I ask because... I want to know. I'm a big believer in the right tires + right driver = getting there. That being said, any experiences you'd like to share good or bad? My uneducated guess is good snow tires plus some weight between the wheelwells (like sandbags?) and a sane foot and you're good...?
8+ years driving a 99, and 00 Dodge 3500 cargo van, and last winter I was upgraded to a new 11 Chevy. When the weather is at its worst I am at my busiest (maintain back up generators), so driving in blizzard conditions is the norm for me. Having the right tires,and being a sane person will make it possible,and actually quite easy. By the way this was all in MA,and RI, so the same weather you will be dealing with.
Chris
Loaded or unloaded? (The van, not the driver)
My E150 conversion van is more-or-less a loaded cargo van and it is just great in the snow. I've got some Michelin ltx2 m+s tires on it and haven't really had any issues.
I drive a chebby 2500 undercover pedovan everyday for work......the tires are less than half life and I've never had an issue. You just have to be a bit more careful. Otherwise, its still slightly better than a rwd pickup.
I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need one but I have three kids and often have a use for a pickup with all the household stuff I do. I'm not in a great position to have two vehicles registered at the same time.
I'm thinking of buying a semi-stripped FS van and adding seats and some carpet, making a half-passenger, half-cargo van.
Any full-size crew-cab pickup that I'd own is out of the price range. We already have a Grand Caravan and its great for what it is, I just need the size of a full size
wae wrote: Loaded or unloaded? (The van, not the driver) My E150 conversion van is more-or-less a loaded cargo van and it is just great in the snow. I've got some Michelin ltx2 m+s tires on it and haven't really had any issues.
I only shoot heroine, so I'd be sober. The van would be mostly unloaded but I'm a fan of precision weight adding.
when you start to slide is when all the fun happens! lol
when I was a cable man (briefly) I drove an E350 with not a lot of weight in the back through the worst winter we had here in a while (isn't saying much to a northern winter, but it did snow several times, several inches, lol)
Only got stuck twice! first time was not thinking when I pulled off the road, had both rear tires off the road and no traction
second time the snow ambushed me when I was at the bottom of a driveway
drifting e series vans is super fun, even if they are actually terrifying to drive and in horrible condition. lol
My old E250 van was able to go in the snow, but it was scary at times. The three channel abs was worse than no abs. It didn't matter if the tires were bald or brand new.
My next van was a sprinter, it was great in the snow. The most trouble It had was over eager traction control.
My current van is a GMC savanna 3500 diesel. I haven't had any real snow driving with it yet, but my suspicion is that it will be better than the econoline, but not as easy as the sprinter.
All my work vans are rolling work shops weighing at least 8000lbs, with the load distributed as evenly as I can get it. .
I use Lamont my 1986 GMC G20 as our snow mobile if it really gets hairy here in the mountais of NC I also have a set of chains for when it is really time to go. It has worked out fine so far through a few nasty storms, but mostly we don't get more than a few inches and any vehicle driven conservativley will be fine.
ebonyandivory wrote: I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need one but I have three kids and often have a use for a pickup with all the household stuff I do. I'm not in a great position to have two vehicles registered at the same time. I'm thinking of buying a semi-stripped FS van and adding seats and some carpet, making a half-passenger, half-cargo van. Any full-size crew-cab pickup that I'd own is out of the price range. We already have a Grand Caravan and its great for what it is, I just need the size of a full size
I bought a 2wd Suburban on CL in Worcester last Feb for $6k. It is rust free, because it was originally from TX until Jan of 12. Money well spent so far, and it is huge. Basically the same as my 01 Dodge Ram Wagon 2500 I had as a personal vehicle to go along with the 00 Ram 3500 cargo van I had. The van was taller so easier to load certain things in, and maybe a bit more versatile, but I like the 'burban way more. Not a Chevy guy, but this vehicle is great.
I guess this would solve at least one of my issues
http://www.yellowstoneexpeditions.com/html/snowvans/snow_roads.html
my astro cargo vans always did way better when i had my tools in the back, otherwise they had a tendency to just sit there and spin the tires.
In reply to ebonyandivory:
Love it! You wouldn't have any trouble getting around with that, although if you ran out of snow, steering might get a little sketchy.
I seem to recall there was a company called Matt's Tracks or something like that which made treads for trucks that would bolt on instead of wheels.
