Recent Experience with Tacoma and Snow

I've read a ton O bad threads talking about how terrible the tacoma is in the snow and how bad the electronic traction package is. I just wanted to tell you about today and why the electronics saved me from an accident.

The town did a piss poor job plowing the roads here and the interstate on-ramp was a sheet of ice and snow this morning. I get on in a merge lane with a yield sign, there are cars turning left onto the ramp that have right of way, so my side is supposed to slow or stop and allow oncoming left turning cars to go first.

A car ran the left turn red light and I was about to merge onto the ramp, so I had to hit the brakes to avoid them. The ABS kicked in and slowed me enough to avoid the car (without ABS - not sure if it would have been different result?) and then when I let up on the brake and touched the gas the traction control kicked in and kept me from fish tailing into the snow bank along the merge lane.

All this takes longer to explain than it actually took, my point is the abs and traction control didn't kill me, it didn't cause me to slide, and it kept the rear of the truck from kicking out and spinning the tires.

OK, so now everybody can tell me why I'm wrong and the electronics are actually worse than not having them.

 

That's great , glad you didn't get into an accident

 

We got over a foot yesterday and I played around for a while. Turned the system off in the deep stuff and she just goes. Systems back on on the road and couldn't be happier

 

Along with the ABS and Traction Control, I'm sure the drivers SKILLS and AWARENESS had a lot to do with the results.

 

Bingo

Who's to say in the OP's story that if he had no ABS or VSC he wouldn't have ended up with the same result

 

Glad you avoided an accident.

I've had no problems with the truck in the snow. Apart from the ABS and traction control, a good set of rubber and driving skills helps.

 

This ^^.

 

Agreed, however ABS and VSC are for people who don't have the natural skills and don't drive in every day crap weather. I'm glad it worked out for the op, thats what they're there for. I'll admit, ABS (the only thing I have on my truck) has saved my ass once from doing a stupid move. The nay sayers can say what they like... but for the majority of the population, these features save lives.

 

Exactly , ABS is for people whose natural instinct is to mash the brake to the floor anytime they need to slow down whatever the road conditions are

 

Naaa, I highly doubt it. You get the same results putting Stevie Wonder behind the wheel.

 

This morning I was cruising in to work in moderate traffic, going about 55 or so. Came up over a rise and all I could see was a sea of brake lights. Nailed the brakes hard and ABS kicked in right off the bat and I just wasn't slowing down. The roads were wet and a little slick and as soon as one wheel starts to skid it kills stopping power. I quickly reached for my bypass switch and as soon as the warning lights came on the truck went nose-down and came to a stop quick. Had I not shut it off I would have been into the back of the Volvo in front of me. I understand why manufacturer's have to put this stuff in vehicles but I prefer to make my own decisions.

 

The problem is that our nation's "driving license test" is a complete and utter joke. ABS and VSC is an extra layer of protection, but our culture has this "I have airbags/ABS/VSC/Jesus-Take-The-Wheel features, so I don't actually have to learn or pay attention while driving" attitude.

 

This:

I feel the same way about automatics (I know manuals are crap yadda yadda). I still think unless you need an auto (over a certain age, have a disability) you should have to have a manual. It forces you to pay a little more attention to the 4,000lb piece of metal you are running around in.

 

I find electronic nannies highly irritating when I'm behind the wheel. I've lived in northern Utah my entire life and I have 2 1/2 decades of winter driving experience in old RWD and 4WD trucks with no electronics. My "new" Tacoma is an 05, so it has ABS but no traction or stability control. It handles snow and ice the way I'm used to, but better. It also helps that I'm a sicko who loves it when I have to use 4wd because there's a foot of snow on the highway.

However, my wife is from a non-snowy place and hates winter driving. Don't even ask how she ended up commuting to Park City. Her Honda CR-V with traction control, VSC and 4WD is a much safer vehicle for her than my truck. The electronics can respond to traction loss many times faster than a human brain.

But if you are an experienced winter driver, there might be situations where you have to go into a somewhat-controlled skid to avoid an accident. That's why I'm skeptical of traction control and VSC but I'm glad it's available for others. I'll knock on wood for everyone to have a safe holiday and winter driving season, though.

 

The electronics saved my behind earlier this fall. I hit black ice and the back end swung out, and VSC kicked in and i must have swerved back and forth 6-7 times, but I managed to keep it between the ditches. Since then my studded winters have been installed.

 

I have a 2010 with all of the electronic goodies and honestly they don't bother me very much. I've owned both vehicles with ABS/traction control and vehicles without ABS or traction control. I think what makes the most difference in winter conditions is your tires. My Tacoma is the first vehicle I've owned that doesn't have dedicated winter tires, but it does have Duratracs which work pretty well in the snow. I've always been a big advocate of snow tires because I've seen firsthand the difference they can make.

During my 16-ish years of driving experience I've learned to threshold brake regardless of whether my vehicle has ABS or not. I've always driven stick shifts so I also downshift to engine brake when going downhill or coming to a stop. In my experience the ABS/VSC/traction control has helped more times than it has hurt. Do I really need it? No. Has it saved my life? We'll have to see. But do I wish I didn't have it? No, I've learned to use it to my advantage. I'm not saying it's a miracle solution, I'm just saying it works just well enough for me to not dislike it.

My point is that if you have tires that suck in the snow, the electronic goodies make things seem worse. On the other hand, if you have tires that work pretty well in the snow, the electronic goodies use this to your advantage and they actually work quite well. But in the end, an experienced driver knows how to make the best of any situation.

 

Plus, a manual Tacoma is highly phuckin' enjoyable in the snow!

 

Get a horse and really up your man card

 

Were you in 4x4?

 

I think the manual keeping you on your toes is a valid point. At a bare minimum you can't really be on the phone/eating while you drive if you need both hands.

I know personally when I drove my automatic ranger I would space a bit while driving especially on a long drive. I like to think of my self as a half decent driver especially when you see clips of some people on the road.