Tips for Winter Blazer driving
 

Hello all,

I am new to this site so please forgive me for such "new guy" kind of posts, but hey what else can I do? Anyways, I got my 98 Chevy Blazer 4 door 4 wheel drive with 100,000 miles about 2 months ago and I like a lot of things about it but now it's winter time and I need to make sure I'm ready. I need to make sure I am ready because I will be making a trip up to Wisconsin from Kentucky on Christmas Day and well weather could like it always does become an issue. Here are some things I have done to get ready:

1. I replaced my tires with brand new Goodyear Wrangler Radial All Terrain 235/75/15 tires.
2. Topped off my windshield washer fluid.
3. Got my alignment redone.
4. Driven in 4 wheel drive a couple times just to see it was like (I had only ever driven front wheel drive before this car in a 97 plymouth grand voyager, a 2001 saturn l200, and a 2007 toyota rav4).
5. Checked out my heating and cooling.
6. Put 40 pounds of kitty litter in the back of my car. (My co-worker said it would do it just to be safe)

Here are some questions I still have:

1. At what point do most people decide to use their 4 wheel drive when it's snowing? Is there a snow level threshold?
2. Is the kitty litter really going to anything for me? Or should I get some more weight in that rear end just in case of icy roads?
3. As a follow up to question to number 2, does keeping the gas tank above half-full help traction?
3. How good of tires do I actually have? (the last tires (cooper cobra radials) I had made me hydroplane everytime there was light rain. I hope to not encounter that again for a while and it hasn't happened on my new set)

Also, any other winter driving tips with a blazer are welcomed. Hopefully it snows down here once before I have to leave, so I can "practice" a little. Thank you all very much.

I try to use 4wd anytime the rear tires are having trouble gripping. being in 4wd can make it harder to steer and stop. the tires you have aren't proper snow tires, so they will get you around, but actual snow tires are far better. weight can either help of hurt you depending on snow conditions...hard to say a definite advantage either way. I keep my tank full during the winter, in case i get stranded, and because the tank wont condensate inside. try to drive in snow and ice like you have a bucket of water on your lap, keep it smooth and steady.
I'm usually the one in the snow drifts and doing donuts in the intersections, so i dont know if you should listen to me though. :)

I'm the guy that drives around town letting everyone know I have 4wd. Just slow down 4x4 is only good for acceleration grip. Don't think your Superman in the curves or to a stop.

I like the bucket of water reference Diata mentioned....that's pretty good. I never thought of it like that, but that's how I drive in slippery conditions. I've been driving 4x4 for about 25 years...with most of that time in the NE. You get this kind of gut feeling for the traction your truck is having with the road. Just remember that if you hit a patch of black ice the only thing 4WD does for you is give you 4 wheels that slip instead of one or two...the result is the same. One time I came of the PA Turnpike on an overpass into Pittsburgh just at dusk. Penndot apparently didn't feel a need to cinder the overpass and I put my truck into a Jersey barrier going about 15 mph. I was in 4HI and all the sudden I became a hockey puck...literally...that's exactly what it felt like. About $4,800 in damage. I got my truck off the overpass right away and before I could walk back an throw some flares down, 5 other vehicles wrecked at the same spot.

By the way...this happened about in full view and about 200 yards from the toll booth...PENNDOT wanted their money for the toll booth. When I stated that there was no way I was paying the toll, the response was "You still have to pay the toll, there's accidents going on all over." *sigh*

Apologies for going off topic a little :)

Being from Wisconsin, just take it nice and easy, leave a good amount of space between you and the car in front of you and you should be fine. The blazer's 4x4 will get you through almost anything you run into on the roadways, just remember 4x4 wont help you stop any quicker. Also, by the way the weather is going this year, there probably wont be any snow this Christmas for the 2nd year in a row (I need to move farther north lol)! Good luck and safe travels!

lol yep 4x4 if theres any posssbility of ice on the roads lol i learned the hardway already

give yourself lots of room to stop and go...nobody will get mad about you stopping farther back rather then in there trunk.

tire tread is important ..if your looking for tires look for the ones with the little slits in the tread

if you have a block heater...USE IT!!

when you go to warm your truck up (as long as you know it wont roll..) put it in neutral and it will warm the tranny as well (big reason the mid 90 to early 00 dodges up here lost the trannys)

if you question if you can make it (due to weather) where ever your going...dont go..lol aka dont drive in flat out blizzards lol

those goodyear wranglers are junk on ice, slow down and be easy on the throttle...you'l be fine... the litter may help if you get stuck on the ice....use it for traction by spreading on the ground...

I always found it helpful to find a snow covered parking lot (deserted if you can find one) and play around for a while in 2wd and in 4wd so you can see how your vehicle behaves in the snow. Not to mention it's a lot of fun too. ;)

true that. practice makes perfect. if you're used to it spinning out and sliding around while you're playing, you will handle avoiding real obstacles far better. especially helps learning how to slow and stop in the slippery stuff.

We get little snow here, so when it does people don't know what to do.

thank you all for your useful comments. I just wish so badly I had snow to practice on but oh well. GO BADGERS, GO PACKERS!!!