Here is some advice.... If your going down a hill and lock your brakes up, and start sliding towards somewhere you don't want to go, let off the brakes so ya can steer . I see lots of people even up here in Montana sliding into curbs or cars. If they let off there brakes they would have avoided the wreck. ABS or not you CAN lock your tires up on snow and ice.

 

You will definatly need a snow brush, windsheild anti freeze make sure its always topped up, windsheild winter blades, rubber floor mats (why ruin your carpet)...

*
I live in Montreal Quebec, Canada...lots of snow here, my best advice when driving in te snow is to slow down, slow down, slow down....I always use the 4x4 when a little or alot of snow, and never use it when pavement is black.....before turning corners I almost come to a complete stop, remember that s 5000 bls of metal that needs to come to a stop....I also stay away from those wanabee's 4x4 people who think they are the kiong of the road, I saw 4 of them in the ditch yesterday......just be carefull,...


right now with my new ram, I wait a few days after a snow storm to drive around in....don't want any one ramming into me. no pun intended...lol
OH Yah no freeken sand bags you got a 4x4 for petes sake, the truck is 5000lbs.....

have a good one, merry christmas



Dario

 

Carry extra gloves, bottled water, candels, matchs, ect. New trucks do break down.

Travel at a consistant speed, no matter the road conditions, nothing bugs me more than a driver speeding up and than slowing down, don't tail gate, follow at least a 8 sec rule.

before starting out, lock up the brakes a short distance from your home, this gives you a indication of the road conditions.

as for 4wd, I drive in 2wd on highways, even on the absoulte worse road conditions, I stay in 2wd, controling 4 drive wheels in panic or advise drving is not worth the extra speed 4x4 gives you.

Spend some time in a local mall parking lot, play arround with 360's 180's ect in 2wd and 4wd, this will give you a understanding of how to handel your truck, do this when safe, and the odd cop will most likely give you a stunting ticket, but my point is, take the time to learn how to handel driving on snow and ice, before hitting a public road.

 

I'm assuming you'll be stationed in/near Groton? The good news for ya is that the southeastern part of the state normally gets the least amount of snow. Exceptions being the coastal storm that pounded us last weekend and hammered the southeast.
One of you biggest problems in CT will be the ice. Unless you live in the northern 3rd of the state we seem to get a lot of storms that start as rain then turn to snow or vice versa. In the middle of the changeover there can be a prolonged period of icing. At these times it's just best to stay put and let the DPW treat the roads.

You'll also hear the term "Black Ice" quite frequently. Pay special attention to it!
It's a condition that usually occurs when we have melting during the day and re-freezing at night. If you're lucky you will see a sheen across the road that makes it look wet when, in fact, it is a thin layer of the most slippery smooth ice you can imagine. Drive very cautiously if you see this!

By the way a 4x4 will do nothing for you in an icy condition but give you a false sense of security.

We also can get periods of freezing rain which causes extremely slippery conditions. Freezing rain is rain that falls in a liquid form but freezes on contact with the ground, usually paved surfaces, when the temps are at or below freezing.

The best advice was given above. Drive SLOW! You will see a ton of people in the state that drive in 6" of snow like they are on dry pavement, cars and trucks alike. You'll usually see them again down the road in a snowbank or Jersey barrier.

Staying out of 4WD on dry pavement is also good advice. It will save a good deal of wear and tear on your truck. Because the backroads are usually a nightmare (unplowed and messy) I tend to stay in 4 Hi all the time in snow and kick it into 2WD on the highway unless they are untreated as well.

 

That's not true. If you start to slide b/c you've lost traction, 4wd won't save you, but it sure will help you maintain traction if you're still accelerating or giving the truck any gas. Having power to the front wheels in slippery conditions is very advantageous when turning - I've driven FWD, RWD and 4WD vehicles in the snow.

 

+1. Good advice. Sometimes letting off the brakes is the only way to regain traction. I've also had situations where giving it a little gas pulled me in the right direction.

 

The way I got comfortable driving in slippery conditions and snow was by taking my vehicles into a snowy or icy parking lot without any poles or obstructions in the way. I'd speed up and slow down. Spin out intentionally and try to regain control. Take imaginary turns, etc. Practice really does help and knowing the limits of your vehicle is important.

But I do recommend driving with 4WD on snowy roads. Yes, you can drive faster in 4wd than 2wd, but driving at the same speed in 4wd as in 2wd is safer. So I recommend driving cautiously in 4wd. Just don't be overconfident.

 

Well sometimes. Accellerating into a corner in (part time) 4wd isn't the brightest thing to do, you get awfull push from 4wd while cornering. Best bet is to just back off the gas.

I still don't see much use for 4wd for snow/ice conditions unless you live far off the beaten path. We got 12-20 inches over the last 3 days and my 2wd is handling it just fine.

 

You can lock your wheels with ABS unless it is defective. In the winter with ABS just put even pressure and keep it down if it's gonna stop the ABS will stop it, worse thing to do is let off cuz then the milliseconds it takes to readjust might be when you needed to stop without hitting something.
It is true though people get a bit overconfident when the traction is there driving so your mind relaxes but with 4x4 and ABS your truck will stop a tad bit better than a 2wd.
The 2wd even on ice with e the ESP on you can't really spin your rear tires in 2wd it is actually pretty darn good traction. I have a sure grip in my 72 chevy, kinda reminds me of that instead of hearing clunking in the rear end you hear it under the hood or dash a bunch of buzzing and sounds similar to that while the ESP is controlling the truck from spinning out.
Sand bags freeze and roll around, you if you want weight get one of those bladders and they bungee to 4 corners and there are different sections you fill to preven sloshing when wet and not yet frozen. Also you can put stuff on top they don't take up space.

 

Sand bags only roll around if you don't have them set in correctly. The 7 bags in my bed havn't moved - they are sitting on a rubber bed mat. I agree that they freeze if you have them in an uncovered bed, but under my tonneau it stays nice and dry.