Panic button
From : phyloe
Q: phyloe wrote for years i have been seeing people put bags of sand in the bed of their truck during the winter. i have been questioning whether this little bit of added weight really helps traction. i figure the rear end of a truck weighs at least 1000 lbs. most people add 100 pounds of sand or several cinder blocks. so how could an additional 10% make any real difference isnt the rear end heavy enough as it is isnt the addition of sand or blocks just a psychological thing the perception of greater traction phyloe most add more than 100lbs. 200-500 depending on the truck. it can help considerably in snow. proper tires should come first though. .
Replies:
From : miles
on wed 08 dec 2004 223234 -0500 nospam.clare.nce@sny.der.on.ca wrote on wed 08 dec 2004 153019 gmt mac davis mac.davis@comcast.net wrote on wed 8 dec 2004 063442 -0500 bks wrote i have a 2001 dodge dakota quad 4x4 with 16 tires the original rims. a dope at a tire shop said i couldnt go down to 15 rims for the winter due to all the electronics in 4x4. first dodge oem is either 15 or 16 inch tires---you cant tell me they change the electronics or tranny when they sell trucks with the original larger or smaller tires. is he full of it i would love to get smaller tires for winter with new steel rims---cheaper and better. and any recommendations on snow tires for massachusetts would be recommended. have bridgestone atv revos and they suck in the snow. thanks. im sure that changing rim size will at least mess up the reading of your speed sensor which effects speedometer odometer and abs.. we went from a 255-16 to a 265-16 on our 99 ram and the speedo is off 4%.. changing rim size will have no effect on the speedo - period. changing tire rolling diameter will. with the snow you get in mass. a tall narrow tire will give you more control than a low wide tire. wet snow and slop are the order of the day and you need pressure to get traction and you want as little frontal area pushing the slop as you can get away with. add to that the requirement to clear the tread and what you want is a fairly agressive and blocky tread with lots of tiny tread sipes to grab the wet hardpack and ice under the loose layer on top. if you are exclusively driving in deep undisturbed firm but not packed snow a wider tire can help - but that is so low a percentage of your driving to make it almost irrelevant. i personally like a high profile blizzak or graspic. with 78 series graspics on my vehicles i can start go turn and stop effectively in the worst central ontario can dish out - i cant imagine the original poster going from 16 to 15 rims and ending up with the same tire diameter... .
From : mac davis
thanks. phyloe phyloe wrote i found the remote door lock mechanism in my truck. there is a red panic button. what is that for i did not get the owners manual. phyloe it sets off the trucks alarm. if you have no alarm it will still cause the horn to honk repeatedly. .
From : tom lawrence
nospam.clare.nce@sny.der.on.ca wrote changing rim size will have no effect on the speedo - period. changing tire rolling diameter will. wouldnt changing rim size without changing tire size change the rolling diameter jerry .
From : mac davis
tbone wrote a bunch more bs heeeesssss baaacccckkkkk....to trash up yet another thread. vacation over .
From : miles
chastity redmon wrote hey! does anyone know if you can buy replacement lids for the two storage spaces in the back of my 02 durango without going to the junk yard in hopes of finding one there or making them myself also do all 02 durangos suppose to have third row seating because mine doesnt and every web site i been to like allpar.com says they do you might try asking on some of the durango forums on one of these. www.dodgetalk.com www.dodgeboy.net www.dodgeforums.com .
From : phyloe
i add about 500 to 1000 pounds of sand in the back of my 2500 4x4. when the snow gets deep i can keep on going without locking the front end in. only when it gets real slick do i engage the front end. this has worked great for me over the years. the wifes durango normally gets about 250# in the back and that works out great. the big thing is to get the weight over the axle so the weight added is supported mostly by the rear springs. if you move the weight forward then the front end starts supporting this weight and you loose the effectiveness of adding weight. but as stated before tires are the big thing and so is driving skill in the white stuff. try this next good snow fall find an empty parking lot and drive around making the car slide a bit to get a feel for the action. then add the weight and do the same thing you will see a difference in handling and also improve your slick driving abilities. i do this every year to refresh my skills in snow driving. -- ken b for years i have been seeing people put bags of sand in the bed of their truck during the winter. i have been questioning whether this little bit of added weight really helps traction. i figure the rear end of a truck weighs at least 1000 lbs. most people add 100 pounds of sand or several cinder blocks. so how could an additional 10% make any real difference isnt the rear end heavy enough as it is isnt the addition of sand or blocks just a psychological thing the perception of greater traction phyloe -- life is the things that happen while youre waiting for things that never happen .