My old truck was a 06 half ton and i was amazed at what it could do in the snow, up until I thought it was a smart idea to burn through my treads having fun the next summer. Even then I was surprised what it would go through with only 10% tread left. I now have an 11 and I actually HATE the ESP, it is worse in the snow because like someone said earlier it cuts power and applies brakes, when your in snow you want all the tires to spin (yes I know not all four wheels lock) but either way you want them to keep going in hopes you can grab something. I actually pulled a certain fuse to get rid of the bas and traction control I didnt take off any other parts of the ESP didn't really need to.
Also as mentioned earlier having a 4x4 with some good tires is all you need in the snow. I believe my old truck with the same tires would get through whatever this one could maybe more considering it was slightly higher off the ground (or so it looks anyways). Overall with good tires you should not have any problem driving in the snow. I do believe ESP disables automatically while in 4 low and I know you can turn it off in 4 high strictly for off roading purposes and that alone should tell you it doesn't help in snow.
By the way I live in the Canada way up north in the territories and have had plenty of snow to test these things. Winter 8 months a year

 

Well, here ya go! After I posted, I went out and snapped these two pics with the phone. This was after the new plates were on and before I finished signing all the paperwork. The freshest pic of the truck I'll ever get. Two pics taken 3 seconds apart.. one came out nice and the other kinda crappy... go figure.








Not too bad, if I don't say so myself.




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SWEET!

 

Awesome truck! Love the sport package with chrome 20's.

 

Looks great, good luck with it

 

the problem I see you may have is 20' wheels. 20's do not handle well with snowy or icy conditions. I change my 20's out every winter with 17' tires. My winter tires I have are bridgestone Dueler At's. And In ND last year we had snow 6 months straight.

 

Thanks all. I'm real happy about getting back into a truck. You know, the thing that got me started was the look of the new ( 2009 ) Ram.. inside and out. But now, after I've owned one, the look of the 3rd gen trucks has won me over.


Hey, speaking of tires, ( since that seems to be the consensus on a non ESP vehicle ) what I thought were 4 nice tires, ended up being two good ones and two that will need to be replaced sooner than later. It's clear that the tires were rotated from front to back by the balding area around the outside edge on what are now the rear tires. ( common thing on these trucks, I think? ) The fronts look pristine. But the tread depth itself is very different from front to back as well. I have to assume that in the 33,000 miles this truck has on it, the tires were never rotated until now.
So, it almost seems a shame to chuck two good tires to buy four. Getting two new matching tires might make more sense... but I'd hate to break the rule I've always lived by which is to replace one is to replace all four.

Just curious, why would 17" tires be better? I just figured tire compound / tread design is all that mattered.


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Seems like you could avoid the expense of a second set of tires/rims and just get some good 20 inch replacement tires, just my opinion of course. My 07 also has approximately 33K miles, and my stock Wrangler HP's totally stink. I have ordered Firestone Destination AT's for my 20's, and they should be in any day now. The written quote I have for the Firestone's, installed/everything included, is $870, which I think is an excellent price.

 

Yeah, 4 new rims and tires, plus whatever is needed to calibrate the speedo is something I don't want to get involved in. ( plus, I still have two weak 20" tires waiting for me )
I've seen that particular tire mentioned several times in various threads. ( I'd imagine the tire debate is alot like the never-ending engine oil debate on every forum involving an internal combustion engine. ) But those Firestones do ring a bell.
The thought of dropping $900 the day after buying the truck is kinda a buzz-kill though..

 

I hear you, it stinks to have to buy tires for a truck you just purchased. I bought my truck used in July of 2010, so I at least went well over a year before looking to replace mine. I know that I will be in trouble with my Good Year HP's this Winter. Lucky for me, we have had a very unusual mild streak of weather so far. Bad weather will surely be here soon in the Rochester NY area.