4x4 Snow Question

I can read.

 

sub'd for the comments about dicks.

 

Love my 4x4... Up here in the great white north, we get a LOT of snow and a lot of times the plows cannot keep up with the removal.... The left lane has about 5 or 6" of snow/slush in it and ....That usually causes most people to slow down, drive in the slow lane and hug the rear bumper of the old lady that is way up front.....They are staying in the tire tracks and will NOT leave for fear of death.... hehe

Well, after a short bit of that sh--, I'll usually flip the switch (up to 100 KPH) and slowly pull out and blase my own trail in the passing lane..... Works VERY well and gets me to the head of the pack every time.... pull back on the worn track and turn off the 4X4.... Back up to reasonable speed again......

I love this truck... I don't got the VSC.... don't know what that is... sounds like it was made fer women or something...??? hehe (like the TPMS)....

Over

 

You know every thread ends that way...don't pretend it's not true.

 

4wd helps keep fishtailing to a minimum. Probably been said, didn't read the thread.

 

That's what I was hoping !

 

pass the derp

 

You wrote this in response to my post but apparently you never read it. There was no BS about Subarus going anywhere or doing anything. I said they are better on ice than a Tacoma and most everything else. I've owned one and I believe that is correct. If you are suggesting that a pickup is a better or even comparable vehicle to drive on a slick road than a Subaru, you're seriusly misinformed. People can drive anything into the ditch if they are stupid enough, but that is another topic.

Originally Posted by badger
Exactly. If you can find a big empty parking lot to play a little, you will get some feel for what you have. I'll tell you for sure that a Tacoma is not a Subaru. Almost nothing beats a Subaru on an icy road. A Tacoma is very capable though if driven with it's limitations in mind. As mentioned, good tires make a huge difference, and you might consider a set of studless winter tires as well. I have my tires machine center siped. Definitely add some rear weight. I have driven mine many thousands of miles on ice and snow, even with a trailer in tow. I have a lot of confidence in the truck, and I do not have any computer assisted traction utilities. Even the ABS is dissabled. The newer trucks may be better, but the older ones had some issues with ABS on ice. There are several threads you can search up.

 

See, you're starting them already

 

I wouldn't categorize drivers by the type of vehicle they drive. There are stupid people driving all types of vehicles but yes, typically I see more 4wd vehicles in the ditch than anything else. Overconfidence...

 

Sure, Subaru's are very good on ice, not because of their AWD system, but because of stability control

I had a Jeep Patriot with AWD system and stability control and I can't say which one is better, Subaru or Jeep. Yes, I tried a Subaru on ice and snow. Patriot was amazing on black ice, it saved my ass two times. Did you know that the technology behind stability control installed in Jeep was coming from Mercedes.

Having that said, we can find same stability control system in Dodge RAM, so, I'm pretty sure that they will behave like Subaru on ice, but never tried it.

I also never tried VSC in Tacoma, I don't have one, but from what I can read, sounds like that this system needs to be improved.

So, sure, Subaru is better than Tacoma because they have more electronics and they are well rounded, as I find Jeep Patriot is behaving better than Tacoma on ice, generally speaking.

The key is stability control system, but the best is our ability to adapt our driving habits according to the vehicle behavior.

 

I've read the Ridgeline does excellent in the snow. Of course it's ugly looking, but if you have no interest in going off road with it I bet it's vey capable for its intended purpose.

 

To be honest, I didn't buy my Tacoma purely for winter driving. With a light foot, good tires and careful driving, you can make any vehicle handle decent in the snow and the Tacoma is no exception. A lot of the comments about various systems 'saving my ass' to me just means you were either driving too fast to begin with or driving outside of your skill level so while the system may have saved you, you were doing something stupid to begin with to require saving. That being said, some of the AWD systems and electronics really are nice but they also get you into trouble. If the vehicle feels stable, you tend to press it harder, go faster, corner harder, etc. If you're in a vehicle that doesn't handle overly well, you're going to take it easy, go slower.

 

Up here in Colorado, we race in the snow. 4WD in the snow is great. You can easily go 80mph in the snow. Stopping is the hard part. And VSC sucks.
The only thing about the snow is, when you get the frame stuck in the snow, you had better have a winch, or a shovel, a strong back, and a few hours to kill.

 

I would leave it in 4wd for slushy roads that have patches of clear pavement. I do not think it will harm your truck.

 

um, a radically lower center of gravity might have some effect too

 

I agree. Stability controls are not a substitute for skill and common sense. They are the last resort of the least skilled. I find all these devices a hinderance. They mask the feedback needed to understand what the vehicle is doing. Ultimately whether the vehicle stays on the road or not is governed by the same limiting factors, with or without stability control. People don't even realize they are in trouble till the vehicle is past it's limit and unrecoverable.