• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

Driving Hmmwv in snow

alphaseventwo

Member
70
10
8
Location
Chesterton Indiana
As the biggest snow-fall of the year rapidly approaches the Chicagoland area (I'm in NW Indiana but still...) I'm real curious about other, more experienced hmmwv operators (notice I didn't say 'drivers' because I believe you operate these trucks) advice/experience with the hmmwv and how it does in snow? I havent taken it out in any deep stuff yet, but will be soon. Thanks in advance!
 

usmc81301

Member
156
1
18
Location
Bayfield CO
I am from CO and I have driven in 3ft of snow and more reasonable amounts for years and it does just fine. We don't have a ton of ice on the streets usually as probably your part does so it might vary in that aspect. If it is a bit slick on the road, the H/L will usually take care of that (or it did for me). I think the best thing to do is find an area off road (parking lot etc.) and see how it feels for you and get comfortable with the truck. I enjoy using it in the winter and have yet to get it stuck (within reason). Hope this helps a little.
 

jeffy777

Member
190
4
18
Location
VA
Disclaimer: Not the most experienced in snow but have a lot of snow experience.

The HMMWV is just like any other 4WD/AWD, better than any car-like 4wd/awd as far as capabilities. You can get through almost anything. DON'T BE CRAZY! Some people have an idea that means they can drive like it is sunny and 70 degrees, you cannot. Make sure it is warmed up and the snow is generally cleared from the vehicle.

The fact you asked the question probably means you are considerate and therefore you should enjoy winter snow go anywhere HMMWV fun. DON'T BE CRAZY! ;)

Jeffy
 
Last edited:

karlsmith

Member
40
1
6
Location
Sevierville, TN
Did a deployment in Kosovo (I'm sure my Korea Grunts can chime in here too about deep snow) where we had tracked snow cats way up in the mountains. The HMMWV eats up snow like it does any other terrain. The snow cats knocked down a path and the HMMWVs followed with no issues.
 

snowtrac nome

Well-known member
1,674
139
63
Location
western alaska
2 things to remember is it will get going in 4 wd faster than it will stop, and practice skid recovery in an empty parking lot. The awd function will work nice on ice and snow you will always stop faster in 4 wd lock because of the mechanical connection in the transfer case. Be advised this doesn't mean you will stop as fast as on dirt. if you start to skid pump the brakes to maintain control. for those with big trucks and auto transmissions if you lock the brakes on an Allison equipped truck the trans is going to down shift to first gear. That means when skidding you have to remember to burp the throttle to get those big tires spinning again and the trans to upshift. or you are going to continue to skid out of control.
 

cwajciec

Member
67
5
8
Location
Richmond VA
One thing I noticed is the rear brake bias is such that it locks the rear brakes first in the snow. That can be interesting but controllable if you are expecting it. I also had slightly better luck in HL than H on slick roads with a couple inches. I just left Chicago so I'm glad I'll miss it!
 

Skrilex

Banned
355
2
0
Location
Portland Oregon
Mud tires no good in ice and pack snow. AT or snowflake rated or even better an actual snow tire is much more grippy. But, who has time for that.
 

dhaumann69166

Active member
234
78
28
Location
Hyannis, Nebraska
They go great in the snow but in my experience they don’t do very well on ice. I have new mud tires so that could be part of the issue on ice. Also when choosing your tire for in the snow narrower is better. The wider your tire the more snow you are pushing in front of you.
 

Skrilex

Banned
355
2
0
Location
Portland Oregon
If anyone wants to GREATLY increase their mud tires performance on ice, rain and snow take them to be siped. The shop will slice them with blades and it makes them way better on slippery. The old timers say that it will also increase the lifespan of the tire by 25% also. The only down side is they can chunk out in desert conditions. It cost about 12$ per tire. We had my gf Toyos siped and wow do they hook up on wet streets.
 

m1010plowboy

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,912
2,724
83
Location
Edmonton, Canada
I forget what it's like to drive on pavement. Stopping gets me every time whether it's on snow, ice, hills, bridge cross-slopes, intersections, crosswalks....... when a guy 'didn't' see it coming' it's is very humbling and hummerbling.

The low traction on the back end was noticeable on an H3 I rented and I see the 'rear brake' lock comment here too. That's something to practice in a 'cornering' / 'braking' scenario. On a course closed to the public and under DSIUFTROU sanctioned rules, ......using the left foot for braking, the right foot for throttle, check how it responds under different speed and cornering situations.

