Snow!!

judge09 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I am syracuse, NY we are in the lead now for the most snow fall in NY. 200"a year no problem. 4wd low is only needed when your stuck in a snow bank. All you need to get around in the snow is good tread on your tires. I have driven through the winters in my previous wranglers and rarely use 4 wheel drive. My grand cherokee has full time and its like the snow isnt even there. Lets be real its more fun to drive when you dont have good traction [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img][addsig]

judge09 · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

extremeYJ... you dont know what you are missing. I think it should be part of every young drivers right of passage to go out to an empty parking lot after a fresh falling of snow and do donuts til you puke.

Treking through 2 feet of snow in the jeep is a ton of fun everyone should experience.[addsig]

judge09 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

On second thought I need to add a disclaimer. DONT DO DONUTS IN YOUR JEEP. I made that mistake when I first got my wrangler and nearly flipped it. Grab you buddies Neon with the bald tires and then go have fun.[addsig]

TerryMason · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I was all set for a canceled work snow day, but alas, the dc area only got an inch or two. [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_cry.gif[/img] [addsig]

judge09 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Well there is a down side to snow in NY. They salt the roads which ends up rusting out your jeep. I have seen many jeeps taken down by the almight salt.

bigTlilODD...why would you decrease the pressure in your tires?? [addsig]

Snitty · #6 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

judge... you can do donuts in a neon????[addsig]

judge09 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Cut the wheel and pull the e-brake. In an empty parking lot you spin for miles. I actually perfected it in my very first ride 87 Dodge Omni.[addsig]

Timl · #8 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Snow! I have never lived where there was not snow in the winter! Grew up north of Edmonton Alberta. Have been here in North Dakota for the past 23 years. The best way to do donuts with a FWD car is in reverse! Talk about spin! For traction I have my Craftsman tool chest in the back of the Cherokee and new tires so no problem at all most of the time even in 2wd - of course in 4wd the traction is great! Salt is not a problem here but it was up in Alberta and it really rusts vehicles quickly. Best bet is to take it to a car wash where they have a bottom wash also. Or just bit the bullet and get your raincoat on and get down on the floor and wash it off with the hand car wash. [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] [addsig]

judge09 · #9 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

bigTlilODD...I got ya. I had never really had a problem with traction in my jeeps in the snow so i never thought about deflating the tires[addsig]

judge09 · #10 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

The snow is actually the reason why my family now has owned 5 jeeps. I was the first to get one (my beloved black TJ). Later that year my sister had totaled her car after losing traction and fishtailing into a much larger truck. She was in need of a new vehicle so of course I took her over to the jeep dealership. She was not sure she wanted to spend that much money until we took a Cherokee sport out for a test drive. The salesman was driving and my sister was telling him about her little accident. Well next thing you know we pull up to a for sale building with an unplowed lot. There must have been a foot -foot and a half of standing snow. Popped that sucker into 4wd and we went charging through there no problems. Later that day my sis bought the jeep and since then my brother has bought a YJ and TJ, I bought my 2nd jeep a grand cherokee, and my father is shopping for one for himself. If it wasnt for the snow I wouldnt have my jeep loving family. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.[addsig]

jeepin_madness · #11 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>when i used to live in PA semi's certainly didnt do very well in the snow on hills and mountains, they'd all be jacknifed and back up traffic for miles...glad i dont have to deal with that around here anymore

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

At my job I deal with semi's all day long.(I work in a truck service shop) Though with the weight you would assume more traction which would be true if the tires they are running were made for the snow. More often than not the tires they are running cant deal with the snow itself. A lot of trucking companies are opting away from agressive tread patterns and going with more of a straight tread to same on fuel economy. Well it might save em a couple miles to the gallon but when it gets slick there just isnt any traction [addsig]

judge09 · #12 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

90% of the vehicles I see in the ditches are semi's during bad snow storms. [addsig]

Snitty · #13 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Last year, coming back from buffalo on St Pat's Day weekend, we had a good whopper of a storm... I could not see the tail lights of the car ahead of me. I was basically driving by feeling the bumps... if i felt a bump, assumed I was off the road, and turned accordingly... On the expressway, within 2 miles of each other... I saw 2 semi's on their sides... the wind was pretty bad... there were many many many cars ran off the road... 4wd is my hero.... that and a good deal of patience[addsig]

BigBlackJeep · #14 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I love driving in the snow, although the only time it gets nasty is when you can't see. But being up higher in my Jeep I have the added bonus of being able to have more lights on down low which cuts down on the 'starfield' effect of driving with lots of lights when the snow is heavy.

I have already used my Jeep to rescue a couple of inferior vehicles this winter... gotta love the 4WD!!! [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [addsig]

BigBlackJeep · #15 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Also-despite what many people think, a smaller footprint is usually preferred in snow. A bigger footprint will float on top of the snow, not what you usually want. A smaller footprint will put more pressure on the snow and let the tire grip better. There are occasions in snow where a big footprint would be better- (like trekking in the artic and such) but for everyday street driving, a slightly skinnier tire would be better. Also, when you get in the slush, a wider tire will float on top and throw you vehicle around, the skinnier tire will push through it and get to the road.

I worked at a tire shop for over two years, so that is how I know this information... direct from BFGoodrich, Michelin reps.....[addsig]

Sully · #16 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Donuts,I love donuts.The only donuts I have done were in a 95 gmc yukon.We went up to mammoth and found a huge resort parking lot. We spun the truck till we couldent take it any more. It was great. O ya no snow here in California.It was 90 degrees today. Sully [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img][addsig]

Snitty · #17 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

actually.... you just want less flat spots on the snow.... the more sharp, small contact points you can get on ice/show... shippery stuff... the better... if you are in loose show... the wider tire is better... but if you are on ice.. you want a small contact point... you could have 15 inch wide tires that have more concentrated contacts than any mud tire[addsig]

BigBlackJeep · #18 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

In theory the bigger footprint makes sense, but in snow it is the opposite. There are times when a bigger footprint would help, but overall, a slightly smaller footprint with lots of biting edges is best. If you look at winter tires and compare the same sizes- i.e.-195/75R15 for instance in both a winter and all season, the winter tire will be slightly skinnier. Also, the tread pattern is distinct in that it has hundreds of sips in the tread which grip the snow and ice. That is why mud tires aren't very good on the snow and ice, big blocks of tread and not many biting edges doesn't go very well when the snow gets a glazed finish on it.

I would try raising the pressure ever so slightly and see what that does. It will of course cause uneven wear on your tires, but if it keeps you out of the ditch....

The best way to determine what works for you is to experiment and see- some vehicles react and handle differently to different tires.[addsig]

BigBlackJeep · #19 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I can attest to the fact that Mud tires do not work in snow/icy conditions. Tonite on my way home I was headed up the hill that I have driven over a thousand times. A nice corner at the bottom before a straightaway. The roads were a little slick, but not slick enough for 4WD I figured. Well, about 500 yards later I was spinning tires in a 3' deep snowbank.

Words to the wise- even over 7" of lift and 32" mudder's can't save you from the clutches of a NY snowbank 3' deep..... And, if it looks slick, feels slick, it is slick, pull the 'ol short shifter to 4WD and make sure you make it home!!

Special thanks goes out to a fellow Jeeper who came to the rescue and pulled BBJ from the grasp of that snowbank....[addsig]

judge09 · #20 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Oh what a great winter we just got another 7in of lake effect snow last night. I made it back from the work without even sliding once. Quadra-trac is awsome. Wrangler ATP tires are working very nice. When everyone else was sliding around my jeep and I were safe and stable. [addsig]