Cold weather prep?
 

If you read my last thread then you already know that i made a move from North Carolina to Ohio, two completely different climates.

With that said, is there anything that i should/need to do to keep my truck running well? I ask this even though i grew up in PA because i didnt' have a vehicle until I moved to NC 9 years ago. I guess I never paid attention if my dad did anything extra for preventative measures.

So far all I have done is added lower temp rated windshield washer fluid, as mine was frozen this morning when i had to make an hour long trip in 3 inches of melting, snow covered roads.

I think the wife might be on board with a remote start since I will b getting up at the a$$ crack of dawn for work.

Thanks for any advice.

Keep up with your routine maintenance as per the owners guide and you'll be fine. Keep in mind that extreme cold and extreme heat will amplify anything that is already weak on your truck such as a battery or worn out engine coolant.

I've often thought that if I were to move back to Maine and take my 2011 with me to use year round, i'd go to a salvage yard and get four steel wheels from a 2003 or newer Expy or a 2004 or newer F-150. I'd have the TPMS sensors installed and mount some very aggressive snow tires and store my good wheels s and tires for summer.

Depending on my odo reading, I'd have a dealer flush my coolant system if I were fairly close to the maintenance term which is about 100K miles or 8 years.

I'd find a drive through car wash and get my truck washed monthly concentrating on the underside mostly.

An expandable scrapper / brush is worth tons of money when it's snowing and make sure you keep your grill clear of snow so she can breathe. :)

Thanks for the heads up... i've been thinking about my battery mostly... as it's almost 5 years old.

Luckily i don't have the tpms sensors on these wheels so swapping them out for some winter beaters should be easy... unfortunately with the move cost, it might have to wait for next winter.

I'll definitely be giving her regular washes to remove the salt. And for the extendable snow brush... i already have that in the bag, as my wife is from Buffalo NY and enlightened me on those... had to use it this morning for the 4 inches that were dropped over night.


Any advice on an electric oil pan heater or a battery heater to be plugged in over night? Are they worth it, or just a nicety?

Gonna want to wash them at least weekly to keep salt off

Sent from my Telegraph using IB AutoGroup

Do you guys in Ohio use block heaters? Here in central Alberta we use them. We've already got temperatures around -20C and when January comes around it will get a little nippy out. Lol 😨

I wouldn't know, I've never lived here before... why do you think i asked!

I suppose your -20C in Alberta is a nice contrast to the 110F with 99% humidity we get in the summer in NC.

I think you did all the work you needed…lower temp washer fluid.

I live in a Sub-Arctic climate (although you would not know it right now as its 40F and NO SNOW..WTF) and i don't even plug in my block heater's even at -30F…i probably should but i just remote start it and let it warm up.

wash it often and don't forget to wipe the door jambs to keep them from freezing otherwise keep up with your maintenance as needed and you will be fine.

thanks for the reassurance.

Get yourself a couple of 80Lb bags of play sand, put 'em in a tub, and secure the tub so it can't slide around.

You don't indicate where in NC you lived, however, OH like NC periodically gets black ice (especially on the overpasses).

Regarding engine/block heaters ... As long as you've routinely maintained your vehicle they're not necessary.

SLOW DOWN, keep it between the barriers and shiny side up. :-X04

And when driving back to NC in the winter, put as much distance as possible between you and the FL drivers (especially in the mountains).

*20 years experience driving back-and-forth between NC and MI.

------------------------------
http://www.gdmjoe.com/images/goth150-0.jpg
-click- the pic'
Goth 150
< This space intentionally -blank- >

Actually. That doesn't sound too bad right about now. Cold sucks when you're getting older. We have -35 to - 40 to look forward to in 7 or 8 weeks

Ohio doesn't strike me as too extreme. It has its cold and snowy days but nothing that any given production vehicle can't handle.

Decent washer fluid, decent tires, your choice of ice scraper. Spare cold weather clothing- I keep an extra pair or two of socks, gloves and hats as well as a blanket just in case. This is in addition the usual light tool kit and jumper cables.

I don't do anything extra for winter prep other than the -40 washer fluid. I hate scraping windows so I melt the ice off with washer fluid. If there is too much snow (or ice) I remote start the truck and come back later. No scraping required.
I bought sand bags many years ago and only used them 1 winter. Getting tires that are good in the ice & snow is much better than sand bags.
Probably the thing that's the best upgrade is a good set of all weather floor mats. I like Nifty Catchalls, there are other great brands out their as well.

I could literally quote every single reply in this thread. I've lived in Ohio my entire life. First about 20 minutes north of Columbus and now in the Canton area where the snow is a bit more intense. I've driven in it with FWD cars, 2WD trucks, SUVs and now the F150. The biggest tip is SLOW DOWN. You won't be going anywhere fast when someone is pulling you out of a ditch so just plan ahead and give yourself extra time.

Other good tips:

- Check your fluids and check them regularly.
- Stay up to date on scheduled maintenance and don't let it run over schedule.
- Keep another jug of windshield washer fluid in the truck. You'll use it up more than you think and you're SOL when it's out and you're following vehicles kicking salt water onto your windshield.
- Keep tires inflated properly.
- Buy a good snow scrapper. You'll be happy you did when we get ice, then snow, then more ice on top.
- Grab somewhere between 200-300 pounds of sand, or if you're like me, topsoil (so I can use it in the spring) and set it over the axels. That will help with reaction and that weight won't kill MPGs.

Regarding rust protection, washing the truck weekly/bi-weekly is a great idea. Salt is the enemy and you're about to battle for the next 4-5 months. Make sure to wash out the underbody and wheel wells good. Another option is to get the underbody oil sprayed. They'll coat everything in bar chain oil which repels moisture and does a great job keeping away rust. I've done it on vehicles and they always look great even after a few winters. You can also have the interior door panels and such sprayed to stop corrosion from the inside out. That's your call on if that makes sense. I've done and not done both. Not sure if it did anything more than give piece of mind.

Snow is no big deal if you're just patient. Other drivers are sometimes questionable in bad weather, so another good tip is to just keep your eyes peeled and be aware of others.

Happy sledding and welcome to the Buckeye State!

Extra gloves and a plastic tarp- incase of flat, don't want to lay in the wet stuff. In a pinch a large rubber mat from inside or the bed will work if covered. I have never found the need to weigh down the back on a 4x4. Lots of winters and off roading, no extra weight.

I do use about 300-400 lbs to help keep the rear planted even with dedicated snow tires. Don't know that it would be needed down there though as i believe they salt heavily.