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need seeking help with how to drive in the snow in winter time

Dan M.

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Main piece of advice is drive slower. 4WD doesn't help you corner or brake. This is especially true while going downhill. Also, not sure how familar you are with 4WD, but only engage it if the road is slippery enough for the wheels to spin. If you leave enage 4WD on dry roads you will brake stuff. I also agree with other posters, find an empty parking lot with snow and give it a shot. Good luck!1!
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Captain Skip

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Stay home and watch Netflix. Enough amateur winter drivers already. And why in the hell would you want to leave Florida in the winter? Most people want to GO south when the white crap hits the tundra!
That's the best advice given so far!!!
 

slowpoke387

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Fat wide tires are almost useless in the snow. Tall skinny snow tires bite the best. They cut through it instead of push it around and slide.
Do the Parking lot practice in the snow as often as you can. Practice slamming on the brakes, then not slamming on the brakes and compare. Practice doing all of your braking when youā€™re going straight and not in the middle of a turn, thatā€˜s a no-no. Practice in the parking lot is probably going to help you more than anything else.
 

Gaffer

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Get skid car training. If you have a forecast of freezing rain. Stay off the roads.
 

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desmo2

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So I'm completely clueless on how to drive in the snow with my new JL; I was able to figure out 4WD last year (what a crazy improvement!) but wanted to know how to really conquer the snow this year. Why? Because I want to be able to drive in a snow storm to a ladie's house that's far away.

Questions:

1. Should I deflate my tires for better grip in the snow? I run 35's, is there a standard PSI?

2. What kind of recovery gear should I get if/when I need to pull her stuck car?

3. What emergency items should I have in case I get stranded? Blankets, dry food, etc.?

4. What other tools/tips/techniques do you guys have for this endeavor?
1. No need.
2. Tow strap.
3. Locally, no need. You are in a JEEP, so you don't need to pack blankets like you are in a Prius. However, stuck can still happen, so pack good gloves, coat, boots, and head wear. Food and water are always a good plan in the event a highway gets closed. Pack a tow strap and maybe a folding shovel in case you get stuck in a drift.
4. See above. Pack a gun and a bottle (or 3) of bourbon in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

I hate winter, but with a Jeep in my garage and some challenging hilly, country roads in between my home and civilization, I almost welcome a heavy snow. When many other people lock themselves down, I enjoy getting out and tanking through the snow. A 2-door Jeep in 4x4 is darned hard to get stuck if you know how to drive. That same Jeep with Rubicon lockers is a TANK.

Bring it.

(light snow pictured below)

Jeep Wrangler JL need seeking help with how to drive in the snow in winter time 20220204_174440


And, DAMN you for making me post a snowy picture in July. I probably violated a law.
 

aldo98229

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Be aware that snow is the trickiest surface you can drive on. So ā€œto conquer snowā€ sounds a bit ambitious. In snow, as long as you donā€™t get stuck, donā€™t hit a tree and donā€™t end up in the ditch you are doing well.

The issue with snow is several:
  1. Snow is very sensitive to temperature and air humidity. Unless it is very cold, an easy morning drive on dry powder can become a slushy mess in the afternoon when the temperature rises only a few degrees
  2. Snow can be deceiving. A ā€œflatā€ stretch of snow-covered trail can be 6 inches deep in one place, 3 feet deep in another, and again 6 inches deep again. Wind blown snow hides the irregularities of the terrain
  3. The friction of the tires changes your traction characteristics in snow. If thereā€™s a line of Jeeps, the first Jeep will find the most powdery snow. By the time the third Jeep passes the same tracks, snow will have become slushy and, depending on temperatures, even icy. Donā€™t ask how I know...

Airing down helps. Big tires also help, as well as an LSD ā€”or lockers, a shovel, a recovery strap and traction boards.

Best thing to do is bring two vehicles.

Good luck.
 

aldo98229

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My 2015 Sahara had a rear TruTrac, Mopar lift and 34-inch KO2s. It was a very capable Jeep.
Jeep Wrangler JL need seeking help with how to drive in the snow in winter time 55647C00-F8E0-4EBB-85F3-FC16A316B2CA


My current rig is a 2018 Sahara with Selec-Trac, rear LSD, Mopar lift and either 33-inch KO2s as on this photo, or 35-inch General Grabbers now
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LSU_Illini

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I've lived in IL 42 of my 47 years and the best car I've ever driven in the snow was my 99 Miata with Blizzak snow tires. That thing was like a little snow mobile as long as the snow wasn't over the chin spoiler. Point is, tires matter.

