Winterizing my 4x2 taco

Going to be moving to the very edge of north west WA and going through at least this winter in my truck 4x2 4c AC 2016. Hopefully trade in for 4x4 sometime next year.

Looking for winter advise and maybe tips from anyone who knows the area of Clallam County



(and yes I'm aware I should have bought a 4x4 )



So based on my research:

1) Go slow

2) Put weight in the bed, is 250 lbs of sand bags enough in a wooden frame centered over the axel or should I add more? like 400 lbs

3) Winter tires? Brands with or without studs? (Studs might be overkill) I am open to throwing a set of steelies -TPMS with winter tires on the truck if will make a big difference

4) Prob going to do some fluid film on the underbody because of the salt up there

I have chains, track grabber and a come along winch with tow straps onboard

Not sure how much chains in the rear do if anything for a 4x2



Anything I'm missing?

 

Unless you're in the higher elevations over 1000ft sea level you won't get much snow. Just drive the truck like you normally would. It's a mild climate there. It rarely snows there at sea level.

 

I drove a rear wheel drive infiniti suv there for a week peak of winter with no issues till I went off on a side residential street which had 1.5 inches of solid ice over the whole damn street like a skating rink, that was fun. I am prob going to be driving the 112 or 101 around crescent lake to Port Angeles everyday for work about 55 miles

 

Skinny winter tires. 235/85r16 would be quite effective. And lots of weight in the back.

I used to drive a 2wd Mazda truck before my taco. 600lbs in the back and I could drive up some hairy stuff. Steering suffers a bit with the weight in the back. Make sure to place the weight over the axle to minimize this.

 

I got a frame made up to put sand bags in over the axel I use when off roading so I can fit prob 350+ in there no prob

 

I grew up there 19 years of my life ....it just rains a lot. Never needed anything special to get around. My grandpa had an old Buick with rear wheel drive and had a set of snow stud tires (in the 80s) that he maybe used once or twice a year. Really not a necessity. If you drive into the mountains you're going to want 4x4. Really this is a non issue "winterizing " for northwest Washington. It is NOTHING like the northeast and you're not moving to anchorage.

 

Maxtrax

I've heard the duratrac performs well in the snow.

https://youtu.be/9o15xg6VjTY

 

Well thats good to know

 

Buying snow tires for Port Angeles or Forks is like buying mud tires to get around in Phoenix AZ. If you plan to offroad 4x4 would have been far more useful anyhow.

 

That was last trip middle of winter, but I guess its been unusually large snowfall

 

You must have been there for the one or two days it snowed last winter.

 

4x4 was on the agenda, even ordered one, ha then my truck dropped 2600 in book value as this diff recall hit and that f'ed my plan, next year for sure, so tired of drooling at this site wanted to go further and use a truck to is potential, SOON!

 

I'm not familiar with the area, not sure how much snow he will be getting there if any, just trying to help.

Obviously 4x4 is the best solution and op already mentioned he's aware he should have got it.

 

Haha I totally was... well Im glad its a lot less of a harsh winter climate

 

I think I'm going weight in the back and see how it goes. I bet the forest roads out there are always muddy so you cant get away with a 4x2 like you can here in the desert

 

I wish I was moving there first. I am going to be in Clallam Bay for a year or two while we get settled, then PA once we buy a house

 

My truck is 4WD, but I spend most of the winter in 2WD. About the only time I needed 4WD was during really bad storms or occasionally to get up my driveway because it's long and steep and became a solid sheet of ice. Even then it wasn't necessary very often.

For tires I run Bridgestone Blizzaks, DSM-V2 in stock sizes. Not sure why anyone would run skinny tires in the winter; you need traction and the more tire on the ground the more traction you get.

That said, based on the local climate I don't think you really need to do anything special. Tires might give you peace of mind, but they probably won't be necessary.

 

Go do some salmon fishing while you're there. Also the Dungeness crab and oysters are second to none.

Check out the Olympic National Game Farm. You drive through and feed the animals from your car. A kick in the pants especially for kids.
http://olygamefarm.com/

 

You guys recommend a good dose of fluid film on the under body?