Winter Driving in a TRD Sport

living in Vernon bc and working up north as a truck driver I can give my suggestions with the included traction control buttons.
1. I would be in 2wd with no extra buttons pressed. standard 2wd mode is open rear diff and stability assistance so if you do kick out the back end it will apply the brakes appropriately to straighten it back out. if you are slipping a tire it's a sign to slow down and decide if it's 4wd mode.
2. I would run in 4wd under 50mph in this condition. you can decide to engage the electronic lsd at this point which will allow more throttle control by the pedal and less restriction on the slipping wheels. disengaging the traction control all the way (press and hold till it states off) would be great for attempting hills you need to take runs at off road or maybe driveways filled with snow.
3. 4hi w/tc off - I would use this for most situations so you don't break you tires free of traction and lack of severe binding in sharper turns (shouldn't be that bad) and use 4lo under crawling or slow moving conditions. make sure to apply the yellow wire mod asap if you do this off-roading more then 4 times a year.
4. parking binding happens but if your in a parking lot needing 4wd you wouldn't be binding. try 2wd with electronic lsd engaged (traction control button pressed once) and enjoy easy steering.

tires are a huge part of driving in the winter and I run duratracs year round. in bad weather I go from 38psi in my 275/60r20 p rated tires down to 25-30 depending on conditions. I drive the "highway thru hell" road like its a Sunday drive

 

The previous version of the BFG AT's were not known for good mud and snow traction because the treads would load up with mud/snow and not clean out well. However, the recent redesign is said to have greatly improved clean-out, and several online and magazine reviews have confirmed this. I have the previous version (came on my '13 Baja) and have a friend with the newer ones. Big side-to-side differences. That said, I have been running BFG AT's design for decades - on a '78 Bronco, a 2000 Dakota, and now the Tacoma - and never had any complaints. They are a good compromise between street and off-road, and I had no issues with them when I lived in Pittsburgh where the hills are steep and the snow is bad.

 

Oh Ok. That I don't care about. All as I care about is traction. I was always told you want skinnier tires for snow so I was a little worried about this year with my new BFG's. But I'll tell you, this morning they seemed great. So far so good. But when we get the real stuff will be the big test.

 

Harder = less traction and faster wear

 

What are all these traction modes the OP talks about?

 

Hard compounds mean slower wear. Soft compound winter tires wear faster.

 

See post #6.

 

My 09 taco is great in the snow. Road tires and no weight. I rarely need 4HI unless up a real steep hill or huge drifts.

 

Yeah I went back and started reading that. Have no clue what all that is. Probably will never use them.
That post really doesn't explain what things are, just that they are there for XYZ conditions. So not very helpful.

 

yes and no. there is a point where hard tires scuff and wear faster. mostly with year round tread patterns. however wear is truly based on rubber compound. when rubber hardens it wears faster due to excess friction when running down a road. it's basically like doing a small burnout every time you press the throttle.
another comparison is tread siping actually extends tire life due to this same reason as well as increasing traction.

 

My current set of BFG's have 25k on them and are hardly worn. The last time I replaced a set was on my Dakota. They had 50k, plenty of tread left, but were starting to show cracks in the sidewall from drying out. They were probably 6 years old. The truck left us at 130k still on its second set. The original Good Years were shit, and were nearly bald at 30k.

 

I haven't had a chance to drive my Tacoma in the snow yet but have driven other 4wd and awd vehicles extensively. I had a 98 ranger and a 97 dakota. Most of the time i was driving in 2wd unless the snow got deep enough, usually 5-6 inches was where i was putting it into 4hi. My ranger had Maxxis Bighorns on it, they did pretty good in the snow with a bit of weight in the back. I had no issues in my dakota, which is still wearing a set of General Grabber AT2 tires. The generals work great on my dakota and my dad has a set on both of his vehicles. The only times i used 4lo in the snow was if i was wheeling or trying to get unstuck.

 

Yea I went back and read it too. I'm not even sure it's even the same on 2012-15's. Basically you press the vsc off button, you get less electronic nannies. Press and hold for 3 seconds, you get less again.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...rols-trac-auto-lsd-a-trac-rear-locker.212057/

Here's a good explanation of all of the traction modes and when to use them. ^^^

Here's a gratuitous pic of winter driving

 

Ouch!

Beat you to it (EDIT: could've sworn I threw in the winkey face before!)

 

Great thread with lots of valuable info. I have a question, when switching from 4WD back to 2WD (while brake is applied)is it normal to hear a clicking noise in the back-end. I had a 2001 Dakota for 14 years and when switching from 4WD to 2WD I never heard anything it was a smooth transition, so I'm wondering if this is normal? I've only had my truck for 5 weeks and had to use the 4WD for the first time this week.

Thanks in advance,

Sheldon

 

Thanks, this was really helpful. Also, thanks for the links to the different driving modes that others posted.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...rols-trac-auto-lsd-a-trac-rear-locker.212057/

This is really useful info. This is really what I was looking for. I found a few threads that used a lot of abbreviations, etc, and I wasn't sure what they all meant. That's a damn good post.

Basically, what I am taking away from the replies here, and that post is:
1.) Get some weight in the back of my truck.
2.) If I feel like I really need 4H, use it, otherwise, I should be in pretty good shape with 2H.
3.) If I am really slipping in a deep snow scenario, I should press and hold the VSC button for 3+ seconds to get maximum traction while in 4H.
4.) 4L is more for POWER, not TRACTION.
5.) Get more appropriate tires.

Sound like I got it pretty much figured out? Let me know if I translated anything incorrectly.

Right now, I have some fat off road style tires on my truck (came with them) and they are not best suited for snow driving. However, I don't have the spare scratch for snow or better all weather tires right now as I just got some new tires for my wife's Nissan Juke. (She's not as experienced as I am in snowy driving conditions, so I did the chivalrous thing. )

Thanks again for the great advice. This is a great forum!

 

I think you got it. Basically only thing is 4lo is for low speed control and if you need it power. For example if you have a super slippery hill you can help control your speed down it by going into 4 low and allowing the motor to help more without using the brakes.

Everything else is great. What tires do you have on the truck now?

 

After this mornings icy Tokyo drift across multiple lanes, I can concur with the adding weight in the back will most likely help keep the rear end planted.
Damn 2006 with no traction control...

Snow varies here in New England but I have only ever had to use 4H from 1-10". Also applies to beach driving in the summer as well.

 

Here's the tire I have on the truck now.

http://www.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/trail-grappler-mud-terrain-light-truck-tire/