Driving in snow

I just bought a brand new Taco in Florida, which is where I've lived my whole life. This weekend I will be driving up to Fort Knox, which is where I'm stationed. Can anybody tell me what I need to look out for/ what I can do to protect my Taco?

And no, I'm not excited to leave my comfy 70 degrees to go back to single digits... BRR!

 

Is your new truck a 4x4 or PreRunner? And congrats on the new rig!

 

Speeding up is easy. Stopping isn't.

 

Yessir, got the 4x4 TRD Sport. She purty

 

Oops, sorry, I mean Staff Sergeant, not sir

 

Slow down, and as they will tell you in Kentucky "Bridges freeze before roadway" Watch for changing conditions, and if you start to slide try not to overcorrect. Remember if the ABS activates you will under steer. If you are under steering while trying to turn try taking your foot off the brakes. When you get a chance go to a empty snow covered parking lot and get some experience

Took basic at Fort Knox, let's just say it was awhile ago

 

Re driving on snow/ice. I call it tippy-toe driving, because all your control inputs are gradual. No sharp steering movements, and gentle on the brake or gas. Leave lots of room (4x dry conditions) to accelerate and stop. If you are driving slow because of weather/road conditions on a highway, then use your hazard lights to warn the folks that might be coming up too fast from behind you.

Protecting your taco:-
Winter tires are a must in many places. The rubber compound in winter tires is different, stays flexible in cold temps. Look for the snowflake symbol on the tire. If you are mostly on slippery wet snow, plowed roads, or freezing rain occurs there, then ice tires are desirable. They have closely spaced tread blocks, and lots of siping - little grooves cut into the tread, and often a directional pattern. For deeper snow then a more open tread design, and these usually have deeper tread blocks. These will also have siping on the tread blocks.

Weight in the box helps a lot. Centering the weight (100-200lbs worth) over the rear axle between the wheel wells is best.

Synthetic oil will make your morning starts easier on the engine when it is cold.
(I gather your truck is unlikely to come equipped with an engine block heater, you should be okay without it.) Windshield wiper blades made for the cold temps.

ice scraper, snow brush, shovel, windshield washer fluid that will handle the cold, and bring a spare jug for long trips. rags to clean off the headlights,& tail lights when they get gunked up from spray & grime, and you can't see at night. Keep munchies, and water with you as well as blankets/warm sleeping bag should you get stranded out on the road by the weather. Spare set of gloves in the truck, and an insulating hat that will cover your ears. Hi Viz vest is a good idea as well, as it so much harder seeing folks walking near traffic in bad weather. (You're safer in the vehicle.)

Enjoy the adventure!

 

Haha, thanks for correcting, but back to the topic at hand...

These guys here are right, always take your time in snowy/icey conditions. The 4x4 will help you go, but will not make you stop any faster so give yourself about 5 times more room than normal to stop. All inputs should be gradual, and smooth.

X2 on finding an empty parking lot and learning how to react when you slide. You will slide when you start driving in snow, you just have to know how to compensate for it. Most of the time, I've found that letting off the gas and riding the slide out works well. The sheering wheel will turn itself, just go with the flow and don't turn it too fast to correct.

I'm from Georgia so I know that feeling about driving in the snow for the first few times, but got stationed in Nebraska for seven years. That's where I learned to drive in the snow, and now I can't figure out why the south still closes even with the threat of snow.

 

I was in the Inland Northwest (Eastern Washington, Panhandle of Idaho), when I went to Seattle or Portland in the snow the entire city would close down, with ½ inch of snow .

Like the others have mentioned, take your time, get to know your truck and how it handles in the snow. Don't do anything stupid.

 

x2 on all he's saying.

Plus, don't know what OEM tires your truck came with, but if they're the Rugged Trails (aka Rugged Fails), from what I've witnessed up here (AK) and read about on TW, they suck on ice. For snow and ice performance tires make a huge difference. IMHO, most OEM tires aren't very good on snow and ice. 4WD compensates for some of the getting going, but won't fix the maneuvering and stopping pieces, which are the most critical. My 2 cents FWIW.

 

Slow down, keep a minimum of one car length for every 10MPH between you and the person in front of you and change those All-Terrain Tires for ice and snow tires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYEMH10Z4s

 

two words

snow tires

 

re:steering

simply look to where you want to go, steer towards that direction (don't look at what you don't want to hit!) Adding in more steering input than that can get you into trouble, especially if you suddenly regain traction.

Ease off the throttle, and avoid locking up the brakes. Often (especially on ice) releasing the brakes altogether is your best bet, until the truck is going in the direction you want it to. Shift that automatic down a gear or two to hold your speed, long before you need to slow down.

 

Engine braking is very effective and helpful. Good point Rob.

 

Careful with the engine breaking. While it is good, if the downshift causes a steep climb in RPM, it can jerk the truck and initiate a slide on ICE. Just keep er slow and steady and definitely use your gears just be careful. And get Snow tires. Don't be the Ahole in 4x4 with off the lot tires thinking he's king of the road as he flies into a ditch. See it all the time going to and from the Mountains. And send some snow to Portland. It only takes 1/100 of an inch to shut us down

 

Very true, all Winter driving requires patience and a gentle, easy does it approach.

I see "that guy" a few times a week during my commute. Over confidence gets 'em all sooner or later.

 

The most obvious road condition is snow on the road, can't see the center line, or the curb line, and there's a wierd set of 3 tracks in front of you.

The less obvious conditions are:

Scenario 1: Road has been or is bare, good confidence and traction at highway speeds. it is lightly snowing onto the highway. Temperature is below or near freezing.

What happens as vehicles drive over that light snow accumulation, is the friction of the tire- road contact melts that little bit of snow, and then that water freezes in all the little micro valleys in the pavement surface. As the snowfall accumulates this freeze layer get thicker to the point that it reaches the road surface. The road surface looks semi-wet, or even have a shiny glazed look to it at times, but the surface is not white. There is not enough snow to bother plowing, though sanding trucks will be headed out. The change is gradual, and you tend to continue with your current speed because you have confidence.

This condition is very dangerous and sneaks up on you. Slow down on this stuff right away. In fact I've pulled over, and gotten out of the truck, and landed on my ass, it is so slippery, yet doesn't look like it. If you find your self sliding, move over one tire width to the right or left getting out of the travel path, and you'll find better traction.

Scenario 2: Road conditions are mostly, if not all bare. Temperature maybe below or near freezing. Usually occurs in fall or spring. You may notice beautiful hoar frost on the trees. The pavement has a darker look to it than normal, but it is not shiny. It is not snowing, and it may even be sunny out.

What is happening is the temperature of the road surface is below the current dew point temperature. Any moisture in the air is freezing to the road, producing a condition known as black ice. This is why bridge decks will freeze first, as they are over a water source (higher humidity) and their temperature changes more rapidly than the ground.

Beware of that dull, but darker than normal surface. Beware of areas in the early spring that are shaded, as the sun won't warm the ground, so the ground remains frozen longer. Avoid using your brakes on this stuff = instant slide. Only solution is to slow right down before you touch this stuff; once you are on it, it is often too late if you are travelling too fast.

 

You will be just fine with a 4x4. Just dont drive like an a$$ like a lot of people do that have 4-wheel drive vehicles. They think just cause they are 4-wheel drive they can do anything but when your losing control on a slick road brakes work the same as a 2-wheel drive vehicle so just keep that in mind.

 

I can do anything, because 4wd

 

This is a great summary. I would just add that I also carry a tow strap when driving in the snowy mountains.