Hey guys, I need a favor from some of you northerners....

I'm getting married next month, and for our honeymoon, me and my fiance are planning to go to Breckenridge Colorado. I have never left the southeast, and have only seen one snow. (2 inches) I would like some advice with getting my truck ready to cross the Rocky Mts. I have driven in every kind of slippery surface imagineable, except snow. I think everybody knows my truck, 2wd 97' F-150 lariat (Larry). A lot of people have suggested that I buy studded tires for the trip, but I barely have enough money to go out west. Do you folks think I could get by with a set of tire chains? I have bridgestone dueler H/L's, and I'm getting a new set for the trip. Would they alone suffice?

I'll be traveling I-70 for most of the trip.... Hopefully the road will be in good shape.. I'm planning to drive "Larry" the whole 3,000 mile trip. I will probably cross the 260,000 mile mark before the trip. Almost all of the truck's parts are stock.. And the coldest the truck has ever been exposed to is 16 degrees.... Are there any parts that are prone to failure in extreme cold? (-20ish) Also, should I do anything to prevent rust, or will it wait until I get home and wash the salt off before it starts falling apart? There isn't a rusted spot on the vehicle anywhere, (not even the exhaust manifold studs... they look new) and I'd like to keep it that way. Any advice would be much appreciated!

P.S. sorry for all those yankee jokes....

 

I think you will be going through loveland Pass.

Studded tires: Hell no. Some places studded tires are verbotten. So you would have to haul the tires and switch them when you are in a "requried" area.

Two Wheel Drive doesnt matter. 4x4 cant do any better where it matters,... stopping. I'd say get a couple tractor tire tubes and fill em up with 50lbs of dirt a piece, but since that will hurt MPG the whole way and the whole way isnt snowy... Maybe check into a "Water bladder". Its basically a big bag that sets in your bed. You can ride up there empty. When you get to Denver, if you feel like you need weight in the back, stop at a service station and fill it with water.

As far as chains, I have seen signs in certain passes in CO that say Chains required, but with how long your drive is you may not need to buy right off the start. Look up CO state police phone number, and if you have a cell, call ahead and get road conditions.

Believe it or not, about 12 years ago, I drove from OKC to Pagosa Springs, CO. By the time I hit Amarillo, TX I-40 was shutdown due to blizzard. All roads were closed from I-40 north to Pagosa. NM and CO state police advised unless I had 4x4, water, food and plenty of clothing and aux gas cans, I shouldnt go. Since I was heading up to stay at my uncles place, and had no money,... stopping wasnt an option. I just took it slow and got there. 22 hours for an 11 hour trip! Oh yeah, I was in an S-10 2wd sport truck.

I also grew up driving a zamboni at a local ice rink. Which is basically like driving a VW on ice (no studded tires, owner was cheap).

Key to any inclement weather driving is just take it slow.

As far as rust,... dont think you should worry. Here, they salt the holy crap out of roads,... all my trucks have never had paint or rust issues (at least not due to road salt). Just wash it off when you get back or run through a pay and spray on the way home.

 

I figured it wasn't that big of a deal, I just though I'd ask some experts!

 

Im a class a driver:I-70 Is a bad highway as far as winter conditions and highwinds. You will definately need to have a set of chains at least with you. In the case you do slide off the road Id take at least a set of 2x4's you can use if that happenes, Take extra blankets, water dry foods like oat grain bars, 911 road side kit the essentials. The azz end of our trucks are light as hell and theres probably a 80% chance youll be sliding around abit. Overland pass on 70 west of denver, theres a tunnel at the top of the pass before you make the decend down the other side. The grade is 6.5% for 7 miles. Tractor trailers bumper to bumper and a high possiblity of trucks sliding out. Half of them couldnt put a set of chains on an eye hook. I would definately check out of set of Cable chains at walmart. 35mph till you get off the pass. No worries, Just DONT HIT THE BRAKES. Gear down (2nd) and keep the front end pointed in the direction you want to go. Remember Keep it shiny side up youll be just fine. have a safe trip and congrats on tiein the knot.

 

Thank you very much! Cable chains hunh? I'll check out Wal-mart's site, cause they sure don't sell em here in Georgia!

 

I-70 a bad highway during winter? You have got to be kidding me. I-70 from Denver to the Missouri/Kansas border is one of the best, if not the best kept roads in the Midwest during winter. They are always on top of keeping the roads clear of snow, excluding blizzards.


