Does More Weight = More Grip On Snow? The Ultimate Test!

In cold, snowy winter conditions, traction can be your enemy, especially if you have a RWD pickup with a light rear, but the same applies to any RWD car, such as a BMW.

You often read online that you can simply put weight in the boot to improve traction, but does that actually work? And does it improve traction at the expense of handling, and cause the vehicle to be super unstable when turning corners?

To find out, I have a RWD VW Amarok pickup truck on the excellent General Grabber X3s. These are MT off-road tyres, so not designed for snow, and I get the grip of the combination in acceleration, braking, hill start and handling both unlaidend and with an extra 200kgs or 450lbs in the back of the truck.

Will it give me more grip? Watch the video to find out. Watch to the end to see bonus 4wd footage.

SHOW THE ARTIST SOME LOVE - DJ DENZ: Autumn Mourning to Winter Nights

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Chapters
0:00 - Introduction
1:17 - Hill Climb
4:55 - Braking and Traction
5:23 - Snow Handling
8:48 - Bonus 4x4 AWD Lap

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Further information on the tyres talked about in this video can be found on the Tyre Reviews website

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[el]

Can you test another myth: " Narrower tire in snow = more traction." Thank you.

[boytucb]

When people here had RWD Mercs back in the day, it was normal thing to throw a couple of 25kg sand bags to the recesses in the sides of the trunk for winter. It helped with the grip, and you could throw some sand in front of the tyre in emergency situation.

[clintk]

Canadian here, this is pretty common knowledge where I live. We get lots of snow and country roads aren't cleared often or well. Loading up the box with firewood, concrete blocks or snow is about the only way to get around in winter. Glad to see the knowledge being shared with others who may rarely or never drive in snow.

[jeremystig]

I found myself stuck on a snowy hill today, about 13-15% with a fwd car and winter tires. I couldnt make it up so i turned around and then i had the idea to drive up the rest of the hill backwards and it worked out beautifully because the weight of the engine pushed down on the front tires a bit more and that was enough to make them grip.

[rehamazlum]

hey, can you test, air pressure effect on snow grip ?

[dufonrafal]

As a general rule, trucks handle better with some load in the back because they're tuned for it.

[DEVUNK]

I can tell you from my snow plowing experience here in the snow belt that I used to put about 1000lbs of coal in the bed of my truck (heat the house with a coal stove, kept it covered under my tonnue cover) I know this is not apples to apples but having weight does matter to traction
With that 1000 lbs maybe a little less I had tons more traction, especially in a plow truck with a heavy plow hanging off the front of the truck which would take weight off the rear wheels.
It is a very noticeable difference. compared to driving my othere vehicles in the snow, the biggest difference I noticed in the plow truck with weight on both ends is you can stop, those tires dig when you need to stop,
I rarely get stuck, and when plowing large piles of wet heavy snow down long driveways or parking lots that half ton of coal in the back made the truck almost unstoppable
flying down twisty roads I had a few close calls but never slid off the road or under steered very much.
I have driven vw sedans, small 4x4 pickups, minivans(vans are beasts) and plow trucks without any weight or ballast in the back, driven in some pretty knarly conditions and I feel much safer and in control in a heavily weighted truck, no contest

I have some good friends that still plow and one swears to sandbags in the back at least 500 lbs and the other drives a 2wd dump with a salt spreader with no issues
its all anecdotal evidence but if you have a pickup of any size, load up on weight in the winter for sure

also with the weight the truck rides better, more comfortable, a little quieter, less suspension rattles and whatnot

[svkv]

As someone who has driven a RWD van unloaded and loaded (+1200kg) in the snow. I can say there is a massive difference in traction, going from constant wheelspin to driving like a tank. But braking is a bit worse.

[ALMXDP]

Awesome review as always! Great to see the difference when loaded, I've always believe it helps (owning a 2wd truck) but seeing the differences in terms of inclines, times and control is fantastic to understand that further.

[stephengolding-webb]

An old builder we knew used to have a thick paving slab in the back of his rear wheeled drive Bedford Rascal pickup just for traction in the winter. Seemed to work for him. 😃

[marcs]

What about tire pressure? Be interesting to see a comparison of dropping pressure down to see what happens

[PHILLIPS]

I put 250 pounds in back of my 2016 Tacoma it works all the time. Of course tires make a big difference as well. Good video and knowledge

[iarreolav]

I'm moving north in a 2wd rwd truck soon amd your videos area extremely helpful. And give me confidence.
I'm getting snow tires and adding weight to my truck.

[pigeonpoo]

Ahhh, so if I'm going to rob a bank in the Arctic, use a quad cab pickup and always remember notes in the cab, coins in the bed. Excellent consumer advice. It's why I love this channel 😂

[Matio]

8:29 - I know what you're trying to say, but more weight, does actually work like that in the dry. That's why F1 cars have wings and spoilers. Downforce provides more traction. If F1 cars could support a million kilos of downforce, they would do it (if rules would allow).
More mass, at a fundamental level, provides more friction. It's just physics. The equation being F=μN where N is the normal force determined by mass x gravity. μ is a coefficient, so for this purpose consider it gone. More mass equals more friction.
BUT, you are correct, adding mass to your Porsche will not give you better "performance", because the engine of course only has so much power per a given amount of mass. But it would in fact have more traction.
Anyway, love your channel and am a new subscriber as of about a month ago. Keep up the good work!

PS - The friction equation also explains why your air pressure test didn't go the way you expected. Friction is NOT a function of area. Surface area has never been physically involved in friction. A larger surface area does however, provide a larger contact patch and prevent you from sinking into sand and mud as easily. Digging holes is bad, but sinking in just enough to get the tread to bite is good. That's the delicate balance we all strive to achieve. Cheers!

[miketroup]

Any truck driver could have told you weight over the drive axle will help with traction

[jm]

I run 8 sand bags (400 lb) in the bed of my old GMC Sierra 4x4 in the wintertime... HUGE improvement.

[samuelmee]

Good video. I drive a regular cab 4x4 - box empty- all season tires. I have to throw into 4 just as you proved in this video in certain conditions. i'm 'thinking of throwing on all weather nokian wrg4 on my ford f-150 for next winter- Canada driver. Love to see those tested on a truck. Good work on channel. Been watching for awhile. Thanks for the content.

[danwood]

We have been adding sandbags to our rear wheel drive cars and trucks for decades. It's been a known fact in upstate New York that adding weight increases traction. Thanks for the video.

[evansisgreat]

Just had my new all season tyres fitted for my covid window visit from London to Scotland. I'm definitely hoping for snow after watching this! Looked mega fun, but also I learned something.