Fish tailing in light snow..?

[bhwapiti]

I just returned from a hunting trip in Montana where I took my 2010 800 HD. Driving it on light snow covered roads was downright dangerous as the machine, in allwheel drive, 'fishtailed' so bad that you had to creep up or down the roads. It is like the machine is trying to push the front end and the allwheel is not engaged.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Thanks for the comebacks.

[Z71]

Lots of factors can influence how a vehicle handles in the snow, the temp, the prevailing conditions where wet snow is very treacherous, the ground conditions under the snow, the tires, the tire pressure (low pressure tires are terrible in snow, they float on top). Too wide a tire which causes the tires to push snow rather than plow thru it which can cause the rear end to wag.

Off-Raod ATV tires are not designed for snow/ice so they will act very different on snow than mud and dirt. Probably what you are experiencing. I use to get a laugh watching our paper girl try to drive her Honda Rancher on the snow cover streets with the stock tires, she was all over the place and could not stop it. She had fun doing that but a couple times I seen her bounce off a snow bank because she lost control on the snow going slowly. I seen her miss getting hit by cars also, you just can get the off road tires to grip in snow.

Just having 4x4 or AWD is not always the answer to better handling on snow or ice. We see that a lot on the snow covered roads here, sometimes you see 4x4 up on the snow bank or rolled over because the owner thought since it had 4 wheel drive he/she could go anywhere and do anything. Sometimes driving in 4 wd is not the answer. Believe me, I driven hundreds of thousands of miles over the last 30 yrs on all kinds of snow and ice covered roads. We average over 200 inches of snow from Nov thry May.

[bhwapiti]

Thanks for the info on the tires........I am running the stock tires at the recommended 10 PSI..........The local dealer has a call into the factory rep to ask them about this situation..........I am hopeing there is a fix as it does not work for me the way it is now.

Thanks again Z71.

[ELK_HUN10]

I am usually carrying quite a load on my RZR and I air my tires up to 15 psi. The more weight you have in your rig, the bettor the traction will be. I have chains on all four tires for my RZR and for my wifes Polaris 700. You may have to add another cross link chain plus about a foot on each side of chain to lengthen them so they will fit. I have used chains on my off road toys for 35 years and they have never fishtailed. If the trail is real steep, the stopping distance is increased a lot but you stay in control. Air temperature is a major factor in how slick the snow and ice is, once the tempature starts the snow to melt, it get very slick. With chains on it makes no difference in how slick the snow is. Even on bare ice, chains are good though they do cause some vibration. If you run the chains on pavement, they will get worn down pretty fast.

[bhwapiti]

ELK_HUN10:

Thanks for the comeback..............the more info the better..........I feel the front end is not engaing as soon as it should.........

PS......hunted your great state for elk for last 15+ years........wolves are taking over it seems.

[bhwapiti]

My Ranger is back from the dealer............they found nothing wrong. At least they did not charge me for the visit.

Got my plow on for the anticipated snow coming into the Black Hills in the next couple of days.....added 120 pounds of weight to the box ...waiting to try it out.

Is anyone interested in my plow angle adjustment system I rigged to change it manually from the cab? I may post pictures if you have any interest.

[Pilsburry]

I just purchased a 2011 EPS 800 as well, and yeah.... scary fishtailing in 4wd, I have owned alot of ATVs and 4x4s, nothing compares to how bad this ranger handles slippery roads. It almost seems like your back end is trying to push your front. Is there a way to engage your front tires permanently when in AWD, or does a back tire have to spin in order to engage every time ?

[bhwapiti]

Pilsburry.....Your experience is exactly the same as mine.........only in a 2010 800 XP. Un-resolved as of yet with me.

Talk to your dealer please and post back here what you get told.

Anyone else having a simlar problem?

Thanks for your consideration,

[Russ Chastain]

I live in Florida, so no snow experience... but from what I understand about the AWD system (as of my 2006 anyhow, from reading the owner's manual), the front wheels don't engage until your rear wheels slip. This seems lame to me, as there are certain times you do not want your tires to slip - for instance, when driving in snow & ice.

[bhwapiti]

That is what I understand also..........the rear tires have to slip 1/5th of a rotation in order to engage the front end.......

Believe me, it is scary on a steep, narrow mountain road with a drop off on one side...........going up or down did not make much difference...........there has got to be an answer to this.

Thanks for the post.