What can I do to keep my 2 wheel drive Jeep Liberty's tires from losing traction on ice and rain slick roads?

Question

I have good tires so it's not that. I drive carefully and adjust for this, but the tires do not hold the road well and I find myself having to be afraid when road conditions are not ideal.

Answer 1

I own a pick up and had the same problem. I have 5- 70 pound sandbags in the back over the tires and axle. It is exactly what I needed to solve the same problem you're having. It does cut down you gas mileage a bit but is worth it for the handling in snow.

Answer 2

With automatic shift, use the shift

positions that are provided to move the

car slowly without spinning the wheels.

(See the car’s operating manual.)

With stick shift, use first or second gear.

When starting in the snow, keep the

wheels straight ahead and accelerate

gently to avoid spinning tires.

Decrease speed to make up for a loss

of traction. On packed snow, decrease

speed by half. On ice, slow to a crawl.

Always accelerate and decelerate gently

in snowy conditions.

Be extra careful with braking. Stopping

distances are about 10 times greater in

ice and snow.

Slow down the vehicle long before

coming to an intersection or turn.

Brake only when traveling in a

straight line.

Apply the brakes gently and release just

before the brakes lock. Repeat this

process with short pauses in between,

to avoid skidding. (If your car has an

anti-lock braking system (ABS)– see

the instructions for braking under

“Driving On Wet Roads."

Keep a safe distance between your

vehicle and those around you.

Watch ahead for danger spots, such as

shaded areas and bridge surfaces that

may be icy when the rest of the road is

clear, or patches of “black ice” (where

the road can be seen through a

thin layer of ice.)

When going uphill, stay far behind a car

ahead of you so that you will not need

to come to a stop or slow down, which

can cause skidding.

When going downhill, shift to a lower

gear (even in an automatic transmission).

Do this slowly to avoid skidding.

If the vehicle skids out of control, take

your foot off the accelerator and turn

the steering wheel in the direction you

want to go (toward the center of the

lane) until you regain control.

Answer 3

In the winter you could put studded tires on all 4 wheels. That will give you the extra traction you desire

Answer 4

Sounds like you should have bought the 4-wheel drive model.  You spent that much for a Jeep Liberty and couldn't spring for 20 bucks extra a month to get 4 wheel drive??  ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha......

Answer 5

The best solution is weight over the back wheels. Use sand, cinder-blocks... the lower the better. That will give traction for acceleration in slick conditions. Nothing will help it stop better other then different tires. And that may also be a limited solution. The higher center of gravity to the average sedan, gives it that tippy sense when going around corners. Again, there is nothing that can be done except maybe a shock/tire combination. But that won't give a lot of improvement.

Answer 6

do you keep weight in it?  like sand or something else in the back?  it might help a lot.  even bags of cat litter are cool bc if you get stuck, it's the best for traction.

Answer 7

You can get a set of cables for about 20 bucks that will help a lot but you have to hold your speed down to about 35 MPH.

Answer 8

Put something heavy in the trunk of your car like a couple of cinder blocks or weights.  That should help.  Good Luck!