Can't stop in snow

The ABS works great on dry pavement

 

Have you tried learning from the experience. Bad tires and abs dont mix well. Down hill with snow is dangerous with anything other than a sled.
I have done the same thing multiple times. I even had the same problem when my abs wasnt working for a while. Just choose your routes wisely and keep safe.
Anything you cant get down safely probably means your gonna have a hell of a time getting back up.

This is what happens when you rely on your tires in snow.

 

OEM tires for the TRD Off Road is BFG Rugged Trail. It is an all-season highway tire with aggressive-looking tread design (and advertised as such). It is notoriously bad in the snow, as shown by the dismal reviews on the TireRack:

http://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surv...rail+T/A&fromTireDetail=true&tirePageLocQty=#

 

That's amazing. On a slight incline mine needs 4WD to move at all if the road is snow covered. Stock BFG tires.

 

The 2nd gen Tacoma is one of the best trucks Workman has owned for summertime use, and hands down the worst truck for wintertime use. The ABS system is ridiculously sensitive, and is going to cause an accident someday. When its below zero, icy, and snowy it doesn't matter how slow you are going or how careful you are to slowly apply pressure to the brakes, the ABS kicks and and many times doesn't allow for a very clean stop. By far the worst thing about these trucks. Totally unacceptable the way it performs in icy situations

/rant

 

Don't hammer the brakes then the abs won't kick in.

 

I ran into this with my 2012 TRD Trail Edition in an icy parking lot in Stony Plain.. Had to goto N to actually stop..

ABS is dangerous in these things..

I think I will wire in a switch to turn it off and on next summer..

 

Gotta be careful engine braking on ice. It works great to maintain a lower speed. But not for slowing down. If you downshift, the wheels could skid just like steeping on the brake, but you won't be able to just let off the brake to get the wheels rolling again.

Some high performance motorcycles have a slipper clutch that essentially prevents engine braking for this exact reason. engine braking can be more dangerous than using the brakes.

 

Unfortunately untrue

 

i think it has a lot to do with tires and driving habits. where i live it seems like it's winter 8 months a year, i have been driving on snow and ice for the last month and my abs rarely kicks in, you have to drive to the conditions. with saying that, since i put on my duratracs, i don't even need to use 4x4 anymore. when i had my stockers i couldn't even get into my flat driveway if there was a 1" snow drift with out spinning out.

 

The system has no idea what type of surface you are driving on. The ABS system watches for excessive wheel speed decline on specific wheels. When it detects that any single or multiple wheel "decelerates" faster than the others, it will pulsate the solenoid for that wheel's brake system to attempt to prevent lockup which causes slide, and loss of control.

That being said, ANY small truck like the Tacoma or Frontier or the like will have an issue in snow or icy conditions. The lack of weight in the rear increases the chance of a rear wheel locking up and causing the ABS system to activate. Cars and larger trucks have more weight and/or better weight distribution so they tend to have a lower chance of a specific wheel set issue.

When I lived in an area that was prone to snowy weather or ice I would always carry additional weight in the back of the bed. (Usually in the form of 2 bags of concrete near the tailgate) This helps in traction for acceleration as well as braking.

Remember that the ABS system is not designed to help you stop faster. The purpose is to increase your control of the vehicle on uneven or slippery road conditions. However on icy roads or roads with slick snow, nobody, even a computer can predict traction. THAT is based on tires and the surface itself. Good tires will greatly improve the ABS system's ability to do it's job. Bad tires, and suspension changes such as lifts or poorly operating suspension components can drastically affect traction.

I am reminded of a customer that we had when I worked for Cadillac. They complained that when they were coming to a stop passing over a set of railroad tracks near their home, the ABS system would activate. There we no codes stored and no problems with fluid contamination. After inspecting the vehicle I told the customer that he needed to replace the front struts because they were weak. He thought I was trying to snow him. He eventually agreed and after the struts were replaced, he no longer had an ABS activation going over the railroad tracks.

So look at ALL parts of a truck that is having braking issues before disabling the ABS system. Just my professional opinion.

 

I also don't like the ABS system. Went halfway through an intersection before the truck stopped. It was bad enough with no ABS, having discs on the front, and drums on the rear, but I feel even less comfortable with the ABS.

 

All the above

 

i use to have this problem when i had the OEM tires on, with just 2'' on the road it felt like the truck was on ice skates. Since then I have picked up a bitchin' set of aggressive tires and put a little weight in the rear, no more sliding around on the roads. And i live in the sierra nevada mountains where there is a ton of snow and steep grades to contend with. Plus, since its a new truck you've never drove in the snow it might take some time to get use to how it handles/performs compared to your previous truck. just a thought.

 

I wouldn't blame the truck or ABS in your case necessarily. If the road surface was super slick to the point that all 4 wheels locked up without resistance then the traction control wouldn't kick on... the truck just thinks your stopped. Your best bet in this case, like others said, would have been downshifting if there was any traction at all.

Last weekend I tried a short climb that was basically solid ice. About 1/2 way up I lost momentum/traction and had to back down. As soon as I stopped on the climb I just slid back down like a sled with all 4 tires locked up. My truck just thought I was stopped the whole time since there wasn't any resistance telling it I was sliding.

I find traction control annoying most of the time but it's always done well for me when braking on snowy roads where there is some traction to be had. Most of the time I can't even pitch the truck sideways in snow when I want to because of the traction control is working so well. Sometimes shit just happens on slippery surfaces and no driving skill/tires/vehicles/ etc is going to get out of it.

 

Unfortunately not completely accurate. Hit a bump while going downhill on pavement or drive in snow and the abs is more inclined to kick in.

 

I also noticed the sensitive ABS in the snow. I'm on OEM tires with a 2012 TRD OR. I adjusted my driving habits and the Tacoma has done exceptionally well in the snow. I don't feel like buying $600+ in new tires on a brand new truck so I'll just deal with it. It would suck to have an emergency stop though...

Here's a picture of our cabin from this morning:

 

It sounds like some people need to adjust thier driving habits for slippery conditions.

 

This is my first winter with my '12 TRD OR and i admit i was suprised at how poorly my truck performs in the snow. I pull forward into my driveway then back into the garage, once i stop the truck to put it in reverse i have to engage the 4WD just to get it moving again. And thats only in 3" - 5" of fresh snow and I have about 300+ lbs of extra weight in the back. Personally i think it is just the stock tires on the truck, with only 20,000kms on them i think i will be running snow tires next year.

 

I am in the middle of my first winter with the Tacoma, and I am actually impressed with it.

As far as braking, the ABS is no more sensitive than other vehicles I have owned. I got rid of the OEM tires before winter and got the Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. When it is really slick, I drive slower. The slicker it gets, the slower I drive. The ABS only kicks in at really slick intersections, but I normally slow down ahead of time, to prevent it from kicking in at all.

OP, are you sure that you were only going 15 MPH?

As others have stated, the Rugged Trails are rated pretty poor for snow and ice.

I have not put weight in the back yet, so in 2WD, I still spin a little taking off, but no issues in 4WD.