Driving on snow-covered roads?

[ABrask]

I've never driven my class A on snow covered roads, and there's a good chance my wife and I will encounter some on our trip from Chicago to Los Angeles next week. Obviously I'd wait out any ice conditions, but I'm curious what more experienced folks have to say about driving on plowed roads? Will the RV's weight make for decent traction? Assuming we take it slow, what should we expect? Thanks in advance.....

[Gordon Dewald]

It does not matter what you are driving. Ice and snow conditions result in reduced traction for all vehicles.

IMO if you slow down, drive as smoothly as possible (avoid quick moves, hard acceleration or braking) you will be OK. I note you suggest you will stop if the conditions are too severe. This IMO that is the best policy.

[ABrask]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

It does not matter what you are driving. Ice and snow conditions result in reduced traction for all vehicles.

IMO if you slow down, drive as smoothly as possible (avoid quick moves, hard acceleration or braking) you will be OK. I note you suggest you will stop if the conditions are too severe. This IMO that is the best policy.

Thanks! We live in Chicago, so we're not entirely clueless about winter driving, but it's nice to hear that it's not totally insane to consider doing it in an RV.

Your Tour looks fantastic, by the way! My wife's sister and brother-in-law have one similar to it, and we're going to spend time with them in the same RV park in Arizona on our way out to California. Our poor little Palazzo will have an inferiority complex by the time we're done, I'm sure!

[nothermark]

In snow areas once the roads are plowed and traffic has been through the roads pretty much clear off. The nice thing about the MH is that the house is there. That leaves me thinking the best way is to park until the plows and traffic did their part. Wait until rush hour is over then tuck in for the night around mid to late afternoon. You might be another day getting out of the snow belt but you will get there. In the mean time watch the national weather forecasts so you can avoid heading out into a multi day weather event!

[homeless]

Snow covered roads would be about as good of an excuse as I can think of to boon dock any place you want!

[Rockwood27]

Most MH use highway traction type tires. They have little to no cross tread blocking like an all season or snow tire. They have limited traction in slippery conditions. Have you ever tried moving from a stop on wet grass? I live in NH and wouldn't want to drive with snow on the ground. Sudden stopping could also prove interesting!

[Maverick50]

Originally Posted by ABrask

Thanks! We live in Chicago, so we're not entirely clueless about winter driving, but it's nice to hear that it's not totally insane to consider doing it in an RV.

LOL!!! I live 50 miles west of Chicago and if you watch the news, just because you live in Chicago doesn't mean all people are not entirely clueless about winter driving! LOL!

[ABrask]

Originally Posted by Rockwood27

Most MH use highway traction type tires. They have little to no cross tread blocking like an all season or snow tire. They have limited traction in slippery conditions. Have you ever tried moving from a stop on wet grass? I live in NH and wouldn't want to drive with snow on the ground. Sudden stopping could also prove interesting!

Is this any different than truck tires? We don't plan on doing any significant driving on roads that have not been plowed and are pretty much dry (and hopefully salted?), but even if one has pulled off to sit out a storm, there's always the possibility that they'll have to limp their way back onto the main highway.

Anyone reading this thread have experience dealing with these issues in a commercial truck?

[450Donn]

Do you have chains? It is quite possible you could encounter a chains required situation in the rockies. Unless your clear down on I10

[87Rockwood]

We also live in NH (full time last 4 years) And I will add one thing-if it is a bad storm keep a show shovel inside to dig yourself out with in the morning. We have had the snow plow people pile snow up outside to were it was hard to open the door.

[Rockwood27]

Originally Posted by ABrask

Is this any different than truck tires?

The smart truck drivers in my area will change out to a more aggressive tire tread on the drive axles. The not so smart ones often end up in the ditch! Some also carry chains.

BTW, after driving in all that salty, slushy snow, it's wise to carry extra windshield washer fluid. Spend time to thoroughly rinse the undercarriage.