As a resident on the Midwest (not the west coast) and frequent traveler of I-70, here are my suggestions for you:

1) I give you a 90% chance that you won't see any significant accumulation of snow on the road until you pass Denver, so don't think the whole trip is going to be white knuckle through a blizzard.
2) If there is a chance of snow on I-70, pick up a few hundred pounds of sand bags before passing through the Kansas plains. I would suggest buying them in either Lawrence or Topeka Kansas since there isnt much of anything after you pass Hays, Kansas. If there isnt a chance at all, just pick some up in Denver. I'm suggesting you do this later in the trip so your gas milage early in the trip is better. Oh, and why sand? Sand doesnt move, where as water can slosh, making your handling unpredictable.
3) Studded tires are a big no-no everywhere except for mountain roads. They are a waste of money for anyone who doesnt live in the mountains, so just forget about them.
4) Your tires should be just fine in light snow, and will also do fine in deeper stuff with the addition of weight in the bed. Since Larry is a 2wd, tire chains wouldnt be a bad idea purely for emergency purposes.
5) COLD WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID!!!! This is a big one. Get the coldest temp fluid you can find, usually around -50*F. Regular fluid will freeze the spray hoses almost immediately after you get onto the highway if the air temp is under freezing.
6) Truck stuff to check: Tire pressure, antifreeze/water soliditiy, brake fluid temp rating, battery health, heater strenghth, and the usual pre-roadtrip stuff.
7) Stuff to place in truck: Blankets, flashlight, spare fuses, wiper fluid, extra fluids, gas can, matches, chemical heaters, water, non-parishable food, etc.
8) Rust: once you get past roads with salt on them, stop at a car wash and give the underside and pain a good washing. If you dont let the salt stay on your truck for an exteded time (a month or so), no harm no foul.
9) The biggest advice I can give you is dont be stupid. If there is a blizzard, dont risk it, it's not worth it. If its snowing, slow down. If it's slick, give yourself three times the normal braking distance. Do not slam on the brakes; ease into them. Dont punch the gas at any speed, ease into the throttle. Pack extra clothing since theres nothing worse than being cold, and not having more clothing to put on.


Feel free to ask me any other questions that come to mind. I've lived in the midwest my whole life and driven in the snow more than a few times. Depending on when your trip is, I'll either be in Lawrence or Manhattan Kansas which are both just off I-70. I'd be more than willing to help you with anything you need for your trip. Good Luck.

 

TireChains.com
THE TIRE CHAINS SPECIALIST 814-248-3375

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At least you haven't said anything about us "Left Coast" people.


Or have you?

 

I live about 2 hours from Brek.. Shoot me a PM befor ya leave and i will tell ya what to expect.. And if ya need- I will shoot ya my #.. Just in case you get into some trouble on the pass. Drive it during the day.. Very crappy and scary during the night. Get some sand bags in denver and have some chains as well. Yoi should be here the week before XMas? Be prepared for a night in the truck, clothes, gas, food, etc.. Just in case.. Like I said - PM me..

Jon

Also- we dont use salt, google mag cloride..

 

Thanks for all the kind advice! You guys are awesome!

I guess I'll chase down some chains in the next couple of days. I didn't see any on the Wal-Mart site, but I might have just overlooked it.

The best washer fluid you can get here in GA is the +20 junk. Usually truck stops will have the +5 stuff, so I gotta go north to get something better. I was already planning to bring several gallons of the good stuff back! Thanks for reminding me about that though.

We should be arriving in Colorado on the 30th of Dec. It's great to know that there's some good people I can count on in the area! If any of you guys are ever bogged down in south central Georgia, just let me know! I'll be on my way.

 

From bieng out west myself once, I saw on the I-80 going through say Utah that chains were mandatory when the lights were flashing. Here in Canada, I make it with ease just with Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors, 4x4 and planned braking. Snow is easy, ice is the bitch. If it's cold, like 20F then snow is usually not a big issue at all, it's when it's around 28-34F that snow seems to get slick. More likely than not you'll be fine with just chains as I said, they can be mandatory. Studded tires are nice if you live past London Ontario which sees a good winter. For one trip? Not worth the expense. I'm thinking your tires are good for snow anyways. Leaving gaps between you and the car in front is the best advice. Believe me as a truck driver!!!

 

I lived in the mountains for 3 years... and I drove a 2x4 Ford Thunderbird Automatic everyday!

As for maintenance... id think about changing the coolant if you havent lately.

As for driving in snow and ice... I'd just get regular chains and 2 or 3 packs of the "rubber band" chain tensioners. Use 2 per rear tire in a criss cross star pattern. The tighter the better! You dont want a piece of chain beating the side of your truck for 100 miles! Also a good idea to carry some wire and diagonal cutters if you need to repair a broken link or ?. In addition a nice pair of leather work gloves is a good idea... Remember the motto be prepared!

Also very important that you practice putting these on and taking them off in your driveway or garage before you ever leave. You dont want to learn how when its freezing and wet... or worse find you have wrong size!

Take an old piece of carpet or similar is also nice if you have to put the chains on in bad weather.

As others have said... the most important thing is to drive waaaay slower than you would normally and anticipate slowing/braking. Its best to slow down with tranny and never ever stomp on the brakes.

 

I know exactly where your talking about, that's a nasty overpass! The best thing in the snow is SLOW DOWN.

 

Good luck on your trip with Larry & your Mrs! A couple of bags of sand in the bed won't hurt, especially on a 2WD! Change oil, check fluids, hoses, etc, before you embark on your journey! please let us know how you make out!

 

I forgot one thing, an ice scraper for the glass. Nothing worse than not having a scraper, and relying on your defroster to clear the windows. You should also put rain-x on all your windows, it will help keep your windows from fogging/icing and makes it easier to clean off any ice that has accumulated.