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My Avy Let Me Down..  PISSED!

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djcadillac

GUEST
This morning there was about 3 to 4 inches of snow on my driveway. I bought a Z66 in South Carolina (NO Snow). I just moved to Pittsburgh, PA (Snow every Day). Anyhow, the point of my story is that my Z66 let me down while trying to get out of my driveway. I have to say that it is pretty steep. Rear wheel drive sucks, and to top it off today was my birthday. My fiances old cavalier went right up the driveway while my 30,000 POS sat and collected more snow for the day.
 
WOW, I never would have believed that a Z66 would not handle 3-4 inches of snow! Did you try taking off in 2nd gear?
 
I don't mean to rag on you, but, why buy a truck if you're not going to get 4 wheel drive?



Manny
 
djcadillac said:
This morning there was about 3 to 4 inches of snow on my driveway. ?I bought a Z66 in South Carolina (NO Snow). ?I just moved to Pittsburgh, PA (Snow every Day). ?Anyhow, the point of my story is that my Z66 let me down while trying to get out of my driveway. ?I have to say that it is pretty steep. ?Rear wheel drive sucks, and to top it off today was my birthday. ?My fiances old cavalier went right up the driveway while my 30,000 POS sat and collected more snow for the day. ?
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Sorry to hear that...I think the main reason you're pissed off is because your fianc?es gave you poop...lol

I bought mine last year in Mar. ?It was snowing...and the AV I test drove, and bought, pulled well in the snow, even on hills. ?Dose your Z66 have locking dif?

 
Sicilianos if you actually read the original post, I said I lived in South Carolina. There was no snow there. I did not need 4 wheel drive. However now Im stuck in PA with a Z crappy 6. Yes it does have the traction control but it was too slick to help any. Btw I tried everything before I gave up on it. Oh well, would take too much of a hit on it if I tried to trade it in. I should have got the Escalade EXT. I tried to save some cash and this is what I get.
 
Rear wheel drive pickups are not good in the snow - I've been there, and it's no fun.
Here are a few simple things you can do.
1. add weight to the bed - sand bags, steel plate, bags of salt. Don't overload the truck, but 500 -1000 lbs will help alot.
2. Put heavy-lug snow tires (or even something line BFG mud terrains) on the rear.
3. If you don't have positraction, get it. This is more expensive, but well worth it, and a whole lot cheaper than a new truck!
I lived for years in the snow belt in northeastern ohio, and I have seen well-driven and well equiped 2WD trucks outperform 4WD in the snow.
Good luck!
 
mrosenfield said:
Rear wheel drive pickups are not good in the snow - I've been there, and it's no fun.
Here are a few simple things you can do.
1. add weight to the bed - sand bags, steel plate, bags of salt. Don't overload the truck, but 500 -1000 lbs will help alot.
2. Put heavy-lug snow tires (or even something line BFG mud terrains) on the rear.
3. If you don't have positraction, get it. This is more expensive, but well worth it, and a whole lot cheaper than a new truck!
I lived for years in the snow belt in northeastern ohio, and I have seen well-driven and well equiped 2WD trucks outperform 4WD in the snow.
Good luck!
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I'd like to add to this to get your tires siped. Siping really helps add traction and only costs about $60 to do all four. You may want to consider adding snowtires, even studded ones if local laws allow.

When I was living in Texas I had a rear-wheel drive truck that I traded in two days before I moved to South Dakota just because of this issue. Rear wheel drive trucks aren't great in the snow. The most impressive rear driver I've taken in the snow is my wife's Thunderbird. Has posi but no traction control and it was impressive in South Dakota.
 
Was this a failure of the Avalanche or a failure of a 2wd system? In other words, would a different truck/suv/or for that matter, car with a 2wd system perform better than the AV in a similar situation? Is this also a factor of the weight distribution, tire size, etc?

Rosenfield's suggestion may work but that would definitely be a hassle and contribute to a poorer gas mileage--but better than slippin and slidin.

Is the cavalier front wheel drive? If it is then it definitely would perform better in any snow situation compared to the AV. On an incline? Forget it.

Just my two cents--I used to live in Ohio so I can relate.
 
djcadillac said:
Sicilianos if you actually read the original post, I said I lived in South Carolina. ?There was no snow there. ?I did not need 4 wheel drive. ?However now Im stuck in PA with a Z crappy 6. ?Yes it does have the traction control but it was too slick to help any. ?Btw I tried everything before I gave up on it. ?Oh well, would take too much of a hit on it if I tried to trade it in. ?I should have got the Escalade EXT. ?I tried to save some cash and this is what I get.
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If you could have afforded the EXT. then it might just be better to take the hit, and trade/sell it for a 4x4 AV.

Or, if you have that much money just get the EXT.
:B:
 
Sorry to hear you're pissed about your Av. ?

Your story is lacking so much information that none of us could ever do anything but guess as to why your Av wasn't able to negotiate the snowy conditions.

