Very true! A good ice scraper is valuable!

As for which chains... I always went with the heavy duty type called v bar chains... they do awesome on icy hardpacked mountain roads!

Here's a close up of them:




I also found this info on winter driving...

Driving in snow and ice can be scary and dangerous, especially for inexperienced drivers. Here are some tips for keeping safe:

1. Keep the defroster running with plenty of hot air - this keeps ice and snow from building up any more than necessary. Also, use the rear defroster if you have one to keep your back window as clear as possible.
2. When driving in snow and ice, do EVERYTHING a little more slowly than under normal conditions -- make gentle turns, accelerate slowly, brake gently. Sudden moves make the car skid and lose control.
3. Make sure you have chains that fit your vehicle, and know how to use them -- always practice putting them on once or twice under dry conditions -- learning to put chains on in the middle of a snow storm is no fun!
4. Chains go on the drive axle of your car, where the power is - know if you have a front or rear wheel drive system (most small cars and sedans are front wheel drive, most trucks are rear wheel).
5. Always carry an ice scraper and flashlight in your winter car. A bag of sand in the trunk doesn't hurt either, adding extra weight to the read end and providing traction if you need it.
6. Wear good gloves when putting chains on - ice cold metal and moving parts are a recipe for disaster with bare, cold hands.
7. On long mountain trips, always carry some extra blankets, clothing, and food and water.
8. Practice your snow driving. Head for a big parking lot or field after a fresh snow and get a feel for what happens when you accelerate too fast, hit your brakes too hard, or turn to sharply. It's easy to get your car into small, controlled skids, even at 15-20 MPH. Learning how to steer out of a skid while keeping your car under control could save your life one day.

That 4th one reminds me... I cant tell you how many idiots I have seen driving a front wheel drive car with chains on the rear wheels! They see everyone else putting them on rear wheels so they do it....

 

First off, I live in Denver, 2X4 in the winter here is not too bad. CDOT is pretty good at keeping the roads drivable. Even I-70. That being said, the only time I have ever feared for my life in a auto was driving I-70 in 0-0 weather in a 92, 2X4.

Like the other you can PM when your in denver and I will let you know what the weather is going to be like for the next 24hrs. Also I will be happy to give you my number in case you get in a jam!

Sand bags and chains!

 

Def. be prepared with items like blankets, food, water, cell, etc. Check all fluids before you go, tire pressures, etc. Carrying some boards and chains is a great idea too - as far as I know, studded tires are a no-no.

The main thing I can't stress enough is SLOW DOWN! Honestly, it's the most important thing imho. The first dusting of snow this year coupled with black ice landed 9+ accidents I saw within the first 2 miles on I90 close to home (all in a span of less than an hr). That included two tractor trailers and over a dozen vehicles in the ditch or wrecked. What's even worse was seeing people still speed past in the opposite lane like it's nobody's business.

Good luck and have fun

 

You might also want to buy some winter wiper blades. Oh, and a tarp or old piece of carpet is also nice to have to kneel/lay on when you're hooking up chains

 

i drive my truck in 2wd through the winter up in idaho, i have a 4x4 but the fronts locked up so its a use when stuck item so i can drive straight down the road. all i ever did was toss in a couple hundred pounds worth of snow in the bed if i was driving empty.

i run a nitto terra's not siped and never got stuck without playing. the only time i ever got stuck was when it snowed 18" one night then 14" the next and i decided to drive down an non maintained road. our trucks do very well if you just toss a few pounds in the back and take it easy.

but then im one of them fellas who grew up with the snow, it just dont bother me any and i never have understood why people wind up in the ditch most of the time. i can see some people choose it instead of the rear of a car and i give them props for minimizing damages.


i havnt heard anyone mention a tow / recovery strap? what if you do wind up partially in the ditch or just need a tug to get you going again? there are a lot of helpful folks around the winter time who do their best. they're few and far between anymore but you just might find one if the scenario arises.

 

get some tire chains and youll be fine. The windsheild washer fluid you can get once you have gotten closer to Colorado. I dont know how the Colorado area of 70 is but ive driven the tahoe route and some places were mandatory chains, even for 4x4 vehicles. Drive cautiosly and youll be fine (except for the getting married part)

 

Lower your PSI if neccessary. My truck is 5000 some pounds, and still climbs my mountain in 2wd with 2"s of snow on the road with 255/70/17 pos General Ameritracs. Go easy on the throttle.

 

Chester,
When i first read your post i was grinnin, it seemed silly to me...lol
Now i suppose i should commend you for investigating. Lot of good ideas here that i guess i have taken for granted and become subconcious over the years.
Michigan gets it's share of dumpings, especially when the lake effect stuff comes inland and decides its time to dump down.
Congrats on your marriage and hope you have a fine safe trip!
more than likely, it won't be too challenging.

 

I'm with Kansasflareside...as a lifelong resident of KS for most of DEC you prob won't see any significant snow till you get to Denver. I70 is a very will maintained road KS DOT is always on it when its snowing till its clear. I have been with KS Hwy Patrol dispatch for almost 6yrs now and seen it all. Another good till at least in KS its "511" on your cell it's a road condition hotline updated by KDOT regularly in the wintertime, and CO's road hotline is "303-639-1111". Congrats on the marriage and have fun in CO. And in KS if 70 is bad enough they will start closing it at CO and the start moving East as motels fill up.

 

double post

 

wow whats the panic over the snow i live here in ontario canada and we get more than our share of snow i travel between london ontario and toronto every day for work tip on tires forget chains latch on to a set of tires called blissaks you wont need chains as far as getting yourself prepared for spending a night on the road .Most definitely any body that travels winter roads should be prepared that way i have a winter survival kit in both my 150s common sense stuff warm clothes boots candles candy bars stainless steel cup even couple packs of instant soup mix I have a little 4 wick candle and can melt snow for drinking or even boil water in my stainless cup for the soup mix

most of all and the most important part of the equation is SLOW the frig down don't make any sudden steering corrections watch traffic ahead so you don't need to jump on the brakes all of a sudden and my most important tip run by yourself as much as possible do not run in a group this does 2 things 1) prevents you from getting involved in some one else's screw up 2) it gives you some breathing room if you get it wrong at least you might be able to gather it back up again without banging into some one else The above rule has saved my *** more time than i can remember

I have 2 150s a 2003 extcab 2 wheel drive shortbox on four blissak tires and a 2002 single cab long box also on blissaks the best dang unstudded ice tire there is besides studs are illegal here in ontario

I wish you a safe trip to you and your new bride

 

X2 on the sand bags and below zero washer fluid. Also, beware the black ice. Once it gets down below zero exhaust freezes to the road, it's a friekin terror up here in MN. You'll probably never even see it, but if you do it just looks like a shiney spot on the road and then everything gets all floaty. Again, slow down. 5-6 second following distances, and for Gods sake don't try to steer out of any slide, and you should have abs so don't worry about pumping breaks while sliding...

 

One more item... take a shovel! Just in case!

 

Just a reminder to all... i see so many throw sand bags, weights of all sorts into their beds without securing. Given they do it to avoid accident and help traction, there is still no gurantee you won't head on into a ditch or a tree or another vehicle. Upon impact, all that free standing weight in the bed can get airborn real quickly on an abrupt stop such as hitting something. Secure whatever you use or risk it flying through the cab upon an impact!
Look at semi tractors with flatbeds for hauling, they typically have a heavy duty steel plate behind the cab incase the load shifts, perhaps again, on impact.

 

if you simply put 300-400 lbs. of weight in your truck bed DIRECTLY over the rear axel, that will help TREMENDOUSLY with traction.