Does fine with the proper tires. Nothing does well in snow if you don't have the right ries.

 

Vans or trucks that are good in the snow are good in the snow regardless of good tires my 1998 chevy van was good even with fare tires
I can't say the same for a 2016 Ford transit this vans is terrible in the snow even with good tires it takes skills to control this beast Earlier models just have a poor weight distribution design ,Ford has made substantial changes to its X/Y DIS in response.I suggest 2018 or newer models equiped with better suspension and transmission design.
I must say they drive Beautiful with plenty of power on tap .

 

Okay great thank you! Do you have the extended version?

 

What is this "snow" you speak of?

 

It's this white stuff. You've seen it.

 

Not well in my experience. I wasn't able to make it up a slightly inclined road near donner lake with studded snow tires and the limited slip differential. My buddies subaru with snow tires made it easily. YYMV

 

Your buddy's Suburu is front wheel drive, always superior in snow to any rear drive vehicle. ProMaster is a front wheel drive.....ugh!

 

If you're going to live in a van, maybe live in it down South in the winters and avoid the snow.
Snow tires, weight in the back, driving with competency; you would be fine on any plowed road.
No, you won't be able to drive safely at 70mph on snow and ice, you'll have to go 35mph. Hope it isn't a long commute.

 

I have a 2016 extended with 225-75-16 Cooper AT3's. I just got back from the San Juan's in southwest Colorado. Drove through a blizzard in western Kansas, had to wait for four hours till the police in Ulysses let me drive on. It did great. The conversion weighs about 7900 pounds. I also have a limited slip dif. I will say I dove in snow last year on the stock Hankook tires and thought I was going to hit the ditch going up a small hill in front of my house. It was scary. Proper tires make a big difference. I brought chains but did not use them.

 

Newbie here,


I have a larger 2016 Sprinter Cargo van it sucks in the snow but we deliver 160lbs oxygen takes I put two in the truck and I'm good to go!! Tires and weight! Just my two cents.

 

So adding 320 pounds in the back of a 5,000 - 6,000 pound van makes a noticeable difference?

 

A transit van with the stock Vanco or Dynapro tires and non limited slip is horrible in snow. There was a transit van by me that was stuck in 2" of snow on level paved road. You need snow tires which is the first priority and a limited slip differential like the factory limited slip or an Eaton truetrac helps out a bunch as well.

 

I have the limited slip from factory, without snow tires this thing is a dog in snow and forget about movement on ice, but with proper snow tires it does okay. some things to always remember though. when you do get stuck you will need to disengage traction control to get unstuck, it detects wheel slip and chokes back the engine and brakes the tires to a point that you just cant move. but turn it off and the rear wheel spins enough to transfer movement to the other side and back and forth which is the trick to getting unstuck. just to recap, with snow tires and knowing that once stuck turn off traction control but turn it back on once free, and this is a fairly good snow truck. PS weight in back is always helpful as well.

 

This is my first winter with a Transit, and I live in a lake effect snow zone.
I chose the Cooper Discoverer AT/W in LT225/75R-16 Load E. My Transit has the 3.31 gears with Limited Slip.

I've been out on ice and snow several times this winter and have not had anything to complain about. The winter tires with the limited slip seem to be pretty capable. My regular cars all have AWD with winter tires, so I'm pretty spoiled.

 

My Subaru is very low powered, but it handles better than anything I have ever driven on slick stuff. My previous E250 van was the worst thing to drive in slick conditions. It would get stuck on flat grass when the dew settled. I have not had my Transit on slick stuff yet, but I am expecting the same.

 

Hello all,

Does anyone have insight/experience on how the Ford Transit Extended does in the snow? We are looking to purchase a Transit Extended for vanlife but a little nervous of its capabilities in the snow.

Are you looking at a cargo or passenger van? It's been discussed on here several times that the amount of weight over the drive wheels isn't as important as the percentage of weight over the drive wheels. i.e. a long bed crew cab pickup has more weight over the drive wheels than a Honda Civic does, yet sucks in the snow compared to the Civic.

