Moving up north. Any advice?
08-16-2018, 09:31 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Moving up north. Any advice?
My wife and I will soon be moving up to New York ( great lakes area) from south Mississippi. What should I be doing to my truck to prepare it for the northern winters and lake effect snow? I have a 2012 Supercrew XLT 4x4 Off road with 148k miles. Any help is appreciated!
08-16-2018, 09:51 AM
#3
Well first things first you have to understand and except that rust is going happen plain and simple. I live in the rust belt of New York so i have plenty of experience. I would recommend getting decent all terrain tires if you dont already have them. mud tires are "ok" at best in the snow and regular all seasons are junk in the snow o if you want get 4 winter tires on steel rims so you can just swap them out in the spring and fall. If you can swing the cash get the truck professionally undercoated like the stuff that they use in the bed liners not just the tacky spray Rust proofing places offer. its the most effective way to keep the rust away the longest. other than rust there is nothing to really worry about up here. I would also recommend weather tech floor mats cause all that snow melting on the floor of the truck will ruin the floor boards over time with the salt. Also for convenience having a tonneau cover helps when you need to use the bed so there is no snow in the bed. nothing is more of a PITA than trying to shovel the snow out of the bed. All in all its a truck its 4wd as long as you can adjust to driving in the snow you will be fine. everything is just a suggestion you can do nothing stated above and the truck will still be fine it just might rust a little. and as for the tires, after your first winter you will know if the ones you have are good enough lol.
The following users liked this post:
jkcraft (08-16-2018)
08-16-2018, 09:59 AM
#5
Rust proofing with yearly doses of Fluid Film or equivalent.
Learn how to drive in the snow so you don't hold every one up waiting for you to get out of the way. You should be able to drive on snow covered roads just as easily as if they were dry. Best advice is to seek out a large snow covered parking lot, like a mall or school, and do whippde-dos for hours on end until you know how your truck can handle loss of traction covered roads.
Learn how to drive in the snow so you don't hold every one up waiting for you to get out of the way. You should be able to drive on snow covered roads just as easily as if they were dry. Best advice is to seek out a large snow covered parking lot, like a mall or school, and do whippde-dos for hours on end until you know how your truck can handle loss of traction covered roads.
The following users liked this post:
jkcraft (08-16-2018)
08-16-2018, 10:09 AM
#6
Member
Thread Starter
Well first things first you have to understand and except that rust is going happen plain and simple. I live in the rust belt of New York so i have plenty of experience. I would recommend getting decent all terrain tires if you dont already have them. mud tires are "ok" at best in the snow and regular all seasons are junk in the snow o if you want get 4 winter tires on steel rims so you can just swap them out in the spring and fall. If you can swing the cash get the truck professionally undercoated like the stuff that they use in the bed liners not just the tacky spray Rust proofing places offer. its the most effective way to keep the rust away the longest. other than rust there is nothing to really worry about up here. I would also recommend weather tech floor mats cause all that snow melting on the floor of the truck will ruin the floor boards over time with the salt. Also for convenience having a tonneau cover helps when you need to use the bed so there is no snow in the bed. nothing is more of a PITA than trying to shovel the snow out of the bed. All in all its a truck its 4wd as long as you can adjust to driving in the snow you will be fine. everything is just a suggestion you can do nothing stated above and the truck will still be fine it just might rust a little. and as for the tires, after your first winter you will know if the ones you have are good enough lol.
08-16-2018, 10:11 AM
#7
Member
Thread Starter
Rust proofing with yearly doses of Fluid Film or equivalent.
Learn how to drive in the snow so you don't hold every one up waiting for you to get out of the way. You should be able to drive on snow covered roads just as easily as if they were dry. Best advice is to seek out a large snow covered parking lot, like a mall or school, and do whippde-dos for hours on end until you know how your truck can handle loss of traction covered roads.
Learn how to drive in the snow so you don't hold every one up waiting for you to get out of the way. You should be able to drive on snow covered roads just as easily as if they were dry. Best advice is to seek out a large snow covered parking lot, like a mall or school, and do whippde-dos for hours on end until you know how your truck can handle loss of traction covered roads.
Trending Topics
08-16-2018, 10:22 AM
#8
Senior Member
Well first things first you have to understand and except that rust is going happen plain and simple. I live in the rust belt of New York so i have plenty of experience. I would recommend getting decent all terrain tires if you dont already have them. mud tires are "ok" at best in the snow and regular all seasons are junk in the snow o if you want get 4 winter tires on steel rims so you can just swap them out in the spring and fall.
