Owning a first gen tacoma in the winter

So this will be my first winter season driving a lifted 18 year old truck around in a Montana winter. (2000 ext-cab 2.7L 4x4)
Come mid December, I will be renting a small enclosed u-haul trailer and loading both that and my bed up with all of my belongings to drive back to California for employment.
Fortunately I have 4wd and some decent A/T tires so that will definitely be an upgrade from the fwd sedan I drove around last winter. Although this time around I will not have ABS or traction control.
Until then, I was thinking it would be a good idea to get some sandbags to throw in the back of my truck for increased traction when the roads get bad. I also have a bed mounted toolbox against the rear of the cab with around 100-150lbs of tools which should help too.

Just yesterday, I came to realize that my cable actuated parking brake does not function well in the cold, snowy weather. It would not release completely and I had to reach under the frame and move around the lever with my hands to get it un-stuck. I remember my grandfather telling be about back when he lived in Alaska for a short while that he would have to get a hammer and wail on the drum brakes of his truck to get the pads free from the drum housing on sub-zero morning temps. I figured i would just start parking the truck in gear to prevent it from rolling instead of using the parking brake in the winter to avoid this from happening.

Other than what I have mentioned, I would love to hear what input TW has to offer about winter driving tactics and tricks when owning an older Tacoma in a state where the temps get below zero and the roads don't get plowed too often (outside of driving safely and not being an idiot). How long do you let your truck warm up before driving it on super cold mornings? Do you run higher or lower air pressures in your tires during the winter?


this was taken this weekend.... looks like we are in for a lot of snow this winter

 

If you drive the truck through the winter salt and chemicals (don't know if montana does use that crap), you better rustproof (or fluid film if you want to DIY) the shit out of your frame. Road salt and chemicals aren't nice to cars at all... especially the frames on these trucks. Only takes a few years or exposure to turn a frame into swiss cheese...

as for the sandbags, yeah, it's a way to add weight in the rear to help with traction, since these trucks are so light in the rear with nothing in the bed.

 

X2 on the Fluid Film recommendation - it's less crucial in a dryer western climate like Montana, but still cheap insurance. Even with a 4x4, I think you're wise to add some sand over the axle, and having a couple sandbags can come in handy if you get stuck or find yourself helping another stranded motorist. It looks like your lift is pretty reasonable, as long as you're mindful of the higher COG and avoid making sudden inputs, you'll be fine.

Otherwise, have fun man. Overall, my Toyota trucks have been way less cranky in frigid temps than any other vehicles I've owned. No need for an extended warmup with a modern ecu-controlled engine; the quickest way to get the engine up to temp where it runs most efficiently (and starts creating heat for the cab) is to just start driving it.

 

My brakes lock up every winter. Slushy roads after work and an overnight freeze locks them up all the time. I hate it.

 

Do you think it would be worth it to do a fluid film coating this winter? I am only going to be around for about half the winter and will do a thorough clean once I am in California to clean off all the salt and road grime. That's good to hear about not having to worry about warming up the engine. One less thing to think about

Even your front disc brakes? How do you break them free when you go to drive your truck the next morning?

 

The front discs are fine but the rears always lock up. I keep channel locks in my truck and use them to smack stuff around back there. Usually the cable arms coming out of the drum are what get stuck.

 

I built a little box to put those "traction tubes" from Ace Hardware back there. I now have a Topper and that helps quite a bit. Sometimes my brakes will freeze up but like others have done I just get out and knock the ice chunks off and it seems to help. Rust prevention is key - They magwater the shiz out of the roads where I live. That stuff is terrible. Just keep an eye on rust and try and treat it.

 

I have a 2003 Two wheel drive. I put five or six sand bags over the axle for the winter. I also have a separate set of tires and rims with winter tires mounted.

Keep tire pressure the same winter and summer. Low tire temps are only good for sand, rock crawling etc.As an example. Model "T's had skinny tires and went through DEEP snow no problem. A skinny tire transfers all the available weight to the road. A Dune buggy tire floats on the sand. Not what you want to do in snow.

 

Are you supposed to use the parking brake? I just park it in gear (when on a level surface).

 

Well, the engineers put it there for a reason, so I'd say yeah, use it.

If you want more traction, use your 4wd (if you have it), too, and use park as well.

 

Pulling on the parking brake actuates the self-adjusting feature of the drum brakes in the rear.

 

You should be okay for half a winter and a thorough cleaning after that. If you did spend a few years in salt, I would tell you to definitely be concerned.

 

That's what I figured.

And I actually just found out that Montana does not salt the roads, which came as a surprise to me. They use heavy amounts of gravel instead. Good recipe for rock chips if you ask me.
I also coated the rear frame with some undercoating when I removed my bed to install my OME suspension.
Either way, i'm sure ill live through it as long as I don't get too ambitious with the skinny pedal in some areas

 

Unless you're parking on a hill, parking brakes are pointless. I spent most of my life driving in crappy weather, total times I've had frozen brakes, 0. 1st gear and get out. Using the ebrake does adjust the rears but you only need to adjust them every several months, no worry about doing it every day.

Warm up long enough to get a steady idle, (30-45 seconds) and then drive slow until you're up to temp. You'll waste less gas and it's better for the engine. But I usually let it warm enough to have heat. I hate scraping windows and prefer a warm cab.

If a storm is coming in pop your wipers up when you park. Then they won't be frozen to your windshield in the morning.

Same time put some garbage bags over your windshield and mirrors. In the am just pull the bags off and you have clear windows and mirrors.

Assuming you have manual hubs, leave them locked so you can switch 2/4 at will. I never used weight in the bed, the front wheels did everything I needed.

Switch your heat/air circulation to pull from outside. If you leave it in summer mode you just keep increasing humidity inside and you'll get foggy windows.

Ultimately I found the easiest way to deal with snow was to move to florida.

 

My truck gets warmed up just because I don`t like my breathe freezing on the windshield or scraping Ice off the outside .

With my 12mpg I don`t get worried about fuel mileage .

I use my parking brake all the time never had it freeze up then it seldom gets below zero F for weeks on end

Most times it has 800 pounds or more in the bed traction is fine

 

some areas that see more snow and colder temps won't benefit from salt (only works so far below 0). A lot use ash/cinders and sand to give traction. Like Alaska they tend to leave the snow on the road as this provides better traction than the possibility of the freezing when you plow (blade creates friction melting the snow then freezes quick).