RV Road Trips

Tires Are Important

Motorhomes, when delivered from the factory, are equipped with summer or highway tread tires. 

The reasoning behind this is to give you the quietest and most comfortable driving conditions.  A simple highway tread will not add the extra noise of a traction lug to your driving environment.  A highway tread tire will also provide better longevity -- always a good thing with the high cost of replacement tires. 

Of course, this leaves you at a distinct disadvantage when foul weather comes your way when you're traveling. 

To a small degree, you have the advantage of weight.  The heavier pressure applied per square inch of rubber on the road will help in maintaining traction. 

However, this can actually get you into trouble though because while cruising along you may feel stable and under control -- only to lose traction and slide as soon as you attempt to stop or slow down. 

Rear Wheel Drive vs Front Wheel Drive

Most current passenger cars are now front wheel drive.  Over the past 30 years, the average driver has learned how to regain control in a skid with this configuration of drive train. 

Motorhomes are rear wheel drive, so all those new generation driving techniques go right out the window.  It’s back to steering with a slide and pumping the brakes lightly in order to attempt to regain control. 

Applying power may actually make matters worse. Unlike front wheel drive vehicles, where adding power may allow you to steer out of a slide, adding power to a rear wheel drive vehicle may compound the skid. 

Motorhomes & RV Trailers Handle Differently

If a snow or ice storm is in progress, by all means, it’s wisest to get off the highway ASAP and seek shelter until the weather passes and the highways have been cleared and sanded.  Sliding off the road in a motorhome may be much more expensive than just getting towed out of the ditch. 

Motorhomes generally aren’t constructed strong enough to withstand the stress and twisting that will happen during an unexpected off-road excursion.  Permanent structural damage is a real possibility.

Towing a trailer on an ice-covered highway can quickly lead to a jack-knifed condition, with the trailer pushing you out of control.  Even if you have snow tires on your pickup, the weight of the trailer can easily overcome the traction of the truck and take you places you don’t want to go! 

Some of the lower states like Oklahoma, and Texas don’t do very well at snow removal or salting of the roads to remove ice.  It can easily take days before main highways like Interstate 35 have been cleared to good driving condition.  Many times, it’s up to Mother Nature who does the job by the heat of the sun. 

 

Be Prepared To Stop

When traveling during times prone to icing or heavy snow, you should always be prepared to be forced into holding up at some truck stop for days at a time until the roads are in safe traveling condition. 

The RVers who get into the most trouble are those who think they can make it through the storm because it’s not that bad.  Worse yet, are those from Minnesota like myself, who have driven year round in the worst possible conditions, so they think they can handle it. 

During one particularly bad ice storm, I pulled into a wayside rest area in the middle of Oklahoma.  I was only driving a little Ford Festiva (our Toad, aka small car towed behind our motorhome) and wanted to stop for a few hours sleep as I was driving from Minnesota back to Texas.  When I woke up a few hours later, the wind had slid my car across the parking lot and I was resting against a large dumpster.  That’s how icy the roads were!  Trucks were in the ditches everywhere.

Winter driving in an RV is best done on clear blacktop.  By scheduling the time to accommodate for bad weather, you will be more willing to drive conservatively.  If you recognize those times when continuing isn’t worth the risk, then you will be more likely to have a safe journey.  We all like getting back home without having to call the insurance agent to file a claim for damages.