Snow Driving - Crawl mode

But what gear?

 

Usually 2nd. First is so low and tourqey. But I don't just sit there like a retard and burn rubber on ice either. I'll slip the clutch in first and 'crawl' thru the deep stuff if that seems to be working as well.

But usually getting those wheels spinnin and diggin in 2nd gets me thru most anything snowy

 

Aw I was hoping you'd say 6th....

I am just going to reiterate what I have found CC useful in the snow for and not. If you are driving (on or off road) in the snow and you feel safe driving faster than 10 mph, you should not be using CC. If you feel you need to crawl less than 10 mph because the roads are that bad, re-think why you are driving in the first place. If you get stuck in a ditch, and can't 4-lo yourself out, give CC a whirl, it is better than you are at feathering the pedal.

But like the picture that was posted at the beginning shows, if there is no traction to be had, then even CC can't help you.

 

Crawl control is kind of like feathering the throttle to maintain traction, except the computer can modulate four different wheels independently to maximize that traction. Doing it yourself with one throttle and one brake pedal to control all four wheels isn't the same thing.

Still, it's not a substitute for real snow tires. A 2WD Tacoma on proper snow tires is a much better option than a 4WD Tacoma on all-seasons when it comes to dodging accidents and maneuvering around paved streets. 4WD is only helpful for getting unstuck and going uphill in slippery conditions. 4WD may help you go forward, but it's not going to help you stop or steer to avoid an accident.

The stock all-season tires aren't great in the snow. KO2s aren't as bad as I expected from the reviews, but they still fall far short of real snow tires in actual winter conditions.

 

I just drove through some fairly bad and snowy expressways with the stock tires...

I used 4Hi when traffic was slow enough to be going under 60 MPH, but would switch it off when I hit 60 or above. I drove about 150 miles like this switching it on and off. I felt like I had pretty good control on the stock tires in these conditions. Where I did have some trouble was off the expressway going slower in stop and go traffic. The tires felt a little slick in that scenario. I'd say you can get by fine on the stockers if you live in a area with rough winters, but getting some better tires would certainly make a pretty noticeable difference.

 

Yea, I agree. Winter/studded tires are the single best thing you can do to get safer winter driving. Stopping on ice with studded tires is amazing. They are so much safer than all seasons.

That being said, if your an experienced winter driver, and you slow down, and drive ahead of yourself, you can get thru a winter on all-season tires in 2wd

 

Why did you switch off 4HI ?

 

I only switched off 4Hi back to 2 wheel drive when I was going above 60. It says in the manual that you shouldn't exceed 60 in 4Hi.

 

No , it says you can't shift in or out above 60 , you can run in 4HI above 60 unless thats a new thing with the 3rd gen trucks

 

Hmm, is that true? I'll have to read my manual again... I'm really curious about this now, but honestly, if you can drive over 60 MPH than the roads probably aren't bad enough to need 4 wheel drive.

Since I never went above 60 in 4Hi, I was always switching in and out of it between 40-50 probably.

 

The real reason 4-hi shouldn't be on while driving highway speeds. It does nothing, but burn more fuel.

 

Yes

 

+1

its to protect the drive-train, engaging 4hi below 60mph is less stressful on the drive-train.

 

But it's safe to travel 60, 70, 80 MPH with 4Hi engaged?

 

Yes,

Driving is fine,

Its turning it on and off at those speeds is the issue.

Try turning it on / off at those speeds, the truck will not switch until you slow down. Its a fail safe.

 

Someone may know the specifics on to why better than me.

My understanding of transfer cases is that there is a clutch that engages the front driveshaft. Using that clutch at high speeds is where the wear and tear come from. Kind of like revving the engine and dropping your main clutch in a MT.

 

Pretty sure mine beeped at me when I tried to shift it into 4hi going 65 mph. I drive in 4hi at 65/70 all the time, and I shift OUT of 4hi at 70 too, no problem.

Biggest thing is to not be on the power almost at all when trying to go in/out of 4hi. You want to be light on the gas until it is done shifting in/out.

 

No, only in 4Low

 

Also, the rear locker only works in 4Low, which kinda sucks.

 

Huh, I'm glad this came up.

Here I am like an idiot switching in and out of 4hi as I go above/below 60 on the expressway. I knew it seemed kinda stupid at the time to have to do that, but I really thought it wasn't good for the truck to drive highway speeds in 4x4. This will give me a lot more confidence now to just switch it on and leave it if the roads get slick.