Winter Driving Advice

[Waiter21]

Kevin, You should probably be giving advice on how to drive in winter weather rather than asking for it..

I'm also a winter driver, In a car, I'm competent doing donuts, power brakes turns, J turns on slick roads, whatever, I feel comfortable and know the limits. A lot of practice and a lot of experience.

Maybe if I get a chance I'll take the MH over to the school parking lot and see if I can do donuts with it.

However, I've never so much as slid in the MH. My approach when driving the MH is to use extreme caution, slow down, and do whatever it takes to prevent getting into trouble.

I carry chains in the toad and my other cars when I travel in mountainous terrain, but haven't bought any for the MH. My thoughts are if I'm in a situation where I need to install chains, I'll just find a spot somewhere and wait it out (We sat in a New Mexico Costco parking lot for two days a couple years ago, Best camping spot I ever had, 18 inches of snow on the ground and we were the only ones in the lot.)

[Gordon Dewald]

Carry cross country skis. If it snows take the cross country skis out and spend the day touring around the parking lot.

[OLYLEN]

Some states require chains on board during winter months. I have always carried chains but never used. Use the pro drivers for an indication of how fast to run. In icy conditions slow actions, no quick reaction you could get away with in a car. These big heavy coach's run well in snow and ice, but heaven help if you everstart sliding all that weight. Black ice is the worst as you don't realize it's there unroll your sliding. Use your best judgement and relate to your car driving, a bit slower longer following distances and no quick turns, nice coordinated. And last watch the exhaust brake, this can really give you a trill, or dirty shorts.

LEN

[Skip426]

Chains on a coach .

A broken cross link could cause 10's of thousands of damage before you could find a spot to stop and repair the tire chain, and ruin the whole trip . I'll put my vote in the " park till the road is clear " camp.

[AKOne]

Having lived in Alaska since 1978, one thing you learn when living with snow covered and icy roads is, tires are everything! The typical motorhome comes with summer highway tires. Wholly unsuited for winter roads, especially ice. Since there is always the possibility of weird weather in the fall and spring around here, I put a set of Toyo M627 (which have a more aggressive tread) on the drive axle and had all six tires siped. Certainly will help keep me out of the ditch if the weather suddenly went sideways. Your MH weight will work for as far as traction goes, but do not expect to make any quick stops. Make sure your ABS is working. They are notorious for having issues. By the way, the Toyo M627s run just fine on dry pavement without any noticeable tread noise.

Tested my coach to -5 degrees with no issues, but, that was after extensive insulation modifications to prevent freezing the plumbing and other insulation improvements. Still required lots of propane and electric heat, and, that was staying parked the entire time. Driving in the kind of temps places like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado have in winter would only compound plumbing freeze-up issues, not to mention potentially freezing the holding and water tanks. Certainly would take Bob's advice, de-winterize only once you have reach warm climates.

Oh, and one more thing, do not forget fuel additive. Diesel and cold weather don't like each other. Enjoy the adventure!