Using the Ford Specs document for published weights over axles, a regular 130" WB transit cargo weighs 800-1,000 pounds LESS at the rear axle than the front axle, depending on which engine you have. My T350HD cargo van has about 130 pounds difference between front and rear axle, so a greater percentage of the overall weight is rear biased with the high roof and extended body length. I would suspect that this would translate to better traction.

A T350HD passenger van weighs from 500-700 pounds MORE at the rear axle than the front axle.

In any of these scenarios adding weight to to the rear with a conversion will help with traction, and using actual snow tires will make the most noticeable difference.

In a nutshell, a short wheelbase cargo most likely sucks in the snow compared to a T350HD passenger van with the same tires, which explains the variety of reports on this forum regarding snow traction.

 

Just curious where you find your weight over your front axles versus rear axle? I have a 2016 ford transit 250 Mid height, 148" WB. It's a cargo van built out into a light weight camper (build doesn't weigh much with bed, bike slides, electrical system, wood floors, cedar walls, wood ceiling, bench and shelving for storage). Trying to figure out how to get this thing to drive better in the snow. Last year I had studs (came with the rig) and 200 lbs of sand in the back. It did okay, but I'm looking into the LS differential and snow tires. Any other suggestions on weight in the back, tires, LS diff.

thanks,

Matt

Are you looking at a cargo or passenger van? It's been discussed on here several times that the amount of weight over the drive wheels isn't as important as the percentage of weight over the drive wheels. i.e. a long bed crew cab pickup has more weight over the drive wheels than a Honda Civic does, yet sucks in the snow compared to the Civic.

Using the Ford Specs document for published weights over axles, a regular 130" WB transit cargo weighs 800-1,000 pounds LESS at the rear axle than the front axle, depending on which engine you have. My T350HD cargo van has about 130 pounds difference between front and rear axle, so a greater percentage of the overall weight is rear biased with the high roof and extended body length. I would suspect that this would translate to better traction.

A T350HD passenger van weighs from 500-700 pounds MORE at the rear axle than the front axle.

In any of these scenarios adding weight to to the rear with a conversion will help with traction, and using actual snow tires will make the most noticeable difference.

In a nutshell, a short wheelbase cargo most likely sucks in the snow compared to a T350HD passenger van with the same tires, which explains the variety of reports on this forum regarding snow traction.

 

From someone living in snow/ice country (me) :
- without limited slip it's lame (mine didn't have limited slip during my first winter, I upgraded before the next one !)
- with limited slip it's just below average
- good snow tires help but it's no magic
- finished conversion (adds weight in the rear) helped a lot... with limited slip (mandatory if you ask me, it's lame it's no standard) + studded tires already installed !

Still, it's definitely not a great vehicle for snow driving, it just does the job and you'd better take your time...
I also always carry a pair of chains, which I never used in normal driving conditions but I had to install them a few times to get in or out of parking spots when I go skiing during a snow storm, and at every snow storm to access my parking spot at home (100ft very very small climb...)

 

^^These last 2 posts are gold. Thanks!

-Tom

 

Transit in the snow

we have the 148" extended Transit and it does great in the snow with the Nokian Hakapalitta snow tires. We drive it regularly up to Mount Hood to ski and haven't slid once in the snow. We have a bedslider in the back along with a water tank that adds some weight which helps with the traction as well. We carry chains and a snow shovel just in case, but havent had to use either yet. Good luck!

 

Doing my first winter with our T350 XLT 12-passenger (so it is the extended version)- I don't have the limited slip (dang). I do have it on stock size Continental studless snows. Running without weight and stock tire pressures, it was terrible. I added 420 pounds to the back axle (sand tube bags) and lowered the tire pressures to about 52psi. The weight and the tire pressures were huge changes to the traction and now it's manageable. My typical load is probably 6 people, so the lower tire pressures are acceptable. I'd have to air up for extended highway or heavier loads.

From what I could find, curb weight on my unit is just over 6,000 pounds. With my added weight and then normal passengers I calculated my distribution probably around 50/50, maybe a little heavier to the rear.

