Winter vehicle preparedness

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d_marsh

d_marsh

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May 24, 2024
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the Rockies
Was below freezing when I went out this morning which got me to thinking, for those of you who live in climates where winter brings risks other than cooler temps, what do you do to prepare your vehicle? What gear do you add specifically for the ice, snow and freezing temps?

I usually put my Challenger away for 3-4 months or so and drive the pickup, but I am not sure I will do that this year. I have a winter kit which has some jumper cables, a couple plastic traction pads, a folding shovel, ice scraper/snow brush, a small container of sand and small rocks, several XL handwarmers, nitrile gloves, cold weather gloves, insulated beanie, wool socks, wool blanket, a reflective vest, road flares, and more. Of course that would be above and beyond my get home bag. I also make sure my car/pickup are gassed up, don't drop below 1/2 tank, have good tires, and are in good running condition.
 
Dont need to do much, just put the studded tires on the vehicles and make sure the tire chains are still where they're supposed to be. I have what I call a grab and go bag that has some extra wool clothes, hatchet, fire starting stuff, rope and other miscellaneous things. Each vehicle has a shovel that stays in them year round, same as the tow straps.
 
I'm thinking of getting studed tires put on subie..I've never had them b4 but I really really dislike driving on snow n ice. The canyon up n down the mountain can get nasty especially when it hasent been plowed at the hours I'm driving it.
Subie did pretty good but I still got sideways a few times. Nothing crazy but it's enough to make me think studded tires might be good.

Otherwise, I always have extra winter clothes, I have a blanket n sleeping bag in the car now. food n water . Even tho the water freezes if left in the car. Headlamps, jumper cables, shovel n snow broom/scrapper. Fix a flat can. I need to get a tow rope for the subie. I keep a tow chain in the truck in a bucket with lid with sand bags in the bed for weight.
That's a good idea to keep the spare in the bed ..
I actually need to check my maintenance log on the subie today too..might be due.
This last week it was snowing hard Thursday night at midnight. The first few miles off the mill I could barely see the road n it was heavy wet slushy snow. I had a few bags of grain for the birds in subie n it weighed it down pretty good. Might get in the habit of getting some chicken food n leaving it in subie all week..
Well see..
 
Hooch said:
I'm thinking of getting studed tires put on subie..I've never had them b4 but I really really dislike driving on snow n ice. The canyon up n down the mountain can get nasty especially when it hasent been plowed at the hours I'm driving it.
Subie did pretty good but I still got sideways a few times. Nothing crazy but it's enough to make me think studded tires might be good.

Otherwise, I always have extra winter clothes, I have a blanket n sleeping bag in the car now. food n water . Even tho the water freezes if left in the car. Headlamps, jumper cables, shovel n snow broom/scrapper. Fix a flat can. I need to get a tow rope for the subie. I keep a tow chain in the truck in a bucket with lid with sand bags in the bed for weight.
That's a good idea to keep the spare in the bed ..
I actually need to check my maintenance log on the subie today too..might be due.
This last week it was snowing hard Thursday night at midnight. The first few miles off the mill I could barely see the road n it was heavy wet slushy snow. I had a few bags of grain for the birds in subie n it weighed it down pretty good. Might get in the habit of getting some chicken food n leaving it in subie all week..
Well see..
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Studded tires aren't a cure all for traction, but they do give you a definite edge on ice. They don't help much in fresh snow, but do help in packed snow. Adding a bag or two of sand for weight will help give you more traction too. Chains are the best traction device there is, and I highly recommend carrying a set. I keep two sets in my truck. Many times I need to chain all 4 wheels on my truck just to get up my driveway.
 
I have a new vehicle that still had the original factory engine oil. I drained that and changed to "Ultra" appropriate Arctic Engine Oil.
 
I don't do anything special for winter. We keep the cars in good shape all year round. They always have jumper cables, snow brushes, etc. in them. We don't use studded tires, because 95% of the time the roads are perfectly clear or simply snowpacked. Studs just destroy the roads when they're dry and wear out quickly. And they're noisy. Some places may need them, but we really don't here. Now, in a more rural situation, it could be a very different story. We have found that a 4wd truck with snow tires specifically, or even good aggressive all seasons, goes through anything we'd want to be out in. Experience and knowledge about driving in snow/ice means a lot more than how your vehicle is equipped (within reason). Some people don't seem to have much sense - they look out in their driveway, see a 4wd truck and a rear wheel drive Mustang with street slicks on it, and decide to take the Mustang. It's hard to believe people can be that stupid, but they are. Our truck has tow straps in it - actually those semi-elastic "snatch straps" - not for us to get the truck out of something, but for our truck to pull other people out of something. We don't have "super truck" or anything like that. Just a basic Ford F-150 4wd with appropriate tires on it. Could it get stuck somewhere? Sure as heck could. That's where the knowledge/experience comes in - you don't try to go in those places thinking you're Superman.
 
