roads in winter in WY??

[pbunyan81]

Thanks for all the replies. One thing I forgot to mention is that I am from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, so lots of snow in the winter is nothing new.
I was just wondering how long I will be able to drive my Camaro.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by pbunyan81

Thanks for all the replies. One thing I forgot to mention is that I am from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, so lots of snow in the winter is nothing new.
I was just wondering how long I will be able to drive my Camaro.

Actually, you can probably drive it year round. A lot of people do.

I have a 1 ton Ford, 4 wheel drive. Last winter, I never even locked in the hubs. Not once. Drove in 2 wheel drive the entire year.

[pbunyan81]

Actually, last winter in the U.P. I only drove my beater for 2 months (Jan/Feb). I will probably bring both cars out and depending on where I live and work, I will go from there.

[ElkHunter]

Good plan. Sheridan is really good about removing snow. During a storm, they keep major roads open to Hospital, High School, Junior High, major roads. Then they start ranging out and in most areas, the street is bladed by 7 or 7:30 am. Hardly know anything has happened.

[TEEPEEMAKER]

North of I80 isn't as bad as I80 itself, or south of I80. I live in the south central part of Wyoming in a very small town called Encampment. We used to commute to Rawlins everyday, about 60 miles. The roads were closed, usually I80 but they always let us go through. Not because we were on snowmobiles, but because we were usually headed home and they knew us. I have been in some terrible white outs, last year seemed to be the worst in 10 years that I've seen it. It's been to be cautious, but not cowardly. Many times I 've seen an accident happen because someone is going 30 on snow pack on the highway, and people get impatient and pass. Next thing you know, crash. I agree about the all season radials. I used snow tires, but they seemed to be the same degree of effectiveness as the all seasons.
Living in Wyoming can be difficult in the winter, and winter can last a long time. Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

[ruggedindividual]

I have an '02 Ram 1500 2WD w/street tires. I've never driven in snow. Ever. Reading these posts makes me wonder...do I need a 4WD, or just some all-terrain tires, snow tires or what? I'm sure nothing will substitute for experience, but if I can get the right tools for the job, I'd like to know that my chances of driving safe in icy weather are better. I've also heard of people throwing bags of sand or concrete in the bed of the truck for better rear-end traction. Is that just for 2WD trucks or also 4WD?

[ElkHunter]

NavyVet,

There are many many people here that are two wheel drive and a lot less of a vehicle you have.

Some things to consider. Where you live and where you work. Are you on the beaten trail or 4 miles out in a subdivision.

That truck is light in the butt. Be prepared to put some weight in it. When I was running two wheel drive I took an intertube and cut it in half. Took bailing wire and tied one end of the half and then filled it with sand. Then tied the top off. Did the same with the other half of the tire. I laid them over top of the wheel well. It gave my old chevy a big difference. Plus, if I got stuck on a hill on glare ice, I'd open one up and take out a couple hand fulls of sand and sprinkle ahead of the tires so I could get moving.

A friend took his old truck and put a 8 inch pipe bumper on the back. Late in the fall, he'd park at a real sharp angle, take the end cap off and fill it with sand and put the cap back on. In the spring he simply washed it out with a hose.

Lots of things you can do to a 2WD. 90% or better, drive a 4WD for convienience more then anything else.

You'll do fine, but might want to purchase a set of tire cables. Inexpensive, takes about 30 seconds a tire to put on.

[ruggedindividual]

That's a clever idea with the inner tube. I may just have to steal that trick from you. We have a civic too, so if I don't feel too bad leaving the wife at home with the truck then I may be better off in that.

We're in Buffalo and I work 15 minutes north of I-90 at the Powder River rest stop area. Around 45mins total drive time. I'll check into those tire cables. What's the difference between those and chains?

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by navyvet79

That's a clever idea with the inner tube. I may just have to steal that trick from you. We have a civic too, so if I don't feel too bad leaving the wife at home with the truck then I may be better off in that.

We're in Buffalo and I work 15 minutes north of I-90 at the Powder River rest stop area. Around 45mins total drive time. I'll check into those tire cables. What's the difference between those and chains?

The big difference is it'a going to take you 10 minutes with chains, maybe a minute or two with cables. Plus, with chains, your going to run about 20 mph, with cables, you can run 60 mph.

The disadvantage is the cables won't do what you want if the snow is 2 ft deep where as the chains would.

The last set of cables I bought were about $29. Chains were running about $60.

The strech from Buffalo to the Powder River usually isn't too bad. Sheridan to Buffalo sucks, Powder River to Gillette sucks. I'm not sure about from the Powder River going north, never driven it in the Winter.

I used to run between here and Gillette twice a day with a GMC mini Van. Only got shut down once in 2 years. If I could get to Buffalo, I could go East. And we were not allowed to chain or cable those vans.

You might think about innertube trick in the car too. I realize it's front wheel drive, but if it gets up to about 8 inches of snow, the front holds, but the back end slings back and forth. A little weight back there helps.