97 Mountaineer AWD Bad in snow

[JCat]

I have Michelin LTX MS2 tires on my Ex. It goes through snow great. We had 10" last winter, and it was unstoppable. The plows rarely come out in NC, and I live at the end of a country road, so they almost never show up in my neighborhood. I think your tires are the problem, as your truck is pretty much the same as mine. My tires don't have aggressive tread, but they work well in all kinds of weather. Just my opinion.

+1

I have these tires on mine. They are great compared to the BFG's that I have on my F150.

 

[masospaghetti]

I've heard that AT tires are not optimal for snow, even if they are good in mud or dirt, and that a tire like the LTX M/S would be more suitable.

I have Cooper LSX tires on mine and it did great in the snow we got last year.

 

[SoNic67]

The AWD T-case does about 65% to the rear and 35% to the front, as far as power transfer, so in that case the rear does get more power, so it will tend to fish tail.

That's for asphalt. If the rear loses traction, all the power will go on front. That's what the central differential will do in a couple of seconds (after VC heats up and locks up).

 

[blakshukvw]

Its your **** choice of tire. Sometimes cheap tires are just...cheap.

 

[Turdle]

That's for asphalt. If the rear loses traction, all the power will go on front. That's what the central differential will do in a couple of seconds (after VC heats up and locks up).

65 rear 35% front when slippage occurs. Drive never stops to the rear axle, which is what would have to happen for 100% to go to the front.

There is always more power to the rear than front, which is why the rear will sometimes want to walk around on very slick surfaces. The OP concern is normal operation.

 

[SoNic67]

The % are referring to torque split, not rpm's.
When one axle is spinning on snow and the other is on asphalt, you will have 0% torque on snow, even if the axle is spinning - you just have no "grip", therefore no opposing force to create the torque.
Torque is defined by force multiplied with lever arm (wheel radius).

 

[1996BLKBauer]

The % are referring to torque split, not rpm's.
When one axle is spinning on snow and the other is on asphalt, you will have 0% torque on snow, even if the axle is spinning - you just have no "grip", therefore no opposing force to create the torque.
Torque is defined by force multiplied with lever arm (wheel radius).

And when I'm sliding sideways through a parking lot with all four wheels spinning I produce no torque? lol.

 

[panthers06232]

I had a lot of slop in my front diff so I replaced it with a used one so now I need snow to see if that might help. Another question is I have a chatter when the truck shifts from third to fourth gear gets worse as the truck gets warmer im not sure if this could have anything to do with it maybe torque converter chatter but sometimes it shakes the hole truck when it does it but only last 3-4 seconds and stops and only on the shift

 

[JCat]

It is called "SHUDDER" and is common on the 4r70w tranny that is in the 5.0's

Most everyone claims that you can cure the problem by adding a "friction modifier" to your fluid OR by completely changing your fluid (using Mercon V ONLY)

I just purchased 14 quarts of Motorcraft Mercon V last night. I'm about to find out if this is true.

I did try a transmission additive (LUCAS) last year. It worked temporarily.

 

[ExplorerHarp01]

I always grab some bags of sand or I will already have corn in my X. Helps with weight in the back, we got about 3-5" last year and the only time I slipped is when I wanted to make some snow circles!

Also I have a 2 Wheel drive, with Goodyear Wrangler R tires