Traction troubles

I have a 2009 GMC 3/4 ton gas 4*4 four door short box. It absolutely sucks on snow. It has 10 ply radial hankook tires that are 3 months old. This is the first snow I've driven on but it's pretty much deadly. Slip sliding even on the highway. I took it to get a load of firewood today and had to give up as soon as I drove off the gravel into 2 inches of snow on a slight incline. Are all 3/4 tons this worthless? My brother has a diesel model and he said his is terrible on snow. I doubt I will buy snow tires for it, guess I'll just make do.

Trucks are too light in the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) end. You need to keep weight in there all winter if you want good traction. I keep my snowmobile in my truck most of the winter for traction.

Are you using 4 x 4? Trucks need to be in 4 x 4 a lot more than front wheel drive cars or SUV's... Again, the light back end.

Tires make a big difference. Radials suck in the snow. All terrain suck in the snow. All seasons suck in the snow.

You either need a true winter tire (with studs if your allowed them) or 2nd best is a set of mud and snow tires.

If you pick up a set of winter tires, keep weight in your box and use 4 x 4 you'll be happy.

my 2013 chevy 1/2 ton I haven't had a single issue in the snow ever. Do you have traction control and on the fly 4 wheel drive? I have the 12 ply duratracs on my truck and have been seriously impressed with everything I've put em through and the mileage on them. My bed is usually empty all winter long, never had a need for extra weight.

Finn if you need to check the salvage yards for tires. Great prices on great tires
That come off crumpled and crashed vehicles.

Osky

No matter how good your tires are, any tires you can safely use on a road are not going to keep you from getting stuck in bad enough conditions off road.

have around 400 feet of 1 inch diameter rope. I pulled my friend James out of my field last week, took the rope down to my neighbor, another James, a few days later to help pull him out and pulled Diane out of our front field earlier today. I use that rope probably a dozen times a year that way. The ropes long enough that I can usually stay on solid ground to pull people out of mushy spots. Sometimes, like today, I have to tie on, pull until I reach the end of solid ground, backup, shorten the rope and pull to the end of the solid ground over and over and over again.

Keith

My wife just drove my 4 x 4 Tundra thirty miles through six inches of unplowed snow, sleet and freezing rain. Other than avoiding idiot drivers she had no issues. Traction in 4WD has always been great. It’s a dbl. cab with an 8’ bed.

Maybe it’s a weight issue? My little Ram 50 4WD does good in the snow and mud on the trapline but not as good as the Tundra. It weighs less than half what the Tundra does.

I have M & S tires on the Tundra now but it came with crappy AT’s on it. Even then it did great in the snow.

I'll try put some weight in the back. It does ride a lot better when their is a load on it, anyway. I've had 1/2 ton trucks and never any issue with traction, like this greezy pig.

I will do that tomorrow to check for snow tires and rims. I bought the truck and some teenage horndog must've had it before me. It has aftermarket black rims and the tires stick out past the wheel fairings. I don't much really care, but I'm sure a lot of people think I'm on the way to a gay pride parade. Would be nice to have snow tires, tho. My wife is Canadian and she introduced me to the concept. I'm a poor Minnesota farmer and never had money for two sets of tires anyways. Fun to dream tho.

I run M/S tires on all my trucks year round.

i had the same issue when i went to a 3/4 ton diesel i tried new tires and nothing work until i put on 6ply winter force tires.now i can go as much or more than a 1/2 ton with very good tires. i would of bought 10 ply winter force tires if i new they would work but after trying several other tires i went with 6ply as i normal don't haul heavy load in the winter time.

Get a narrow tire with a good aggressive tread,and keep some weight in the back.

Sounds like running duals. They suck for traction unless have a load in them. My 3/4 ton 4 X 4 never had a problem but never ran duals.

Yep. Wide tires distribute weight across the surface... Good for not sinking in sand/mud... Bad for wet/slick surfaces. Narrower tires will cut in and bite.

That's how it was explained to me anyway.

Mike

Here's an idea...
Some years ago a guy down the road from me bought a new mattress and stuck the old one in his truck to take to the dump.
Before he could do that we had about 2 inches of rain, then freezing rain on top of that. Then it snowed.
He couldn't pry the mattress off the truck bed until the spring thaw - but he had no trouble with traction!! LOL

I agree - look at the tires that were on those old WW2 Willys Jeeps

Saw this in action . I got stuck in some mud last week . Legit stuck , as if I'd driven into a tar patch . I've got fairly wide tires on my half ton . I called a buddy to see if he could pull me out with his 3/4 ton . He got stuck in the field coming to me. Narrow tires just sank in that goop.

