Fishtailing tacoma in the snow

How so?

 

Not to confuse the poor guy any further. But 4low from a dead stop dumping the clutch on dirt and rowing all the gears to your top speed is amazing drag racing practice and totally fun, even though you only top out at like 35 to 45mph

 

As I stated more simply earlier, in 4WD without a center differential the front axle (wheels) want to match the rear axle (wheels) speed but when you look at the paths the tires take in a turn the front track is inside the rear track meaning it is traveling less distance so the rear must turn faster to keep up with the front's circle. However without a center diff this cannot be done thus in a turn the front wheels become overdriven thus causing them to slip your truck to understeer and at highway speeds on a hard surface you have a very bad day.

4WD is for loose surface and low traction. It's not recommended for rain or snow. Now it can help you get unstuck in snow but you shouldn't be driving on snowy or icy roads in 4WD unless you're having difficult at takeoff then once moving switch back to 2WD.

 

Locker any time mod + front disconnected hubs 2WD Low means BIG SIDEWAYS FUN!

 

If there is any possibility of needing 4X4 lock the hubs. Then you can shift into, and out of 4X4 as needed. If there is no chance you'll need 4X4 leave the hubs unlocked. You'll get a bit better fuel mileage and reduce wear on the 4X4 parts.

4X4 and AWD are not the same. 4X4 is really meant for hard core off road driving, but can be used in snow. But it does a poor job compared to AWD in snow. It really shouldn't be used all the time, just as needed to get you moving or to get up inclines you couldn't get up in 4X2.

AWD sends power to all 4 wheels, but allows them to turn at different speeds which works great when cornering on wet or snow covered pavement and won't hurt a thing on dry pavement.

4X4 locks all 4 wheels together and tries to force them to turn at the same speed. This is much better for harsher off road conditions, but causes issues when cornering since all 4 wheels are taking a different path and need to travel at different speeds. The inside 2 wheels have the least distance to travel, but are turning at the same speed as the outside wheels. They MUST spin and slip some on the road surface when cornering. On surfaces with good traction that could break drive train parts. If not broken, it places them under extreme stress and will lead to premature failure.

On slick surfaces such as mud, sand, snow, ice, gravel, or loose dirt the spinning of the wheels won't break anything. But should only be done at slow speeds. If in 4X4 and you go around a corner at 35-40 mph and your inside wheels start spinning you could lose control.

DO NOT use lo range in snow. It is the exact opposite of what you need. If your wheels are spinning you need to be in hi range and start in 2nd gear, not 1st. Certainly not in lo range.

 

nope very wrong.

 

Even more wrong.

 

I do not think you do very much winter driving.

Yes, a vehicle with a locked center diff will handle differently (push) around tight corners because of the difference in wheel path - Again - tight corners. It is particularly noticeable on DRY surfaces.

The circumstance you are thinking about does not exist - If you loose control making a hairpin turn at highway speeds on snow or ice... you did not crash because your 4wd was on!

With respect, you are spreading bad information.

 

welcome to TW, Jay

 

4wd is very, very much recommended for snow.

 

highway speeds of 55 or 75... or more

 

I'll admit I have a few NW Indiana winters under my belt but being a Florida local I'm no snow driving expert. (Though one of those winters was in a 1991 MR2 you want to talk about spinning out...)

That said my knowledge comes from my Canadian buddies near verbatim and I'd like to think they know a thing or two about the white stuff.

 

While we're on the subject, let me throw this one out there:

Your Tacoma will stop faster on snow or ice in 4wd than it will in 2wd.

 

Prior to my recent move I drove on snow and ice for six months straight out of the year. During those months my truck would only come out of 4hi in parking lots. In 2hi you’re lucky to get the truck moving and your maneuverability is severely compromised when the steering wheels are not also driving wheels.

 

Would you mind explaining why?

 

You, sir, should not be talking about driving in snow you are wrong and spreading bad information.

 

Lots of bad info in a few posts here...4WD is indeed safe to use in the snow and ice if your speed matches the conditions present.

There’s nothing wrong with using 4WD on the highway, but I don’t exceed 50-55 while it’s engaged. Because one, it’s not great on the front end to be going much faster than that and two, if it’s bad enough to need 4WD in the first place then I probably don’t need to be going 65mph on snow and ice.

Nothing wrong with locking the hubs in the winter and engaging 4WD when needed. Just remember 4WD doesn’t help you stop so slow down on the corners and you’ll be fine.

Adding a few sandbags in the bed will help too.

 

I'm sure they do, but that doesn't mean your interpretation of what is said is anywhere close to correct. 4wd didn't work any differently in Canada than it does on the rest of the planet.

 

Are we now internationally spreading bad information?