The Lightning is amazing in the snow

[jobofly79]

We got our first real snow storm and I decided to go play in the snow with my Lightning. Check it out if you are interested.

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[21st Century Truck]

Hahaa - we're heading for a three-week camping trip in Newfoundland Canada in late December. Newfoundland gets a good load of snow and I'll be happy to truly test our Lightning's mettle. I'm certain the accompanying 17-year old nephew feels the same

I am switching to Nokian Hakkapelita tires this week in prep. Got some nice Rud snow chains in the back too. Also a MorePowerPuller come-along and a tow strap, just in case we find that ditch.

 

[bc1]

Just wondering what tires the op is using and what pressure? With my new Flash with the Goodyear Wrangler tires and just hitting freezing temps this last week, I got low tire pressure warnings of 31 to 33 psi which is a long ways from 42. I aired them up to 42 which is what is recommended on the pillar but now wonder if the dealer purposely lowered them to make it ride a little smoother. Which also begs the question that maybe I should lower the pressure for better traction in the snow such as 35 or 36 just to keep it above the low tire pressure warning. Any opinions here on that?

 

[JRDM2]

I took mine out for a drive last Sunday for half an hour or so just to try out the snow performance. I have no point of reference because I've never owned a truck and I don't know if I've driven anyone else's in this amount of snow (6-8" / 150-180mm in places) and if I did I played it safe. Anyway, I was very impressed with the stability in stock tires even with one side on wet pavement the other side in deep snow.

 

[jobofly79]

Just wondering what tires the op is using and what pressure? With my new Flash with the Goodyear Wrangler tires and just hitting freezing temps this last week, I got low tire pressure warnings of 31 to 33 psi which is a long ways from 42. I aired them up to 42 which is what is recommended on the pillar but now wonder if the dealer purposely lowered them to make it ride a little smoother. Which also begs the question that maybe I should lower the pressure for better traction in the snow such as 35 or 36 just to keep it above the low tire pressure warning. Any opinions here on that?

Toyo open country AT 3’ EV. 52 psi

 

[21st Century Truck]

I think that Ford engineers did a super-good job in programming the power delivery to every wheel through the power delivery modules, and this is one of the results of their quality work.

When we (er, our then-14 year old nephew... I was the video operator) tried to drift our Lightning on the Bonneville Salt Flats this past Summer in 15 thunder runs, the Lightning basically just wouldn't drift other than minimally. That micromanaged module-driven power delivery to the wheels is darn good!

 

[Adventureboy]

Just wondering what tires the op is using and what pressure? With my new Flash with the Goodyear Wrangler tires and just hitting freezing temps this last week, I got low tire pressure warnings of 31 to 33 psi which is a long ways from 42. I aired them up to 42 which is what is recommended on the pillar but now wonder if the dealer purposely lowered them to make it ride a little smoother. Which also begs the question that maybe I should lower the pressure for better traction in the snow such as 35 or 36 just to keep it above the low tire pressure warning. Any opinions here on that?

Tires naturally lose pressure when it gets cold and gain it back when it gets hot - physics. It is necessary to add air in the fall/winter and remove air in the spring/fall on a perfectly sealed tire to maintain the recommended pressure.

I wouldn't run it too much lower than the recommendation, or you run the risk of wearing the outside edges of the tires faster, which has been an issue with our heavy trucks and 'round the corner giddy-up, especially with the lower-pressure AT tires on the standard range trucks a couple of years ago.

 

[Adventureboy]

tried to drift our Lightning

Hah, we all try that.
Don't try this at home - we are trained professionals. And certainly don't show your young driver. If you really want to drift in an open parking lot with no obstacles, you can turn off traction control by pressing and holding the TCS button for several seconds until both levels kick off. Locking the rear differential with off-road mode will let the back end slide around a bit more too. Hang on - that's a lot of torque for no TCS.

Note for the Lightning winter newbies: Do not drive in Off-Road mode on slippery hard roads as this disables some of the traction control in the rear and can make things quite a bit worse on the slipperies.

 

[bc1]

Thanks. I understand the cold affect on tire pressures but not 10 or 11 psi worth when it just barely dropped below freezing which is why I suspect the dealer didn't have them up to snuff to start with. I've topped off tires for getting too close to 60 winters now. But then probably only about 12 to 15 years of dealing with a stupid low pressure reminder on the dash to bug me and keep reminding me when one has a slow leak but not all cars give a four tire pressure readout.

 

[davehu]

Just wondering what tires the op is using and what pressure? With my new Flash with the Goodyear Wrangler tires and just hitting freezing temps this last week, I got low tire pressure warnings of 31 to 33 psi which is a long ways from 42. I aired them up to 42 which is what is recommended on the pillar but now wonder if the dealer purposely lowered them to make it ride a little smoother. Which also begs the question that maybe I should lower the pressure for better traction in the snow such as 35 or 36 just to keep it above the low tire pressure warning. Any opinions here on that?

video says Toyo Open Country AT III's EV

 

[Firn]

I have one complaint with the Lightning after our recent snow storm.

Its too stable. Or... in the snow, its so stable its not communicative.

With snow, slush, rain, and freezing water normally I can feel a difference in the vehicle when it transitions to a slippery surface. Its like they get up on their toes, or get light. The truck? Its just barrels through.

Hitting the highways back during the snow it was concerning, it felt like we couldn't fully judge the condition of the road. Or said another way, it felt so stable it seemed like you could go faster than you should.

 

[chl]

Didn't watch the video, but this truck is definitely great in the snow from my experience last winter.

I had to pick up my adult son (RIP) at a bus station.
On my way there, on the main 2 lane street there was a bus sideways across the road.
I took a detour and got to the bus station.
On the way I saw bumper to bumper stopped traffic trying to get up a hill on the main 4 lane road headed south from where I had come.
To get him to his motel, we took an alternate route south, a two lane less traveled road.
Along the way we encountered a snow-plow-dump-truck that had slid off the road into a ditch and was being pulled out by a front loader - which was having it's own problems.
Near the end of the journey, there was one more hill to climb, lots of pathetic SUV's, Jeeps and sedans struggling to get up it, sliding off one side or the other.
I found a way through that mess and had no trouble climbing the hill.

It seemed that any time there was a snow or ice storm, he would need a ride somewhere.
If the snow was not to deep, I'd take the front-wheel drive Prius - it does really well most of the time.
If the snow was deep, I used to use my 2001 Ranger with several bags of sand in the bed over the wheels - even so still a slip and slide ride sometimes.

I would have no qualms about taking the Lightning out in the snow in the future - except the for other bozo's on the road in SUVs, Jeeps, or sedans that are the real danger!

 

[bc1]

"If the snow was not to deep, I'd take the front-wheel drive Prius - it does really well most of the time.
If the snow was deep, I used to use my 2001 Ranger with several bags of sand in the bed over the wheels - even so still a slip and slide ride sometimes."

Couldn't make the quote work.

My Prius did good in deep snow if I didn't stop.
So do we need to add any sand bags in the bed of the lightning for snow or sheet ice?

 

[Aminorjourney]

We got our first real snow storm and I decided to go play in the snow with my Lightning. Check it out if you are interested.

It is amazing in the snow. I watched it earlier (Hi! Yes, We watch)

It's less good in the ice under fresh snow on a gravel trail at 20 mph... I still find it amazing that I managed to run into a power line, pull the power line on top of the truck and walk away...

 

[jobofly79]

Wow glad you are ok! Thanks for watching.

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