Deepest snow you drove through for some distance

[ExplorerTom]

When I go snow wheeling, we still lower our tire pressures, just like we do for dirt. We’re mostly after floatation and more biting edges in contact with the ground though.

And mud tires are great in loose snow. Hard pack snow/ice, they suck.

 

[Expedition Dave]

I have personally heard both trains of thought, and would love to see a real comparo.

I wonder if it is possible that WITH snow tires tall skinny drill down is the way to go, BUT WITH A/T & M/Ts the lowering of air pressure is the best way to go?

It is fully possible that two completely different sets of tires have two completely different set of requirements, just like drag slicks vs racing slicks.

Either way--if in the snow belt during winter I'd run the snowies.

 

[Deadman]

I have personally heard both trains of thought, and would love to see a real comparo.

I wonder if it is possible that WITH snow tires tall skinny drill down is the way to go, BUT WITH A/T & M/Ts the lowering of air pressure is the best way to go?

It is fully possible that two completely different sets of tires have two completely different set of requirements, just like drag slicks vs racing slicks.

Either way--if in the snow belt during winter I'd run the snowies.

I don't know about you, but I drive on roads, so I want the skinniest tire to bite down to the road. The snow is no traction, you need the road surface. Big wide low pressure tires will spin on top all day long and they'll never even bite down to the road surface.

 

[donsmrs]

What was the actual deepest snow you drove through without chains? And not just a few feet of travel, but at least a quarter mile. What year and kind of Expy? Do you have the stock AS or snow tires? Were you concerned about getting stuck?
I’m thinking of a new Expy and eventual move to Denver CO and can’t let bro in law outdo me in the mountain snow with his Grand Cherokee. (And I still have nightmares from the 3 Dodge/Plymouths I and my parents had over the years, so I can’t buy one). FWIW, had a 1990 Ford Ranger 4x4 stock and drove in 23.5 inches of heavy wet snow. It was starting to get hung up on the packed snow underneath and tires were not making good contact, but was still able to drive over 1/2 mile before I felt better in the garage. Went thru 16” heavy wet snow with no problem, though. Probably could have pushed powder over the hood.
I would think a newer Expy AWD would handle 16” of powder easily and 12 inches of heavy wet easily, albeit slow.
Thanks.

We took our 2000 2WD Eddie Bauer Expy through a foot deep snow, with chains, the week of Thanksgiving going Wright Patterson AFB (Dayton, OH), around 2005. We were the last vehicle allowed on the Interstate, but, the State Troopers let us drive through because we kept moving right through it. They kept closing on-ramps right behind us. We had new Michelins on the SUV, andI don't know what gear settings my husband used on a 2WD but we never slid nor got stuck.

 

[ContinentalDrift]

Answering the question directly, I got fully stuck this winter in 5" of semi-wet snow with the Hankook OE AT tires... walked home, and drove my Jeep Grand Cherokee (with Cooper Discovery AT4 tires) right in to dig out the Expy with a shovel (your brother would have had a smug look on his face). I live in serious snow country (Park City UT) and have never gotten the Jeep stuck. The Expy now has Toyo Open Country's (snowflake) which were a huge improvement, but even so, there is something not stellar about the 4WD in deep snow (on the highway, it's great). I really should have gone for proper snow tires, but we go south to the deserts sometimes in the winter so "snowflake" ATs were a compromise.

 

[MrBlargMan]

What was the actual deepest snow you drove through without chains? And not just a few feet of travel, but at least a quarter mile. What year and kind of Expy? Do you have the stock AS or snow tires? Were you concerned about getting stuck?
I’m thinking of a new Expy and eventual move to Denver CO and can’t let bro in law outdo me in the mountain snow with his Grand Cherokee. (And I still have nightmares from the 3 Dodge/Plymouths I and my parents had over the years, so I can’t buy one). FWIW, had a 1990 Ford Ranger 4x4 stock and drove in 23.5 inches of heavy wet snow. It was starting to get hung up on the packed snow underneath and tires were not making good contact, but was still able to drive over 1/2 mile before I felt better in the garage. Went thru 16” heavy wet snow with no problem, though. Probably could have pushed powder over the hood.
I would think a newer Expy AWD would handle 16” of powder easily and 12 inches of heavy wet easily, albeit slow.
Thanks.

I live just north west of Denver and got 28" of snow in 2 days last month. My lifted 2003 Expedition with 35" mud terrains blasted through it with literally no problems at all. I was actually pretty surprised. Didn't drive my wife's lifted Silverado with 33's but just a little bit, but it didn't seem to do nearly as well at all. I would bet that a stock height unit may not have faired as well as it would have been pushing snow with the front bumper, but tires are EVERYTHING in conditions like that.

Pictured: Same Expedition in about 11" of snow a couple weeks prior to the major blizzard.

 

[BrooklynExp]

I drove in PA my 07 Expedition EL in 20~inch snow. I had worn Michelin LTX ms2 not a problem in 4-Hi. I upgraded to some TOYO AT³ and and you could get out of plowed in parking in NYC with the occasional wheel spin. With a ❄ AT tire and a rear locker you won't even need to put it in 4wd.

 

[CaptOchs]

I can't compare WNY snow to the Rockies, but I was impressed when I traded my 28ft 5500lb camper in. I had to get it from the field it was in that had about a foot of snow. I hooked up the bars and had all fours spinning until I hit the road.

I had Goodyear trailrunners on. The tread is a mix of a highway tire and a mud tire. So it did great in both scenarios.

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

2004 Excursion 6.8L 4x4, Standard 16.5" Goodrich T/A A/T's: Christmas 2004, 18" on the level on a Northern Michigan 2 track for 1.5 miles to my cabin. No chains. I had to periodically get out and shovel the pile of snow I was pushing with the front end to keep from packing the grill/radiator with snow. I was breaking trail for a buddy with a ~2000 Chevy 4x4 1500 P/U..half-way through he twisted off his Transmission output shaft. I left him, went to the cabin, unloaded my gear, came back to pick up his family and gear. The next morning we managed to cut enough trees for me to get around him. I towed him out butt first. Should have made a Ford ad. There's no substitution for good tires, road hugging weight, and patience. I loved that beast.

 

[Grizguy]

I have pushed snow top of hood deep several times in Northwest PA.. but never in my expedition.... but ALWAYS in a ford. I used to plow snow. Had a 78 f150 put over 300,000 miles on that truck.. That plow saw a lot of use. .. several years ago Bought a new 3500GM duel wheel . Had a 9 foot meyer plow.. that plow beat the crap out of that truck... 20,000 miles that truck was worn out.. Took the plow off put on a new F350.. That truck beat the crap out of that plow! Switched to a 10 foot plow. Have worn out several plows.. broken about every part of every plow with my F350s..