Pickup/SUV tires in the snow.

[steve4102]

10 minutes ago, janice6 said:

I think people forget that it's like a "lever arm", the farther behind the axel, the more you exaggerate the added weight effect.

Think the old teeter-totter, or see-saw, not very effective sitting right of the supports (axles).

 

Edited November 25, 2018 by steve4102

[Huaco Kid]

I doesn't matter where you put the sand-weight,  the weight is only going to push down where the suspension touches to the axle.

Tie it to the front bumper;  it's applied to the axles.

Tie it to the rear bumper;  it's applied to the same place on the axles.

All that is doing is jacking the engineered suspension-loading out of whack.

[Huaco Kid]

[tadbart]

seems like farther back would actually take weight off the front tires. I've put a lot of concrete blocks in the back of the truck, and it feels like the front lifts up, and drives squirrely. I think I'd want as much weight distributed equally over all the places where the cold rubber meets the slick ice and pavement, more like what Huaco is saying.

[Walt Longmire]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 2:54 AM, tadbart said:

I live in Florida, so I really don't have much to offer. My friend who lives in Anchorage has studded snow tires that he switches out twice a year. Seems like just about everyone I know in AK has a spot in their garage for "the other season" tires.

@Walt Longmire can you add to this?

I have summer and winter tires for all my vehicles. Already mounted on wheels. This includes the Kenworth. I do a 10 wheel swap on it for winter with tires that have a snow tread and are siped. 

[janice6]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 12:08 PM, Huaco Kid said:

I doesn't matter where you put the sand-weight,  the weight is only going to push down where the suspension touches to the axle.

Tie it to the front bumper;  it's applied to the axles.

Tie it to the rear bumper;  it's applied to the same place on the axles.

All that is doing is jacking the engineered suspension-loading out of whack.

Tell that to the guy with the pickup that keeps slipping the tires in the back when the road is damp.  Weight on the rear drive wheels is good for traction including the weight transfer due to acceleration from a stop, no matter how it gets there.  Weight on the steering wheels can be bad, since it can cause the wheels to slip easier in cornering by increasing the slip angle of the tires until they have little to no traction with loss of steering.

 

In a front wheel drive, added weight on the front drive wheels will increase traction  straight ahead,  while in cornering it will cause loss of steering earlier, due to  adverse effects on the slip angle.

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by janice6

[janice6]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 4:04 PM, tadbart said:

seems like farther back would actually take weight off the front tires. I've put a lot of concrete blocks in the back of the truck, and it feels like the front lifts up, and drives squirrely. I think I'd want as much weight distributed equally over all the places where the cold rubber meets the slick ice and pavement, more like what Huaco is saying.

You have to reach a compromise between the steering and the traction.  You can go too far.