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Weight in Rear for Winter

15K views 71 replies 33 participants last post by  Ken B 
#1 ·
My Titan is the 1st pick up truck I have owned. Never driven one in winter before. Some people are telling me I have to add weight to the rear for the winter and some say it is not nessessary. It is a 2014 SV Crew Cab with 4x4. My Xterra was useless in Winter unless it was in 4x4. I live in Ontario Canada in the snow belt and am very experienced at winter driving, just not in a pick up. If I do need weight, how much should I add and where. Directly over the rear axle or more to the rear just forward of the rear gate?
 
#2 ·
I put 2 of those tube shaped 50lb bags of sand in the bed of my first Titan (near the wheel wells). Seemed to help a bunch.

Also lay off the skinny pedal until your used to how your truck drives.

Now with my new T I've got a camper type topper on there & so much crap & armor I'm easily hauling around an extra 600lbs all the time. I also picked up some studded snow tires & ran them last winter. If you run acrossed some get 'em. I'm not sure how mine will do with all the extra weight (as they are not E rated), we'll see.
 
#3 ·
Definitely over the wheel wells. The idea is for the weight to cause more tire connect, the same way that the weight of the engine does in the front. Though, to be honest, in Ontario I wouldn't bother - just pop it into 4WD when you have bad weather. If you were in a mountainous area you'd want some extra weight if there was going to be a lot of snow on the ground. When I lived in the flatlands I never bothered with extra weight in the truck bed unless I only had a 2WD.
 
#4 ·
It depends on what type of tires you're running.

I run snow tires (Toyo Open Country G02+) in the winter and have not felt the need to add any weight. My topper comes in at a weight of almost 300 lbs. Even with that I needed more weight when I was running the (OEM) BFG Rugged Trail tires. My Toyo Open Country AT LT tires are really bad in slick conditions. In deep conditions they are great due to the deep tread depth.
 
#5 ·
Originally from maine and drove up there quite a few times last winter. I ran 3 60 lb sand tubes all the way back in the bed, and only had to put the truck in 4wd once all winter. It all depends on your tires, but staying off the skinny pedal is a huge help.

When people talk about putting the weight over the axle, physics disagrees (engineer here). The further back you put the weight, the more it puts on the rear axle and will in fact take a little off the front. It's not enough to be noticeable, but it is there. If you put a 50 lb sandbag 2 ft behind the rear axle, it puts the equivalent weight of a 60-65lb sandbag on the axle, without having to tote the extra weight. The weight is not enough to make the truck whip around when making a turn, you'd need a good 6-700 minimum for that.
 
#6 ·
I just drove through my first winter ever. II'vehad the truck 9 years but just got stationed Iin Michigan. I think adding wait is not smart and could also be more dangerous. Not going to get into the physics but my advice is just drive cautious and patient. Leave early and don't rush. I have 35" bfg all terrains, not the ideal snow tire.
 
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#12 ·
How is adding weight not smart? The Titan is rated at 1000lbs in the bed. When we talk about adding weight for winter, we are talking about 200-250 lbs.
 
#7 ·
My sons truck I use 4 50# sand bag tubes across the back, right above the axle. My Titan I don't have anything and never have in any of my trucks. But I learned how to drive in the snow and have been driving in it for over 30 years. If you know how to drive in it, no weight needed. Pop it into and out of 4wd as necessary, which is a lot easier in the Titan than it was in my old F250 that had manual locking hubs.
 
#14 ·
I agree with VQpower. How on earth could adding a little weight be dangerous? "Physics" need not apply here, since 5 people can easily add 1000 pounds to your ride at any given time.
I like about 300-400 lbs in the front of the bed on my crew cab.
 
#15 ·
My Xterra was useless in Winter unless it was in 4x4.
My Titan was useless in the snow with stock tires and in 2wd. I couldn't even back out of my driveway in 6 inches of snow. Now with AT tires, Limited slip rear and in 4x4 the truck is a beast. I've never put anything in the bed for weight but that's just me.
Back in the day we all put weight in the trunk of our rear wheel drive cars so guess it couldn't hurt.
 
#24 ·
Yeah, as others mention-skip this. For the money saved, get some sand bags & 2 gas fillups.

Nice idea for hauling water though, thanks! They have a 12Gal one (there SUV sized one) which would likely fit perfect on the back seat floor of my T.

It notes not approved for potable water storage...but size/space wise its better than hauling around 2 of those big blue square deals...
 
#17 ·
Save yourself some money, wait until it snows about 6" and then spray water over the snow while its in your bed, it will freeze and you will have the same thing.
 
#18 ·
I say throw some firewood in there,,,,
 
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#19 ·
Bags of sand are better. You can't use watered down and frozen snow to help you get unstuck. But sand will work well.
 
#20 ·
Don't use bags of water softener salt. According to one forum member (I believe) they aren't waterproof and when the salt gets wet it leaks and causes rust.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Don't use bags of water softener salt. According to one forum member (I believe his name is Jim) they aren't waterproof and when the salt gets wet it leaks and causes rust.

