2WD IN SNOW AND MUD

Hey Taco fam! Just bought a 2014 Tacoma PreRunner 2WD, what can I do to make driving in snow better? Any specific tires that work good? Thanks!

 

Haven’t had any ice storms yet but weight in the bed helps. I like Michelin’s. You may mess with the stability control to gain traction.

 

Sand bags or tubes help with the light rear end and dedicated snow tires for the win Home Depot has sand tubes that do a fine job. 200 lbs Iv heard does the trick. 4 50lbers

 

Exactly what I use. And dedicated snow tires

 

As long as you don't have any hills to deal with 2wd does pretty good in snow. Some weight in the back and good tires will take you lots of places. In fact unless unless the snow is really deep I only shift into 4X4 as needed to get up inclines or get started on icy patches leaving my truck in 4X2 the majority of the time in snow. If the snow is really deep, you have to deal with inclines, or if things get icy chains on the rear wheels are the way to go. In fact if things get bad I'd rather have chains on the rear wheels of a 4X2, than a 4X4 without chains. But chains and 4X4 is even better.

If there is any mud to speak of you're at a disadvantage with 4X2. There are a lot of off road conditions where 4X2 will still be OK, but deep mud isn't one of them. An aggressive mud tire on the drive wheels will help, but those types of tires tend to be among the worst in snow. Good snow tires aren't a good choice for mud. An All Terrain tire that has the 3 peak rating would probably be the best compromise. Which brand depends on budget and personal taste.

 

I drove in the Michigan ice and snow for two seasons with my 2wd prerunner. I ran Michelin LTX's and put salt bags in the bed over the axle. I never had any problem but was always a lot more careful in the icy stuff. I for sure don't miss it one bit.

 

I have a shell on the back and run Dura-Tracs. They work well for me.

 

Winter snow driving? Blizzacks LT tires on steelies.

Nothing else is going to come close in a typical M+S tire.

Toss a bit of weight over the axle in and you'll be surprised what you can drive through.

Nope, not ''mean'' looking but they will get the job done a whole lot better then those gnarly meats that don't actually grip much at all in snow or on ice.

Just remember to replace them as soon as you possibly can in the spring because they will wear extremely quickly when it warms up a bit.

 

A light right foot.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/transmission-swap-write-up-s.384303/

 

200 pounds in the back and top of the line winters. Avoid stopping on inclines if it’s snowing or icy. Keep momentum if your in the mountains on a long up hill. I made it 6 years with a pre runner in the Canadian mountains. Most people would hate driving my vehicle in the winter but it sure teaches you how to drive if you have no 4x4.

 

Stopping isn't affected by 2 or 4wd, only starting and driving. The extra 200lbs isn't going to affect stopping either since that's basically a passenger.

 

My first 3 pickups were 2wd. All l did was buy good quality snow tires, and pick up on a couple hundred pounds or so of bagged soil.
In the spring l would spread the soil around on my lawn, so I didn't have them sitting around in my garage all summer.
I never had any issues just having 2wd.

 

Snow has never been a problem for me. If I get stuck I back up and send it again. Ice on the other hand is a different story. Starting from a standstill going uphill is the worse. Just have to give it a little gas and get the vehicle up to speed. 4 wheel drive stops just as good as 2 wheel drive on ice. Over all just don’t be stupid and take it slow.

 

ONeil rally school tested that theory and found the 4wd stops quicker.
https://jalopnik.com/this-should-settle-the-4wd-vs-2wd-winter-braking-debate-1822591648

 

Ok that’s a little weird. Both times the 2wd Vehicles rear tires spin almost like the brakes gave up while in 4wd they all stayed locked on. Seems like a ABS issue more than more friction. Could be there to prevent fishtailing.

 

I saw that when your in 2wd the braking isn’t even to the front and rear axles and when you are in 4wd it splits braking evenly.

 

What is the idea behind you saying that you'd rather have chains on a 4x2 vs a 4x4 without chains? I'm actually curious, not starting a debate. I have a 2016 2wd TRD OF. I've taking it to some places I thought I would never get through and it did totally fine in light mud. Also, is there specific brand of snow chains you recommend?

Best,
Phil