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Advice/review of 4WD options for snow/ice

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by Brentmeister, Dec 5, 2013.

  1. Dec 6, 2013 at 12:17 PM
    #21
    utahskierdave

    utahskierdave Well-Known Member

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    I agree with 4-Hi - slow down, leave room. etc...but I think I recall reading somewhere that for roads that are truly icy, you want to have your tires aired up to create the smallest contact patch possible (tall skinny tires are ideal for these conditions). The thinking is that a smaller contact patch puts more pounds per square inch under each tire creating more friction between tire and road. I know no one is gonna go buy pizza cutter tires for their truck but it kinda makes sense....big wide tires aired down would be the right call for heavy amounts of snow...
     
  2. Dec 6, 2013 at 12:39 PM
    #22
    kegman

    kegman Well-Known Member

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    I have driven on snow and ice for over 45 years. Follow the advise in this quote. Weight 250-300 lbs ( sand bags are great)just to the back side of the rear axle. Also remember you have no brakes and im serious here you have no brakes in these conditions and so your speed has to be adjusted accordingly.
     
  3. Dec 6, 2013 at 12:40 PM
    #23
    treaddy

    treaddy Well-Known Member

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    Slow down, and
    Leave a lot of room between vehicles.
    It's all about proper winter driving skills and route planning.
    Sure, 4wd, studded snows, and weight are great, which I use.
    But I see a lot of little shit boxes out there getting around fine, and we drive on snow and ice for almost 5 months of the years. That's why I bought a tacoma.
     
  4. Dec 6, 2013 at 12:41 PM
    #24
    fixer5000

    fixer5000 the logical one

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    i am 57 years old and that was the scariest weather event i ever witnessed
     
  5. Dec 6, 2013 at 1:05 PM
    #25
    TenBeers

    TenBeers Well-Known Member

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    Snow and ice are 2 different things. When turning tighter corners on ice, 4WD can actually cause the front tires to lose traction, so be light on the pedal.
     
  6. Dec 6, 2013 at 1:18 PM
    #26
    richardbui23

    richardbui23 That guy

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    did you make it to work ok? i had to drive from arlington to fort worth (the part close to the airport?) and the ice is crazy!
     
  7. Dec 6, 2013 at 1:37 PM
    #27
    TenBeers

    TenBeers Well-Known Member

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    Years ago I was driving up the tollway in a '71 Mustang tank. That tollway goes up and down as it dives under the cross streets. There was a thick layer of ice and you couldn't see any of the lane markers, just a white sheet.

    I was being very careful to gain and keep enough speed on the downhill parts so I didn't have to accelerate on the uphill parts. I slowly caught up to another car that was driving way on the left, with me way on the right. He got nervous and tried to accelerate up a hill. When I passed him, he was sliding backwards and looking at me through the window, and he just threw his hands up like, "what are you gonna do?" We were going all of 20 mph maybe. Once you lose traction, you don't get it back until you stop. Pretty sure he stayed off the divider, but not sure he ever got going again.

    Ice is the toughest, and Dallas gets some of the worst every year it seems. I don't even try to drive on it anymore, but I don't work at a hospital or utility. Here we mostly get snow, which is not nearly as bad.
     
  8. Dec 6, 2013 at 1:38 PM
    #28
    xbxb

    xbxb Well-Known Member

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    I'm from Kansas and we get the ice storms every few years. When it happens all the trees fall down (well not all but a whole bunch) and the power goes off. If it is at all possible don't drive around, stay home until things melt or some of the roads are clear. You may not be the problem but there will be a whole bunch of guided missiles called bonsai vehicles headed your way. They are called bonsai because the people driving them have there mouths wide open their eyes are bulging out and they are screaming as they head directly towards your truck.:boom: If you can stay home please do so. If not good luck. We are waiting for your report:popcorn:
     
  9. Dec 7, 2013 at 7:26 PM
    #29
    xbxb

    xbxb Well-Known Member

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    :yawn::yawn:We are waiting for your report
     
  10. Dec 7, 2013 at 7:28 PM
    #30
    MTgirl

    MTgirl too many frogs, not enough princes... Moderator

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    Yes! Brent! Where are you?!?! Is the Taco OK?
     
  11. Dec 9, 2013 at 9:48 PM
    #31
    azonicbruce

    azonicbruce Well-Known Member

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    Sorry to butt in but I did a search before staring a new thread. Here are a few pics of my adventures:
    After making it to the airport driving a rental Nissan Pathfinder from Austin:
    [​IMG]
    Uh, no ice scraper, so I had to just run the engine to thaw out
    [​IMG]
    Waiting...
    [​IMG]
    Still waiting... Took 2-1/2 hours to get to this point
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2013
  12. Dec 10, 2013 at 3:40 AM
    #32
    Wattapunk

    Wattapunk Stay lifted my friends !

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    I'll take any other road conditions before ice. 4WD is nice for traction but useless when braking. Tap the brakes way ahead of time to slow down. Some out there thinks having 4WD makes you invincible but ice will tell you otherwise. I can't imagine how you 2WD guys do it in icy weather since I was behind a 2nd Gen prerunner fishtailing when he gave it a little gas and we were only going 10-15mph. Another Prerunner was stuck at a residential stop sign spinning away when I stopped to help pull him out. So for those that says you really don't need 4WD(even in TX), I beg to differ. Unfortunately, for us that work in a hospital environment that never closes, I had this in mind when I bought the Taco and Jeep. It took me one experience being stuck with my wife and then baby one night in her CRV in a similar environment (some good Samaritan finally came to help) that I swear the next vehicle will be 4x4 and make it a point to lend a helping hand if possible.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2013
  13. Dec 10, 2013 at 4:01 AM
    #33
    MudFlap

    MudFlap Well-Known Member

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    Cool pics... Just an FYI though, an old credit card or something of the sorts (I use those casino "players cards" theyre plentyful and easy to replace) work pretty ok at scraping ice off windows and mirrors. Yeah I would have gotten it started with the heater just like you did but almost 3 hours to thaw out! WOW!
     
  14. Dec 10, 2013 at 4:52 AM
    #34
    kingston73

    kingston73 Well-Known Member

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    I had a friend in college (VT in blacksburg, va) who was from georgia, never seen ice and snow in the amounts we would get there. One day a lab class was meeting in a parking lot in the morning to go on a trip, this girl comes driving around the corner with her head out the window like Ace Ventura. Turns out she didn't know what an ice scraper was and didn't know how to use her defrost:D
     
  15. Dec 10, 2013 at 7:26 AM
    #35
    MTgirl

    MTgirl too many frogs, not enough princes... Moderator

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    that looks very cool (no pun intended) Maybe we need a new, winter themed banner pic for the site!
     
  16. Dec 10, 2013 at 8:14 AM
    #36
    azonicbruce

    azonicbruce Well-Known Member

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    Exactly. I was lucky enough to make it unscathed to the airport and from there back home. I purposefully took the back roads home to avoid as many other people as possible. 4wd will do absolutely great if you go slow enough. Unfortunately too many people get caught up in the need for "momentum" that they forget about the stopping part. Chapped my hide how many people still tailgate like crazy in the ice.

    And as far as buying 4x4, I've always said, the few times you need it.... makes it totally worth the extra cost.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2013

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