But the salt will dissolve and drip in front of the tires like an on board de-icing system.

Oh, and I fixed your statement. :)

Just messin with ya!!!
 
#29 ·
The one time it snowed in Texas, and everyone freaked the F out. I could have used 4wd (if I had it), but I had a 3" slab of ice on my bed cover.

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Automotive tire
 
#30 ·
I run my '04 KC 4x4 with a cap, and in the bed year round I keep a portable Battery Jump Pack (Chlore JNC 660 I believe), a 5 gal gas can, Husky Pro Ratchet Set, and a Milk Crate with other misc. tools, straps, etc. as well as a snow shovel and a regular flat shovel. I never put any of this in the back to help traction, I just keep it there for emergencies and helping others.
This truck is the first RWD/4WD vehicle I've ever owned and I must say, driving around in the snow in 2WD is not horrible at all. I went through my only winter in New England with crappy balding tires and it wasn't bad. The exception: Pressing that VDC OFF button! The rear end would get loose pretty easily. I'm anxious to see what it's like this year with my new Firestone Destination A/T's. The VDC/traction control makes a huge difference in driving in the snow, even in 4WD. One complaint though, having VDC ON while pulling onto main roads w/ traffic from side roads that are more snowy/icy. If you lose traction power gets cut way down and you end up putting into the middle of the road.. I almost got myself into a few accidents before I realized what I should do if I thought cross traffic would be coming by: 4 Hi, VDC off and punch it!
Take that all for what it's worth.. I just suggest experimenting with changing your driving style, 2wd vs 4wd, VDC on/OFF (if equipped). Conditions change, roads vary, experience is varying from person to person.. Work with what you have, and when you can actually drive in the snow, try to change something and see what handles better for you.
 
#33 ·
I've owned pick ups for for forty years living in the upper mid-west. Best trucks I ever owned for winter traction-going up slick hills for instance- were a mitsubishi and then an isuzu-both 2 wheel drive. I would just stomp on the gas and they would get 45 degrees sideways with the drive wheel spinning and just sort of tourque their way where they had to go. Hell- the lack of weight back there made the whole thing work. However- I'm a bit older and more conservative now and I own a 4wd which I use when I need to in the winter- like going up slippery hills. When I am done I TAKE IT OUT OF 4 WHEEL. A LOT of weight and a full tank will help a little in standard 2 wheel drive- bu† not that muçh unless you put a bunch in there. The guys running toppers and extra weight are probably getting some extra traction- but nothing that will work better than 4wd. I used to never buy 4wd because I couldn't justify the extra cost------but I do now because Im older and. "what the hell". Plus three or four times during the winter its real handy for going up slippery hills . If you spent the money for 4wd- by all means, USE IT!
 
#34 ·
"I agree with VQpower. How on earth could adding a little weight be dangerous? "Physics" need not apply here, since 5 people can easily add 1000 pounds to your ride at any given time. I like about 300-400 lbs in the front of the bed on my crew cab."

I'm sorry, but when you said physics need not apply I had a problem reading the rest. 5 people can add 1000lbs, most of which will be added to the front axle. The back is light in the truck, therefore 5 people in te can doesn't help much. I can do a little diagram when I get some time to help explain what I'm talking about, but 250 in the back of the bed will put more force on the rear axle than 1000 in the cab.
 
#37 · (Edited)
So, adding 5 people to my 6 passenger truck adds about 1000 pounds to the front axle?
What are you smoking? You should also consider getting a life, because you have gone way too far on something as simple as adding a little weight for traction.
I like the sand bags in the front right corner of the bed for adding weight to the entire vehicle. Most of it goes to the rear, but a small amount goes to the front. Putting them in the rear of the bed is as stupid as it is dangerous.

I spent 7 years loading semis with 35 tons of sand and gravel in an older 5 yard loader that had no on-board scale. Try getting that within 1000 pounds every time, all while keeping it distributed legally.
I also loaded smaller trucks, including half ton pickups.
 
#36 ·
I had to make a TON of assumptions, including weight distribution of the truck, where your people's weight sat, and conservatively I come up with 1000lb of people (who I'm sure will sit in your truck with you every time you have to drive in the snow) add about 400lb to the rear axle, while 250lb of sand adds about 320lb to the rear axle if it is placed all the way back in the bed. Change any one of the assumptions, and everything changes.

The problem I see is that you still have the weight distribution problem with all the people in your truck. Dry, the truck weighs approx 1000lb more on the front axle than the rear. With 1000lb of people in the truck, there's 1200lb more on the front axle than the rear. With sandbags(or any other weight) it's ~630lb more on the front than the rear. Give me the even distribution, and you give me a better handling vehicle in the snow.

If anyone wants the excel spreadsheet I made to figure this out, let me know. If anyone has any specs for front vs rear weight distribution, accurate weights, accurate cab positions, or accurate tire positions relative to the entire length of the truck, let me know and I'll fix my formulas.
 
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