Good morning.
I'm stuck in the driveway here in Missouri. I have a 2500, 6 speed, 2wd, 3.54 rear,with positrac, and new 10 ply goodyear tires. Anyone have any suggestions for increasing traction on this truck? It has the worst traction of any 2wd truck I've ever had.
I currently have 500 lbs of cement blocks in the longbed, but this doesn't seem to be making any difference; in fact it may even be worse. We have 4 inches of snow on top of some ice. Thanks.

 

Right there is your problem, Ice. Tire chains might help.

 

Diesels have too much weight in the front to be two wheel drive if you ask me. More weight in rear and chains are the only options. Trade in for a 4x4 at next oil change..

 

Air your tires down. Way down. Like 20 psi.

Sand around the tires if you have some, or kitty litter.

Do you have a come along, or highlift?

 

If you see ice alot there during the winter months, I would look into running studded snow tires in the winter. Chaining up is a pain, and the studs really don't wear that quickly if you see dry pavement every so often.

 

These trucks are not that great in 2wd snow. Even with 400 - 500 Lbs weight in the bed, as alread said the weight of the cummins make the front end too heavy.

For just snow(with out ice under it) try putting another 500 Lbs over the axle.

Are your new '10 ply Goodyears' snow tires, or regular street tread??

 

I'd say the goodyears are your problem. I've got a set of Nokians on my truck, and they are great in snow and ice. Even better now that I have 1k lbs. of steel in the back.

What pressure are you running in them? I've got 45 psi in the duals, and they do great. They will spin, but I have yet to get stuck with them.

 

Here in Toronto we see a lot of ice in the winter. I have a 2wd Pickup myself and I change over to Bridgestone Blizzak DMZ3 tires in the winter. If I left the all-seasons on I would not be able to drive a block. Michelin Latitude X-Ice is another tire which will give you a lot of traction.

 

Thanks for the replies. I do have 76-78# of air in them. It makes sense that when I'm not pulling a fifth wheel and there is snow on the ground to reduce the air pressure for better traction. The tires are not snow tires, so I think I'll add more cement blocks during bad weather also as suggested. For as little snow as we encounter, different tires would not be practical. Thanks again.

 

I'm living in a country with definite winters and I hear from quite some folks that they don't think that dedicated snow tires are necessary- arguments like not enough snow, good road service etc.
In my opinion it's not the problem of getting stuck- this won't harm you, you might just miss a rendezvous or a meeting etc- the inability to stop due to lack of traction with bad tires (all season in the snow is a bad tire) can expede your rendezvous with Mr. Joe Black....

Just my 2c

AlpineRAM

 

air down to something like 15-18psi, that will make a huge difference.

 

I would get a second set of rims and some good snows for winter time. Being a two wheel drive you don't need to do all four tires. If you shop around a little you can do this for a reasonable amount of money. Also do like mentioned before, add another 500 lbs. to the rear.

Good luck

Hondo

 

I would not put 20 PSI in them to drive around. To get un-stuck, sure. If you are driving around, you could find out the minimum required pressure based on the rear end weight.

You might want to add another 500 or 1000 pounds in the back.

I just bought 5 new OE steel rims, and 5 of what I found to be "THE BEST" snow tires, based on some web research. Cooper Discoverer M+S. Total was under $1000 for everything. 235/85/16E

 

I like the Dunlop Radial Rover RV as a good all around tire for street or M&S.

 

If you want real improvement, get Blizzak W965 tires on the rear and put about 1200# in the bed. Big, big difference. You'll get better traction than front-WD cars.

And chains will make it go like a tank.