| From | Message |
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/06/2005
20:30:56
|
 Subject: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
This will be the first winter that I have owned a rear wheel drive vehicle. I plan on putting several sand bags in the bed of my dak. Do you think that I need to get snow tires as well. My current tires still have a good amount of tread left on them. Any other tricks of the rear wheel drive please let me know. Up till now it was a front wheel drive mercury sable.
99 3.9 5 speed cc no mods yet
|
DanK
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/06/2005
20:41:26
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Depends on what part of the country you're in, and what your neighbors say about how they prepare for winter driving.
|
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/06/2005
20:46:41
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Sorry forgot to mention that I live in northern connecticut. We get snow pretty often in the winter rarelly over 5-6 inches though maybee once or twice a winter. I really wanted the 4x4, but being 18 making minimum wage it was out of my price range.
|
Sam
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/06/2005
20:53:57
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
From a dead stop in icy areas it's a good idea to start in 2nd or 3rd gear. Less torque transferred to the wheels will cause less of a chance of spinning your wheels.
|
Jecht
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/06/2005
22:18:45
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
well I do have a 4x4 but never used it yet really in the snow we had the past 2 seasons. I do have AT tires and grips better than all season tires. more aggressive tread. and could drive around town with ease. no weight in the back. so I would go with the sand bags first and see how the truck does before getting snow tires. but you could prob save a few bucks and buy some cheap AT tires. justremember that its not FWD when doing something stupid lol
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
 
11/06/2005
23:15:46
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
FWD doesn't even do jack sh*t anyway EXCEPT that IF you get traction, you go in the direction as you steer. That is it.
My FWD cars sucked in the snow as bad as any RWD, probably more so.
Snow chains are gold when you need them. And the cables work fairly well too with less vibrations.
If you have LSD on that RWD, you will have to be VERY CAREFUL. Or it will slide sideways on ICE before you even realize what happened!
|
Mopar318
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/06/2005
23:41:08
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
You will need to add about 300 pounds over your rear axle. Maybe less but thats what I added on my 96 318 so I was a little more nose heavy but in a lighter truck.
|
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
00:08:03
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Thanks for the great tips I will deffinetlly be putting about 300 lbs or more of the rear dif. I am probablly going to hold off on the snow tires for now. I will make that decision after the first couple of storms.
|
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
00:11:14
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Oh yeah one more question Graphite you mentioned something about haveing lsd on the rear wheels what exatlly is LSD?
|
GB2000
GenIII
11/07/2005
01:32:28
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Limited-Slip Differential...aka...posi.
Josh Blackshire - Founder, OhioDakotas.NET
Red 98 Dakota Sport - Check it out!
|
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
01:35:13
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Oh I have never heard it called that before. Is there any way that I can find out if I have it with out jacking up the rear end just off the ground. ANy sticker any where on the truck or a good web site?
|
Jecht
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
07:30:34
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
should be in the glovebox with gear ratio. should have LSD after it I think. I know I checked mine and it said no =-(
|
Mopar318
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
10:34:49
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Do a burnout then come back and see how many marks there are. If there is one you have an open diff. If you have two, you LSD or sure-grip.
|
DakotaSport
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
15:57:26
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Funny we mention the sandbags. I just built a box for my truck on Sat. I will take a pic of it tonight and post it when I get home from class.
|
nhsd
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
16:18:43
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Just watch those sandbags when you come to a sudden stop. They don't stop as fast as the truck. A frozen 80 lb bag of sand can make a big hole in the back window (and shortly thereafter in your head)if a stop is too sudden, like hitting something.
|
moparR/T
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
17:12:31
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
"Limited-Slip Differential...aka...posi."
i know posi is a GM term but are they the same? LSD will still slip but i thought posi was completly locked
|
Hammerdak
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
20:00:21
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Kevin:
I'm in Ontario, Canada.
I've owned 4 RWD pick-ups in the past 26 years.
( My current truck is a 4x4 QC )
1) sand helps,but it will slide around like a 10 pin bowling ball when frozen. So build some kind of box to corral the bags if you go that route.
2) don't use road sand that contains salt , it creates a rust problem.
3) consider the better option of dedicated snow tires ,4 of them not just 2. You will stop, start and steer better. You will save wear on you summer tires.
Most people use 2 sets during their years with a vehicle so why not make one of them a winter tire.
Provided you have a bed cover , you can put the summer's in the bed for weight instead of sand and tires won't dent your truck.
Driving dynamics ...well you know not to floor it and to give yourself extra stopping room , same as in the Sable.
But in the Sable the front wheels would lose traction if you accelerated too hard and you would only suffer some steering loss.
In the truck the back end will kick out first.(either left or right depending on the exact circumstances)
Let off the gas immediately and steer slightly in the same direction the back is sliding to. It goes towards the right you steer to the right.
A little playing/practice in an empty parking lot with fresh snow will go a long way to making you confident and react quickly without having to think about it.
|
DakotaSport
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
21:56:48
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Dang, I forgot to take a pic of the box, and its too dark now. I'll try taking it tomorrow.
|
toolfan
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
22:45:39
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
i wish i got snow:(
it snows 1/2in every 3 years were i live.
|
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
11/07/2005
23:33:22
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
Again thanks for all of the great help!
I have already built a box to hold the sand in place, just a couple of 2x4's screwed together nothing fancy. Steering in the same direction that I am sliding seemed to work pretty good with my front wheel car too. As for the parking lot think I deffinetlly got that covered I got my license on the day of a big snow storm, and worked at mall the rest of the winter(empty parking lot at the end of the day). I will check for the lsd in the glovebox tomarrow. I am trying to baby the truck, so I am trying to avoid the burnout method. But eventually temptation will overcome.
|
DakotaSport
GenIII
11/08/2005
14:27:28
| RE: first winter with rear wheel
IP: Logged
Message:
As promised my pics for the box
|
| | P 1 Next Page>> |
