Anyone else have a 2WD in an area that gets snow?

The past two winters in KC have been very snowy and slushy. Have not have a problem in snows of up to 8". The skinny stock tires help a lot. A skinny tires digs in better in the snow. BTW I am using the stock Firestone Destination LE's that have 40K+ on them.

 

I do....I do.......

Get snow tires and put a Shurtrax in your bed.....best investment.... No problems

http://www.shurtrax.com/

 

Put some fat old studded snow tires in the rear, and buy a couple of those long sandbags made for the backs of pickups.

 

Have up to 90" of snofall per year and have never owned a 4WD truck. I started driving in 1969 so everything was RWD back then and you develop a technique for the white stuff. Weight is nice in the rear for worse days although don't try to run sand bags and run the vehicle through car wash w/ it there. They will read you the riot act.

Motoretro

 

I've got a five lugger with cheap tires. I did ok this last winter. I even pulled a big Delta 88 out of the ruts (it took about 10 minutes though). I just threw in some sandbags and piled snow in the bed. It did ok. I just planned my routes to avoid big inclines and carried a snow shovel in the bed. Got stuck about twice a week (being careless).

 

Drove in 2wd on the freeway with snow tires several times. Went into 4wd simply because... 1) i have it . 2) everyone driving safe and me too, i didnt want to pass in 2wd, why risk it. Truck didnt slide once. Keep in mind that was around 2" of the nice dry snow too east side of Oregon, not the wet sloppy snow on the west side of Oregon.

4wd gets a lot of people in trouble, they think it makes traction , it cant, it simply takes advantage of traction you have.Driving on the highway simply divides the torque in to 2 parts to 2 axles instead of one, at least thats the short of it.

4wd wont stop you faster either, 2wd you might spin on acceleration some, but once you are steady at speed, and need to stop, its all in the brakes......get good traction once again. Is 4wd better than 2wd on snowy roads , yea , of course. But , just because 4wd is good , that doesnt make 2wd bad... more like 2wd with snow tires is good ....adding 4wd just makes it better. I used to drive a v-8 1983 impala skiing the NW, never had to chain up, used winter tires. PS ,check your state laws, but either way, carry a set of cable chains , i still do with 4wd , like its some talisman warding off evil,even if i havent needed to use em.

 

Thanks Canadian Girl. I checked out the Shurtrax and it looks like a great system. Most of their products are unavailable on their website right now. They must be seasonal. However I found a compact truck Shurtrax on Ebay for $79 shipped. I bought it, hopefully its condition is good. It said excellant on the listing.

 

Where in the Northeast? Curious.
The mid Atlantic or New England?

 

I had a 2wd in upstate NY for about 5 years and never had any problems. Get some good tires, throw some weight in the back either above the rear axles or in front of them. Don't put weight behind the rear axles because it unweights the front (steering and stopping is more important than acceleration). Be light on the skinny pedal and you'll be fine with a 2wd. Most of the time I'm in 2wd in the snow anyways.

 

I think having a 4 cylinder helps as well. I know that my F150 can't get anywhere in the snow in 2wd simply because it has 350+ ft lbs. of torque to the rear wheels and no traction control features what-so-ever.

 

No, you just need to be easier on the skinny pedal.


Or start off in 2nd or 3rd. That way the back tires won't spin like mad.

Get some good snow tires, go slow around corners and leave plenty of room to stop.

I drove around all winter with Mickey Thompson MTZs, definitely not winter tires. Did fine with them. Even in 2wd. Only engaged 4Hi on the highway with 2" of snow all over the roads.

 

No problem....... I had it in the bed of my xr and winters on..... sure i slid if i tried too....... but the truck was a beast......

The shur-trax paid for it self....... if it saved me from one accident it was worth it.... and my thought is it is secure in the bed and god forbid something does happen it does not become a projectile

Thats a good price. I paid $170 to my door....... but also to Canada right

 

Where I live most of the vehicles in ditches were fwd cars...OP good tires and sand bags help a lot. Also go easy on the gas and be careful on hills. I had a prerunner in front of me on a snow covered hill and he couldn't get enough traction to move forward. I'm sure better tires or sand bags would have helped him.

 

Scott,
I purchased a 2008 2WD Access Cab in Fall of 2007, so I have been through 4 New England winters with it. When I purchased the truck I left the factory tires (some run-of-the-mill Firestone's) on it, but did build a wooden frame that held sand bags over the rear axle, and kept them from sliding around the bed. Going into this most recent winter, my truck needed new tires. I purchased 4 Firestone Winterforce tires. The tires perfomed so well, I did not use any weight in the bed. This winter set several snowfall records in the Northeast, and as an avid skier I was often driving in very snowy conditions to the ski areas of New Hampshire and Maine. I have never had an issue with not having 4WD. That being said, you will have to drive smart, and take it easy; don't expect to scale a 40 degree hill from a standstill, don't expect to come to quick smooth stop at 60mph in 4 inches of snow, etc. The only positive thing I can think of about a 4WD Tacoma is it looks better. That's it. Everything else, in my opinion, is a detriment to the performance, and cost effectiveness of the vehicle.

Hope this helps.
Patrick

 

Have you heard of the tacoma prerunner? A 2wd tacoma with a 4wd tacoma suspension. Looks exactly like a 4wd tacoma. So what you're saying is 2wd is better than 4wd right?

 

The heavier trucks will actually do better in the snow on roadways. You need to put more weight in the back though and go easy on the gas so you ease off the start and don't just sit there and spin. Unweighted, the full size 2wd trucks suck in the snow because they're so heavy in the front and extremely light in the rear. Balance out the weight distribution with sand bags in the bed, get some good tires and the 2wd full size will do great in the snow. I prefer the heavier trucks in the snow, they don't get pushed around as easily in slush and snow drifts.

 

Most has been said here, but main points:

1) Drive with respect for conditions...extra space and slow down.

2) Some additional weight in bed will help a lot.

3) Tires are the most important piece IMHO

...first 8 yrs in Alaska I ran studded winter tires...this last year I changed to studless Bridgestone Blizzaks...they beat all studded tires I've ever run before (from Nokian to Hankook).
They are pricey...and so is running two sets of tires (Winter & Summer). But if you can afford it...it's worth the investment...you've heard of "where the rubber hits the road"...

My two cents FWIW

 

i guess im kinda screwed. i live in Missouri and dont hav abs or traction control. but the clutch should help i think. ill prolly throw some weight in the back to help.

 

These are the tires I run in 235/75/15. My 5 Lugger 2WD does suprisingly well in the snow but I still wish I had a 4x4. I've always had chains but never used em, even I probably should have over some of the vertical hills in the mountains. I also put 4 decently sized sand bags right against the tailgate.

Heres the tires I run: Cooper ST A/Ts