How good/bad is a transit van in winter?

rictus123

Is it going to manage to get me to work in the snow and frosty mornings ok? Or am i best get rid for a 4wd jeep or 4wd van even?

Just last year my car couldnt even get out the drive. Dont want this year to be a repeat.

vikingaero

Depends. Some Transits are FWD, some are RWD, a few are 4WD. If you're that concerned then a set of winter tyres would be better.

Stigy

All older Transits are RWD, with there being FWD and RWD versions when Ford started to introduce FWD to the lineup un about 2004 I think. All new short wheelbase ones are FWD I believe. The larger variations are still RWD. Depends on what your needs require. Are they any good in the snow/ice? Well I think any drivetrain with be hairy, be it RWD, FWD or AWD. If you already have a Transit, I wouldn't get rid solely on the possibility that we may or may not have a cold winter.

ScottishSapper

rictus123 wrote: »

Is it going to manage to get me to work in the snow and frosty mornings ok? Or am i best get rid for a 4wd jeep or 4wd van even?

Just last year my car couldnt even get out the drive. Dont want this year to be a repeat.

Basically it depends on how you try to drive!
Winter just passed I had no problem with either Astra est or my Transit. Both have normal tyres.
By the same token I drove round people with spinning wheels going nowhere!

rictus123

FWD 2004 model Transit....just want to make sure as i didnt see alot on road last winter/people from my work struggled to make it in in Transits;

Strider590

I would imagine it depends on your load, an empty transit van is going to struggle badly. I watched one trying to get up a medium sized hill near the town centre (in snow), ring road was blocked for nearly half an hour, it took 6 people to get the van up this hill. More if you could the one's that got a face full of mucky snow, gave up and walked off.

But! Last winter my local dual carriageway was thick with snow, cars travelling 20mph maximum in the clear lane and all struggling for grip..... Except for the occasional transit/sprinter that would belt past at 80mph as though there was no snow, I did cringe every time I saw one growing larger in my drivers side mirror....

I have this theory that the yellow flashy light actually emits pulses of heat radiation which temporarily parts the snow for the van driver
Either that or they were tw4ts :rotfl:

I was sure to video them flying past just in case they took out 50 cars further down the road and anyone needed a witness.

catflea

I think driving stlye is a large part of how successful your winter driving is, perhaps more than your choice of vehicle. Last winter I saw plenty of idiots in 4wd cars having difficulties and a few in the ditch :rotfl:

That said, my brother has a 1995 LWB transit which is simply awful when the going gets slippery, he even fitted an LSD and its still not much better.

Lum

Just stick some winter tyres on it, problem solved.

That said, have a picture of an RWD Transit failing to negotiate the slight hill at the top of my road

oldtoolie

Years ago when I had RWD vans, I would put a few sandbags in the back along with a a snow shovel. And I could use the sand under the wheels if I hit an icy patch. If it was really bad, I had chains and nothing stops you then. Has to be serious snow for that but it was Colorado in the USA.

Hammyman

rictus123 wrote: »

Is it going to manage to get me to work in the snow and frosty mornings ok?

Of course it is. Here's my mate larking around in his in a carpark one winter

http://youtu.be/kt3c49N1kFY

Just last year my car couldnt even get out the drive. Dont want this year to be a repeat.

Learn to drive and put some winter tyres on. Buying a 4x4 just for the few days of bad snow we get a year seems to be a bit overkill.

s_b

i run two transits
both rwd
one single wheel rwd
one twin wheel rwd
both hopeless once you have no load and have to stop on anything less than flat land
i parked mine up last winter in the week of bad weather didnt care to fill in insurance forms when i knew i was going to have to
fwd car with skinny tyres is the way forward on budget get to work transport