How to 2WD in winter?!

Indiana,I live here. Winters are usually mild,but we got a helluva' snow. You need dedicated snow tires if you're keepin the truck,they make a HUGE difference.

 

I've tried many, many different kinds of All Season and dedicated snow tires, extra ballast and Limited Slip rear ends over the years with varying degrees of success. This winter I decided to bit the bullet and do something I've meant to do for years, slap four Blizzak DM-V2's on my 4 wheel drive Tacoma. I should have done it years ago! Even with no extra ballast in the bed, the truck is an absolute animal in the snow - even in 2 wheel drive. Words simply cannot describe how much better the truck starts, stops and handles. For a 2 wheel drive truck, I'd very highly recommend it!

 

In my 30+ years of driving, one thing that has helped me get better traction is lower the tire pressure. Fwd, rwd, 4wd...didn't matter. I've always enjoyed driving in snow.

I've never had traction control on any of my vehicles until I got this Tacoma recently. Without A-Trac, there's times I just slide on the slope of my driveway in icy/snowy conditions trying to three point turn and back in. Nothing is level here. Even with A-Trac on, lowering my pressures from 29f, 32r (as noted in door jam) to 25f, 22r helps. If it's really bad, I'll drop to 16f, 11r. It's 6 miles of hilly, curvy dirt and gravel roads just to get to asphalt where I live. I carry air compressors (and plug kits) in each of my vehicles.

I have stock 265/70r16 Michelin Defender ltx with 90% tread fwiw. I'm planning on getting a second set of rims for proper snow tires and going skinny ~ 235/85. But for now, I get around pretty well.

Lots of good info from others in this thread. I'm surprised only one other person suggested lowering pressure. Weight in the bed is my other go to.

 

Just follow the plow and salt truck.

 

And that's why our frames rust out...lol

 

THIS^^ helps ALOT. I also still drive a 2wd s10 in the winter months, good tires and some ballast in the bed makes a big difference.

 

Put more weight in the bed than you think

 

I didn’t know you had winter in Costa Rica

 

Lol!! Thats when l still lived in Canada

 

Yes, you swap out your summer tires on your good wheels for you winter tires on steelies when the first snowfall of the year is forecasted. Then do the opposite in the spring.
Indiana can get a ton of snow, especially up near Lake Michigan. I'd be curious to know what kinds of roads you are sliding on though. How many inches of snow are you trying to drive through on an average day and what is the terrain like beneath? Rural farmland, city streets, a tree-lined gravel driveway? These will make a difference in whether you need chains vs studded tires etc.

 

I'm part of the 4WD proponents here, and would contest the idea that 4WD does not perform better on ice than 2WD.

However, I drive my truck in 2WD most of the time, even though the roads in the Yukon are icy. I have brand new winter tires and a hunk of concrete in the back, and as long as I'm not going hard on the skinny, it stays pretty true. I tend to let off the gas around turns, try not to accelerate unless I'm heading straight.

I was wondering though, do you guys think running the truck in 2WD is more fuel efficient than 4WD? That's the main reason I try to stay out of 4WD. My '88 4Runner stays in 4WD all winter long.

 

Nice change of scenery. Kinda jealous, so many good waves in Guanacaste!

retired? Remote work? Or just lucky somehow??

 

When I lived in WA I had a 2wd singlecab 2nd gen and I used to just fill up the bed with dirt and air down alittle bit. It did the trick. But yeah black ice don’t care if ur 4x4 or 2wd or autobot ,you will slide..

 

Retired!!

 

The S10 is an amazing truck!!!

 

Only 35 yrs to go...

 

I always hated it when people said 'Time Flies' when they were talking about how fast life goes by. But it's so true!! Seems like yesterday l was graduating high school. But, that was 37 years ago
Where'd those 37 years go??? They were right all alone!!!

 

As most have said, good winter tires, a little bit of weight in the bed, and use a gentle throttle when it gets slippery. Drove my old 2wd T100 and my 2wd Tundra through plenty of ugly winter storms with no problems. Best to use some bags of play sand or such in the back, concrete blocks and patio stones make pretty ugly projectiles in the event of a collision.

Cheers.

 

I found that bags of "water softener" salt were handy for weighting vehicles - cars and trucks alike. 40 lbs each, in heavy plastic bags, and easy to find. To load the truck I've usually put the weight right back against the tailgate.

 

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like bananas.