I just watched a few news casts on the snow in the Mid west today. There were so many people stuck in cars and trucks just spinning there tires like crazy and not getting anywhere.
If the majority of people knew that all you have to do is decrease your tire air pressure, a lot of headaches and accidents could be avoided.
In the winter in general it is best to run less air pressure in your tires anyway for better traction. for instance if your tires hold 35psi (full cold) then drop them to 28psi,it makes a huge difference!
If you get stuck or are losing traction then deflate your tires even more. When I drive on the beach I deflate my tires to 15-20 psi. driving in beach sand is a lot like driving in snow. Then when I exit the beach for the day I inflate them back up. I have tested this many times! I purposely drove on the beach with my tires full and headed for a nice section of DRY deep sand, as soon as I hit It I was stuck!
I got out deflated all tires to 20 psi, got back in and idled right on through. I have never gotten stuck with any of my vehicles in sand or snow.
All you need is enough air in the tire to hold the bead from breaking it's seal. So on average if you let them down to 20 psi, it will get you were you need to go or to a safe location. You can always fill the tires when the roads get better.
I learned this when I worked at my first garage as a mechanic, I used to have to goto tire seminars, and I learned a lot about tires.
I just wish the news would broadcast a useful list of things to do in the event of a storm, instead of just telling people to pick up plenty of bread and milk.
This is just a little tip to help if you lose traction. It won't help if the snow is deep and your in a low to the ground car or on ice covered roads.
****Just remember this is just recommended if you are stuck and the roads are snow covered. never drive a Vehicle on dry pavement or at highway speeds with your tires below the recommended fill pressure.****
Maybe everyone on here knows this already. But being that a lot of places are getting snow that usually don't I felt I should pass this along. There are plenty of other thing you can do also, but this is just the first of many snow driving basics.
Now be safe everyone!