Re: Wet Road Driving Comments Sought Please

[tsm1@domain.elided (Tom Mandera)]

>My question.  Is a Scout2 as scary to drive in inclement weather as a 
>2WD PU?  Why or why not?  Can a Scout2 be a full year driving 
>days?  2WD with good tires?  Chains?  4WD?

Hmmm....

My previous ride (which still resides in the back yard as a backup vehicle
and Scout II Parts Chaser) is a '76 Chevy Luv 2wd pickup.

It got around fairly well in the snow and ice and wet rainy days (Not that
anyone has forgotten, but I live in Montana).

Take offs had to be eased into... or the rear end would just spin.  It
required some effort and some "working" to get it around in the snow and ice.

I've also slid through intersections that I tried to turn through... 

The low center of gravity helped things.. and there were times I got around
much better than my 4wd friends... while they would just slide around a
turn, I would turn the wheels... front end would track fine.. then throttle
hard to swing the rear around the full 90-deg *sharp* and just keep going
the way I wanted to. :-)

I won't say my Luv is a LWB... I don't know the wheelbase.. but it's a small
truck, with a 6' bed.

Driving my Scout is different.  It has more weight for better traction.
Even in 2wd, I've never felt too uncomfortable in whatever weather.  Now
with the lift n' such, it's even better.  I don't do power slides around
corners all that often any more... I'm taller, and a lot more mass to be
throwing around... or into other objects.  I still spin brodies or take
corners wide n' slide... but not like I did in my pickup.

My pickup might have had a degree of better control in those situations...
but overall, the Scout, in 2wd, offers better control, and makes me a better
driver (it wont' fly through the gears like that Luv with 1.8, close 4spd,
4.56s and 25" tires would).

You might say since I'm higher up I'm not so confident when sliding
sideways.. I just think there's too much truck to be throwing around.  I can
do a lot more damage now.

Or maybe the Scout is a little more difficult to control in a power slide.
I bet the wheelbases are pretty close... but the lower and longer
(proportionally) Luv just seems a bit more stable and controllable.  

So... the Scout's made me drive safer in the winter.  I've only rarely felt
not-so-sure-footed in 2wd in the Scout.  With the rear Tracklok, if I apply
too much go-pedal it'll walk sideways from a dead stop when it "binds up"... 

With the '72, open/open, I could lock it into 4wd, and just stand on the gas
and shoot forward very straight and very rapid... didn't stop any better,
but I could sure *go*.

It'll be interesting to see how the new mudders work on the ice.. combined
with my inability to use 4wd now.... the front locker would make true 4wd
not-so-nice on the street... I'll leave one hub unlocked and see how it
works when I need the 4wd "on-demand".

I'm also going to take the truck in to have the new tires rotated (yeah, i
can do it myself, but they want to do it... I'm fearing this strip... "What
the hell did you do to these tires??!!!" heh...) and I'll have them siped
for better traction at the same time.

But.. I've been happy with the Scout on the street.  I just don't drive like
I used to... I get wherever it is I'm going though!  Rain, snow, ice... or
even when the snow plow puts a 4' berm in front of my garage and I have to
crash it on my way out in the morning... (so long as I don't take it at an
angle and high-center on it... but that's more difficult with the lift and
33s now)

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT
Snowed a little bit today.... gotta get my new ski-rack "customized" and
mounted soon!  Wee-hah!