Guys, I've got a '91 f150 302, 2wd, longbed. I love the truck and it is in solid shape. The problem is I'm moving up north to Boston and I'm worried that it will never handle the winter and the hills. Would 4 snow tires and weight in the back make this truck somewhat stable and ok to drive? I hate to sell it now...

 

Oh goodie- another "you don't need 4WD in the snow" thread.

 

if you can drive it in the snow we get here in jersey, than you will have no problem in boston. it is not really that different than here.the road crews are actually better there, so you will encounter less snow on the roads there.

 

pb, what the heck would you know???from what i hear, you nwc peoples up there in oregon don't even know what a dry road is.

 

Forget the weight in the back, just buy 4 really really good snow tires.

Yea, I know the weight gives traction--to get going fast enough so the weight prevents you from stopping.

If you are a fanatical as I would be if I were back in snow country, you will buy an electric or air impact wrench and a whole set of tires and wheels and do the tire changes when it snows..... You don't want to wear them snow tires out.

You go a LSD or open?

 

I've never had a four wheel drive vehicle, but I've had a few 2 wheel drive pick ups.

I always had 2 spare wheels, on which I mounted mud/snow tires with a real aggressive tread on them, not an all weather tread.

When it snowed, I always put a 150-200 lbs of weight in the back, and installed the snow tires on the rear of the truck. Front tires were just regular tires, which weren't changed.

If for some reason that didn't do the trick, which it always did, unless there was a lot of ice on the road, I'd simply pull over and install the cross-bar tire chains that were kept behind the seat. I have never been stranded.

 

You don't need 4wd in the snow.

Also, when you go shopping for good snow tires, don't go for the widest tire you can find. You want something narrow with aggressive tread. Wider tires just float easier.

And, the best driving technique for the snow is to stay home. If you get vacation days, use one.

 

Like Tom said, the road crews do a pretty good job, especially if your right near Boston.

Another thing to consider is that as you get further north, you get more snow and less ice (at least that's what people keep telling me...). Driving in snow is nowhere near as difficult as driving on ice.

(I drive a 2wd Ranger in MA and ME all winter, on two studded snows, which are legal in MA in the winter.)

 

Ive got pretty much the same truck as you: a '99 F-150 regular cab longbed 4x4 with a 5.4L V8 and a limited-slip rear diff and to be honest with you, I almost never need to use 4x4. Unless the snow is deeper than 6", I usually dont need to put it into 4x4.
If you hear of a big snowstorm coming, just make sure you have a full tank of gas. That should give you plenty of weight in the back.
I would get a good set of all-terrain tires. Ive been happy with the Goodyear Wrangler AT/Ss that Ive got now, but there are lots of other good all-terrain tires on the market.
I live in southern Wisconsin and I spend a lot of time in the winter up in northern Wisconsin snowmobiling and I use 4x4 so little that my next truck will most likely be a 4x2. I dont really use it enough to make it worthwhile.

 

Our house is up at the top of that hill- to the right of the rooftops you see at the tippy-top. I park the '93 down below when it gets bad because all the neighbors with 2WD's (ahem) block the only road to get in and out. Say what you want, 4X4 is really the only answer here.

 

hehehe. like i said, you don't even know what dry roads are.
and your pictures just proved it.

 

My grandfather always used to say that a 4x4 just gets you stuck furthur down the road. All I can ever remember him owning are 4x2 trucks and he managed to get around just fine in the snow.
I look at it this way, if I cant get out in my truck I can always go in the garage and get one of the 2 snowmobiles I own. Ive got an '01 Polaris 600 XC and a '80 John Deere Trailfire 340. If the Polaris wont start, at least I know the Deere wont let me down. Its like they say, "nothing runs like a Deere"!

 

The only 4x2 that has worked for me in mountain snow, here and the Sierras, was a rear-engined VW. On steep hills, a RWD pickup, even with LS just does not work. I had an '88 Ranger with open diff and '94 C1500 with posi. Both were worthless without chains up here in the winter. If you are willing to chain up on snow days, you can get by. Ive seen agressive snow treads just pack up with snow and they might as well be slicks. I dont know what East-coast snow is like, but we have "Sierra cement".

Jim

 

IDK if you can put this to rest with one simple post, but here goes nothing...
Its all on driver's skill, the more comfortable you are in your vehicle the better off you will be driving in any condition. Some places are rough when the winter rolls around, but you'll see ppl running 2wd and others running 4wd. Just remember that 4wd is not a "cure-all" and sometimes 76SuperCab2 is right, just stay home its not that damn important. I go to school up where there is lake effect snow almost everyday and I could get by in 2wd and a lot of times I just put it in 4wd to keep my mind at ease, besides i have 4wd why not use it.
PS it was just more exciting in 2wd

 

Y'all scared off the original poster.