Possibly Moving to CO...

Hey Guys,

I'm new to the truck world and was looking into get a truck for my possible move to CO or somewhere else that snows. I wanted to hear from the people in here that live in snowing states that drive Tacomas. My questions are:

Is a Tacoma a safe vehicle to use as a daily driver when it snow?

Would a 4x2 be sufficient enough to be safe?

Does a 4x4 really make a huge substantial difference? Money is an issue and would want to save money with a 4x2 but would get a 4x4 if it was necessary.

As a daily driver, do you recommend the TRD Sport or TRD Off-road?

Any info/suggestions/recommendations would greatly be appreciated. Thanks and hope to hear from all of you!

 

welcome to TW.

The Tacoma, like any truck will only be as good as the tires allow.Is it safe , yes, but most of them all are too. If you aren't familiar with 4wd/snow/ and tire choice, it can be real easy to slide in any 4x4, just not as easy as in a regular 2wd car.

2wd can be safe too,carry and use a set of the right chains... or winter tires once again and add weight. 4wd will make that better though.

does it make a huge difference .... no , in the sense that if you have no traction under the tires.... 4wd and traction control cannot work. almost always you will have some traction, so, yes 4wd can make a good difference. The big trap, braking, rely on 4wd and braking often gets you in the ditch if you are not used to low traction of snow.

Daily driver, i have a base model, the sport has an electronic controlled LSD if i recall, offroad has a locker, you wont want to use a locker on road travelling. sport might be better in that sense.

a good way to get some information would be to run through various searches here.Take your time and let the information lead you to a decision.

 

very nice post Tacoyota
and X2 on all you said

oh and welcome OP

 

Thanks TT.
Goin to colorado, that sounds fun. Break out my John Denver stuff.

 

Thanks for the info. I've been searching through this site for days and have gotten great info from everyone. The TRD Sport sounds like the way to go for my needs. I'm pretty excited to get a Tacoma. Just have to find one in my price range!

 

Thanks!

 

If it's going to be your daily driver and you're moving to where it's hilly and snows then you want 4x4 for sure. You will seriously regret a 4x2 the first time you find yourself at a stoplight on even a modest slope with a snowpacked road, and are spinning out and going nowhere.

If you can only do a 4x2, your best option will be dropping a couple hundred pounds of sandbags over the rear axle come winter, and driving with studded tires in the rear. That'll generally be fine for around Denver Metro or anywhere mostly flat.

You will definitely want chains in the truck if you get a 4x2 ... but the first time you have to mess with them, you'll wish you bought differently again. Chains are a pain in the ass and will slow you way down .. if they come off at speed, you can tear all sorts of things apart. You sure as hell won't be taking that 4x2 up to Summit County, Steamboat or Vail .. the weather changes quickly in the mountains.

Not trying to scare you. Front wheel drive does well. Rear wheel drive does okay with studs. But pickups are particularly light in the rear, and so getting weight over that rear axle becomes a much bigger deal. If you're coming all the way to Colorado, you might as well enjoy ALL the state has to offer .. summer, winter, on and off road and get 4x4.

 

Welcome from Colorado!
fyi: get a 4X4!!

 

4x4..... been on I70 when the only cars that could move where 4wheel. and the front and rear wheel drive cars where dangerously in the way. but then again if your moving to denver you wont have to worry about it as much. up here mid winter if i didnt have a truck with ground clearance and 4x4 i wouldnt even be able to pull into my driveway.

 

Jealous........ And welcome

 

Like others, I would also recommend 4x4. Even living in Denver or another front range town you will want to get up to the mountains or at least somewhere that involves sketchy conditions. I have only owned a Taco with 4x4 for a few months but living in the mountains for these past 6 years I've always envied those with 4x4. You can get by fine with 2wd and snow tires, but it seems sketch to have a light bed and rwd. I can't wait to put snow tires on my truck and not have to worry at all about road conditions. As for Base vs. Sport vs. Offroad it's up to you, check out Toyota.com and the options list will spell it out for you. The big difference between sport and OR is the locking rear diff., Atrac and some slightly better tires. I chose the Sport since I wanted clearance, 4x4, and a decent sized bed, which I could have also got on the base model but the price was right. I also don't want to break anything or put too much money into a lift to make my ride really off road capable, so the sport is fine with me (I do plan to do some fun light or trails though.)

 

LOL been there done that.

 

I couldn't imagine buying a 2x4 over a 4x4 in MO, where we get a couple 6"+ snows a year. In CO it should be a no-brainer. I think you'd regret a 2x4. Resale would definitely be reduced if you needed to sell it while in CO!

 

x2 on what everyone else said.

get the 4x4. its better to have it and not need it, than not to have and need it. i actually used the 4x4 last winter. there were palces on highway 287 that were snowy and icy that a bunch of cars could not make it up and slid off the road, but with the 4 wheel drive, i just cruised right past them.

