So here in Tulsa we got 14" of snow on the Southside of town and 19" up North. This is the biggest snow storm that we have ever had. There were high winds as well, so there are snow drifts from 24"-40" everywhere, even in the middle of the road in places. I have never seen so few people trying to give it a go. While there are still hundreds of cars/trucks/SUV's/Semi's/Plows/etc stuck all over the place, there are very few vehicles actually moving around because it is nearly impossible.

I used 4x4H with the locker engaged during all my driving. I went to work yesterday, and left to come home just as the storm was wrapping up. I had some concern because I am running the stock Scorpion's with 6k miles on them, and have read some pretty bad reviews on these tires.

I was very much surprised with how well the truck did in these conditions. It very rarely lost any traction at all. I could literally pull up to a 30" snow drift, stop completely, and then crawl right through it. The truck never broke traction when moving in/out of existing ruts, and never tried to railroad me back into a rut. The truck went where I told it to go, and made no complaints. I was able to climb steep hills (even while maneuvering around multiple abandoned vehicles in the road), stop while coming down hills, and handle everything in between.

I recently sold my Bronco, which was lifted with 33"x12.5" Dick Cepek Crusher's, which are basically paddle tires, and I honestly think that the stock FX4 did better in these conditions than the Bronco. I started the day wondering if the truck could make it through area's as I came to them. By the end of the day, I found myself taking the path that looked the most challenging, and the truck not only made it through it all, but was very controllable, and impressive throughout.

The only mod I have done is a 2.5" leveling kit, which did help with the clearance, but this package that Ford put together for this truck has made me love it more and more every time I drive it. I can't wait to get some bigger M/T's on it, but I honestly don't know how it could have done any better than it did today. I am one happy camper!


Brandon

 

I also found that the stock tires work just fine in the snow when they are new, but when half worn or more, not so great.

 

That's cool, Brandon. My sister-in-law and her family live in Broken Arrow, but her husband drives some hopped up sports car so they didn't go anywhere yesterday. Nice truck, by the way.

 

Thanks Brad. I actually live in Broken Arrow too, but work in Tulsa. It's easier to just say Tulsa so people will know where I am talking about.

Brandon

 

I think I would prefer your snow to our ice. I am near the Texas/OK border and we got rain first which then turned to sleet. Roads are solid ice. Today they are worse than yesterday since some did drive on it and it melted then refroze.

I stayed home and took care of the cows. I didn't much want to take a chance tearing up my current truck as I have new F150 4X4 ecoboost with the off road package on order. It will be March by the time it gets here so I won't get to try out the rear locker until next winter- though it might see some mud...

 

We didn't get any snow, but it was -41 here...

Cool pic, and good that it got you where you needed to go!

 

Great report Brandon and what a beauty your rig is too. I have a friend back in Maine who has enjoyed the same results as you. He has a lariat, no locker and is able to run in 2wd most of the time. He engages 4H when really needed.

 

I must say I felt the same about my 2010 FX4 in the snow. I have the 6.5' bed and was concerned the extra length of the truck would impede with 4x4 abilities, but it went everywhere I took it. That's a good looking truck OKLAHOMAF150.

 

I am planning to buy an fx4 in a couple months. am thinking about the 6.5 bed. I wonder if, all other things being equal, would a 157 wheelbase perform better or worse than the 145 wb in the snow.

 

The wheel base primarily effects turning radius and breakover angles, if neither are of concern, then you shouldn't worry about the longer bed so much. I get annoyed with my turning circle every so often, but I've learned to reverse into all my parking spots and swing wider. Breakover only matters if you're in some seriously uneven terrain, and even then there are many semi trucks that go over the logging roads just fine and they have much longer wheel bases.

 

pretty cool, glad we avoided the snow here though

 

Ive got to chime in and add that my FX4 plowed through the snow and snow drifts like they werent even there, and I didnt even have to use the locker. The truck has performed awesome for me, even though the tires I have are the lame stock tires. The only issue I had when we had "Mosnter Killer Death Storm 2011" hit Michigan a few days ago were the soccer moms in the nerdy minivans who dont know how to drive spinning their tires and almost causing accidents.

 

I live in MI and think the Scorpions ATR's are ok overall. Not a popular opinion, but they are the top rated all terrains in Consumer Reports. A fairly objective test criteria.

they perform better than some of the other brands I have owned, my .02

 

Thanks for the compliments guys. I couldn't be happier with the looks or performance of the truck. I have been running around without the locker since that first day and have had no problems. A little more ground clearance would be nice now that the snow has hardened, but I will get a little more when I get bigger tires. They are forecasting another 8-10 inches tomorrow night, so the truck will continue to be our only means of transit. I like it that way anyway...

Brandon

 

I thought that the rear locker engaged with the 4x4 button? how can you leave it off?

Thanks