That said, sounds like you live in FL and are making the occasional booty run into colder weather so you're not going to mount snow tires. The best advice I'd give is to slow down. Like was said above, 4WD doesn't help with braking, so slow down. It's really not that bad if you go slow enough for conditions. I also like the advice to find a parking lot to practice in, get a feel for how long it take takes to stop from 10, 20, 30. You'll be surprised how long. Also get a feel for how fast you're comfortable going around corners. Once you get the hang of it, snow driving is some of the most fun you can have.

Before you go, get some low-temp wiper fluid that won't freeze. You can probably get it on amazon or get some once you hit north of the Mason-Dixon. That will be important when the snow plow throws some slush on your windshield and you can't see.

And get yourself an ice scraper/brush off Amazon as well so you can clear your windshield and roof of the frozen stuff that will accumulate after your night of passion.

I like to keep a little backpack in the car with a flashlight, winter gloves, wool socks, a cheap down jacket. blanket and a phone battery brick just in case.

Did is say slow down?

Have fun and be safe!
 
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vetygud

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Ditch the JL and get a Tucker. I drive this 2 to 3 times a week during MN winters.
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J0E

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Get snow tires. Wait for a heavy snow. Find a parking lot with no cars in it that hasnt been plowed. Practice steering, stopping, etc. Spin it a couple of times until you really can instinctively countersteer out of it.

Carry a blanket, shovel, tow strap.
Having snow ice raced for years in Montana, that's pretty good advice. Studded snow tires fully aired up rule. Air down just makes skis. 4 WD with a locking transfer case is death at high speed because you have a lock. In deep snow, 2 WD with chains where go where 4 WD without won't. 4 chains are amazing, just don't get stuck.

I started practicing when I was 14 yo at 4 AM before my paper route, driving as fast as I could go.

Get some narrower winter tires. Iā€™m from Vermont. I canā€™t tell you how many jeeps I see with fat mud tires get stuck because they float on the snow. Fat tires - good for mud, bad for snow.
Exactly right. 99% of the internet gets this wrong because they have wide tires they love. Long haired banned pony tail and lite brite both get it wrong because they're not experts in snow.

Airing down helps. Big tires also help, as well as an LSD ā€”or lockers, a shovel, a recovery strap and traction boards.

Good luck.
LOL, try lockers in a parking lot. We tested air down air up 50 years ago when the old timers said air up. They were right.

In super dry snow, you can get away with wide tires off road although skinny work better. Wet deep snow gives skinny tires a much bigger advantage off road.

Fat wide tires are almost useless in the snow. Tall skinny snow tires bite the best. They cut through it instead of push it around and slide.
Do the Parking lot practice in the snow as often as you can. Practice slamming on the brakes, then not slamming on the brakes and compare. Practice doing all of your braking when youā€™re going straight and not in the middle of a turn, thatā€˜s a no-no. Practice in the parking lot is probably going to help you more than anything else.
I'm stunned at the ratio of correct responses. But you can also practice when no one else is on the road.

I've lived in IL 42 of my 47 years and the best car I've ever driven in the snow was my 99 Miata with Blizzak snow tires. That thing was like a little snow mobile as long as the snow wasn't over the chin spoiler. Point is, tires matter.
Yup.
 
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Jerkwater

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If you'll be driving in hilly/mountainous areas and you have an automatic transmission, be careful about downshifts when going uphill. The sudden increase in mechanical advantage of the engine over the drive wheels can cause you to break traction and fishtail.

Also, consider taking extra fuel. If carrying a jerry can inside the vehicle, it will be ideal for it to be made out of metal so as to not fill your cabin with fuel vapour.

If you have the Selec-Trac transfer case, you can put it into 4 Hi Auto (full-time 4WD) and leave it there, as opposed to having to switch between 2 Hi, for dry conditions, and 4 Hi (part-time 4WD) for snowy conditions. I'd suggest getting a feel for things with 2 Hi at first, though. If its really cold, you will appreciate the ability of 4WD to get you started from stop signs/lights (I sure did when I visited the prairies this past December/January when it was -40).

If you find yourself in some really deep snow i.e. off road/on back roads, traction control will fight you; you will want to disable it and/or ESC. Airing down might also help.

Edit: One final thing - if you see vehicles in the ditch on the highway there's a good chance that there is black ice on the road which you cannot see. You'll want to slow down before going into turns and increase your following / stopping distances.
 
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Xcoaste

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Go slow and donā€™t brake hard. Just a few inches of snow can be worse to drive in than several inches of snow. If you are stuck and it feels like you donā€™t have enough power or traction, turn off traction control.
My wife has a Mini Cooper (fwd)and was stuck. I drove the Jeep to her and we swapped cars. First thing I did was turn her traction control off and rocked the car back and forth. Bingo, not stuck anymore.
Donā€™t be overconfident, just take your time and anticipate.
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