Looking for Better Snow Performance- ROcky Mountains

Hi all,

I live in the Rockies, and I find myself sliding around the streets (breaks sliding) in my 05' 2wd tacoma(50% snow tire), getting stuck and not making it up hills in couple inches of snow on the roads when I see little cars powering through it. In the summer I hit the dirt roads but now with even a little snow im limited to in-town driving. How can I set up my truck to perform better? Is it worth investing in my truck or should i move to a 4wd? How big a difference do chains make on snowy dirt roads? I wanna hunt a particular area, but im worried about sliding off the mountain track given that my brakes are locking in town.

many thanks

 

You need real winter snow tires (not just an AT) and to throw some tubes of sand in the back over the axle (~200 lbs).

Even though I've got 4WD I keep sand in the back in the winter which helps drastically when you hit some slick spots and aren't in 4WD (since it's not Auto 4WD)

 

You have a 2wd pickup truck, where your drive wheels are where there is almost zero weight. You need some weight back there for sure.

Is your truck a 5 lug or the 6 lug prerunner? The reason I ask is if it's a prerunner, I would seriously look into a 4x4 conversion. Since the 6 lug trucks are identical, you can usually convert it to 4wd for less than the cost of selling it and buying a 4x4 (it's all a bolt on conversion, for the most part - hardest part is tracking down the right parts). If you've got the 5 lug, just sell it and get a 4wd...

If you hunt up in the mountains on snowy dirt roads, I would for sure look into a 4wd.

You can for sure get some studded winter tires for your truck, but if you're wanting to drive up in the hills in the winter, 4wd is pretty much a necessity.

 

Tall skinny winter specific tires. (235/85r16 255/75r17 Etc)

weight over rear wheels. At least a few hundred pounds.

chains come in many forms. Cables, light chains, heavy chains, v-bars and u-bars. Small chains are good for bad winter roads. Heavy chains with bars are necessary for deep snow and off road use.

nokian winter specific or all things blizzak are good winter options.

also, before looking to switch to 4wd,.... what do you have for rear diff in your 2wd? A good limited slip setup is good if you have it, or you can install a locker. Locked rear diff with good chains on the rear tires are pretty damn capable.

If you want a good hand-winch for off road trouble, I recommend one of these. I love mine. Benefit over a winch is you can use it to winch from any point (front, back, side)

https://www.wyeth-scott.com/

 

Just be super careful with in any situation where you might lose traction. A fully locked rear had a tendency to send the back sideways in a hurry.

 

Haha. Yes. absolutely. I would only use it for a gotta get moving/unstuck situation.

 

I would just make the jump to a 4wd if I were you. I live 7000ft up in the CO Rockies, and I wouldn't imagine owning a 2wd truck. Especially if you like to hunt. I do a lot of winter mountaineering, so I travel lots of forest roads that are probably pretty similar to where you wanna hunt. 2wd is definitely a no go out there in the winter IMO, especially as you get further out into the backcountry and away from potential help.

 

thank you all very much for your answers! jbrandt- its a 5 lug, not a prerunner unfortunately, any way to convert to 4wd? i've got chains and snow tires and sand in the back and that's all helping a bit, but still i'm getting the brakes locking sometimes on the snow or ice and it can be pretty hair raising. No locking diff currently, thinking about putting one on but that wouldn't help me with sliding right? that's just for getting unstuck. beginning to think about 4wd more and more... thanks again to all

 

pre snow tires pic

 

4wd if hunting

 

Honestly, don't bother with a locker on your 5 lug. It can be done, but IMO it's pointless. A limited slip would be better, but still not as useful as 4wd.

The 6-lug pre-runners are easy(ish) to convert to 4x4 (1st gens are SUPER easy, 2nd gens I think need a cross member welded or something). There's no real way to convert a 5-lug to 4x4 unless you hack *everything* off and start from scratch, like with a solid axle conversion or something.

The other thing is that while we keep talking about how you "need" 4x4, let's say you have a 6 lug prerunner, and an otherwise identical 4x4. same tires, weight in bed, etc... Neither one has any more traction on the road than the other. Back in high school/college, I had a late 80's Accord and I'd pass so many skibunnies driving 4x4 suburbans on the way to the slopes. I think they felt that because they drive a 4x4 they can maintain the same speed as when it's dry (these are likely the same idiots that clog up the roads when it rains). Firstly, they need to actually engage the 4wd, but more importantly, they don't have any more traction than a 2wd when it comes to cornering or stopping. 4x4 really only helps you get form 0 to 5mph, lol...

 

I am not sure you are correct in saying this. In 2wd my truck wants to slide and not take slight cornering at 60KM/h on a snow covered road fire road. Engage 4wd, now its like a rally car and you can do 80KM/h through the same section of snow covered road with no problems.

I have tested it, and 4wd is not just for 0-5mph.

Just last weekend I went out with a friend, I started to loose him on that road. I had 4wd engaged, he did not. When we aired up he asked how I was able to go so fast down the snow covered road. 'Engage what the truck gives you'

You are also incorrect in saying that 4wd does not help you stop faster on snow or slippery surfaces.

This video explains it very well.

 

I guess I should have clarified that I'm talking about for your typical squid on the road who doesn't know the first thing about vehicle control and hasn't been to rally school. The skibunny on her way to the slopes driving daddy's Suburban.

For an advanced rally driver, yes, obviously 4wd helps. The problem is that 99% of people on the road are anything but advanced drivers. This is the point I was making when I would be passing 4x4s off in the ditch with my 2wd Honda Accord.

Most drivers don't use the transmission to help slow down either: they just ride the brakes. That's by the "low" gear on my wife's Corolla says "B" (brake) rather than "L" for low. It helps remind the halfwits out there to use the transmission to help control your speed.

There's also the idea that many (most?) 2wd vehicles out there are front wheel drive, which aids on the driven/braking issues that video talks about.