2WD in Winter Snow.

Mayguy

Mayguy

New Member
I was wondering how well the newer Ranger handles in snow for winter?

I have 2WD, and in my old '93 Ranger did pretty good in the winter with a couple tube of sand in back.
 
2WD in Snow

I live in Colorado and have to say the worst vehicle in the snow is a 2WD truck. Their rear ends are just too light and the front end can get "pushed" and the driver will lose control. I saw a 2WD, full size pick up suddenly veer off the road and hit the curb with no warning because the front end gut "pushed" by the rear wheel drive. 4WD is the only way to go in snow.
 
I had a 2000 silverado that was a night mare in winter driveing. My 2008 ford ranger 2wd reg cab supprised the hell out of me and everyone in the truck of how well it did on snow and ice, though not as nice as a 4wd
 
I would highly suggest getting a 4wd, In my opinion I think if you're getting a truck and you have the opportunity to get a 4wd then that's the best way to go with a truck. But if you're insistent on a 2wd truck, you could do the same thing load it with sand and consider installing a limited slip or an aussie locker in the rear to help but they handle different with either of those compared to an open diff.
 
2wd in witner snow

If you have an open rear end then winter driving can be a problem. I have a 2004 Ranger Edge with limited slip and I have had it in up state New York in the winter and it did very well. The only thing I had to do is add a little extra weight to it because all pickups are light in the back. To me 4wd drive is a waste of money. None are true 4wd's. You cannot have a limited slip both front and rear. The way to to would be AWD. But I'm not aware of anyone that makes a truck with this option.
 
No there isn't really a true 4X4 traction unless you add diff lockers, but 4wd is deff. worth the extra cost because then you have front wheels grabbing for traction which will help you stay on the road more than what a 2wd with limited slip will. The only awd pickup I know of is the newer silverado, sierra, and avalanches, but its still kind of identical to the way 4wd is except for the 60/40 split full-time unless the rear slips and the transfer case sends more power to the front axle and that you can't shut it off to conserve a little gas mileage and that there front axles don't get a limited slip either just the rear. So its all in preference in how you look at it.
 
Tires hold the key

I have a 2x4 as we get very little snow. The factory original tires were horrible in snow - back end sliding all over the place, spin on startup, etc. Even wet roads were a serious problem. I replaced them with Michelin XLTs and now it hugs the road.

So in my experience tires make a serious difference.
 
Unfortunately there is no added traction given by a 4wd system when a vehicle is already moving. The only advantage is when you start moving (ie the added drive will get you started in a snow patch that a 1wd or 2wd maybe could not).

The physics governing a vehicle in motion is the same regardless of drive train though. Good tires will make the difference here.
 
Traction in Snow

Compared to a 2wd pickup, my 4wd is great in the snow. It has a lot more control and I have seen many 2wd pickup suddenly slide off the road or the front end just slides sideways and the truck is stuck in the road...blocking traffic. I always have a smirk on my face as I pass then going up hill.

As for stopping, it has no more traction that a 2wd. If you start sliding you're screwed. Living in Colorado, very near the Rockies, I would never get anything but a 4wd or Awd vehicle.
 
If I lived near the rockies I'd probably opt for 4wd too. I'm in the Washington DC area and we don't get that much snow, so a 2wd with decent tires would do fine.
 
i got some tracktor tires on some one 5 lug wheels i whrough on when it snown last year and im a 2 wd 2001 ford ranger and i didnt have no problem and even whent off rodin wheth them on and it was still snowning and didnt have a problem through some sinder stones in the bed and strap them down in case on a reck you dont want then to fly out on impackt and loose controle and kill you or some one else
 
its not as much the 4x4 as it is the driver i go places with my truck and have to pull 4x4s out be cause they caint drive 4x4 helps but the drive is what counts
 
Truck not 4WD?

The way I look at it if your going to buy a truck that isnt 4wd, you my as well buy a car, I would never buy a truck that wasnt 4wd. They shouldnt evan make 2wd trucks.
 
2wd vs 4wd?

I drive a 96 2wd and only got stuck in the driveway during a record snowfall. Although 4wd would help it really depends on how well you drive. I smirk when I see my friends in their 4X4 Rams and F-150s stuck off in the ditch because they got cocky.
 
I have seen many people in upstate NY (where I used to live) that were sporting 2wd's. They just had a load of sandbags in the back and kept on keepin' on.
 
Never mind snow, I'm in 4X4 as soon as the road gets wet. pick up trucks suck in anything but dry surface... so forget the sand bags and get a 4x4... you wont regret it.
 
We had our first snow last Friday, 4" of it, and had no issue with it. Just had to relearn how to drive a rear wheel drive since my last car of 12 years was front wheel drive.

Adding a few bags in back will help out more when we do get more snow.

As some already posted here, just learn how to drive, and don't be a cocky driver. Of my 32 years of driving, I never had 4WD, got along just fine with out. As my mother used to say, "If it's that bad out, you don't need to go out.. 4WD just gets you in a bigger mess!"
 
To Mayguy

Oh, was it you I passed last Friday in my 4WD Ranger? Hope I didn't scare you too much.
 
2WD Ranger in snow

My '04 has 255x70x15 snow tires w/ good "cleat" design which helps to clean snow from tread. Four to six 60lb. bags of "play sand" from Lowes has added to traction in snow up to 28 in. Past that we use wife's AWD Escape hybrid. South central PA doesn't get real snow like the midwest or new england area. But from time to time we really get buried. For entertainment we enjoyed watching the drivers of Durham,NC drive in snow, when I was in college there.What a hoot!
 
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