All season tires are not legal for winter driving here. Winter tires with proper tread thickness Oct 1 to April 30

Weight is good and sand if you need it. No shortage of evergreens here, so just cut some branches if traction is needed to get unstuck. Avoid getting stuck.

Studded tires are for ice conditions. They won't fix stupid. Leave your stupid, speeding driving habits at home and eliminate the biggest hazzard. The ditches are littered with big geared up pickups every winter.

A 4wd suburu is the most popular car in the north.

One more item I add to the vehicles; a set of compact snow shoes.
 
I get stuck several times a year just in my driveway. I get stuck in my Jeep, the wife's Jeep, my truck and my tractor. When my tractor gets stuck it's really stuck. Last winter I had to call a friend out with his excavator to get me unstuck. I put tracks on the side by side just in case we need to get out in an emergency, and have had it stuck too. We get a lot of wind and heavy snow, the road drifts over pretty bad and at times it's impossible to see where the road is. I put in 4' fiberglass posts to line the road, they work good until they get covered in snow.
 
d_marsh said:
Was below freezing when I went out this morning which got me to thinking, for those of you who live in climates where winter brings risks other than cooler temps, what do you do to prepare your vehicle? What gear do you add specifically for the ice, snow and freezing temps?

I usually put my Challenger away for 3-4 months or so and drive the pickup, but I am not sure I will do that this year. I have a winter kit which has some jumper cables, a couple plastic traction pads, a folding shovel, ice scraper/snow brush, a small container of sand and small rocks, several XL handwarmers, nitrile gloves, cold weather gloves, insulated beanie, wool socks, wool blanket, a reflective vest, road flares, and more. Of course that would be above and beyond my get home bag. I also make sure my car/pickup are gassed up, don't drop below 1/2 tank, have good tires, and are in good running condition.
Click to expand...

We do everything you listed. We do have the cars winterized; oil changed; fluids checked and topped off; make sure all the belts are good. The only other thing you might consider is Heet, gas additive. We keep a few bottles in the garage for each car when it gets really cold (single digit). I will keep a bottle in the trunk for emergencies. We have had issues with water freezing in the gas lines, so we are very careful not to let that happen again.
 
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Reading this is making me reconsider moving up north. Our winter preps... well, I don't have any. We do get snow in the mountains above town (4-6,000 ft) a few times, and rare flurries in town every few years. My only gripe is my windshield fluid freezes if we go up to Flagstaff. Truck and jeep always have survival and recovery gear.

I used to love snow driving, but all the flatlander idiots I stay off the roads. Besides the nanny state shuts them down.
 
UserNameTaken said:
Reading this is making me reconsider moving up north. Our winter preps... well, I don't have any. We do get snow in the mountains above town (4-6,000 ft) a few times, and rare flurries in town every few years. My only gripe is my windshield fluid freezes if we go up to Flagstaff. Truck and jeep always have survival and recovery gear.

I used to love snow driving, but all the flatlander idiots I stay off the roads. Besides the nanny state shuts them down.
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Put the winter washer fluid in. I think mines good for -30. I use it year round because it can freeze any time.
 
When I lived in North Dakota, I had a few things in my vehicle to prepare for the potential of being stuck somewhere. When I lived there, it was -20 regularly overnight, sometimes colder. I have a 100 hour candle that was kept in my car. I need to pull it out and keep it in my car now.

I have a couple sweater box sized bins that are regularly in my car in the winter. I never know if I might need a hat, gloves, scarf when taking dogs out.

I do have one bin that has two pieces of the better fleece in it. I bought them in the remnant sections at Joannes. Remnants are a yard or less and always sold for half price. I have used them regularly in dog parks. These are polar fleece, so warmer than cheap fleece.

Not just winter, but I keep flashlights, lighters, granola type bars, tissues, and water in the car.

Winter is a tough time to keep water in the car due to freezing. I have a wooden bin that holds 6 gallon jugs of water that I like to keep full because dog parks do not always have access to water. I do take the jugs in and out during the winter. I have a cloth bag that is sturdy and makes transporting them in and out of the house easier.

A warm coat in the car has been helpful, because weather can change quickly sometimes.
 
I always keep a change of cloths in the vehicles a change for the whole family in three different vehicles. I’ll just swap them out from summer cloths to winter.
But i recently bought a used suburban to haul my feral kids around and decided to go through it before it got to cold. I’m glad I did the radiator was full of water so I flushed it and replaced with antifreeze. Other then that all the usual preps just stay in there
 
Mountain trapper said:
I get stuck several times a year just in my driveway. I get stuck in my Jeep, the wife's Jeep, my truck and my tractor. When my tractor gets stuck it's really stuck. Last winter I had to call a friend out with his excavator to get me unstuck. I put tracks on the side by side just in case we need to get out in an emergency, and have had it stuck too. We get a lot of wind and heavy snow, the road drifts over pretty bad and at times it's impossible to see where the road is. I put in 4' fiberglass posts to line the road, they work good until they get covered in snow.
Click to expand...

