How to 4wd in snow?

Winter will be upon us soon here in the midwest. Silly question, but this is my first vehicle with 4wd. I know snow tires will be the best to have, but I don't plan on having two sets of tires anytime soon.

1. Should I leave 4wd on when there's snow/ice on the ground or should it depend on how vehicle is currently handling?
2. What about making sharp turns such as in parking lots with the 4wd and it's slippery?

 

It was 115 here in Blythe California today...

 

Hey bro I’m up in bc Canada and we had a decent little snow fall this year wasn’t long but enough to get to play a bit. Stock tires and it handled very well in 75% of the conditions in 2wd.. when I got into hills I threw on 4hi just to be safe but I was super impressed with its ability in 2wd.. if your in deeper snow why not just throw it into 4hi to be safe.. if it’s nothing crazy 2hi will be good most of the time.

 

So you are saying... it didn't snow

 

You will be surprised how good it will do in 2wd but 4wd helps so much. You can feel the front end pull around when you blip the throttle. The majority of your traction is where the weight is, eg the front of the truck.
I wouldn't worry about snow tires.
Never turn sharply in 4wd unless you are on a surface that gives.

 

So 4wd if it starts getting slippery or deep snow and I'm guessing some weight in the bed would help?

 

stay in 2wd and have fun

 

You should stay home that’s the safe bet. Most storms pass over quickly and most places that see bad weather often have the means to clear roads fairly quickly. I feel like you wanna be out in the stuff thinking the Tacoma will let you romp away with no problems...I see a ditch in your future

 

Yea of coarse weight in the box will help but I don’t believe it’s needed. As soon as I switched into 4hi it drove as if the snow wasn’t there.

 

just saying...that is what 4x4ing is all about...and why We love it.

 

No I do not want to be out in the snow unless I have to. I still have to get to work somehow duh. I'm mainly just asking about 4wd since it is new to me. Before I owned a 4wd I use to think they were like awd and boy was I wrong.

 

Having 4WD doesn’t make you a god when it snows, having snow tires doesn’t make you a god, driving stupid will still result in stupid prizes.

Slow and steady, big gaps between you and whatever’s in front of you.

 

What the hell are you even talking about. He didn’t say anything about pushing his luck in a big storm. Simply how to properly use 4x4.

 

About 200lbs of sand isn’t a bad idea to throw in the bed. On ice the light bed tends to slide when stopping. Weight helps that.
Using your gears is important too. Instead one of breaking all the time. Down shifting to slow down works awesome. Going up hill? Shift down manually to keep your momentum up.

If your making lots of stops and turns then 4hi is helpful. Going in a strait line down the freeway? Speed control is the key.

 

I had no issue with the stock Wrangler Kevlar tires in the snow/ice here around Tahoe. Four 60lb "Tube Sand" bags from Home Depot in the back over the axle is even better. I can usually get by without shifting into 4WD until it gets deep.

Use down shifting for most of your "braking". Leave early and take it slow.

 

Stock tires are better than k02s in winter conditions. Winter tires are better still.

I would say practise is important. Find an empty parking lot when it snows, with few lamp standards, and test the limits of the truck so you know the feeling of it breaking loose.

 

I don't think OP is asking how to drive in the snow, but how/when to use 4wd...

I don't find myself using 4wd much on the road unless I'm going through deep stuff or see a lot of others getting stuck, losing traction. If you feel your back end slipping, you can kick 4wd on, it's not gonna hurt. The only real thing to watch out for is binding..which you'll find out what that is pretty quick making sharp turns on dry pavement in 4wd.

I believe you can engage 4wd while moving up to 45mph. You *can* go faster than that with it on but if you need it on, I don't think you should be going that quick anyways.

 

Like they've all said, take it slow, the stock tires got me through snow that was about a foot and a half deep up a fire road, did better than my buddy in his f150 with cooper discovery A/Ts, use 4hi if your making turns going up/down hills and use your gears to break. If your trying to park 2wd should be fine but say you get snowed into a spot and have a few inches to plow through on your way out 4hi or 4lo would work as long as its slippery enough for your tires to spin a little bit as you turn out of it.

 

Pre-break, break way earlier than you think you should and softly, or youll end up hitting an old subaru and busting up your front bumper like I did. ‍