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How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Dakota
Date: February 11, 2007 06:42PM
With the prospect of the first snow looming, my question is how much weight is enough to give some traction to a rear wheel drive car and what that weight should be? Sand, cement, cinder blocks, sacks of potatos,...?
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: blusubaru
Date: February 11, 2007 06:45PM
What type of car?
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Dakota
Date: February 11, 2007 06:47PM
One is Cadillac CTS the other Dodge Dakota pickup.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: BigGuynRusty
Date: February 11, 2007 06:47PM
Real deadly, load shifts.
Front or rear wheel drive?

BGnR


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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Racer X
Date: February 11, 2007 06:47PM
anything that is heavy, and won't shift around (causing damage to the quarter panels)

many use bags of playground sand, or beauty bark, and then do some yardwork in the spring.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Dennis R
Date: February 11, 2007 06:48PM
I would go with sand or cat litter. Besides the weight in an emergency they can be put under the tires for traction. You definitely do not want anything hard like cinder blocks. In an accident they could become dangerous flying projectiles.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Dakota
Date: February 11, 2007 06:48PM
Is it even effective or is it just urban legend?
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: blusubaru
Date: February 11, 2007 06:51PM
I've always used bags of salt as I usually know someone who uses a hard water softener and appreciates it at the end of the winter. That'd work for the Caddy, but for the truck you'd probably want those turbo tubes of sand. I had 300 lbs of that in my S10 and it did alright. That'll run you about $20 at Lowe's for five 60lb bags. Other than that, keep you gas tank full. That's about 5lbs a gallon and you may need it if you get stuck smiling smiley
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Dennis R
Date: February 11, 2007 06:53PM
Quote
Dakota
Is it even effective or is it just urban legend?

I live in the Buffalo, New York area. It is what we use.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: lafinfil
Date: February 11, 2007 08:20PM
I'm with Blu - bags of softener salt and then I use them up when the snow melts

Hey Blu - you better stock up. You see the forecast ? They're saying 8" to 16" coming on Mon / Tue


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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: blusubaru
Date: February 11, 2007 08:32PM
Yah, but I've got the Subaru now smiling smiley No more S10, no more weight needed. Just tell all the nervous drivers to get out of my way.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: Phy
Date: February 12, 2007 12:03AM
Cat litter-- which has gotten me out of a couple icy places in the past.


"Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry." -William Butler Yeats
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: mikebw
Date: February 12, 2007 03:01AM
I've driven my car through many a snow storm with no problems, no extra weight needed, but I usually carry a shovel in the back in case I should need it (for myself or anyone else). Perhaps the car is just heavy enough by itself, or maybe I have good tires? Yes, it is rear-wheel drive.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: spearmint
Date: February 12, 2007 05:54AM
If it is a front wheel drive which most cars are, it won't help at all. In fact I cannot think of a RWD new nowadays maybe the big luxury cruisers.



Da Good Life
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: DP
Date: February 12, 2007 06:30AM
The Charger isn't a big luxury cruiser! Most RWD's have traction control now but some weight still doesn't hurt except for lowering your fuel economy a bit.
Using litter or sand are good choices as you can throw some under your tires for traction if necessary. Also, if you have salt the bag can rip and get the salt in nooks and crannies that can corrode metal.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: michaelb
Date: February 12, 2007 08:22AM
Weight in the back can make a huge difference; the difference between driving around pretty well and sitting there spinning hopelessly. Sand is the heaviest option, so that takes up the least space. They sell tube sand for that purpose. Good tires are also very important.

Not sure if there is any safe way to weight the back of an open pickup, since even tubes of sand will go flying in an accident. So RWD pickups can be very dangerous on snowy roads.
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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: lafinfil
Date: February 12, 2007 09:50AM
>
> Not sure if there is any safe way to weight the back of an open pickup
>

I have a topper on my current truck and no 4X4 so I will do the salt bags,
but I used to have a 2WD and an open bed and I just filled it up with snow for weight

A bed full of the the wet heavy stuff isn't going anywhere until spring !


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Re: How much weight in the trunk?
Posted by: billb
Date: February 12, 2007 10:35AM
I've just thrown snow in the back of my pick-up, but it's 4WD, and I've found I really don't need it, and I've helped with rescues up and down highway embankments for flipped over cars' occupants..
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