Were you starting out on top, middle, bottom of a hill? ???? ?Were you going up, down or across a hill? ???? Did you have a standing start, running start, rolling start? ???? Was it snow covered over ice, over pavement, over dirt? ???? Were you in first gear or second gear? ?What kind of tires do you have? ?Etc. ????

I agree with adding weight in the back - it will help, BUT the Av is a very heavy vehicle and I'll bet that contributed heavily (pun intended) to your predicament. ?I can imagine doing a standing start up a steep snow covered (with icy layer underneath) road and not getting enough traction to motivate the six-thousand pounds of ?your Av.

Next time try putting some sand under your tires and on the path up the hill. ?I'll betcha that would make things a LOT easier. ?You could use sand bags in the rear of the Av to give it some weight and use the sand when necessary.

You can be pissed but you might as well be pissed at the man upstairs for making it snow. ?
 
Sorry to hear your bummed out. I don't know what tires came with your Z-66 but I'm sure they are woefully inadequate. Even the All terrain Goodyear's that came on my Z-71 sucked in snow. You could spin them in rain water. Crap!
With the studded coopers I now have on, I could climb a tree. Who am i kidding I'd knock it over and buy a new grill. >:D

Its not the truck
Its the tires

I had slicks on my 72 duster. I got stuck on a flat grass yard. :C: It would haul ars on ASSphalt. >:D
 
Sicilianos Avy said:
I don't mean to rag on you, but, why buy a truck if you're not going to get 4 wheel drive?



Manny
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Well, lessee......how about 1. I live in an area where snowfall averages less than 6" a year. 2. I don't go boonie bashing or off road at all. 3. I couldn't see paying an extra 3 grand for something I really didn't want/need or will use. ;)

That said, if I were back in the land of the frozen north I would have indeed dropped the extra for the 4wd. Lived along Lake Erie until 5 years ago. Now THAT'S snow country.
 
Let's don't blame the Av. The best snow vehicle I ever had back in Upstate NY was a 2wd pickup. Put 400 lbs in the back and it would go anywhere. But in some situations it just doesn't matter what you got. Front wheel drive and low power is always going to do well when it's slick. Won't do well in the really deep stuff though. FWIW, A 2wd with an experienced driver can usually do better than a 4wd novice. But I don't if this is your first experience in the snow or not.
 
I have to admit, it was tough situation. My driveway is a hill. There is no rolling start. It is only flat on the bottom but the rest is graded. The driveway is between the house and a fence. If you slip you could hit either side. Has anyone ever tried the Spider-Spikes? Studded tires may be another option with some weight in the back.
 
I live in TN and we don't get much snow around here. When something does happen, we get ice. Well, Thursday we got our first snow since I've had my AV. It snowed about 7 inches in just about 3 or 4 hours. So everyone was leaving work early and the roads were slick. It was taking people 2 hours to go less than a mile in some places. I was out too trying to get home in my Z-71. A trip that normally takes 45 minutes took me 7 hours. The roads were very slick, I saw many cars and pick-ups sliding all over. People were leaving everysort of car, van, SUV and truck all along the sides of the roads and in the middle of the roads because they couldn't move them.
The AV was flawless. I've never lived around much snow, so I took it slowly 1st and 2nd gear and 4HI. Never slid, spun or skidded and I was in some pretty treacherous places. After spending that long on that slick of roads, I have a lot of confidence in my AV and I'm really glad that I got a Z-71. That being said, I can totally understand djcadillac, why you got a Z-66. However if I'd been out there in a $50k Caddy, I'd have found the nearest empty parking lot and walked home (I'd still have made it home faster). I'd just be so afraid that someone would run or slide into me. With an AV...I'm not so worried about it, it'd just add some personality.
Good luck in future snow.
 
I have to admit ..it isn't too often that someone will post having problems in the snow with their Av...but then again this isn't really a similiar situation...because of the fact we aren't talking about being on a roadway somewhere...we are talking from a standstill...in a driveway....which I will take an educated guess....and assume is blacktop....

For such a heavy vehicle...I would have never thought to add more weight to the rear of the AVy.....and btw...Am I the only person who thinks the stock Goodyear's DON'T handle too bad in the snow....the limited snowfall we recieve here in NJ doesn't excatly qualify us as a "snow driven" state...when compared to Buffalo and some other northern states....

My advice....would be to not tincker too much with the Av....I think that you are better off just laying down some Calcium or sand like previously suggested....this will hopefully give you the traction you need....Good luck.. :B:

Dave
 
Sicilianos if you actually read the original post, I said I lived in South Carolina. There was no snow there.
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Hmmm, I think I did, or else I wouldn't have made a reply to your post :2:
I did not need 4 wheel drive. However now Im stuck in PA with a Z poopty 6.
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Hmmm, obviously you do, don't you?