 

Our 350 is 8000lbs, open rear diff, has T/A KO2s and was a beast while were in Quebec and Newfoundland over Christmas and New Year's. Doodling around in 8"+, ice, slush, icy mix, sleet, high winds, etc with not an issue.

Now high winds...

 

144, extended high roof with 3.5L.

 

Snow tires or AT tires that have been siped are a must. Also tire pressure is big issue, We have a Transit 350 mid roof, ext wheelbase but not the longest model. Recommend rear tire pressure is 71psi in order to carry the 3500lbs; front is 52psi. With the TPI system, you’re allowed a 25% drop from factory recommendation before warning light stays on. So I run 52 front & 58 rear, no TPI light and makes a big difference with traction. Finally, We have a Quigley 4x4, so when everything else fails, we can still make it to the mountain or back home. Our van was plowed in last week during a snow storm with Subaru’s & Explorers stuck but our van pulled out like it was nothing, albeit in 4x4 ?

 

transit 250 cargo - stock tires, light snow fall, less than 1 inch, and the van was paralyzed.
placed 2 50lb bags of gravel and,
bought bridgestone blizzak and waiting for the next snow fall to see how it goes.

 

Hakapalitas and around 500 lbs of sand bags in the back. I've passed snow plows in heavy snow storms with this combo here in Wisconsin. Not quite as good as my jeep with snow tires, but almost unstoppable.

 

On my trip in Kansas City, I used the Tow Mode to help with slowing down the Transit without using the brakes. With the TM engaged, it will help when going down a hill and with a light touch of the brake, it downshifts the transmission to help slowing down without heavier braking pressure.

 

On Friday I picked up my new Transit from Matt Ford and began the drive home to Colorado. I bought a 2019 T250, HR Cargo, 148” WB, 3.5L, 3.31 LSD and had the dealer install BFG KO2 255/70R/16 tires before I picked it up.

I spent three days driving through heavy rain, sleet, snow and ice to include driving over Wolf Creek Pass (12,000’) on a snow covered highway. I drove conservatively, but was pleasantly surprised by how the van handled. This is my first time driving a RWD vehicle (my daily driver is an Xterra) and I never felt like I was going to slide off the road. The only things I had in the back of the van were the 4 original tires, so I’m guessing it will handle even better once I get it converted and have more weight over the rear axle.

 

2017 148" medium roof, eco, limited slip


Picked the van up over a year ago 3 hours away. Got it home with no issues. First light dusting of snow and I took the dog for her walk in the van and got stuck in about an inch of snow on a slight slope.


Replaced tires with KO2 started build. Still NOT impressed with traction.


Warmed up and I added more items. Not sure how the extra weight would do. Ran my van to the mountains and I was not upset but not really impressed.

This year we have had very little snow. Last weekend ran to the mountains and I got it stuck on a paved road with some ice, NOT impressed.


We got a snow storm a couple days ago. Then yesterday I added a couple sand bags to the back end. The guy I bought them from said they are 75lbs each, I say 100 plus each.


Took the van out today and WOW BIG CHANGE!!! I am happy. Did a few tests like backing down a snow covered hill, stopping then trying to drive back up and not an issue. Even without the limited slip it is so much better. So today took it to a isolated lake with a trail around it. Pulled off the trail and parked on the snow covered shoulder and not a problem. Did a pile of turns and start and stops in the snow and no issue.


I can say that I am a lot more happy with the van now, I would take it to the mountains without hesitation now as before I was cautious.


My Build


My build and info on my blog

 

I have studded Nokian Haks. They are nice tires and bite well on ice. But if you have two -three inches of snow this van is a hand ful.

I have limited slip and carry a lot of weight in the van. It's heavy.

I find if it's going slower up residential hill or back roads it is best to turn off the traction control. It cuts the throttle and you lose momentum when climbing a hill. The tire spin is easier to manage to keep the inertia. But if you going down a road 30 mph etc, you should have it on, as it corrects slippage quickly and is safer.

But I do need to turn it off climbing a hill or I will be stopped halfway up with no throttle to use.

Ford is stupid to not just bring in a factory 4x4 or awd already. Yes there is a demand. If I switch to Mercedes it was for that reason alone.