Driving in snow

When you're stuck in a ditch, 4LO is the best to get you out. You'll crawl right out with it. Is yours stick, or auto?

 

Sweet pic!

 

Yeah, I know, but I wasn't really stuck. If I had tried in 4Hi and not been able to get out, I would have put it in 4Lo. Mine's a manual.

 

4LO is also easier on the clutch when you're doing stuff like that. Just letting you know. I learned the hard way on my first 4x4 (S-10) back about 10 years ago.

 

Gotcha... It hadn't really occurred to me at the time, but makes perfect sense.

 

Doesn't surprise me that it's slow to kick in. It's probably more beneficial for people who panic and don't know what to do when it starts to slip, hopefully regaining control before they slam on the breaks.

 

Okkine, mind if I use your signature as my own on another board?

 

Haha, go right ahead... I am using it on Toyota Nation though, just so you know...

PS: Thanks for asking

 

No.

It's for a local auto club board.

 

Oh how I envy you right now.

 

I didn't see this answered...
I have an 07 DC V6 4x4 auto Base model (non TRD/non Sr5) it has an open differential, no traction control or limited slip.
LSD was an available option add on without a package.

I believe some sort of traction control is standard on 09's, all models I dunno?

 

Here the low down. I grew up in the cold north where houses get buried by snow and our family ran a garage and towing business. I drive 70 mph/ 120kmh no problem in snow.

Good things for driving in snow:
Get skinnier tires- they cut through snow rather than floating on top
Get winter tires- the rubber compounds in them have a lower freezing point and therefore will be softer in colder weather and grip better.
Get studded tires if you are going to drive in snow for many months straight. They will stop on a dime on ice. Check local laws, some states and provinces they are banned.
Traction control and ABS help maintain control.
Only use 4wd at slow speeds (below 30mph and 60km/h) for getting out of a tough spot, otherwise all 4 wheels turning at higher speeds will send you into a spin as soon as you go around a good corner. AWD different story but doubt anyone has modded that in yet.

Think of winter driving as f1 racing. Drivers are always battling on the boarder of losing traction and control. You have the same battle on snow, just at slower speeds. Have fun.

 

just got back from 3 days in the high sierras -
snow, snow and more snow - 3 + feet on the ground on Monday
these trucks are great in the snow - even with crappy a$$ stock tires -
had to turn off the 4x and work to break it free in an empty parking lot
coming down the hill yesterday was white out, 20 mph - had to go by the side road markers to stay on the road

 

Pictures???????????????

 

Yes, my 09 is a base model DC and has traction control. When you turn it off it engages the LSD.

 

Personally I've had the opposite experiance. 4WD helps negate that because instead of having the rear end break you loose into a donut the front tires spinning in the direction you want help pull your back end in line again.

 

Some would think. That may be the case if you are driving with lost traction in the rear. Most people want to maintain traction on the highway. It all comes down to the coefficient of friction between the tire and the road. As long as you do not exceed the coefficient of friction, you have traction. As a tire rolls and the tire touches down on the road in one spot, you have static friction. This is considerably higher than the value of kinetic friction which occurs when you lose traction. Friction in Wikipedia -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction

Static friction

Static friction is friction between two objects that are not moving relative to each other. For example, static friction can prevent an object from sliding down a sloped surface. The coefficient of static friction, typically denoted as μs, is usually higher than the coefficient of kinetic friction.
Another important example of static friction is the force that prevents a car wheel from slipping as it rolls on the ground. Even though the wheel is in motion, the patch of the tire in contact with the ground is stationary relative to the ground, so it is static rather than kinetic friction.
The maximum value of static friction, when motion is impending, is sometimes referred to as limiting friction,[3] although this term is not used universally.[4] The value is given by the product of the normal force and coefficient of static friction.

Kinetic friction

Kinetic (or dynamic) friction occurs when two objects are moving relative to each other and rub together (like a sled on the ground). The coefficient of kinetic friction is typically denoted as μk, and is usually less than the coefficient of static friction for the same materials.
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i drove my 09 for the first time in the snow this weekend on I80 crossing PA and OH. i didnt have a single problem but i was nervous since it was the first time ive driven a pickup in snow.

 

Yeah, I've been driving with a high amount of pucker factor lately... We've had over 5' of snow in the last 2 weeks! I have a topper, and thought that would help weight the back end... It's not enough, so I ended up putting 2x60lb bags of tube sand in the back... I'll probably add one more because it's still a little light and easy to get the back end fishtailing when accelerating from a stop in 2wd. It's handled well in 4wd on snow so far. The roads have been snowpacked and icy for the last 4 days or so, and I've definitely been taking it slow... last thing I wanna do is get in a wreck.

 

I hear you. My Dad made me take my driving lessons in the snow when I was a kid, but it's been ten years since I've regularly driven a truck in the snow. I'm excited to hit the empty parking lot, but somewhat nervous about the highways.