Well, lessee......how about 1. I live in an area where snowfall averages less than 6" a year. 2. I don't go boonie bashing or off road at all. 3. I couldn't see paying an extra 3 grand for something I really didn't want/need or will use.
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I've posted this once before and I'll post it again.
My Dad once told me, "It's better to have a gun and not use it, rather than need a gun and not have it".

I think this is perfect saying for this situation. You were too cheap to dish out the extra cash and now you regret it. Now you say that you should have gotten the EXT? OK! :rolleyes:

Manny
 
I agree with pktwatch. Try starting out in 2nd gear. Go slow and never punch it. Try heading to the part of the drive that has not been driven on. Once it is packed and pressed into a nice slick sheet, you will get no where fast. You may even venture half atread off the drive if possible. This could give you the extra traction you need.

There is a world of difference from 2wd to 4wd. I have never gone with AWD (couldn't see the purpose for my life).
 
Snow country checking in.

Well it does not matter if it is 2wd or 4wd or 20 inches of snow. If you have a 1/2 inch of ice under that snow, you are not going anywhere. I guess your driveway had compacted snow which acted like an ice pack. My only advise is to get a running start.
 
Over Christmas I visited my parents in NY state. Since it was snowing, and you can't park on the street when snowplows are being used (you get a ticket), I pulled the Av off of the driveway, down on the side lawn. The lawn was on a steep side slope, as well as a longitudinal slope. I figured since I have 4WD, it would be easy to get out of that area the next day.

It snowed a foot that night. When it came time to back out of the spot the next morning, I hit the accelerator and the Av started sliding sideways and spinning the tires. I was wondering what was wrong with the truck. As it turns out, stupid me disengaged the 4WD from the night before. I popped it back into 4WD Hi and the truck plowed right out of the spot with no slippage at all.

In this case, 4WD helped considerably, and I'm really glad I spent the extra $3K for it. Ironically, I did not initially want to get the 4WD option because we haven't gotten much snow the past two winters. This winter, I've used 4WD already 4-5 times. And last summer I used 4WD at a race track infield where the mud was about a foot thick.
 
Hey DJ,
I would suggest you do what every snow loving yankee ?>:D, does in the winter, go get some rock salt, a shovel (leave the snow blower for the lazy folks >:D ), and clear out your driveway, once you have the snow melted, get some sand and lay it down, so that you can have traction, for the next snowfall.

just my $0.02 ;)

Or you could just come back home to the South, cause we miss you Bo. ? >:D

Big Dog
:B:
 
midlifecrisis said:
Over Christmas I visited my parents in NY state. ?Since it was snowing, and you can't park on the street when snowplows are being used (you get a ticket), I pulled the Av off of the driveway, down on the side lawn. ?The lawn was on a steep side slope, as well as a longitudinal slope. ?I figured since I have 4WD, it would be easy to get out of that area the next day.

It snowed a foot that night. ?When it came time to back out of the spot the next morning, I hit the accelerator and the Av started sliding sideways and spinning the tires. ?I was wondering what was wrong with the truck. ?As it turns out, stupid me disengaged the 4WD from the night before. ?I popped it back into 4WD Hi and the truck plowed right out of the spot with no slippage at all.

In this case, 4WD helped considerably, and I'm really glad I spent the extra $3K for it. ?Ironically, I did not initially want to get the 4WD option because we haven't gotten much snow the past two winters. ?This winter, I've used 4WD already 4-5 times. ?And last summer I used 4WD at a race track infield where the mud was about a foot thick.
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Hey mid...isn't it nice that we actually got to use the 4x4 more than once this year....not like last year where I was suffering from "snow withdrawl"...feels good to put that SOB in 4 hi..and let her get loosy goosy... ;D

Dave
 
Several years ago I was on a camping trip with a 20' Travel trailer. It rained for most of three days but we had a large group and plenty of libations so we played cards and stuck it out. We were camped down off the road about 150 yards. When it was time to leave I couldn't get my trailer up the slope. Had to have a guy pull me up the hill with his 4x4 Chevy 1/2 ton. I was totally embarrest. When I got home I went to the local dealership and bought a new 4x4 pickup. I would never buy another 2dw. I drove that 1990 PU until this past June when I bought the AV. Never a 2wd again.
tractman
 
You can't really be pissed at the truck for what happened. You can't be pissed at yourself either. The Z66 is made for dry road comfort, not snow, ice, or off road. You bought the truck when you didn't need the 4x4.
 
NJAV said:
Hey mid...isn't it nice that we actually got to use the 4x4 more than once this year....not like last year where I was suffering from "snow withdrawl"...feels good to put that SOB in 4 hi..and let her get loosy goosy... ;D

Dave
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Oh yeah baby! Except I drive my wife nuts when I fully utilize the 4WD in inclement weather. Every time I play, she clutches all the interior grab handles and has this look on her face that shouts "whadddaayoudoinggggggg". I love it!
 
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