2017 TRD Sport 2WD - Thoughts on Snow

It matters because your opinion seems unusual to me and I was wondering what the reason is. I think if you drove around in a Minnesota winter in both an AWD and a 4wd I think you might think differently. Shifting in and out of 4wd at every intersection is a PITA, so I tend to leave it in 2wd and use AutoLSD as needed. YMMV

 

One other point... I think one of the reasons my Subaru was better cornering/drifting was because the two axles could turn at different speeds thus allowing it to act like a RWD when I tapped the throttle and then as AWD as I eased onto the throttle. The taco can’t do that. When you tap the throttle all 4 wheels spin and you just keep going forward. It’s just a different feel that I don’t like as much. If I want to drift in the taco I tend to put it in 2wd.

Also I have a vague memory that the rear and center diffs were limited slip in some fashion

 

YMMV is exactly correct. I am completely content with the Taco and do not see a commanding advantage of AWD, regardless of the frequency of snowfall.

For that matter, if your in MN, why do you have 4wd if my opinion about the capability is insufficient.

 

So, this clarifies that you personally like AWD better that 4wd. That's great, since it is you money.

It doesn't create a blanket statement that AWD is better in any incarnation on the street.

 

Why not have all of it?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/transfer-case-swap-multi-mode-2wd-awd-vf3am-vf4am.627123/

 

That's an option.

 

Like I said, this relates to daily driving. My taco is much better at off-roading than my Subaru and I do that weekly. However, the primary reason I bought the taco was to pull my boat.

 

I don’t remember saying anything more than why I personally like AWD for daily driving in snow.

 

Apologies to the OP; there's no intention to de-rail your thread, but there might be some useful information to come out of this discussion...

The weight of the truck is constant and the force required to accelerate it is for all practical purposes is the same irrespective of where the load is placed,.

-Some back of the cigarette pack math tends to make me think that the unloaded ratio is more like 65/35 which seems pretty good to me.
-50/50 would be optimal if all wheels were powered.
-Given the limited distance between the rear axel and the tail gate, you're going to have to add a LOT of weight to get to 50/50 from 65/35, never mind 80/20

I don't agree. Maximum tractive effort is only really a concern when you're starting on a grade, but even then, keeping the steer tires planted so that you go where you want to is critical. All you need is sufficient tractive effort to maintain momentum; if your front end gets away from you, things are going to get very interesting very quickly.

All of that said, I may not be 100% right, might not even bet 1% right, but forty years of driving everything from compacts to a Super B in Canadian weather has provided sufficient anecdotal evidence for me to maintain my position.

 

Okay. That doesn't correlate to the opinion that 4wd is bad for me or worse than AWD hands down in the snow. Your confusing opinions and feelings with facts.

Lemme repeat: either could be the better overall choice depending on specific models, systems, and tires.


For me in the snowy commutes, there was never a moment when I thought that I would be better off in my wife's Subaru.

 

I'm out.

 

I think the crux of our impasse might be that my opinion is based on the fact that most of the time in a Minnesota winter, all main hiways and streets are dry. You only encounter snow/ice on side streets, intersections, parking spaces, etc. This is because it snows only occasionally, the temp stays below freezing for weeks or months, and snow removal is not consistent. During these conditions it’s just not practical to shift in and out of 4wd to avoid bind up IMHO. With AWD you have enough traction for the conditions without the need to shift back and forth to avoid bind up.

If we are instead talking about driving during snow storms or off-roading in the snow, then I agree with you that 4wd is preferable

 

Don’t get tiffy on me.

maybe I should have said that I thought it was implied/obvious that I was stating a personal opinion based on my personal life experiences.

 

Gimme a break. Those are just made up numbers to illustrate a concept. You are not seeing the forest for the trees.

I think we'll just need to agree to disagree about the physics. In the end, it really doesn't amount to very much. All I do is toss some weight in the back and forget about it. I suggest everyone do the same. I don't understand why people so often repeat (the myth IMHO) that the weight is best put directly over or in front of the rear axle, because the physics of that are questionable.

 

It’s safe to say the Taco can hold it’s own in the snow!

Before we left town I loaded up 3 more sand bags so 7 total back there. When we finally got far enough up the 395 Cal Trans asked if I had chains and waived me through. I was pretty nervous as I passed people putting on their chains.. but I kept driving up and after awhile I was feeling pretty comfortable, I could really feel the back end digging in the snow. At one point I was even passing up other pick ups with chains on.

I made it into town and thought I may need to put the chains on to get to the lifts but I kept driving up and it felt solid.

Later that I day I drove around some of the neighborhood roads to see how it would feel on less maintained roads and I couldn’t get the rear end to slip at all..

I’m stoked on how it turned out and it was a great learning experience. However I did drive up after the storm cleared up and I’m sure if it was real nasty I would’ve needed chains but it’s nice to know I can take it in some snow without fish tailing all over the place.



p.s. it was all time up there

 

I’ve noticed my 17 sr5 2wd with factory firestones do considerably well with the auto lsd on , Have yet to get stuck in snow , ice or sand yet . Our little trucks do quite well if you drive smartly and don’t try to be a speed demon taking off from stop .