Question for Cargo Van owners/drivers (NF)

[sneak_e_pete]

Hi there, I own a small business that I do deliveries for on the weekends. I used to use my minivan, but have recently upgraded to a Ford E-250 cargo van.

 

I have never driven a rear wheel drive vehicle in the snow and am a little nervous. I looked into snow tires and the Ford dealership told me not to worry about them....all-seasons are fine.

 

Can anyone offer their experience? Are winter tires for the van a good investment?

[mbac31]

The guys at the dealership are crazy. I have several vans and I put Mud and Snow tires on each ear with the all seasons going back on in the spring. Those vans are useless in the snow without them. Not only that save yourself the headache of stressing over driving with them. The vans are different then the average vehicle but they are easy to get the hang of after a while. If not carrying to much weight get a couple of old tire tubes. Glue together the ends and wrap them with wire and place some sand inside. Just an extra bit of weight helps those vehicles dramaticly. Easy to take the weight out if ned be. They drive much better with weight in them. No different then a 2wd pickup truck, most guys add weight in them for added traction.

[Greencoachdog]

Read the sidewall of your tire, if it has M + S (mud + snow) you should be ok.

[lew]

Yup, the rear wheel drives are nice trucks, but not very good in the snow as you have zero weight over the drive wheels. Get yourself FOUR winter tires and put them on dedicated wheels and your set to go and then just switch them up in the spring.

 

Winter tires are different than all seasons as they have a different rubber compound that stays flexible when the temps get very low and give better traction in the snow.

 

Now, if your interested in 4 nice 16" polished aluminum wheels for the truck, lemme know

Edited January 9, 2010 by lew

[workwear]

i drive a full size chevy van.....had the originals tires on it ,and when the first snow fall came i got stuck 4 times....what a real pain that was.....phoned my mechanic and he picked me up 4 avalanche snow tires....i have a hard time trying to fishtail!!!...and ive tried....lol.....never have owned snows before but these tires are awwwsome......do yourself a favour...and invest in a set

 

cheers

[splashhopper]

Read the sidewall of your tire, if it has M + S (mud + snow) you should be ok.

 

 

don't be listening to someone that doesn't drive these vehicles in the snow....

 

His point of "should be" tell you it is an OPINION,,,,, not experience

 

Get the snows bro !

 

I drove those empty boxes for two winters myself..... we used to put three 20lb bags of kitty litter over each of the rear wheel wells for added weight .... added weight,, plus you can throw them under the wheels for traction if you still get stuck

[dave524]

Full size GMC 3/4 ton, rear wheel drive 1979 to 1988

 

GMC Safari, rear wheel drive, more trucklike than your average mini-van 2000 to present

 

Put snows on the back and extra weight if it is an empty box, makes a big difference.

[danbouck]

Put 4 snows on. We tried all seasons on ours for about 30 minutes and it was stupid.

[Garnet]

Have driven rear wheel drive everything.

 

Get the snows.............. add some weight

 

And parking lots are great for fish tailing and donuts.......... also will teach you how to steer into the slide.

 

If you ever get in one of those long slow slides slip it into neutral and start steering.

[shane]

You can also keep your gas tank full for weight. My Astro van has a 100 liter tank. At .76 kilogram per liter, that's somewhere around 76 kilograms of weight in the back end. That's 167.2 lbs.

[sneak_e_pete]

Thanks so much. I definitely appreciate the feedback from people that have driven them....the dealers response didn't sit well with me. I will invest in some....better safe than sorry.

[Spiel]

I've been driving full size Chevy/GMC vans for the last 21 years. Three years ago I decided to heed the advice of some here and switch up my all seasons for true winter/snow tires. Put them on front and back. Definitely worth having them on!

[Sinker]

Dedicated snow tires are like night and day compared to all seasons. I drive an AWD vehicle, and still run dedicated snows. I even splurge and get the best ones I can find. I wouldn't drive in winter without them. They are the only part of your vehicle that touches the road!!!

 

 

 

S.

[SBCregal]

1. Dont ever put on only 2 snow tires. 4 tires or no tires. alot of shops wont even put on 2 tires for you anymore (some people think its a way to sell more tires.... its not, its physics)

 

 

2. If you're putting any weight... sand/kitty litter/bags of cement... make sure that they are secured in some way. hopefully nothing will happen, but if you do get in an accident those 50lb bags become projectiles inside the van and can do some real damage when they start flying around in there.

 

ryan

[splashhopper]

1. Dont ever put on only 2 snow tires. 4 tires or no tires. alot of shops wont even put on 2 tires for you anymore (some people think its a way to sell more tires.... its not, its physics)

 

 

2. If you're putting any weight... sand/kitty litter/bags of cement... make sure that they are secured in some way. hopefully nothing will happen, but if you do get in an accident those 50lb bags become projectiles inside the van and can do some real damage when they start flying around in there.

 

ryan

 

 

I agree Ryan....

 

Should have mentioned that we secured the kitty litter bags with bungee chords hooked in to eyebolts.

[Sinker]

A bungee isn't going to stop anything 50lbs when you hit something doing 80km/hour. Its no joke, make sure your weight is secured good, or your wasting your time. That bag of sand will take your head off!!!!!

 

I always used patio slabs in my trucks, with a frame braced to the front of the truck bed. Usually 6 slabs is good. It makes a big difference on traction. If your only adding a couple hundred pounds, you might as well not add anything at all. I found I needed 600lbs to make any noticeable difference, and the truck/van will ride better with that weight. You can still pile your cargo on top of the slabs too..........keeps things somewhat neat.

 

S.

[jasonl]

Definately invest in winter tires and some sort of weight for the back. I've used peices of slate from an old pool table when I had my E350 as well as sand bags. Be sure to fasten them down good tho. I foound about 300-400 lbs worked good on a 2005 E350 with an extended 10 foot cargo area. I also used to pack some d rings with a recovery strap. $100 for gear that saved me alot in tow fees when I did get stuck...