 

Peronally, i've driven 2wd with snow tires and never needed to chain up, and was NEVER at a regret for it, ... was a 1983 impala and I skiied all over the west and Canada from it. It is true that the deep snow will paralize many low ground clearance cars though.

The first big trouble and only regret was studs on a traction tire(traction being just tready and not an actual compound designed for winter) , they didnt help in snow, they're for ice and some packed snow. Once I got an actual winter tire, tread and compound for snow,now they were good, I didnt even bother to stud them.

Key is traction,always 4wd can't make it, only manage it .Going to Heavenly and Squaw valley, I seen many 4wd ditched due to the lack of traction.Here in Portland, i've seen 30+ cars just on one grade all in 2 ditches,4wd 2wd too for that matter, people telling me I cant make it safe if a 4wd can't, I just asked them "how I managed to stop and accelerate with little trouble".

4wd can be a crutch if used as a simple purchase as a "cant go wrong" attitude. Only when you balance the limitations of traction on a given set of tires can you appreciate what 4wd/awd does for you and as importantly ...what it cant do.

Colorado has dryer snow, much like I was used to in Eastern Oregon, great stuff to drive on. Come visit coast areas though on some easy looking hills.The snow is wetter (think dry as a poor snowball and wet as packs easy) When the snow packs or its icey if you dont have studs or true winter tires, ("M+S" is not, its an old 70s standard) , every 4wd and awd ends up in the ditch for the lack of a good tire.

I used plow and now do road closures for "snow and ice" here. always plenty of crossovers, SUVs,jeeps etc telling me they can go in since they have awd/4wd. Theyre wrong, 2-3 are in a ditch being towed already usually.In snow, there is roads I wont drive in 4wd with winter tires still, I've seen people wreck on them with snow tires.

If you aren't used to snow driving, you can make learning easier with some basic tactics. Try to find a decent parking lot away from people, drive 10mph in 2wd and stop, then repeat in 4wd. Youll lfind stopping is about the same, but 4wd acceleration is better. Rinse and repeat at 20 if you can. Easier to learn the subtle differences than learn on a downhill grade on packed snow. Also dont get trappped into thinking the other guy is doing ok , so will you, if you run stock tires. He may have snow tires on.

My opinion, get 4wd if you can still, Be realistic and follow farther. You'll truly enjoy it. If you get 2wd , get a set of winter tires, keep a set of chains handy (I still do in my 4wd), add some weight in the rear and you can do fine. Fwiw , I havent had a 2wd since that Impala. 4wd cant buy me peace of mind like the tires can , but it does so well, you really wont want to go back.

 

alot of good info here! I just moved to denver in november, and i can say if you go skiing or want to learn, get a 4x4. it is true that you can do it in a 4x2, but if they close the eisenhower tunnel on you and you are stuck on any grade whatsoever you will have a very difficult time getting going again. i have towed 10 or so 2 wheel drive cars and trucks up and over the pass purely because they could not get any traction.

if you can afford it, you will not regret it at all. if you cant, you will still be able to get by with winter tires, chains and what not. my .02 is go with 4x4 for peice of mind, it honestly is a safer way to drive up in the mountains. just remember that its 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel STOP. you still need plenty of stopping room, but once you are stopped on those mountain passes, and you will be, you will be able to get going again and enjoy a perfect day on the slopes.

EDIT: and let us know when you get here, we will all be happy to answer any questions, or help out any way we can. the CO people here are very cool and always willing to help out in any way.

 

Thank you so much for all the replies and info here. I've been searching through this site/forum for the past few days and have learned a great deal from all the members here. Everyone here seems very helpful and its a great community here. Now it's my turn to get a Tacoma and become part of it hahaha. My goal is to get a 08/09 Indigo Ink TRD Sport Short bed 4x4 Manual tacoma. I think this is the perfect setup for me for my move. Let's hope I find one with a killer deal!

Btw, thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'll keep you all posted with my move!

 

for when it gets like this, yes i could probably get by with a 4x2

as long as the streets were freshly plowed.

but when it snows like above, and your lucky if the main roads have been plowed

You need a 4x4 and a good set of tires

I recommend the goodyear Duratracs, its a all-terrain tire that is also snow rated.

 

Honestly,going elk hunting, i've had mine dragging snow under it in.... 2wd. didnt need to go into 4wd, it was light n fluffy. Freshly plowed roads, nope, those roads there was no plow coming.

while 4wd is truly an advantage, it cannot be turned around, and say 2wd is therefore not capable.
Not trying to step on toes,but a 2wd with proper winter rating tiress can do very well in the unplowed. Set yourself up for success though. Go in preprared, same preperations a 4wd should, such as a set of chains, a bucket of gravel, weight in the bed ,etc.

 

Damn! That looks like horrible driving conditions haha. Thanks for the info.