4X4 high for road use. Only use 4LO for very slow conditions, like off road or when you are stuck in the mud. I use it on slick ground while manouvering a trailer for a little extra power.

Trail grapplers are not good snow tires. They do OK in deep, packing snow, but not in normal road conditions. The lugs either need decent grip on the pavement or something to bite into. Greasy snow or a light coating of snow and you slide everywhere.

Any good A/T tire will be better for winter conditions. BF Goodrich A/T's are awesome, but pricy. My Nitto Terra Grapplers do as good as any that I have owned (like Coopers, etc).

 

My questions are:
Is it better to drive in 4x4high or 4x4low, when driving up the curvey roads in the snow?

4h for sure. 4l makes way too much torque which is tough to manage

I am looking at getting 275/70R18's, but I have also been considering 295/70R18s, what tire would you recommend?
(Here are a couple I have been looking at, BFG KO ATs, Nitto terra Grappler, Nitto Trail Grapplers, and Toyo AT2s.)

For snow skinny is where it's at. I'm stepping down to a 235/80R17 for my snows. Personally, I like a open lug AT tire for snow. My snow tires will be between the General AT2 and the Good Year DuraTrac. The DuraTrac is very well received in the snow.

How do the Trail Grapplers handle in the snow? I haven't been able to get any good feedback!

Fog lights, Does having yellow fog lights help with vision in snowy conditions?

No. Yellow helps you be seen. White helps you see. Keep them on low, keep the ice off and turn on the fogs.

 

Ahh yes. Forgot to mention that narrower is better in the snow. Wide tires will float more, where you want to bite down to the road surface for traction. But a standard width A/T will be fine with 4WD. If you had a 2WD, I'd say get narrow snows for the rear.

I have 285 Terra Grapplers for winter, and they are fine. I don't think and extra 10mm will change that much.

 

Not trying to derail the thread, guys...but I think this is relevant.

Why can't you drive in 4hi on dry pavement? I've owned 3 F-150s in the last 15 years, and I drive up to the mountains often. If the highway gets slick (snow, of course) I'll slow down to 40mph and switch over to 4hi...then I keep the speed below 60.

Now, on the way back, when I get to dry pavement or the "slick" factor is pretty much gone, I'll turn it off...never had any problems. It works like a dream.

So what would happen on a dry highway? The truck doesn't know the difference, right? Anyone that knows the specific answer to this, please share. I've always wondered....

 

I have 2wd and went with the most narrow I could go , I also went wit a LT2 tire.

 

4L is not for driving. I have only needed 4L a couple times pulling the boat out an uphill sand ramp and also in thick heavy mud a foot deep.

4H is for general driving but I use mine sparingly even on snow packed roads. My theory is to save it until I really need it. If you use it all the time you might get over confident and by the time you realize how bad it is you have no “reserve”.

If you drive on hard surfaces in 4H, your front tires will wear prematurely and there is potential for driveline damage.

Any A/T is your best bet. I run stock size and have had very good luck with Wranglers. I had a set of BFG and they were ok but hard to keep balanced and turning smoothly. I now have Yokohamas and like them but they’ve only been on since Sept. or so.

As far as yellow lights, I have never driven with them so I can’t comment on driving visibility. But, I will say that I hate them on oncoming vehicles. It makes it hard for me to see. My opinion is that they should be illegal. Same goes for blue.

Happy New Year,

Denny

 

Theres a few threads on this around the forum, heres an example thread:

https://www.f150forum.com/f2/4hi-whe...estion-147953/

basically what happens is that the differential in the truck will bind up when turning the wheels when on a high traction surface since the tires wont be "slipping", which can/will destroy your differential and possibly other drivetrain items.

 

Thanks, dude. I went searching after my post and found the answer. Funny, I always assumed it was a bit of a myth, but it appears that indeed, you need to take it easy on dry roads.

 

yup haha. Just gotta remember that 4wd and Awd are two different systems. Some people make the mistake of assuming that 4wd acts like Awd and destroy their drivetrain.

 

Nitto Trail Grapplers are amazing in the snow! However, if that's not your weapon of choice then all of the others you have listed are most likely very good too (maybe not as good as Trail Grapplers in the snow though, haha, ). Good luck with your decision, and working on the truck.