Help with Winter Driving...

[Nytmare897]

Lived in PA all my life. But first winter with a 2006 Ford E-250 RWD. I bought 4 new Goodyear winter tires Today we got an inch of snow. Not 50 feet from my house going 10 miles an hour I almost slid into the curb when I applied light pressure to my brakes Someone told me I need weight in the back. Okay? How much weight? 100lbs. 1000? And what should I use? Something that can be moved outta the way if I get loaded with two skids which takes up just about all the room in the back. Ideas please? Proven methods that you other van drives have used? Thanks.

 

[tknight]

Somes bound to be a smart ass here so I'll be it for now, head south, or better yet keep loaded
Don't dead head much
Seriously though, my friend has a van and since the wheel wells get in the way he build boxes over them to handle weight lifting weights, he puts on about 300 lbs it helps
In my pickup truck I use a 4x8 steel plate 3/4 inch thick, never had to move it in winter lots of weight, keep in mind your losing cargo weight .

 

[Turtle]

Someone told me I need weight in the back. Okay? How much weight? 100lbs. 1000?

To be effective, you need to add about 10% of the vehicle's weight. Probably 500 pounds. A couple of cinder blocks or bags of sand won't have much effect on a vehicle that already weighs a few tons empty. While adding weight to the rear of the van will increase traction, it also makes any skid much harder to control because it adds momentum (mass, inertia). That's something that needs to be on your mind when loaded with freight, as well.

You really won't be driving on snow-covered roads that much, but it certainly happens, especially when you're on a load and it starts snowing and the plows are nowhere to be found. Best practice is to drive at an even pace, no sudden movements, leave plenty of room between you and anyone ahead of you, and dramatically redefine "light pressure." Carry a bag of kitty litter to use for traction if you get stuck (or you can use your floor mats or some towels). If you wake up to snow or find yourself on snowy roads and you're not sure how the van is going to handle it, get off the roads and into a large parking lot and accelerate and brake and steer a lot of learn the characteristics of the van, and of the snow itself. Wet snow like we have most places can be very slippery, indeed. Dry snow when it's 2 degrees in Minnesota or the Dakotas can almost be like driving on dry asphalt.

 

[tknight]

Plowed back roads in pa, hahahahahaha, they can't even plow the interstates there!

 

[fastman_1]

My 09 E350 goes like a tank, 4 new cooper tires and no added weight, last winter I had Goodyear wranglers and it just went everywhere.

 

[xmudman]

Lived in PA all my life. But first winter with a 2006 Ford E-250 RWD.

Where in PA? I'm a Philly boy, but tbh I didn't learn how to properly handle snow until I went to college upstate.

Owning a Ford gives you one significant advantage: the ability to start out in second gear. Simply shift into second and the transmission will use that gear to launch, instead of first. In slippery weather, first may provide too much torque, causing the tires to spin.

Remember that adding weight will cost you payload capacity, so proceed wisely...

 

[Nytmare897]

MUDMAN: Good tip. How many MPH can I push in 2nd gear? I mean how much is too much? 30mph? 40???

 

[Nytmare897]

Also is 2nd gear good for up hill as well... or it first gear better?

 

[xmudman]

Shift into 3rd around 25-30ish. If you have a tach, that should be around 2000-2500.

 

[NorthernBill]

Not related to adding weight but important to slick roads. Take a good look at your rear brakes, make sure there adjusted right. Sometimes sticky calipers on the front, can make really light braking impossible. Also when it's real bad try going into neutral as that takes any push out of equation. Don't forget to dry your rear drums, the hi way may be wet but side roads slick.

 

[Moot]

Don't forget to dry your rear drums, the hi way may be wet but side roads slick.

What's all this talk about dry ear drums. I use Q Tips, is that good enough?

 

[NorthernBill]

No Q tips don't work on beer drums. Old diapers work real good.

 

[Moot]

 

[ttruck]

Lived in PA all my life. But first winter with a 2006 Ford E-250 RWD. I bought 4 new Goodyear winter tires Today we got an inch of snow. Not 50 feet from my house going 10 miles an hour I almost slid into the curb when I applied light pressure to my brakes Someone told me I need weight in the back. Okay? How much weight? 100lbs. 1000? And what should I use? Something that can be moved outta the way if I get loaded with two skids which takes up just about all the room in the back. Ideas please? Proven methods that you other van drives have used? Thanks.

a load is the weight ur looking for

 

[TruckingSurv]

How about some sort of collapsible bladder tank, add a few hundred pounds of water and then dump it when loaded, just a thought so you don't diminish load capacity when you need it.

 

[Moot]

How about some sort of collapsible bladder tank, add a few hundred pounds of water and then dump it when loaded, just a thought so you don't diminish load capacity when you need it.

You will be dumping the collapsible bladder tank along with it's frozen contents. Menards sells 70 pound sand tubes. If you do get stuck on ice just open a tube and pour out the sand. Also good for filling in potholes in truck stop lots.

 

[TruckingSurv]

Well, I don't disagree that water freezes I would hope a van isn't seeing temperatures below freezing inside while being operated sans paying cargo. 120 gallons of water is about 1000 pounds.

I like to think outside the box, you could have a van with with running water when you dump it

TS