AGREED. although i have no experience driving in ice/snow, it seems like people FREAK OUT. the people that dont stay home altogether drive crazy. i may be spending this winter in Illinois, and have been worried about driving with my MT's and open rear

 

well studded snow tires(non studded are still great too) will help a lot with snow and ice, you would not believe the difference over all terrains. also put about 500Lbs in the bed over the axle. dont mash the brakes and dont accelerate quickly or make any sudden movements. also i would suggest testing the brakes before you get on the road from ice/snow possibly building up between the brake parts. also keep a little survival kit in your truck. keep extra coat, blanket, gloves, winter hat, food, drink, etc... in case you do go in a ditch during heavy snow. they also make these self-heating drinks like coffee and hot chocolate. keep a few of those too. i lived in PA for 25 years driving for 9 of them and i have had 8 vehicles with no 4wds and only 1 fwd car. tires and weight are all the difference. drove a 89 firebird, 97 ranger, 04 f150 heritage, 08 f150, 86 chevy C-10, 90 chrysler 5th avenue, and a 78 f150. all the rwd ones had weight in the back. my 04 with 500Lbs and snow tires in the rear would not kick the rear end out if i turned and floored it. it did have an open diff also. some vehicles require less weight than others. the firebird only took 70Lbs, and my 78 f150 took 700Lbs. but try about 400-500 for your f150

 

yeah i know about texas thats where im from but then moved to okc and last year i got bad (they closed the hwys and roads because of a bilizzard)

 

I like your style

I've got 4 70lb bags of sand in my bed. In case I get stuck I always have sand to get me out.

Oh yea. Drive it like you stole it then everybody thinks your nuts and stays the hell away form you.

 

i Love driving in the snow.. (unless its FWD they scare me) ha.. And i hate cold.. but they gave a good advice.. Both my mustang's did great.. not to bad on ice.. my truck dose great in both.. ( I dont use 4wd much in snow/ice) Just go learn your truck somewhere.. and watch for those poles in parking lots.

 

fwd scare u?? how ?? my old 94 sho went through snow like it was nobodys business..

i hate snow and cold but have a blast driving in it... sideways is the only way to do it.. 2wd ftw..

 

Well it snowed it Delaware today (dusting to 2 inches haha)..the local population doesn't know what to do so as I ventured out to do some errands I saw everyone nose down in the ditches

I also discovered my BFG's don't let me drift too well

 

I need to go try some slides in a parking lot... I used to drive a 1 ton 15 passenger Dodge van in the snow when I first had my license and that was actually fun sideways taking turns. It would kick out in back when I would lightly press the brake and it felt neat. I have done well in my truck as well... Drove in whiteout condition last year to school... just used my head and made it safely. I was going 35-40 on the highway, but so way everyone else

Op... weight in the bed, light foot and don't be afraid to downshift with your tranny. Sometimes you need to and try to test your brakes BEFORE the stop. The truck should be nearly stopped before where you need to stop.

 

I learned in a parking lot to. Best to know what a car does on ice and how to correct. Nothing like practice. I second (or third forth) the parking lot idea.

 

I used to have a contour svt. It sucked. The fusion is ok. I just don't like the way they handle at all. I have been in rwd my whole life.

 

I saw that myself. Offered to pull one guy out but he said the tow truck was already on the way. Oh well.

I always make sure I have a full tank of gas before a snow/ice storm as well. Adds a little weight to the truck and if its anything like last year, no power equals no pumps.

 

Haha neither can the guys from up north that "think" they can. My dad worked for the power company and had to repair lines during ice storms. He would laugh every year that there were more snowbirds wrapped around trees than locals.
You can't cheat an inch of black ice with a 3-6k pound car or truck.

And I'll be the millionth person to say practice is a good idea. Might also set up some cones or markers that are safe to run over. I worked at a race track and had to get around the track quick picking up people and cones in between heats. I dont have a second car and nobody was going to let me drive their porsche, lotus or high performance track miatas. I learned what kind of lines to pick and how to properly handle the truck on turns. I learned what it can do and can't do in a relatively controlled environment. I can honestly say it has saved my life so you may look like a goof ball out there practicing but it'll pay for itself later.

 

I drove an 89' Trans Am for years as my first car. We don't get tons of snow here in MD, but we do get a lot of freezing rain and ice, etc. I got really good driving on the ice in that car. Sure, I'd be driving sideways up hills a lot, with people looking all wide eyed at me, but I was in control and always made it where I needed to go, eventually.