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i've read all the other responces and yet this one is only one indicating that weight = more traction and stability.
How much of a difference would a 2500 superduty diesel shortbox vs a ecoscrew be?
I think like 1700lbs, which is quite a bit... but I think the width of both tires stock are about the same, which would ellude to perhaps "more" PSI for the contact patch of the wheel, but being that the suspension is stiffer, solid front axle and taller height, it could be more susceptable to bumps than an IFS lower truck
Traction is better in a heavier vehicle. Ever drive in deep snow next to a semi? They have great traction due to their weight. I hear your point on the harsher suspension but in any depth of snow, the road smooths out as the snow fills in the cracks and seems to soften things. Of course if there are ruts, it's a different story but then again the heavier truck will cross those ruts far easier....
In most cases a heavier vehicle may be better in the snow but tires also play a large part. I have an 01 F250 that has ****ty E-rated highway tires. The tires are great for towing my camper in the summer, but my '11 F150 w/ mud tires is much more stable in the snow.
Good evenly distributed weight and good tires I think are key. Like suburbans, they're just plain heavy throughout the entire frame. They have the best distribution of weight in any truck like platform. Add a set of tires and anyone can look like a good driver in the snow and ice.
I did the same principle to my truck. I want a good even distribution of weight through out the frame. I got a Leer topper and a rubber bed mat for year round use. Then in the winter I have bags of sand that go in width wise on the front, middle and rear of the bed. Add in some bags of gear and stuff and I got myself a heavy evenly distributed snowbombing truck. Not that I go fast, but mountain roads around here don't get plowed from 7-6 every night. So drifts are common.
Any truck can be stable in winter, you just have to know how to set it up...
Exactly......like I said in my original post as well.
I know you guys have seen people with pickups or cargo vans use sand bags in the rear of the beds for traction.
There should be an obvious reason that weight added keeps the tires weighted into the pavement for better traction.
Exactly......like I said in my original post as well.
I know you guys have seen people with pickups or cargo vans use sand bags in the rear of the beds for traction.
There should be an obvious reason that weight added keeps the tires weighted into the pavement for better traction.
And I'm surprised at the number of 4x4's I see in the ditch, sometimes rubber side down. I never had the opportunity to investigate their incident, but obviously they did something wrong, as I drove down the same road and stayed on it.
Usually attributed to the lack of this...
Best rule I've had the most success with, no matter what I was driving... just slow down. If it's snowing... just slow down. If it's snowing even more... just slow down even more.
interesting... would you say the width/size of the tires is what cause the instability? Or would yous ay that it could be the stiffness of the suspension?
Some of both, the specific ratio could be debated.
And also possibly adding a false sense of security can certainly compound that. Big, aggressive offroad tires on lifted trucks can be functional and effective, but not in situations of rain and snow/ice. Unless the snow is very deep, where stock vehicles would just not be able to traverse because they're lower to the ground with more undercarriage to drag them down. But even then, without matched gearing and some sort of added traction, lifted trucks with meaty tires are also limited.
Some of both, the specific ratio could be debated.
And also possibly adding a false sense of security can certainly compound that. Big, aggressive offroad tires on lifted trucks can be functional and effective, but not in situations of rain and snow/ice. Unless the snow is very deep, where stock vehicles would just not be able to traverse because they're lower to the ground with more undercarriage to drag them down. But even then, without matched gearing and some sort of added traction, lifted trucks with meaty tires are also limited.
so perhaps this is the question... is this
Knowing that if bigger tires are blown up to the same PSI, you are going to achieve less "grip" on icy condtions than smaller ones, which becomes a "risk" unless of course you are looking for clearance and going through "snow". But overall for ice + big tires is bad
However if you are to discuss... what is a better vehicle for icy winter roads, same tires, both unloaded... a F150 or a Superduty
which is it?
I belive the argument goes, length and weight = more like a freight train
the other is that the unloaded suspension makes driving at speed more risky.... whereas the IFS and the 3 leafs on the F150 is more stable.
I used to drive up & down Hwy 63 quite a bit... You should ask your friend if he's the one who passed me, in a snow storm, on the shoulder after the passing lane ended, a few years ago
Reading this makes me not miss that part of my life at all!!
09-17-2014, 08:14 PM
