5 lug in snow?

Wondering if any of you have driven your 5 lugs in snow and ice, and if so, how it performed? From past experience I know that rwd trucks can do ok in snow and ice with weight added to the truck bed. Curious how the 5 lug tacos perform and would like to hear some personal experience stories from some of you.

 

It will be a real unpleasant, and possibly dangerous, experience for you unless you put snow tires on, at least for the rear, or sipe them, and add some weight.

 

Would a good set of all terrains be sufficient as far as tires go? I plan to put around 500lbs of sand bags or concrete blocks in the truck bed over the rear axle. I’m currently in the process of building either a box for the bags or a support bracket system for the blocks to keep them from moving and make sure they stay over the rear axle.

 

Depends. I have a 4x4 but I drove my buddys manual 5lug and it was all over the place unless you went slow, average tires and 300lbs in the bed

Edit: in ice and snow

 

It really depends on the snow and ice conditions. I have the best luck with siping, and studs if you can do that, and the weight of course.

 

I can tell you that my truck is useless in 2WD on any sort of hill with A/T tires in the snow. Don't get me wrong, it'll go up, but it's slow going. And if it's at all icy or especially steep you're out of luck. With ~300 lbs in the bed and snow tires, it'd probably work okay, but I wouldn't want to take it out in especially bad weather.

We have virtually no 2WD Tacomas in the northeast for a reason. I have dedicated snow tires on separate wheels for my 4WD and it's like driving on rails.

 

Ah ok. I’ve heard mixed reviews of the MT in snow. Mine is an AT. Hoping with a good set of all terrains and some weight it will do ok. I’ve driven 2wd in the snow before but they were heavier trucks and had locking rear differentials.

 

I’ll keep that in mind as well. There was a set of all terrains I was looking at that had a stud option. I may look into it.

 

Hahaha, yeah I’m sure 4x4 is a must up that way. The most snow we see here in NC is usually only about 6in. It’s rare we get more than that where I live. Our biggest problem is icing on the roads due to all of the trees and winding roads where they stay shaded most of the day.

 

I have a cousin down there and she says the state basically shuts down if any amount of snow falls anyway. Up here, 6 inches wouldn't typically cause much of a reaction. Might delay or close schools depending on timing and if ice was mixed in, but that's about it.

I like the big storms--forecasts for 18"+ are exciting to me.

 

It’s been about 8 years that I have owned a 2wd drive truck.(Silverado) in the North East. In the winter I always keep a min of 3-50lb sand or stone bags in the rear with a shovel. And always drive carful and aware.
Out of all the snow storms and road travel in the years I’ve only got stuck once and had a buddy pull me out. (Ice storm in Vermont, Parked on a hill and could not drive forward). Also the big burrillo traction mats are a life saver and cheap.

 

That’s pretty accurate lol. Idk if it’s the same anywhere else, but they shut everything down except for city utility offices and everyone rushes to the stores and buys every drop of milk and every crumb of bread.

 

That's basically what she describes. She's in the Charlotte area, though, so in the north maybe they act a little differently?

 

Never heard of those mats before. Just looked them up. Think I might have to own a set. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Small world! I’m about 30min from uptown Charlotte. I’m in Gaston County, right beside Mecklenburg County where Charlotte is.

 

I drove a mini van to Canada with 6 friends. We were stuck in a parking lot that was a sheet of ice. One friend packed them and they were the best thing. I honestly haven’t seen them around for sale. They were exact material as a Brillo pad

 

I was reading more about them after you mentioned them and they really seem like a cool tool to keep with you during snow and ice.

 

I had a set of ice-x tires. Worked fine in ~6 inches of snow.

 

I’m planning to get a new set of wheels when I get some new tires. Considering just keeping the stock wheels now when I do the change and dedicating them to snow tires the more I think about it.

 

I live in the Southern Ontario lake-effect snow-belt. That means i face 3-4 days on average where people are encouraged to stay the hell home. More often than not, the big concern is glaze ice hiding under a snow covering.

I've only had one FWD vehicle in 30+ years of driving. Most of my vehicles have been RWD utility vans/pickup trucks. I haven't made extra precautions in the past, except for a couple hundred pounds of sand in the back over the axle.

That said - taking no precautions, means taking a chance, being frigging cautious, and knowing your vehicle in less than good conditions.

I'll be interested in knowing what difference aggressive treaded tires and a mechanical LSD in the back makes... hopefully, less controlled slides to stop signs and intersections.