Your situation is not regular stuff. Hills and drifts are trouble. Tractors suck for traction and are useless in slippery conditions without chains and then it still can be iffy. You don't want to be finding the side of the road in one, that's for sure. They can't push wet snow worth a darn either.Tractors have a special talent for bogging down as well.

A skid steer on tracks would be on my shopping list if I won the lottery but the tractor wouldn't be going anywhere.
 
When we replace the tires we do it in the fall. The wife is trying to find the time to get her new tires on her Jeep. I picked her up a set of Blizzak by Bridgestone. I’d rather have the Blizzak than any studded tires that I’ve ever had. We have been running these for over 15 years.

We have a small rechargeable jumper, about the size of a paperback novel, that we keep in the vehicles. I just recharged them.
 
Mountain trapper said:
Studded tires aren't a cure all for traction, but they do give you a definite edge on ice. They don't help much in fresh snow, but do help in packed snow. Adding a bag or two of sand for weight will help give you more traction too. Chains are the best traction device there is, and I highly recommend carrying a set. I keep two sets in my truck. Many times I need to chain all 4 wheels on my truck just to get up my driveway.
Click to expand...
I have chains for the truck..I can't remember what the pattern is when in 4x4..isn't it one in front and one opposite rear?

I think I saw chains for the subie by the spare..I'll have to check tomorrow.

4x4 in my truck has always been sufficient..I keep good tires on both vehicles. I don't drive fast when the road is crappy.

I did notice the other night having 250 pounds of chicken food in subie felt better.

I always buy those 80 pound sacks of sand and throw them in the bed of the truck..I still need to do that. At the end of winter I put the sand the chicken coop.

I think I'll just get in the habit of buying some chicken food n leave it in the car for weight.
 
Hooch said:
I have chains for the truck..I can't remember what the pattern is when in 4x4..isn't it one in front and one opposite rear?

I think I saw chains for the subie by the spare..I'll have to check tomorrow.

4x4 in my truck has always been sufficient..I keep good tires on both vehicles. I don't drive fast when the road is crappy.

I did notice the other night having 250 pounds of chicken food in subie felt better.

I always buy those 80 pound sacks of sand and throw them in the bed of the truck..I still need to do that. At the end of winter I put the sand the chicken coop.

I think I'll just get in the habit of buying some chicken food n leave it in the car for weight.
Click to expand...
When I use chains I put them on all 4 wheels. I have heavy lug tires on all of our vehicles, and when they start showing any wear I replace them. Plus I use the same style of tire for winter and summer, only the winter tires are studded. Sometimes even with chains on I have a hard time getting up our driveway.
 
I have aggressively lugged all season tires on the truck and subie too..the county road to my place is long n gravel . All wheel drive or 4x4 in winter is the only option. Crappy slick tires won't last or cut it here.
Most folks I've asked say they like the studded tires here. Hopefully, this will be my last winter at the mill but we'll see..plans always are changing..
 
ClemKadiddlehopper said:
Your situation is not regular stuff. Hills and drifts are trouble. Tractors suck for traction and are useless in slippery conditions without chains and then it still can be iffy. You don't want to be finding the side of the road in one, that's for sure. They can't push wet snow worth a darn either.Tractors have a special talent for bogging down as well.

A skid steer on tracks would be on my shopping list if I won the lottery but the tractor wouldn't be going anywhere.
Click to expand...
I chain all 4 wheels on my tractor, it's also 4 wheel drive and has calcium filled tires. Up here we seldom ever have a wet snow, at least not until around April. I've got an 8 foot snow plow for the front of my tractor and a rear blade. The tractor does a great job clearing the road until the snow gets too deep. Then I use the snow blower mounted on the side by side.
Here's my tractor stuck last spring. The snowblower wouldn't blow the slush off the road so I was trying to move it with the plow.
20230411_094712.jpg
 
Mountain trapper said:
Here's my tractor stuck last spring. The snowblower wouldn't blow the slush off the road so I was trying to move it with the plow.
Click to expand...
It looks like even if you managed to get the snow off that road, you're still pretty likely to get stuck in what's left. You're definitely in a different situation there than I'm in here. Underlying mud (it appears) compared to underlying pavement. I'd probably put a saddle on your dog and try to get around that way.
 
Haertig said:
It looks like even if you managed to get the snow off that road, you're still pretty likely to get stuck in what's left. You're definitely in a different situation there than I'm in here. Underlying mud (it appears) compared to underlying pavement. I'd probably put a saddle on your dog and try to get around that way.
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When the snow starts melting in the spring the road gets pretty muddy. I've put over 100 truck loads of gravel on this road so far. Once the road starts breaking up we usually don't drive anywhere. I've had to walk up this road many times due to getting stuck. That's why I always carry a fire making kit with me. Many times during high winds I have to stop and build a fire to keep from freezing.
Getting ready for winter takes all summer.
 
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