Your truck does not suck in the snow , it's your tires

Which hankooks do you have ?

You prolly have a hard compound street tire in 10 ply designed for a high mileage warranty ............kinda like a hard skate board wheel. That combined with a stiff 3/4 ton suspension and you've got no traction.

I would not run anything under a 10 ply on any truck that leaves the pavement but there are many options with softer compound and more aggressive A/T tread design.

When in ice and snow lowering the pressure down to around 25 lbs helps too.

And like others mentioned , with your stiff suspension add some weight

winter driving in snow/ice is all about traction.
TRACTION!!!
Tires generate the traction, not 4 wheel drive.
I don't know why people do not get that.
it does not matter how many wheels are driving the car/truck, the type of tire matters more than anything else.
any car with winter tires (like Blizzaks) will be better than a 4 x 4 truck with all season or M/S tires.

4 wheel drive is useless at stopping on ice or turning. any car with winter tires is much better at this due to a softer tire compound, nothing else comes close to stopping on ice.



So get another set of cheap rims from the junk yard and buy a set of Blizzaks or equiv, and toss some weight in the box and you'll have it covered.

Hakoos tires are junk, hard riding, shorter height, I hydro planned 2 times one winter, one inch of snow, brand new hakoos tires, never had that happen with good tires like Michelin, Firestone, Goodyear, even junk Cooper's didn't hydroplane

I drive an hour and fifteen minutes to work one way, an hour on the expressway, I’ve tried 2 different tires and they suck...to me expressway driving is much different as it builds up with ice quickly...

Any suggestions on a good tire?

F150 1/2 ton...

Thanks

When I bought my 2012 4X4 Ford F-350 it was brand new. Why a company would put street tires on a ton truck I do not understand. After I had to be pulled out by a 2X4 Ranger I took off the street tires & put a set of mud & Snow tires on the 4X4. Best move I ever did. It was a little salty buying new tires when I had less than 20,000 miles on the truck, but now I have a truck that can get in there & back out on the road.

BFG KO2s best all around tire for a truck. Great in winter too.

Sold my 2002 Silverado and bought a 2013 F150. The 150 seems to get slip on heavy frosted grass! Somebody told me recently that I need to turn off the traction control feature in off road snow conditions. Does that make sense to your Ford guys?

Like others have said, it's all about the tires, not the vehicle itself. And four wheel drive only helps you go, not stop or turn. Skinny tires are best but nobody wants to change tire sizes and have a goofy looking vehicle. You need a nore aggressive tread pattern. You need some sort of chunky-treaded tire that won't pack with ice and snow and effectively turn into a racing slick.

It's all about weight In the box.

I built a box that fits between the wheel wells and filed it with sand. No problems after that. Weight equals traction.
If you get stuck then It's because your not warped to tight. LOL

Yes all 3/4 tons are worthless if you keep the tires jacked up to the recommended 65-70 lbs. I run mine at 35-45 lbs psi. I can not stand how hard they hit bumps and potholes with 65-70 lbs psi. The garage told me " You will not get good tire life running them like that" TOTAL BS. I got 52,000 from my last BFG AT K2s. Remember, the more traction you need the less air pressure. On sand I have run 12 psi and drove around trucks in 4X4 while I was in 2X4. I would not run 12 psi on the road but I always run 30-35 in the winter. Thats the difference between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton, 8 ply at 35 lbs psi and 10 ply at 70 lbs psi.

Thats because the lower tire pressure gives you better traction.6-8 ply will always give better traction then 10 ply unless you drop the pressure of the 10 ply to 25-30 lbs

As we always said during winter Ralley Racing....Tires keep your butt on the road.

You put highway tires on that Bigfoot truck it won't do any better then any other truck, tires make winter driving better get a set of cheap Roadian M/Ts and they can be studded I believe but I never needed to stud mine!

Lowering tire pressure is okay if not carrying a load, it increases the footprint of the tire in contact with the pavement. It also causes more sidewall flex, though, which is what causes heat buildup and tire failure. You guys are probably fine at 35psi with no load, but I wouldn't go much lower than that. The 80psi specs on the 3/4-1 ton trucks are because they are expecting a load, which requires more tire pressure to carry said load.

I found the weight of a camper shell will make a huge difference, plus it will help keep stuff in the back dry.

I've had no issues on my 1/2 ton Silverado running Good Year Wrangler ATs. Good in ice and snow. Good highway running.
Weight in the box helps a lot for traction in all conditions.