Snow Advice

Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
Hey guys, need a bit of advice. We going to a place called Lesotho next month here in good old South Africa, it's getting winter here and the mountains there already has snow on them, chances are very good that we will be driving in some snow up there on the trail we gonna do. I have a Sahara and will be running 35s any thing that I need to know, being on this side of the pond we don't drive snow allot, so I am a bit worried how the JK will perform.
 
BlackKnight

BlackKnight

Member
Hell_Fire said:
Hey guys, need a bit of advice. We going to a place called Lesotho next month here in good old South Africa, it's getting winter here and the mountains there already has snow on them, chances are very good that we will be driving in some snow up there on the trail we gonna do. I have a Sahara and will be running 35s any thing that I need to know, being on this side of the pond we don't drive snow allot, so I am a bit worried how the JK will perform.
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jeeps in general are great in the snow (speaking from my cherokee experiance, and word of mouth only). Depending on the tire tread pattern and patch your grip will vary. the tire size is larger than on your profile, can I assume different manufacture? or same. The MTZ look pretty good for block pattern, but not sure how good the snow ejection would be. never seen them in action...

The biggest thing to remember, 4WD will give you good traction for acceleration, HOWEVER, does nothing for stopping. Always manage your speed in snow/ice and leave lots of room for stopping..
 
Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
The Tyres are 35" Federal Couragia M/T Tires about 80% tread left so still got some good traction. What about airing down would you air down as you would like say driving on sand?
 
BlackKnight

BlackKnight

Member
Hell_Fire said:
The Tyres are 35" Federal Couragia M/T Tires about 80% tread left so still got some good traction. What about airing down would you air down as you would like say driving on sand?
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Looking at the tread pattern they look like they would be very good on the snow, lots of sharp angles for grabbing, and the same ejection ribs for mud should work well on the snow also.

You should be good to go. just make sure if your not used to driving on snow/ice to be very careful.

growing up in the snow zone, I was brought out into parking lots when I was learning how to drive by my dad and shown how to control slides and stopping differences on snow/ice. but if you've never been driving on it it takes some getting used to...

Not sure about Airing them down, maybe the guys from out west could chime in. If your off road I would assume you could, but roads probably would not need airing down, and I would think could actually be detrimental on the road driving...
 
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Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
Thanx man really allot of help, hens my question here, you guys are the snow experts lol, what about snow chains the guys with their Land Rovers are all fitting snow chains for the trip but I can't see it fit spending the cash, I would rather take extra side shaft or drive shaft with.

Road conditions will be mostly offroad, big boulders and heavy off camber
 
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TrailBear

TrailBear

New member
Air down for sure, even on road air down a bit for a better foot print and more grip. You have to drive it a lot like slick mud, take your time and don't use to much throttle, let your tires work. Most the time off road in snow I'll use 4 low and the highest gear I can that will just idle along. This helps keep traction and if thugs go sideways your usually able to back off to get it back.its hard to explain it without being there to show it, but also everywhere is different so what works here may not work there. So my advice is air down and take your time.
Have fun once you get the hang of it it can be a lot of fun. Oh one last thing, if you start to spin and stop moving forward, stop and back up and get some momentum back, don't just punch it, you dig four nice holes.


If you don't push the limits how do you find them??
 
TrailBear

TrailBear

New member
Chains will save your bacon if there is that much off camber. They will grip the compact snow and ice best, but if your not in very much snow and ice they could be a pain on the rocks they won't grip them.


If you don't push the limits how do you find them??
 
BlackKnight

BlackKnight

Member
Chains also excell in traction, also because they flex and move, snow exection is manageable. They would be a very good addition on the tires, but are no 100% necssacary as long as you observe safe driveing, and be aware of your tracktion capabilities.

On Ice, Chains are far supieror to just about anything other than an Ice Studded tire (small metal projections embedded into the tire tread).
 
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Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
Maybe will take some with then in any case, better safe then sorry as they say. Thanks guys for all the info, Trail Bear -wish I could practice a bit driving in it before we go but snow is very rare in this part of the world lol

Knight - I don't think we will get allot of ice, think it will be chunky snow, but hey I wont bet on my knowledge, what do I know, the only ice I know is what keeps my drink cold lol
 
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BlackKnight

BlackKnight

Member
Hell_Fire said:
Knight - I don't think we will get allot of ice, think it will be chunky snow, but hey I wont bet on my knowledge, what do I know, the only ice I know is what keeps my drink cold lol
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LOL, Hopefulle no ice, but one last thing to remember, following exactly in anothers tracks could lead to a slippery sitiation also. snow when it compresses becomes Ice, just beware and be carefull...

PS> My Wife is from Argentina, now living up here in Boston MA (USA). where she lived in Buenous Aires it snows 2 times in 100 years, it didn't take much training to get her used to driving on ice and snow. just taking care and being aware of your traction, and you will do well...
 
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Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
Ha ha ha the problem there is I won't be on a nice flat road I will be on a pass at an angle with about a 500m drop on the one side, great place to learn to drive snow lol
 
PurpleHayes519

PurpleHayes519

New member
Honestly, I prefer to drive in snow. Only thing to be too concerned about is stopping distance. Your stopping distance will greatly increase from dry terrain. Just think one step ahead and you'll be good to go. For driving on streets, I like to think of it as driving like grandma would drive. Keeping double the distance as usual, and easing up on that lead foot of mine. Since you mentioned you have M/T tires, acceleration shouldn't be bad; just don't plan on mashing the pedal. Enjoy your trip!

One additional recommendation I have is that if you can find some open back roads with no danger/cars in sight, try to play around a little bit. Drift some corners, do some donuts, just get a general feel for how much throttle to give at any given moment without losing traction. Driving in snow can be much more fun than dangerous if the necessary precautions are taken.
 
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Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
Thanks Purple, that might be a great Idea there should be some remote snowy roads there.

Thanks for all the info guys, will post some pics and the YouTube vids after our trip. now to get the JK ready for the valley of death as the locals named it.
 
Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
Hey guys another question, do you guys use any additives for the battery water to protect against freezing?
 
Hell_Fire

Hell_Fire

New member
No the night temp drops to about -20degree Celsius the locals say but I guess that will only be like early morning.
 
BlackKnight

BlackKnight

Member
Hell_Fire said:
No the night temp drops to about -20degree Celsius the locals say but I guess that will only be like early morning.
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you should be fine, it would have to be that cold all day, and the jeep would have to sit int he cold and not be started for that time, before things could be come an issue.
 
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