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Added weight for snow

jaydub

New Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2004
Messages
5
Hi all,

I just did a search to find out about adding weight to the back of my base 2wD Av, but came up with nothing. We got our first snow of the year here in KC and the Av did pretty good. My question is should I add weight to the rear...some sandbags in the bed? Or because of the equal weight distribution could that affect my steering in bad weather while gaining traction? Also, if I should add weight, how much do you all recommend?

Thanks...Jay
 
6,000+ lbs. of truck. I think you have enough weight.

For 2WD, just use extra care to keep from losing control and getting stuck, and you should be OK.

Take care.

p.s. Don't take this the wrong way, but, I saw, on the Weather Channel this morning, you got that snow. Glad it's you and not me. If that snow track had gone further north, I'd have had to drive through it to Minnesota, this weekend.
 
Hey buddy, what part of KC are you from? I'm from the hood!!!!!! Wyandotte County!!!! :) Like AVnTaz said, you shouldn't have to add extra weight back there. I haven't and got to work just fine today without using the 4x4. Just be extra careful. The real thing to watch out for are those dumb a.. drivers out there. Amazing what a little powder will do to razzle these folks.
 
I also have a 2WD, no locker :C:. I'm a little curious about how it would perform in snow also. I have a few hills to/from work and would hate to be stuck on one. When coming home from work a few yrs ago it was snowing pretty good and traffic stopped while I was on the wrong side of the hill. My van at the time had a locking diff and I made it. But since getting the Av, I've been wondering if I would make it now. Guess only way to know is to try it.
 
kevare said:
I also have a 2WD, no locker :C:. I'm a little curious about how it would perform in snow also. I have a few hills to/from work and would hate to be stuck on one. When coming home from work a few yrs ago it was snowing pretty good and traffic stopped while I was on the wrong side of the hill. My van at the time had a locking diff and I made it. But since getting the Av, I've been wondering if I would make it now. Guess only way to know is to try it.

If you have trouble starting out, give it a little bit of emergency brake. That fools the differential into sending power back to the wheel that's not spinning.
 
not to worry guys you are going to have nothing but fun in the snow the Avalanche performs remarkable in the snow and on ice on the roads. Best truck Ive everowned for winter driving, you will not need any extra weight. you will be amaized

Ron
 
The Av's F/R balance is nearly 50/50. Between that and how well the siped BFG AT/TA ko's work I rarely put the thing in AutoTrac let alone 4Hi. If you put the tranny into "2" instead of "D" it will still upshift, but will start out in second gear and minimize slipping when getting underway.
 
Thanks everyone.....I was surprised how well it performed when I went out. But I've also got Bridgestone Revo 285/70/16's on there and I'm sure that helped. Those are the best tires I've ever had on a truck...used to be a BFG guy, but not anymore. Hey Yndio I'm from Blue Springs and ya looking out for the other guy is probably the best thing you can do...some wacko's out there that think they can do 80 down the highway in 12 inches of snow...lol.
 
Hey Jaydub, I too have a base 2wd, back in 02 I added weight because I was used to the extra weight in my F#%d. 03 and this week I didn't add any weight and I've absolutly NO problems with the snow, just have to know where to take it easy sometimes. Welcome to the club and hope to see you around sometime!
 
I know this is an old topic, but here in the NorthEast, for 2wd pickups, we generally let it snow in the bed and then leave it there.  That adds enough weight, and by the time the roads are clear, the bed has melted.

Growing up in New England, I had rear wheel drive, then front wheel drive, then four wheel drive.  I would never buy another rear wheel drive vehicle while living here.  FWD is adequate, but 4WD is good for heavy snow and the reassurance that you are less likely to get stuck.
 
I don't know that this would be such a good idea for a AV but when I had my last 2wd PU I would shovel 300-400 # of snow into the bed.  If it got warm, it disappeared but as long as it was cold, it stayed there. 

This wouldn't work if you have a heated garage :laugh:


 
If you have the bed panels on an AV you have alot plenty of rear weight without adding snow.

You'd have loved riding with me in my 2WD S-10 Chevy pick-up when I let the rear end fill up with snow,
Keep a long scraper handy, reach out the window and stir snow to deter tailgaters  >:D
 
If you do add weight to the bed, use a couple of big bags of rocksalt. If you get stuck you've got something to use to help get you out.  :cool:
 
Greetings from Vancouver BC
After missing the snow fall due to working overseas  since 2004 ,the law of average caught up to me.
It doesn't usually snow much here but when I woke up to almost 2 feet on the deck and my '03 Z71 1500  parked off a 50 degree back alley you can bet I was reading the clubs recommendations to driving my Av in the snow.
From 90 degrees off the alley I backed up in 4HI pointing up and started to slide back down after a few tries....I put the truck in reverese and backed down to an alternative route.
Loaded up the box with just under 400 lbs of sand bags and no problem.

I have 35 inch BFG KO's and RCD 6 " lift kit.
Definitely get around better with the extra weight.
 
Not an ideal solution but in a really bad situation you could remove the rubber mat from the bed and use it for traction on ice or other surfaces. Might ruin it but I can think of a few areas it would work.
 
Bionicflite, whereabouts were you in Vancouver? I'm up by Alouette Lake in Maple Ridge.

We had the off and on snow / wet snow sunday morning which later turned to ice under the continuing to fall powder. I was at a stand still at an intersection Sunday night waiting for the light, it turned green so I slowly started going and making my left turn, the truck must have been on top of black ice in the corner because it didn't want to track the turn. Kept trying to turn into it, brake a bit etc, then just decided to keep it turned into it and slide up the curb. That was the slowest slide I have ever experienced and nothing I could do to get it to react differently to the slide. I hate doing that but didn't want to slam the wheels parallel into the curb and perhaps mash the rims, or bend something. Afterwards I wondered if 4 High versus the Autotrac would have provided better traction. I'm thinking I'll use 4 High for completely covered roads now and just stick to Autotrac for partial coverage. The stock Wrangler ATS seem to pack with powder snow and slick up a little too easy for my liking. Perhaps some Geolander AT's or Wild Trac RTR's would be better.
 
Adding weight to the bed of any truck is a double edged sword. It certainly helps with straight line traction, but, if your rear starts sliding with all that weight....you ain't going to stop it.

AVid
 
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