[ABrask]

Originally Posted by Rockwood27

The smart truck drivers in my area will change out to a more aggressive tire tread on the drive axles. The not so smart ones often end up in the ditch! Some also carry chains.

BTW, after driving in all that salty, slushy snow, it's wise to carry extra windshield washer fluid. Spend time to thoroughly rinse the undercarriage.

Really good call about the extra wiper fluid and snow shovel. I've added both to our list. We're going south to I10 to stay well clear of the Rockies. I know that route from years past (taken in cars and SUVs), and I personally wouldn't even consider planning to do that in an RV this time of year.

[halfwright]

I have heard that as soon as you start to think, "Hey, This is not bad. I can drive on snow easily." it is time to park. And, there is always the other guy that is sure he knows how to drive on snow.

Me, I have a stomach problem that makes me pull over, park and make a pot of coffee instead of driving on snow. It is called "no guts."

[1bigmess]

If you have your mind set on driving in reduced traction conditions, you are gonna have to learn sometime. Unfortunately, there is almost only one way to learn, and that is to simply do it.

My suggestions:

1. Reduce speed. Once you get some skill driving in reduced traction conditions, remember that on the wide open road, 40 is too fast! You should probably go much slower than that, but never more than 40MPH if you have doubts about traction.
2. Leave more following distance. This gives you more time to react, think, plan, and execute your plan, then to react, think, plan and execute your next plan. Distance can save you if everything else goes wrong.
3. Trust no one. That vehicle will do something stupid right in front of you, and you will have to be ready to deal with it.
4. Relax your shoulders and do other things to reduce driver fatigue. I have to literally force my shoulders down before I shove my shoulders in my ears. I must look pretty funny sometimes, like I was born with no neck.
5. Plan on driving days that are 10-25% of a normal length and/or distance day. Face it, if the traction is poor, you can't drive fast unless you are a psychopath. You won't be able to cover the big miles like you wanted to. Fatigue will set in much more quickly than on a bluebird day. You have to be ready to throw in the towel early, relax, wind down, so you can rest and throw yourself into the fray again tomorrow.
6. Plan well ahead of time all of your stops: food, fuel, overnight. Parking lots can be impossible to get into with enough snow. They will also be full of travellers and truckers. You might have to consider starting your driving day earlier than normal, and stopping earlier than normal so you can be sure to have a decent place to stop for the night.
7. Hold the steering wheel with your fingertips, and make gentle corrections and turns. Twitchy, sudden, or large changes in direction can easily send you off into the ditch, or worse. If a vehicle or other obstacle is coming right at you and you must change direction, the ditch might be a better choice than a big rig grill to your face, but in almost every case for most folks, small, gentle direction changes and lower speed tight maneuvering will work out well for everyone.
8. Pack all the patience you can with you each day, and hope everyone did, too. 'Nuff said, I hope. Folks will screw up. You'll screw up. Folks might need a little help to get going, you might need a little help to get going. If you can't help, at least be patient. Hope others are patient with you, as well.
9. Your brakes are gonna suck, so leave plenty of distance to use them safely. This might be where folks screw up the most that is very preventable. Leave lots of following distance for braking. Use the brakes as gently as possible. Know what it feels and/or sounds like when your ABS is operating due to loss of braking traction, and if it activates, don't let up on the pedal, let it do it's job, because if you let up on the pedal, you aren't slowing anymore, and you stepped on your brakes for a reason, right?
10. Don't forget to check your mirrors. They can tell you things you can't find out otherwise. It also helps you relax your neck a little.
11. Have some decent sunglasses always available. Snow can cause a great deal of eye fatigue.

So, basically, slow, smooth, distance, try to relax a little, shorter days, plan, plan, plan. And relax a little. Some of the problems you might encounter are out of your hands, so try to relax a bit, increase your following distance (how many time have I said this? ) and try to enjoy your trip.

Good luck.