Originally posted by OffroadX:
I would suggest airing UP, not down. Unless you're in deep snow with no chance of getting down through it, you want HIGH contact pressure to open up the tread and bite down through the snow/slush/mud to get traction, otherwise you're more apt to spin/slide on top of the stuff you compress under the tire and get nowhere. If it's a heavy wet snow, air up. If it's a deep fluffy powder snow, air down.
Brent
AIR DOWN!
Don't know where you wheel Brent but that is plain wrong. You want to float on the snow, whether its heavy or powder. The only thing that slightly makes sense is that you would create more resistance by being a wider tire. But for the most part AIR DOWN.
We wheel alot in the snow here in Utah. You NEVER air up. We usually take tires that are 2 or 3 ply down to 12 psi, sometimes less. Sometimes even 4 psi, but then you run the risk of blowing a bead.
Momentum and flotation. If you can rock the X it is not stuck. Just keep compacting the snow until you can float on top of it.
NEVER go alone. NEVER! Take a tow strap that will allow someone else to "yank" you out. Not pull you out slowly, but a nice tugging yank. NO METAL ENDS ON THE STRAP! D-rings, hooks, etc. Don't forget to use a blanket/jacket or something over the strap in case it decides to go under full tension.
Extra clothing... a must, as mentioned above.
Shovel and other recovery gear is good, but it will never replace another vehicle. We just went up on Saturday and it took 3 Xterras to pull a full size Dodge Ram out of a mess. (His buddy in a Ford simply left him there and blamed him for not getting a Ford!!! - good thing we were up there!)
Snow wheelin is a blast. It is almost like being at Disneyland where you follow someone else's packed tracks, but when its time to plow into virgin snow there is nothing like floating on top of the snow.
On a lighter side, the stock step rails are great pontoons... give 'em a shot sometime, they actually keep the X floating!
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