Snow help

Not all snow is created equal. I have found snow in North Dakota is drier a lot more easier to drive on vs. California snow which is wetter.

 

Do not use cruise ctrl in snow. This is ridiculous, the tacos cruise ctrl on that road will be screaming and hunting gears on the hills. Major nono.

As a general rule of thumb never use cruise ctrl on snowy roads. A lot of times it will just constantly shut off due to the traction ctrl system. .

 

Cables always.


And if you got the coin. One of these

 

No ymmv, its fact using cruise ctrl in the winter is not a smart move. Any offensive/defensive driving course I've taken for work/etc, even the manuals for vehicles all stat not to use it. Its not a smart move.

On a clear, well plowed hwy sure. Even then be sparing as black ice will seriously screw ya up if cruise is on.

 

Hows the front end holding up on that taco?

 

Having grown up in Southeast Alaska where there's slush and ice for 5 months, then moved to Anchorage, AK for 7 years where there's less slush and more ice, then another year in Fairbanks where's there's just ice (but gripper since it's so cold), then 2 winters literally driving on the Arctic ocean...

I've driven in some snow.

 

Surprising that you’ve been in snow but don’t understand engine braking in snow.

 

So I read all the responses to this thread, now I'm just wondering... What's the extent that a 2wd Tacoma with stock tires can do in the snow? Can it drive properly in that depth of snow (look at pic)?

 

We cant get a dclb in MT in Canada only sb in the sport aNd the access cab in MT, might be aBle to In the trd offroad dcsb which is useless if you actually use your truck for truck things, yes you can fit
plywood/etc its a royal pain in the ass . Unless this has changed. If so I’ll be trading in my sport asap

 

They can do alright, just don’t slide on ice headfirst into a 75,000lb truck like my friend did and it will be ok. On winter tires, with weight in the bed and Auto LSD always selected he could get around ok but it was pretty sketchy. He also got stuck in his own driveway a few times which is embarrassing.

 

2wd pickups are crazy funin the winter time. Sure it can do well, but it completely depends on the drivers ability /exp level. I grew up in a 2wd ranger in the snow. My father use to take us to large parking lots and teach us how to get out of slides, fish tails, use gearing etc to get traction. It was a blast.

If you do use a 2wd pickup but some weight in the bed. And no not a cpl bags of sand. Minimum should be 300lbs, i’d go closer to 400-500 and secured. We use to use steel plates secured to the bed. Just make sure the loads secured and centred over the axle.

Hills are murder in a 2wd truck. You can’t start in 1st gear, you need to be in like 2/3 so your not putting to much power to the rear wheels or it’ll just spin and make it worse. I always tended to drive in one gear higher then needed, engine would lag a bit, but the power wasn’t i stant at the rear wheels.

Momentum is king in snow. Not bombing it down the road, just going steady, and throttle modulation. If you get stuck or start to slow down accelerate gradually, the moment you start to spin the tyres you are in trouble as it just creates ice under the tyre. Slow and steady application of throttle is required.

Same with braking use the engine and light brake pressure to slow down.

with the depth if snow shown in the pic it should be no problem to travel around in, with stock tyres/etc in a 2wd truck.

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Oh and to provide street Cred, this us a Every day highway in Canada.

We drive on compacted snow/ice daily. It only gets worse the further north I go. Throw in dome chinooks (warm weather coming over the mtns) And the roads just turn to glass

 

As long as your tires are M+S rated and you have enough meat left on them you'll be ok. I've been driving to Reno/Tahoe for the last 27 years in my 4X4s and AWDs, and never once was asked to put chains on, and I've driven trough some crazy blizzards.

 

If you have 4wd, youll have no issues. just use 4hi in snow and drive safely

 

Your 100% correct and I stand corrected! I must have read something wrong when trying to build one on the .ca site. Updating my initial post.

 

You hd me worried i was gonna trade in my tacoma. Haha

 

Not sure your needs, but throwing a few bags of sand in the back of my truck has made a big difference, especially for stopping.

In my experience snow has never been an issue, it’s the ice you gotta watch out for. The stock OR tires seem to work pretty well

 

lower the air pressure in your tires to 25 psi or so will help also

 

I think it all depends on where you are going . If you are going over a pass and it's puking snow and hasn't been plowed yet chains are a cheap saftey net, if you are going where you won't be going thru a pass no chains needs. If you moved to Reno from Florida and never drove in snow keep your ass home. If your stock tires have 45k on them they won't be all that helpful either