FIRST: This thread on the off road fourm but it more geared toward on-road driving. Aggressive on road driving. This naturally applys to off road driving aswell.
I DO NOT want any one chimming in to simple state "slow down you moron, it's snow! be careful! blah blah blah blah."
This is for the driver who like to drive aggressivly in the snow on road and off.
Ok. that's done
As some of you know, this truck is my first 4x4 full size truck that I drive on a daily basis. Prior to this truck was an '01 audi TT AWD _and_ my old 93' XJ 4x4. That is the jeep that got the $#$@ beat out of it. (The TT was worthless POS in the snow, it was leased, it's gone. Also, the jeep is in storage). This is going to be comparing apples to oranges for the most part. Yes, my jeep isn't my truck, my truck isn't my jeep, so therefore they won't react the same. yes. understood. What I'm trying to learn from your experiences is how you would adpat your driving to a truck vs. a jeep or anyother suv/truck/car
Weight distrabution: I weight in at 7400 pounds fueled and me. I calc out 68/32 ballance. this is not 50/50... duuh
I would like to talk about tires. Brand, style, size, air-pressure.
My truck's suspention is stock. I would like to keep things no more then a mild lift and changes.
Also, I dunno how much of a differnece this will be between short and long wheelbase as far as the CTD is. But this compared to at jeep is huge.
Today was the first real day out in the snow. My tire pressure was up to 65PSI in all corners when I rolled outa the tire store, things feel as firm as things will with a load range D tire (nitto 295/70/17 terra grappler). I have about 3500 miles on these tires now and have since adjusted my driving to compasate for a week sidewalled tire (compared to the stockers). I'm rather impressed with the 2wd ability of this truck in 4-5 inches of snow. 4wd things grip well. Slow street driving is very good.
Highway:
Now, highway, moderate slush on the ground and speeds of 70-75 are acceptable. Changing lanes gets a little flacky. I think I fished my tail end out a little this moring attempting to advoid un-shushed lane. Don't you just love when they deside to stop plowing a lane randomly?
The thing that kinda got me this morning is that a Chevy colorado, with low profile street looking tires (as far as one can tell while moving). was passing me, with complete control at 80-85, and driving in the more snow covered lane, then with me, at 65-ish was pushing the max speed for me and my truck. (both of us, same lane).
Questions:
1: Low profile street tires, for slush better then big old off road tire?
2: What about dropping tire pressure? half way to work I dropped 20PSI out (from a hot 70psi to a hot50psi). I did not get on the e-way to see how well this change does tho. But surface road traction improved by a factor of 2 easly. This includes stopping, acceleration, turning, and combos.
3: It was my rear end that was getting lose on mine, not the front. This basicly a fact of having a 68/32 ballence in a truck? What about just have low rear pressure?
Breaking:
Some say skinny profile the best. I never personaly never had a "skinny profile" short of the stockers, if you call that skinny incomparison to my nitto's.. But what I learn from pro drivers is the bigger the contact patch the best. I think this does apply, should your tred promote _REMOVAL_ of snow from the area your driving on. e.g. aggressve mud/dirt tire. This would explain why I can break shorter distance and accelerate faster when I drop my air pressure.
Debate this?:
Handling and Recovery: (this is a biggie).
From my limited pro driver learning experience... You should _never_ do 2 or more of the 3 basic driving principles at once at 100%.
Example. 100% break. 100% acceleration. 100% turn.. Break before turn, turn. accelerate after turn. Now. combos of both are what you typicaly do. break 100% into turn, hold break at 30% while turning at 70% of your ability to turn (at that speed). and pull out of the turn at 30% acceleration. as you unwind your turn, press more of the go peddle. The line you follow is important as well but that's not important.
What I'm finding is that my truck tends to just wanna push like crazy at moderate speeds that my jeep would do easly. Even if you feel the push, you should react not with more turn, first you release the break or acclerator to an "middle ground" until you recover.
Questions:
What can be done, short of slowing down to improve this. What am I doing wrong? Or is this just a fact of the truck.
I think this is good for now. Hope you guys spark up some better questions for me to ask
(note on the pro driver stuff. I worked for a company a few years ago that did car show production, they employed pro drivers. These guys can bee see on non-nascar,F1, pro rally circuits. They are second best drivers I suppose. I did do alot of un-offical traning on auto-cross style course when ever I could. Not to brag, but this is were I'm getting my knowledge and so-called experience.)
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