When driving on snow and ice, the best thing to do is to SLOW DOWN. 4-wheel-drive doesnt make you invincible.
Also, you have to increase the distance you allow for braking and you need to go slower around corners.
When accelerating on snow/ice, you basically have to act like there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal. You have to be slow, steady and feel how much grip is available.
Last winter I had to drive to work through 9" of snow twice. It was no biggie. I kept it in 4x4 and took my time.
The only time that its really dangerous is when you get black ice. Basically, the road LOOK like its dry but in reality its glare ice. Situations like that can change very quickly. A road you can drive normally on can be very slippery less than 30 minutes later.
I grew up in Wisconsin, so Im used to driving on snow/ice but if you arent used to it, you need to be VERY carefull.
Octane

 

The best thing to do is to be very careful until you learn how the vehicle behaves in snow. This means drive slow (30 mph or less), slow down well in advance, go slow around corners, accelerate slowly and don't make any sudden moves. Once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad. I grew up in Buffalo and drove through some of the worst snowstorms possible, and never got stuck or put it in the ditch. Most of the time I had a little 2wd S10, too. Put a couple bags of sand in the back and it was good to go.

It's true about keeping the vehicle moving, but only if there's a foot or more of snow on the road. Under those conditions, I'd run red lights to avoid stopping. Once you get going with that much snow, you do anything to hang on to that momentum. It's the only thing keeping you on your way home.

Like everyone says, the idiots with 4x4s in the ditch in a snowstorm think they're invincible because they have a 4x4. They're the first ones to go.

 

WOW, alot of good advice. I never expected to get that good of a response, but you guys came through. Thank You

 

I always get a kick out of the first snowstorm of the year. Its as if people forget how to drive in the snow over the course of the summer.
Snow is really no big deal to drive on. As I said, I drove in snow that was 9" deep a couple of times last winter with my F-150 and it was no biggie. Click the dial over to 4x4, turn up the radio and sit back and enjoy the ride. Its not often that you drive in snow with a F-150 with the 4x4 Off-Road package that is so deep the you get a constant spray of snow flying over the hood. I was the only one on the road that morning, so the snow was getting kicked up into the air by the front bumper.
Ice, however, is not something I like to drive on. Ice sucks, plain and simple.
Octane

 

Yeah, it is fun to see the first snow or ice storm, it's either they drive like it isn't slick, or drive so slow that they hardly keep moving... gotta find that happy medium.

 

Yeah, and then youve gotta love the people who blow by you like you are going backwards and then a mile or 2 down the road they are the ones who are backwards in the ditch.
Those are the ones who I usually honk the horn at as I drive by. LOL
Octane

 

4X4 will only help you accelerate, not brake. All cars have brakes on all 4 wheels, and most have ABS. It also won't help you handle- once your tires start slipping sideways, you need to fix it, not the 4X4. with stability control it's a little different, but we'll assume you don't have that to be on the safe side. Slow down and stay home if you can- but shovel your sidewalks if you have them! That is my pet peeve when I'm running- and in my town, you can get a $100 fine if you don't, plus a bill from public works to do it for you.

 

No kidding. My parents have an '05 Explorer with that RSC and it takes all the fun out of winter driving. Last winter I *TRIED* to pitch that thing sideways and every time it started to get even the slightest bit sideways you could feel the computer help to straighten it out.
It is a good thing for people who dont know how to drive on snow/ice though.
Octane

 

i've also been told that on most 4x4s the front wheels spin *slightly* faster than the rear wheels unless it is a full-time 4x4. the result of driving a 4x4 in 4 wheel drive on icy roads is the front end pulling the already light rear end now with the tires actually skidding a little, making the back end really unstable and prone to whip around. but that might just be a load of bunk for all i know. just like has been said, a little practice in a parking lot can go a long way. like 2 blocks with the car at a 45 degree angle to the road. arent rear wheel drives great!?!?

 

I had an old Plymouth satellite, big block, jacked up, fifties on the back, man I could hang that car sideways for as long as I wanted. Never did wreck it or get stuck. Then I bought a shelby charger fwd couldn't keep it out of the ditch when it snowed. My Toyota landcruiser was the only 4x4 I owned in the snow never put it in a ditch either.

Living in Arizona for 15 years now wonder if I can still drive in snow. When it rains here people are in the ditches. I'd sure like to see it snow with a nice sheet of black ice underneath

 

Dorkpunch, I always thought that with a 4x4 the front tires lose traction before the rears, so it reduces the chance of fishtailing.
Octane

 

i'm no expert! like i said, thats just what i was told..... i bought my first four wheel drive about a month ago and had it for 4 days. Have i mentioned that you should never buy a kia!!?

 

I don't know about any of the front vs rear on trction, never had any issues with it either way, but the trouble is that being driven, they can slip on turns, but that is more of a risk if there is a locker or such up front. I have never had any issues with the front sliding due to being in 4wd, it would be more due to trying to turn to fast... which the front will slide in that situation no matter the driveline style. I have had 2wd slide just as easy as any 4wd, the one problem I have had with 2wd is the rear still trying to push when you want to be slowing down, or in essence powerbraking at stop signs and such... in order to stop that, have to kick it into neutral.

 

Best bet for snow is to drive slow.(as already said but bears repeating).

Next most important thing is tires. Good tread- all weather or snow tread- is important. Skinny tires are much better that wide ones. Those super wide mud tires on a lot of jacked up 4X4s I've seen in Missouri are absolutely the wrong thing for snow. Why? Because the wide tires are to offer floatation in the mud so you don't bog down and get stuck. Why not on snow? Because the offer flotation and allow you to slide (float) off the road into the ditch. Skinnier tires will bite through the snow to the hard pavement and get you more traction. Ranger74, I'll bet your charger had the wide high performance low tread depth tires on it. No tread to bite through the snow and wide to float. No wonder it was a ditch b***. My T-bird was the same way till I got good snow tires for winter.

Next, use a higher gear. If you've got a standard tranny, start out in second instead of first. It will reduce the torque to the rear wheels and reduce the tendency to spin on startup. Ford's auto trans is also good for this. Ford is the only maker that when you put an auto trans in second, it is in second. Generic Motors cars start in first and won't shift ABOVE second when you put the shifter in 2. Good for short track circle racing, bad for adverse weather conditions.

After that, know your equipment. Practice in a safe environment. Learn skid recovery, starting, stopping etc.

And finally the best tip for safe driving in the snow: STAY AT HOME!!!

 

I plow i-93 and see lots of yahooos who think becuase they have a 4wd vehicle they are immortal, they fly by me cutting in and out of traffic, i usually catch up with them a few miles down the road in a ditch.