Does anybody else here do this?

theoldwizard1 · Jan 22, 2018

My daughter has it on her Expedition and uses it often. She claims it makes a difference but I wonder what percentage of the is just psychological.

IMHO, long wheel base RWD vehicle (EL/Max) are pretty easy to drive in the snow. If the rear end wants to "come around" just take your foot off the gas and it will get back in line with the fronts.

Two things I wonder about are

How well does the new (for 2018) electronic locking differential aid in driving on hard pack snow/ice ?
How well do WINTER tire aid in driving on hard pack snow/ice ?

JExpedition07 · Jan 22, 2018

Generally you only want to use the locking diff when you are stuck or at low speed. The locking differential on the Super Duty is automatically cut by the computer over 12 MPH, pretty sure the new expy is the same. Locking diffs as the name says locks the speed of the rear wheels at a constant, meaning turning can’t be facilitated without serious driveline binding while enabled.generally the locker is used for plowing, low speed straight line maneuvers, or when stuck.

deweysmith · Jan 22, 2018

Locking differentials are scary beasts that can blow up pretty easily if used improperly. No surprise that there's some safeguards there.

ExpeditionAndy · Jan 23, 2018

USMCBuckWild said:
Exactly how I was taught to drive as well. People rely way too much on their vehicle to do everything for you. ABS is nice, but on slippery roads gently pumping your brakes will bring you to a stop in less distance than just holding that pedal to the floor.

Being comfortable going into a skid or when the ass-end slips out is the most important part of maintaining control. Having experienced it in a “controlled” environment allows you to maintain calm and apply corrective measures.

Using some common sense while driving in poor conditions is still most important. Doesn’t mean you can’t still have a little fun. Personally I won’t mess around if other drivers are around, but, on an empty road I’ll have a little fun.

Don't over drive your tires and your vehicle, In slippery conditions speed is not your friend. Slow down and don't let centrifugal force pull you out of a turn

USMCBuckWild · Jan 23, 2018

ExpeditionAndy said:
Don't over drive your tires and your vehicle, In slippery conditions speed is not your friend. Slow down and don't let centrifugal force pull you out of a turn

To caveat that, going uphill and traversing inward inclined slippery corners does require SOME momentum.

Momentum to get uphill is a given, although some still can’t grasp that idea. 100mph is not the answer, but getting up a little head of steam knowing that you will lose quite a bit of your forward energy and maintaining tire rotation (not tire spinning as tires require friction to maintain traction) should see you through.

On an inward inclined corner if you go too slow the lateral force (as little as it may be) will overcome the friction coefficient of the tires and you will slide sideways down the inside of the corner. If steady forward movement is maintained it will help overcome the lateral force (kind of the opposite of centripetal force) and see you through the corner. Once again tire spinning (or deceleration from braking) will change the friction advantage of the tires. 100mph is not the answer, but 1.5mph is also not the answer.

But all this comes with with experience. Driving in snow or slippery conditions once or twice will not give you the baseline experience to draw from to properly diagnose the situation and make an educated decision (from experience) on what is appropriate.

Just my $0.02

(Not arguing or countering your point, just add-on information)

ExpeditionAndy · Jan 27, 2018

USMCBuckWild said:
To caveat that, going uphill and traversing inward inclined slippery corners does require SOME momentum.

Momentum to get uphill is a given, although some still can’t grasp that idea. 100mph is not the answer, but getting up a little head of steam knowing that you will lose quite a bit of your forward energy and maintaining tire rotation (not tire spinning as tires require friction to maintain traction) should see you through.

On an inward inclined corner if you go too slow the lateral force (as little as it may be) will overcome the friction coefficient of the tires and you will slide sideways down the inside of the corner. If steady forward movement is maintained it will help overcome the lateral force (kind of the opposite of centripetal force) and see you through the corner. Once again tire spinning (or deceleration from braking) will change the friction advantage of the tires. 100mph is not the answer, but 1.5mph is also not the answer.

But all this comes with with experience. Driving in snow or slippery conditions once or twice will not give you the baseline experience to draw from to properly diagnose the situation and make an educated decision (from experience) on what is appropriate.

Just my $0.02

(Not arguing or countering your point, just add-on information)

Where I used to live there was this banked turn that came from a flat road, lead into a descending left hand turn that was banked to the left. Under the right conditions, glazed roads, if you didn't carry enough speed to balance centrifugal force against the weight of the vehicle you could literally slide out of the turn to the left. I had it happen once. Then a couple of years later, under the same condition I was following a kid who was driving that turn a I was about a football field behind him. He was going too slow, slid down to the left out of the turn and blocked the road. I had no choice but to slow down and slid out of the turn and hit him in the right rear door (the softest spot on the car). I got a little paint on the bumper and fender of the 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix I was driving He got a big dent in his door. I think he had an old mid 70s Chevelle. This was around 1988 if I remember correctly.

Habbibie · Feb 9, 2018

Well again I do what I always do, snowed 18 inches over night, this morning traction control off, advance trac off, 2wd only and I managed to be the fastest moving car in traffic.

I drive like a forklift lol I let my back wheels do the steering for me not the fronts and all I do is pedal the throttle to my liking!

This is one thing I'll really miss if I move to a state that doesn't get snow

Does anybody else here do this?

theoldwizard1

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deweysmith

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USMCBuckWild

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