OP, do the driving practice every year. You get out of practice over the summer. A lot of the cheap rollup tonneaus do not completely prevent snow/rain from getting in the corners, just so you know. And if you're going with a 2nd set of wheels, you may as well get some nicer ones, you can usually find takeoff alloy rims for about the same price as crap steel rims. At least, the less popular alloy models like the basic aluminum/grey XLT/FX rims.
08-16-2018, 12:04 PM
#9
Senior Member
It’s funny actually - people who have lived in this area all their lives seem to forget how to drive in the snow every year. First snowfall there are so many in the ditch.
I am a firm believer in dedicated winter tires. Even more so for someone like the OP who has never driven in snow. And I agree 100% with once you are here for the first snow - get out in that big open parking lot and practice. Get going about 20-30mph and hit the brakes while yanking the steering wheel. We did that as kids (way before anti-lock brakes and all that) just for fun but now know how important a learning experience it was.
And rust. I just had to get rid of my most favorite truck which was an ‘09 FX4 w/lux package. I was heartbroken this spring to find the lower left cab corner and door corner starting to rust. Plus the frame and everything else underneath was totally rust covered from 3 years old on. So if you plan on keeping your present truck for any length of time I would urge you to get it undercoated even before you leave down south.
Another nice thing to have up here is remote start if you don’t have it already. It’s cold in the mornings - nothing worse than jumping into a stone cold truck. You will be even more susceptible to this until you get used to the cold.
If you are moving anywhere near northwestern NY you are going to be dealing with heavy lake snow. It can literally snow at 6” per hour in the right place at the right time. I can’t stress the dedicated winter tires enough. 4WD can get moving just fine without but you also need to stop and turn.
And taking about lake snow - winter wipers are very important also. I use Bosch Icons which are just awesome.
I am a firm believer in dedicated winter tires. Even more so for someone like the OP who has never driven in snow. And I agree 100% with once you are here for the first snow - get out in that big open parking lot and practice. Get going about 20-30mph and hit the brakes while yanking the steering wheel. We did that as kids (way before anti-lock brakes and all that) just for fun but now know how important a learning experience it was.
And rust. I just had to get rid of my most favorite truck which was an ‘09 FX4 w/lux package. I was heartbroken this spring to find the lower left cab corner and door corner starting to rust. Plus the frame and everything else underneath was totally rust covered from 3 years old on. So if you plan on keeping your present truck for any length of time I would urge you to get it undercoated even before you leave down south.
Another nice thing to have up here is remote start if you don’t have it already. It’s cold in the mornings - nothing worse than jumping into a stone cold truck. You will be even more susceptible to this until you get used to the cold.
If you are moving anywhere near northwestern NY you are going to be dealing with heavy lake snow. It can literally snow at 6” per hour in the right place at the right time. I can’t stress the dedicated winter tires enough. 4WD can get moving just fine without but you also need to stop and turn.
And taking about lake snow - winter wipers are very important also. I use Bosch Icons which are just awesome.
The following users liked this post:
jkcraft (08-16-2018)
08-16-2018, 12:20 PM
#10
2x 60lb sand tubes above the rear axle will do wonder for your traction in the winter. Available at any hardware store.
A good set of tires, your ATs will do just fine.
For emergencies, leave 2 heavy blankets in the truck (more if you have kids, I prefer self stowable camping blankets), along with some mechanics gloves (to keep your hands warm while changing a tire) , a tow rope (to pull friends and coworkers out of ditches), a couple of bottles of water (yes, they will freeze, so get some heavy duty plastic bottles like Evian) and some non-perishable snacks (for when you are stuck in a heavy snow storm, my record is 36 hours)
As for rust, nothing will stem it, don't waste your money on undercoating or oil spray. just wash the truck once a week.
A good set of tires, your ATs will do just fine.
For emergencies, leave 2 heavy blankets in the truck (more if you have kids, I prefer self stowable camping blankets), along with some mechanics gloves (to keep your hands warm while changing a tire) , a tow rope (to pull friends and coworkers out of ditches), a couple of bottles of water (yes, they will freeze, so get some heavy duty plastic bottles like Evian) and some non-perishable snacks (for when you are stuck in a heavy snow storm, my record is 36 hours)
As for rust, nothing will stem it, don't waste your money on undercoating or oil spray. just wash the truck once a week.
The following users liked this post:
jkcraft (08-16-2018)