Jump to content

Driving in the snow??


LittleShack

Recommended Posts

Can anyone tell me how these RVs handle in the snow? I am trying to avoid this, but in case I am stuck, how do the duallys handle the snow? I have lots of snow driving experience in trucks and cars, but the RV is a whole other beast. Are chains a good idea? All season tires? Thanks!-Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I had a dually Dodge it was about as useless as it gets in the snow even with a limited slip diff. Now it did not have a house on it's back for weight but I'm guessing the front wheels on a toy home may have a tendency to lookup mine stayed in the barn till May! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in the mountains in WY, if you don't go in the winter you don't do much for 5 months a year.

With decent all season tires they do pretty good in snow. Rear weight basis ya know. I have driven over South Pass several times in the winter with my Toy, even pulling a trailer. The magic is a SMART CAREFUL DRIVER going slowly. Unless you're going off the road, over a cliff or into a 4ft high snowdrift, don't ever stop, even if the rears are spinning.

Chains are a last resort. If its really that bad stay home

Also on my toy the brake basis was set FULL to the rear 

Now on real ice fergetaboutit. Also, a limited slip on ice is bad juju, with both tires spinning and a little road camber the rear will slide off to the low side. With an open differential you may not be able to go, but on an iced up off-camber road the tire that isn't spinning will give you some side bite and that maybe thats enough to keep you on the road. On dry pavement and an overabundance of HP a limited slip is a true wonder.

Edited by WME
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've driven my Sunrader a few times in light snow. It handled pretty well. Same rules as anything your driving but more so. No sudden moves, give cars in front of you lots of room so you can stop in time if they hit the brakes. Pump brakes and controlled use of emergency brake can help you stay straight on the road if you start to swerve. The biggy, slow. Don't even try to stay up with traffic. 

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So a bit of weather chased me into Weed early in the afternoon of Jan 5. Got 6-8 inches before it got cold and had to hunker down. Spent the night at the Pilot Travel Center in Weed. There was a break in the weather so I followed the trucks as they started south just before sun-up. Roads were a snowy mess. RV felt stable and well behaved. Used engine breaking and maintained my distance. I followed the truck ahead of me and just stayed in his wheel tracks. Took 4 hours to make the 128 miles to Redding. I do not think I would do that again. But that being said, with care you could drive to a safe place to wait it out. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by 1988dolphin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Very cool tire find. I've never heard of these before but they look like a great option for a Sunrader 4x4 too. How do they ride on the highway. Darn you. Now you got me thinking. I love a meaty tire and here in rainy Humboldt County Ca getting off of the main roads anywhere can be like being in a mud run

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks! I haven't had any issues on the highway other than they're a little loud. There is a little loss of torque since they are slightly larger than stock diameter, although ive got a 5 speed in mine which doesn't help my case since the 1st gear starts a little tall for the 22RE.  Being in Seattle rain i had to find something better than the typical 356s or Vantras since the sunrader turns into a bobsled in the rain. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, mpanzar said:

Thanks! I haven't had any issues on the highway other than they're a little loud. There is a little loss of torque since they are slightly larger than stock diameter, although ive got a 5 speed in mine which doesn't help my case since the 1st gear starts a little tall for the 22RE.  Being in Seattle rain i had to find something better than the typical 356s or Vantras since the sunrader turns into a bobsled in the rain. 

These are exactly what I need! How has the tread been holding up?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, gmg said:

These are exactly what I need! How has the tread been holding up?

So far so good. Ive put about 2500 miles on them and the mold line from manufacturing are just starting to wear away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Derek up North said:

Who would have thought that anyone was still making bias-ply tires!

I was wondering the same thing! I started digging and found out they still make quite a few. Mostly larger off road tires (very popular in the rock crawler crowd) and motorcycles.

23 hours ago, mpanzar said:

Thanks! I haven't had any issues on the highway other than they'er a little loud. There is a little loss of torque since they are slightly larger than stock diameter, although ive got a 5 speed in mine which doesn't help my case since the 1st gear starts a little tall for the 22RE.  Being in Seattle rain i had to find something better than the typical 365s or Vantras since the sunrader turns into a bobsled in the rain. 

With the mention of bias ply tires, do you find these to make driving a little more difficult? Do you find these tires following grooves in the road creating more lateral movement going down the highway? I imagine having the duallys in the rear probably help to bridge over a lot of the uneven parts but I could imagine the front wheels having issues with this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

7 minutes ago, gmg said:

I was wondering the same thing! I started digging and found out they still make quite a few. Mostly larger off road tires (very popular in the rock crawler crowd) and motorcycles.

With the mention of bias ply tires, do you find these to make driving a little more difficult? Do you find these tires following grooves in the road creating more lateral movement going down the highway? I imagine having the duallys in the rear probably help to bridge over a lot of the uneven parts but I could imagine the front wheels having issues with this.

Not sure if this answers your question; I haven’t noticed a difference from the Yokohama Y356s I was running originally. And they feel a little stiffer in corners. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...