If you don't off-road, but you live in a place that snows..

my 2wd 05 DCSB sucked in the snow. It had such a light rear end, i got zero traction. If i was at a stop light/sign with any sort of rear grade, i was going no where. I became a master at strategically keeping momentum to get through those kinds of situations. 300 lbs of sand in the bed helped, but it was nothing compared to driving my 4x4 Access cab in the snow last winter. Add sand to the bed of the 4x4 and LOOKOUT! Doesn't mean you should race through the snow like the idiots in the full-sized 4x4s, but there is not a whole lot that can hold you back when you need to get from point A to point B. And this is coming from a dude in southwest ohio that gets pretty bad snow for only a month or two a year... i will never go back to a 2wd truck.

 

Here in the mountains of northern CA, 4wd is essential. You can pull yourself around with a crap Subaru fwd for a while but when you are pushing 10' of snow up a grade, the extra clearance of the pickup and 4wd will get you where you need to go.

 

If you live in or often drive to an area that gets snow in winter, get the 4x4. Even plowed roads are slick, and it takes less snow than you'd think to lose traction.

 

Nice Truck, honestly you need to ditch those Rugged Fails now.

 

I've had subaru's, 4wd trucks, fwd cars and one rwd Dakota. The subarus and trucks were great.

 

Got a question for you experienced guys about 4WD in the snow. Even if the roads get plowed and there are some dry spots in the slush do you still keep it in 4WD? I heard it was always bad to keep it in 4WD on the road. Also, when you do drive in the snow is it in 4 HI or 4 LO? Yes I really don't know, why, because Hawaii.

 

dry spots are fine. you don't want to use 4WD on dry pavement (EDIT: for an extended period of time). 4HI if you're driving through the snow at normal road speeds. 4 LO when you're climbing/crawling. treat 4 LO as you would a locking diff, except that you can turn your front wheels. (don't turn front wheels with lockers engaged)

 

That'd be me to a T, I had a 2wd F250 it got stuck EVERYWHERE. Got stuck one time on flat compressed gravel, wouldnt BACK in to my old driveway with an inch of snow. So yes when I NEED 4wd around here in the winter a half dozen times AND when I play around on unplowed roads after a snow storm a dozen or so times YES it's worth every penny. Am I THAT GUY with the stock off road rig that DOESN'T go 4 wheeling, and keeps it all shiny and stuff? YUP!

 

I don't off road, but I do live in Mid Michigan, where we get snow. A 4WD vehicle was an easy choice.

 

The past 2 winters have been horrible. Not only am I thankful I have 4WD, I am thankful I have 9" of ground clearance. I also have a steep driveway (The garage is under the house).

 

Last year I had a focus St and I did OK. I missed a couple days ( worked at home). I needed snow tires to get around but once I had them it was a little tank in plowed or snow up to 6 inches. For my commute I would probably be better off with the ST still because it did great on plowed expressways but I don't have the money for a winter car.

In plowed conditions I will just drive a bit slower.

It's true you can get around in new York conditions with rwd but get snows and weight (and patience).

Carl

 

Sometimes it just doesn't matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOGjkw6pnwY

I lived in Colorado Springs in 1986, my wife & I used to watch this kind of crap all the time...even the snowplows would have problems. Tire chains were needed...

 

Throw a quad in the back or a couple bikes. Might have some nasty toys come spring but youll look good doing it!!

 

I do not offroad and have never owned a 4x4. However, we do get snow around these parts. I've always kept a couple of extra steel rims around with snow tires mounted on them. Pop 'em on when I need them, take them off when I don't. Never had a problem getting where I need to. Tires, experience and common sense....that'll cover 99% of all situations. And please...no safety Nazi, Ralph Nader types lecturing me on having 4 snow tires.

This is what I'll be using on the new Taco. FJ steelies with Duratracs. 1st time I've used a non snow tire....but they're supposed to be good in the white stuff. We'll see.

 

I don't need much encouragement to get better tires - will be looking into it for sure.

 

I don't know why:
1. You would buy a 2wd instead of a 4wd ever. There's no real benefit, not even much of a mpg gain.

2. You would buy a 4 wd and then be afraid to ever use it. Some people on this forum seem to think you will burst into flame and be swallowed into hell if you even look at your 4wd switch. As long as you aren't using it on a regular basis to make lots of 90 degree turns on dry pavement you will be fine. I winter, if the plows are out I'm pretty much in 4 high from start to finish. I turn it off once I get into either a parking lot or before turning into my drive way.

To answer your last question, 4 low is exactly that, for LOW speeds, like crawling, under 10 mph type speeds.

 

Wow, that's a whole lotta snow!

 

Honestly the Rugged Trails are just junk.

 

Had over 13" on the ground this past winter in NW Indiana, local and state police closed down all roads to non emergency vehicles. I called the police station was able to get permission to take neighbor over to her elderly mom. The tacomas 4x4 and clearance is one of the best setups I have ever drove in the snow with. I was using bf A/T which suck in the snow and I still felt comfortable enough to traverse conditions that "bro trucks" didn't make it out of the subdivision especially when I'm plowing through 2 to 3 foot drifts.

 

I'm in the same boat...fucked up and got a prerunner almost a year ago, now I really need/want a 4x4....

Biggest dissension is to get a 2015 or a 2016 4x4...