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Snow Country

C

carrie

GUEST
I live in New York in the snow belt area. Try as I may when I clean off my truck I can't get all the snow off. When driving, what seems to happen is most of it blows away, but that I am finding that enough seems to congregate in the middle of the back bed. right at the back window. (In rear line of vision) Its like a little drift located right at the back window and it makes it very difficult to see anything in my rear view mirror. Is anyone else having this problem? If so, any suggestions??
 
Hi carrie, Welcome to the club!

Where in NY are you? I'm in the Buffalo area, and I'm always looking for members in the area.

I have the same problem, I deal with lake effect snow often. I have a long handle extendable snow broom. I can get a lot of it off, but not all.

As I drive, eddy currents seem to blow the snow back onto the window. Keeping the rear window defroster on seems to help in melting the snow off the window. But it doesn't really help the snow that piles up on the cover.

I've not found a reliable solution for it. Even brushing all the snow off the truck doesn't really help if it's still snowing, as it will accumulate while you drive.

I find it a little annoying, but I don't find that it's really a problem. While I wish the back window was completely clear, it's still not completely blocked. And visibility out the back isn't all that good even when the window is clear!

-- SS
 
SJProwler said:
I wonder if the Sport Wing helps with this,
Click to expand...
It might, but it might not. The snow gets piled up in a triangular pile in the center bottom of the back window. It looks like wind is coming off the top of the roof, scouring the snow of the panels, and blowing it up to the back window. The SportWing spoiler might help with this.

However, it also looks like just as much wind is coming around/through the sail panels and eddying around the sides. The SportWing probably won't make a difference with this component of the air, but I wonder how the sail panel windows would affedt it?

Next time I'm driving through snow I'll watch the swirling flakes and see if I can tell how the air is flowing. I shouldn't have to wait long, they're calling for snow off and on all week.

Any first hand reports on the spoiler and sail panel windows would be great to see.

-- SS
 
I actually like the current situation. With my Expedition, you could NEVER keep the rear window clear. Same is probably true for Suburban/Tahoe/Denali owners as well. The way the raod grime spray up the back... With the Av though, I rarely need to use my defroster as even in a good snow storm, nothing ever gets near the window. You are correct about how the snow piles in the center, but that's all. I never had any other against the window. As soon as I start driving away, the snow all blows off.. except that small triangle in the middle. Ever notice how clean your window stays? Never gets wet unless I am washing the Av.

Jamie
 
I guess that's what I was trying to describe jamie, but not very well. It seems that the snow that blows against the rear window is the standing snow that gets scoured off of the cargo cover panels. As that snow blows around during the first few minutes of driving, it hits the window. Once the panels are scoured clean, and the defroster melts that blown snow, no more snow seems to hit the window. All that's left is that little half-pyramid, and that doesn't really bother me.

It was snowing on today's drive to work, but since the truck was in the garage overnight, the cargo panels were clean and dry. When I got to work, the back window was still clear. Not one flake hit it. I tried watching the passing snow to see how it flowed around back there, but couldn't see any.

In my old Blazer, I had to wash the back window every couple of minutes 'cause it collected so much salt and road grime. :8: My old S-10 pickup before that had a soft tonneau cover, and it also collected snow like the Av hard covers, which also would blow against the back window. However, unlike the Av, once the cover was scoured clean, the fresh falling snow would also collect on the back window. The worst part was chunks of ice: they would collect in the gap between the cab and bed, and get crunched while driving due to chassis flex. Real annoying.

So, is the Av perfect when it comes to snow/dirt on the back window? No, but it's far better than anything else I drove in the past 10 years! (y)

-- SS
 
I've noticed the same thing here in NH.

Another problem that I have had is ice on the panels. What I have done is when the sun comes out I take the panels off and stand them up in the back yard. The sun heats the panels just enough that the ice slides right off regardless of the outside temp.

-Mark
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. One thing I might have added is that my truck unfortunately is not stored in a garage. Because of the truck heigth it is very difficult to get all the snow off when clearing. Any snow accumulations will land in that triangle at the back window which is really what is causing the problem. In a good storm Ive seen a 5-6 inch drift pile up back there when driving, which is what is causing my problem. I am very curious to hear feedback from anyone who might have the wind spoiler and if this might be a solution to my problem.
 
Carrie, what also might be a short-term solution is a telescoping broom. I had a 3' telescoping aluminum pole I used to use for painting walls etc. You could screw your paint roller onto the end of the pole, or in my case, a good broom head. I used to keep it in the back of my Expedition. One thing that's real dangerous during or after a snowfall is to just drive off. So here you are, Joe innocent driver behind an SUV, Van or delivery truck and all of the sudden, the whole sheet of snow flies off the truck in front of you and buries you whilst driving. Very dangerous. So I always broomed the majority of white stuff off the roof of my truck prior to hitting the roads. The telescoping handle made this job easier as I am also height impaired (only 5' 8").

Jamie
 
I have the same problem with snow by the rear window - I am hopefully that the sail panels I ordered will help with this problem.
 
SJProwler said:
I wonder if the Sport Wing helps with this, anybody have one that can give a report?
Click to expand...
I have a SportWing on and it does seem to help once you've cleaned everything off. I dont get snow building up against the glass and another side benefit is I don't have to clean the rear window as much! :) ?I have only had the 'Wing during the winter so I am assuming it helps.

I do use an extending broom/scraper to clean the rear deck off before I go anywhere. It has enough reach to get to the window from the rear of the truck. I am also pretty fussy about getting most of the snow off the truck before moving (unlike some people around here who are driving around with a foot of snow on the top of their cars :eek: )
 
I also have a extendable snow brush, works well. I just took 15 inches of snow off the back of my AV yesterday. As for today, nothing is left there. ?:)
 
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