The nice thing about a van is that if you get stuck in the snow, you can just sleep in the back.
Then when you wake up, you can get high again.
My wife drives a 2WD Trailblazer all Chicago winter. Good tires + posi + calm lady = never an issue.
If at all possible get one with a limited slip diff. In Boston and other northeast cities, the snow piles up on the side of the streets. Often you end up parking with two wheels in a snowbank and two wheels on the wet pavement. When you go to leave, the two wheels on the snow just spin. Tough to push yourself out. Always thought 4 wheel drive was excessive until I bought a truck with it. Now I don't know how I lived without it. Needed it today to get out of a muddy jobsite. Everybody else on the job spent extra time carrying tools. I drove around thru the mud and parked at the back door where I was working.
I am a cable (satellite actually) "guy". I had Chevy 1500 express vans when I had a company issued van. As mentioned above, they drift pretty easy, and are decent on snow covered streets but once you get close to feet of snow, then they get stuck pretty easy. I'm sure a limited slip would help. The back end was weighed down with 1500 pounds of gear so it probably helped.
Also these are seriously want:
corytate wrote: when you start to slide is when all the fun happens! lol
Aint that the truth. And so predictable and catchable.
Been driving a 2002 Chevy Express 1500 since i could drive. Its fine. Get good all seasons on it. Drive smart and go.
Do spend some time chucking it around though...its a riot
I'm a cable guy by trade, so I drive a GMC Savanna 2500. It has an LSD out back and its always loaded, so it makes the winter bearable.
HOWEVER, the tires make all the difference. The repair shop put a set of General Grabber LT tires and they suck in the snow and ice. I can't tell you how many intersections I slid into because even the ABS couldn't keep me from sliding on an icy street at 20 mph. I hadn't had that issue with the factory Bridgestones I had on there before.
Luckily I'm up for a new set soon. I don't get the say in what brand they give me (fleet card tells them to get the cheapest available) but I always push the "I want these tires to get me through the snow" and the tire guys usually hook me up with something descent, I just didn't this last time.
Oh and I agree with above, it's definitely fun to chuck it around corners.
My first "car" was a Dodge Maxivan. My advice is to drive like an old lady in winter especially with braking and steering inputs.
My year round DD is a 1500 GMC pickup with a utility cap, so basically a van. Good tires, good driver, bad weather, no problem.
ebonyandivory wrote: I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need one but I have three kids and often have a use for a pickup with all the household stuff I do.
I drove a "shuttle" for 2 years in college, it was a 1500 chevy 15 passenger van, in Ohio. Some experience with a Dodge, but it was older and more of a backup.
Handled the snow and hills fine, would have to kill traction control as it would just kill the throttle and leave you stuck idling on a hill. The long wheel base really helped slow things down if the back started to step out. Just had all seasons (no chains/snows). Lots of bad weather, I had first shift so often the roads were not plowed yet.
MPG is no where near a minivan. Nor is utility.
I drive a 99 E350 diesel. It ranges from horrific to incompetent, but the one winter I've used it wasn't bad. It has HT highway rib tires and a worn-out posi... and more torque than Jesus. My driveway is about 400 feet long, rises about 20 feet, and is made of pebble stone which I would describe as marbles. But, properly attacked I was always able to make it to the top.
Its better than my former winter vehicle which was an Impala SS with 285mm summer-only rubber. I once had to call AAA to get towed 4 inches because i parallel parked on a 3" patch of ice. Not kidding.
Tires make all the difference, regardless of the vehicle. And the heavier, the more important it is. My Cummins 4x4 was damn near undriveable in the snow on the crappy P-rated all-seasons it came with, 4WD engaged or not. Going wasn't the problem, it was the turning and stopping part that was scary as hell. Then I splurged on a set of W965 E-rated Blizzaks.
Holy crap! 
Not only does it "go" better - I don't even need 4WD engaged most of the time - but it stops and turns like the snow isn't even there (within reason). No matter what, you're still driving a big heavy vehicle and paying attention to the laws of physics is required.
On side note, my old E150 conversion van (with cheap all-seasons) was more fun to slide around than the truck, but I managed to get it stuck a couple of times in parking spaces.
I would drive one sparingly in the W. Michigan snows with my last employer. It was a 99 E150. Fully loaded with computer equipment is was OK at best.
Empty on a snow covered highway with wind guests? Terrifying!!
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