoping to pick up a little geo tracker or something to drive around as my DD so I can park my ram and not subject it to the nasty salty roads here..... and just build it for a weekend warrior