Wow, am I shocked with this truck in the snow. I had a 2006 scab 5.4 4 x 4. I replaced that with this new to me 2017 2.7 scab and boy is it different. Yesterday was the first time in snow with this truck and I had to have it in 4 hi to move. It would just spin the rear wheels without being in 4 wheel. I got out of the garage and the tires spun. I assume since this trucks is much lighter than the 06, whereas I could drive in 2 wheel in light snow without a lot of wheel spin.

What are you guys doing even with 4 wheel locked in? It feels so loose and not In control. I am thinking of putting some tubes of sand in the box. I drove very cautiously and slow and still felt a bit uneasy with it. It might also be the Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT tires, they seem useless in the snow.I

I think the older truck drove a lot better in the snow.

​​​Any thoughts and or advice?

 

Light and lots of low end torque.

Tire Rack rates those tires as fair in snow.

If they have wear on them, no wonder you have trouble.

The weight in the bed is popular--gets you going. Keeps you going though as more weight mean more inertia.... The perfect spot is the point where the added traction is greater than the added inertia.

What did your '06 have for tires?

 

Not any help but if you had a 10 speed 2018 or later with shift mode selection, there would be one labeled Wet/Snow mode.
That mode brings in the ABS Brake system and does tricks with the rear traction on an open rear by modulating tire grip side to side as wheel spin is detected.
Its so smooth you normally don' feel it working.
It works better than Traction Lock.
In this mode never turn on electric lock or it defeats the action.
Then if needed, turn on the front with 4H, but no longer than needed because it's hard to make a turn when the front is locked up.
Just a point of interest for you to know about in a later truck with 10 speeds.

 

The rear of these truck since going to aluminum is pretty light, the EcoBoost has a lot of low end torque, and the Fortitude HT tires are absolutely terrible. Put a couple hundred pounds in the bed near the tailgate and it will make a lot of difference.

 

Thanks for the information and confirmation the Fortitudes are garbage. My 06 had Cooper Discovered AT3's. They were pretty good in the snow but wore quick.

Interesting info on the 18!

I just put 490 pounds of sand tubes in the bed tonight as we are expecting 8-12" of snow tomorrow. I put them over the axle, is it better closer to the tailgate?

 

Over the axle, or back toward the tail gate. Forward of the axle isn't as effective, as part of the load gets distributed toward the front. You'll love how the truck drives with 400 lbs in the back. Every time I go pick up a load of salt, it's 400-600 lbs, I love the ride on the way home. I always load it close to the tail gate so it's easier to unload when I get home.

 

I typically shovel snow right into the bed.

I'd check out tirerack and look for the tires that have the snowflake emblem on the sidewall, these tires are rated for severe snow driving but also have good road manners. I'm currently using the Kumho Road venture 51's on my truck and I love them........they've been replaced by the Road venture 52. There are many others with severe snow ratings and they seem affordable.

 

Now that is a clever way to deal with snow on the roads. When it warms up enough to melt the snow in the back of the bed, the roads are probably clear as well.

I only slightly miss the snowy roads in Minnesota. We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains about 40-45 miles south of San Francisco. We've been "snowed in" twice in 27 years. High enough altitude to at least "see" snow once or twice a year, but it usually melts within the day, sometimes in just an hour.

 

That would work great if you don't park it in a barn or garage, then it would be a dripping icy mess.

 

Here in SE Virginia we get accumulations of snow once in a decade as it's been trending. I grew up in mid coast Maine where we'd see an average of 80 inches a year. That seemed light compared to the tip of Maine that sees over 225 inches on average. Good tires and good driving skills are needed.

 

PMFJI, I'm having the same problem, except mine's a 2015, but I think it's similar enough.

Current tires are 265/60R18 110T.

Fronts are OE I think, rears are nearly new Michelin Defender LTX M/S. (Had to replace both rears after a BIG nail on the 5 near nowhere on a holiday. Thank gosh for a full size spare.)

The Defender M/S's couldn't handle 1 inch of light snow (some hail on top but no ice) on rough asphalt on a slight slope. I locked the rear differential, then both tires spun with very, very little throttle. I learned to drive in Alaska, I know how to drive in snow. These tires were bad (light bed tho) .

I also slid a bit driving on hard packed snow and ice (1/2 max snow, maybe 1/4" ice on asphalt) near Mount Hood on New Years day (1/1/2024). Great conditions for April.

Hardly any weight in the bed, fiberglass cap and rails.

I was looking at Cooper, Evolution probably with studs. I'd get a second set of rims and swap out the Defender M/S when I'm not driving in the winter. I'm in SoCal normally, but want to go to Mammoth a few times, and I drive to Oregon about 3-4 times during possible winter conditions (past Shasta, the Siskiyou pass, etc)

It's still a lot of dry bare road I'd be driving on with studs until I swap them out in March, but I'm tired of sliding everywhere. The truck is my second vehicle, so I'd only drive it to Home Depot/Lowes and to go skiing.

I could also go to a LT275/65R-18/10 Snow Claw, but it's taller and wider. I'm guessing this would be worse - for DEEP snow wider is better, but I'd be driving on snowy roads.

https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?whe...cl=50mm&sr=0mm

So would you guys go with the stock size of 265/60R18 or LT275/65R18 ?

== John ==

 

I would go with the 275/65s. Pick an all terrain tire with a 3 peak all season rating. A tire withnthat rating will perform decently in snow, but you can also use them year round.

 

So the 375/65s will fit then, right?

Whoops, 275's. a 375/65 would be quite the tire.

I really think I'm going to get studs if I can get them, and swap the tires seasonally. I'm so tired of bad traction. I fell twice walking down the driveway.

== John ==

 

Yes, they are one of the more common sizes you see on F150s. You wont need any modification for them to fit.

You can also fit 285/60/18s with no issues.

 

I piled snow in the back of my truck one year. It helped, but I was still riding around with snow in the back of my truck six weeks later so never again. Now i just go to Home depot and buy 3-400 pounds of sand and throw it in the back