Most heavy nose trucks I play with tend to 'snow plow' under heavy braking scenarios. If you're lucky, the front wheels grabs traction and the back end will snap around. It is a lot of fun under the right conditions and it's the only way to really find out what it can't do. I started drifting in gravel trucks in 82'. Using that two foot method, practice brake pedal pressure that still allows you to steer. Staying light on the brakes...then steering through most scenarios has kept me out of trouble so far. The second you 'don't see it coming' and stomp on the brakes, the mass will slide in the direction it's going, barring gravity/ road slope and steering traction is gone.

Maybe more than once, in black ice or inattentive stopping scenarios, this plowboy 'operated' surgically through near hit scenarios. Stopping and steering....monitoring brake contamination under heavy snow/ ice conditions.....ie, brake testing while in motion prior to needing them....and knowing the changing road conditions is mission 1.

Light rear end traction.

Rarely, you won't feel the back end begin to slip out from underneath you as you come out of a river-valley or anytime the engine starts pulling. I say rarely because you feel it in your belly and if you're pulling highway speeds in traffic it will fill your pants.

If you don't feel it break traction it's likely too late...however, practice "understeer" skid control at various speeds. Breaking traction at highway speeds, up hill, depending on the crown, can happen fast. Real fast. Tendency is to over-correct, snapping the back-end in the opposite direction. Practice high speed skid recovery with smaller corrective input than you would think.

Escape Plan.

I smashed into a tree, a field, a hill, is better than saying a bench, a light, a hydrant, a car, a person. Constantly scan for time and space to avoid the guy that didn't read your thread.

.........and use your cruise control on dry pavement only. What's it like to drive on dry pavement?
 

Action

Well-known member
3,576
1,558
113
Location
East Tennessee
If you leave the Humvee outside during a big snow, and you can't get it to start....Get out, walk to the other side, and clear all of the wet snow from around the intake. This is a situation that is helpful to have the tall stack.
 

98G

Former SSG
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,070
4,440
113
Location
AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
If anyone wants to GREATLY increase their mud tires performance on ice, rain and snow take them to be siped. The shop will slice them with blades and it makes them way better on slippery. The old timers say that it will also increase the lifespan of the tire by 25% also. The only down side is they can chunk out in desert conditions. It cost about 12$ per tire. We had my gf Toyos siped and wow do they hook up on wet streets.
What's the mechanism by which it increases lifespan?
 

Wire Fox

Well-known member
1,252
161
63
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana
Want more balanced braking? Be sure to load about 1 and 1/4 tons into the back before departing into the snow.

But for real, most older trucks meant for hauling loads will have break inbalance issues and harsh rear suspensions until loaded up to about their rating. This is remedied by dynamic suspensions and variable brake proportioning. Would be sweet to at least modify or brake system to have a laden and unladen setting, even if you have to go under-hood to make the switch.

Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
 

gtodan

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
115
46
28
Location
Marion, Iowa
It does very well in snow. But it will not plow snow. By that I mean if you attempt to navigate snow depths greater than frame height you are stuck. Sounds like a no-brainer but I have seen guys try to do it. The way they deice the streets leaves far too much corrosive material on that aluminum body and steel under carriage. Wash well after use.
 

alphaseventwo

Member
70
10
8
Location
Chesterton Indiana
SnowM998.jpg

Well, the snow was a lot of fun! The Hmmwv drove like I kinda expected it to. I spent the day trail-driving through about 12-16" snow in H/L and as long as you kept rolling it was just fine. It took awhile to get used to the understeer in the deep stuff, lower air-pressure helped this some. I did not weigh down the cargo area, but suspect that would help too. It did run hotter than I thought- up around 235-240- maybe from the wheels spinning a lot, and rpm 'spikes'? It did cool off once I got back on road and just ran it at a level rpm. (The fan never came on- should it have? not sure) Pumping the brakes lightly, and using the gears to slow down got me traction, and stopping. All in all a good time. Thanks for all the responses- helps stay safe for sure.
 

98G

Former SSG
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,070
4,440
113
Location
AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
Snow? What is this snow? We don't have it here in California. Is it available from Kascar?
It's this horrible white stuff that falls from the sky.

Then to add injury to insult, someone came up with the brilliant idea of adding salt to it to facilitate the maximum rate of corrosion...

Screenshot_2018-02-12-13-37-49.jpg

Screenshot_2018-02-12-13-32-05.jpg
 
Last edited:
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks