potential new owner with some questions

I am looking at a 4 cyl, manual transmission, acc cab, 2WD for a winter commuter and to get me back and forth to track days with my motorcycle.

Now, I know this has been talked to death but I have done a search to see if anyone did this comparison and came up with no results. My question is: With weights in the back during snowfall, can a RWD tacoma be compared to a FWD car as far as traction goes? OR is the FWD car going to have better traction in snow?

I live in upstate NY by the way but my commute is highway and main roads in suburbia.

 

Welcome to TW from Sparks, NV
FWD is better than RWD in snow.
4WD is best of all.

 

Without stating the obvious, The new 2wd Tacoma is better than the old with standard safety features like Traction Control and VSC. Put some tube sand in the back with good snow tires and you will be fine. Manual transmission also gives you more control. I've seen several 5- luggers get through the snow just fine, but don't expect to drive aggressively like the 4x4's. I'm sure you're going to get the usual 4x4's chiming in with "Just get a 4x4" but the 5- lugger is capable and often talked down upon here.

 

My 4x4 can be squirrely in the snow in 2WD, but I have the garbage stock tires. With good winter tires and some weight in the back you will be fine, but no it won't be as good as FWD.

 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback.

 

No way is the 2wd with sand better than front wheel drive, but I've managed with that since 1988 without ever getting stuck. That been in Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas and now Colorado for the last 14 years, all snowy places.

Don't fear 2wd, 4wd is a recent phenomenon and hardly necessary for most snow conditions where roads are plowed.

 

lol thats kinda how I see it. While the 4x4 might be amazing to have when it is snowing out and they havent been able to clear the roads properly yet. Those times are also few and far between. The handlefull of times out off the year it would be nice to have is hard to justify the rest of the 98% of the time where I am paying for it and not needing it.

I consider myself a pretty seasoned winter driver and am confident I can handle the learning curve that RWD will throw at me.

I am just trying to budget for a new vehicle and the 4x4 will bring in an extra $40-$50 required for gas every month just for my commute (compared to what I am driving now). The 4x2 is a little easier to take financially.
I have always wanted a truck and finally have a valid reason to get one.

 

Not getting 4wd because of the initial cost is understandable but there is not a significant difference in MPG for the 4wd vs. 2wd in my opinion. I'm talking 1 - 2 MPG difference MAX on the highway.

I grew up in upstate NY with 2wd pickups and, the good thing about living in an area where you get a lot of snow is the road crews seem to do a pretty good job of clearing it. FWD will handle a bit more predictably but I prefer RWD since thats what I've always driven. Go easy on the skinny pedal, make sure you have good tires going into winter and throw some weight in the bed (or just pack down the snow in the bed) and you'll be fine.

 

That may be true comparing prerunner and 4x4 but a stick 5-lug will get 5mg easy over a 4x4.

EPA is 21-25 5 lug I4 stick

EPA is 18-20 4x4 I4 stick

 

Agreed, I was thinking Prerunner compared to 4x4, forgot the 5 lugger comes in an access cab also.

 

Dude you sound like my friend who traded in this summer her 4x4 for 2wd Hyundai claiming she ain't need to have 4x4.
In October storm She was stuck for 8 hours, 2 miles from her house. Now she thinks Blizzaks will help her. Yeah right she lives on the top of one of the biggest steepest hill in place, so I say good luck on this one.

 

X2 When I had a 4x4 05 Tacoma, I used it maybe twice a year. 2wd was adequate in the snow. I found myself asking; why take the hit on MPG's to use 4x4 a few times a year. then there's the 4x4 extra maintenance too.

 

What type of tires did she have? Stock all seasons? That's more relevant than 2wd vs 4wd.

I think we all know 4wd is better, but 2wd is quite capable on good tires with a cautious driver. Bottom line, lots of people drive RWD trucks in snowy climates.

 

Don't forget about resale value. 98 out of 100 Tacomas up here are 4x4 and 2wd does not hold value well. I don't know how it is in your region, but thought it was worth pointing out.

 

That does depend on where you are, and that has been the conventional wisdom for a long time.

But several times I've done comparisons using KBB.com to base resale numbers on and that doesn't seem to be a cut and dry truth. Last time I did it when gas was around $3.75 prerunners had the highest resale, followed by 5-lug, and V6 4x4 had the worst.

At $2.75 if we ever see that again it could change.

 

Those were brand new all seasons but that is FWD car so it should have been even better then Taco. She just got non-studded Blizzaks thinking that will help her.
2wd with snow tires is very capable but laws of Physics still apply. 2wd is OK as long the hill climb is not steep. If it is no amount of weight on the back or type of tire matters. I know I will be getting calls whole winter to pull her out.