Impression of first time on slippery road

[athertonbt]

There will be a lot of Mavs sliding around this winter as people get a feel for how they handle. Regardless of specs, no replacement for experience with the machine. I'm glad to have FWD vs RWD...unless you're loading up the bed with some weight, a RWD truck in winter is about as worthless as it gets. Hope everyone stays safe in the upcoming weather!

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[bgn]

The AWD is at least as good as Subaru's, so hats off to Ford's suppliers. The tires hold it back.

If you live somewhere that gets a bunch of snow, or if you're quite active in the mountains, I highly recommend a set of all terrains.

 

[wax87]

Started with normal but now in slippery after I got the swing as I mentioned.

did it do better in Slippery mode?

 

[RyanS93]

I experienced my first snow in my AWD Maverick, however I have Blizzak WS90s for winter use. I also used slippery mode and I was extremely pleased with the performance. I came from a Subaru (also with winter tires) and to be honest I prefer the Maverick.

That being said, as others have pointed out, tires are always the most important thing. I used to have a Fiesta, which was front wheel drive obviously, but with winter tires it was excellent in the snow.

 

[WildHorse]

did it do better in Slippery mode?

Don't know yet because I was driving slower after the skid. But as I mentioned, I felt the vibration/buzz clearly after changing to slippery mode.

 

[B2000]

I experienced my first snow in my AWD Maverick, however I have Blizzak WS90s for winter use. I also used slippery mode and I was extremely pleased with the performance. I came from a Subaru (also with winter tires) and to be honest I prefer the Maverick.

That being said, as others have pointed out, tires are always the most important thing. I used to have a Fiesta, which was front wheel drive obviously, but with winter tires it was excellent in the snow.

I had the first Fiesta- a 1979- and drove through many seasons of snow on the factory Michelin XZXs which lasted something like 70-80,000 miles due to the light weight and modest horsepower of the Fiesta. One particular day I had to try to get to work in the aftermath of a 12+ inch snow and the roads were still a mess. I finally gave up and went home but because of the traffic- I was getting traction.

 

[RyanS93]

I had the first Fiesta- a 1979- and drove through many seasons of snow on the factory Michelin XZXs which lasted something like 70-80,000 miles due to the light weight and modest horsepower of the Fiesta. One particular day I had to try to get to work in the aftermath of a 12+ inch snow and the roads were still a mess. I finally gave up and went home but because of the traffic- I was getting traction.

Mine was a 2012. Good little car. Low power + skinny tires is a great combo for the snow. Manual transmission was helpful too. That car went anywhere I wanted to and we get LOTS of snow where I live.

 

[pawalsh610]

You need a tire meant for slippery conditions. Those Michelins should be good for rainy surfaces but will likely be unable to handle ice well. You sound like you are in an area where snow tires are a good option.

The stock Michelins on my FWD Hybrid did not do well on snow/ice. I swapped them out for Blizak snow tires and the Maverick is now very good in the snow

 

[aitch-2-oh]

and have noticed the Mav gets a little janky when a wheel slips-

Funny! Although 'janky' has no measured Metric or Imperial value, everyone knows what it is and how it feels...and it ain't comfortable.

This thread is timely, as we plan to run around the bottom of the lake Saturday, eventually E on 94 towards Detroit. In blistering cold with possible (probable?) lake effect snow along the SE shore. Ugh. This thread has been a good primer for the event. Thanks.

 

[B2000]

Mine was a 2012. Good little car. Low power + skinny tires is a great combo for the snow. Manual transmission was helpful too. That car went anywhere I wanted to and we get LOTS of snow where I live.

People don't understand that you want skinnier tires to cut through snow instead of wide ones that float on top. My Fiesta had SR155-12s. That was the size always advertised with low prices because every other car had 13s or bigger. When I finally replaced them a set of 4 was about $100!

 

[FromAway]

Falken Wildpeak AT3W 245/65R17. These have been very good tires. I basically just use normal mode all the time. I've tried slippery, but honestly have to really try to lose traction. I've been in deep snow, offroad up a mountain, logging roads, rough rocky trails, and max 4K tow on 1200 mile trips. It has done everything I have asked of it. Very impressed with this little truck. Looking forward to giving it a coil lift and maybe some airbags once the warranty is up and some of these kits are better tested.

 

[Nw_adventure]

Falken Wildpeak AT3W 245/65R17. These have been very good tires. I basically just use normal mode all the time. I've tried slippery, but honestly have to really try to lose traction. I've been in deep snow, offroad up a mountain, logging roads, rough rocky trails, and max 4K tow on 1200 mile trips. It has done everything I have asked of it. Very impressed with this little truck. Looking forward to giving it a coil lift and maybe some airbags once the warranty is up and some of these kits are better tested.

I'm really liking the H/R lift springs so far - FYI

 

[NJ Pinelands]

The first winter storm is approaching east coast. I'm seeing cold rain but not wintery mix yet. Overnight temperature is in mid-20s so there might be a little ice on road ( but unlikely since it is raining right now but not yesterday or last night).

Now I was driving to work. On the first downhill with a turn, my Maverick slipped, swung to both sides three times. My speed was about 25-30 miles. It caught me a little off guard.

I should be a little more careful because the light rain usually makes the most slippery road. But still in comparison with my Subaru Outback with a set of almost end of life cheap tires, I'd say my Maverick AWD acted a little more.

Since this my first pick up (although still a car based one), I don't know if it is fair to compare it with a sedan/wagon. Comments are welcomed.

After that, I drove much slower and I could feel the slipping on every turn. So I switched to "Slippery" mode. After that, I could feel the driving difference immediately. I could feel the low vibration/buzz more, which is the typical feel as if I turned on the 4L mode on a 4WD SUV I drove before.

Have you put bags of cat litter, sand, mulch, etc. in the bed to help with traction ?

 

[CTYankee]

This will be my second winter with the Maverick. I don't recall any traction issues last winter. If I did, I probably would have switched to my Wrangler Rubicon with its AMP A/T's. I never felt the need to think about the tires (Conti's).

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