My first snow drive

If the trucks traction wasn’t kick in, it could be worst. I just want to share my stupidity so others can be aware. But I’m glad there is no damage to my baby.

 

You going to fast in that weather

 

I learned how to drive in the snow in Germany. my two tips are. 1. drive slower that you normally do. Keep a VERY large space between you and the vehicle in front of you. 2. Avoid using the brakes..Was that three? or two?

 

I hate fasting. I always cheat and eat some Reese’s peanut butter cups when no one is looking. Never put the wrappers under your pillow. I learned the hard way about that one. Brown stains on the pillow case. Speaking of brown stains, did I ever tell you about the aliens that come in my room when I’m sleeping and paint brown stains on the back of my underbritches? One of them even had a sense of humor and painted a stripe on the front!! But yeah, fasting sucks.

 

Hope your luck holds out OP

 

I just had my Nokian Hakka winter tires put on yesterday. They make all of the difference in these conditions. Have to be careful not to be over-confident.

 

Size and link?

 

Agree. Quickly pushing in the clutch does help to regain steerage.

 

So - I’m in the Great White North, and barring winter tires, I’m curious about what you use for weight in the bed, and how much (if you need it, at all...) for a comfortable winter drive.

I’m a Tacoma convert; coming off many moons in a 4Runner. The two vehicles are similar in a lot of ways, but even in dry conditions, with certain instances (bums, dips, etc,) the rear of the Taco is definitely, substantially lighter.

 

It depends. I’ve have four cylinders and six’s and they require more. I used to use about four bags of 75lb tube sand or 300 lbs and it was sufficient. Now, I have a FG cap and a six and use one or two bags along with a plastic crate with tools in it. I think I’m in the same range.

I will add this. Have the sealed bags of tube sand ( the safest weight) available, then throw them in as needed. No sense carrying much more then a bag or two around for weeks at a time if snow events aren’t in the forecast. Btw, the truck rides better.
Under no circumstances use cinder blocks, rocks or any hard material. You could just put covered plastic crates filled with sand in the back. You then use it on ice in emergencies. Hope that helps.

 

Btw. Nothing says you “must” use winter tires. As an alternative, There are some great AT tires used year round that are excellent in snow. I use dedicated snow tires only because the 2 mile dirt road I live on is ice ( from the frost) and snow cover most of the winter. We never get a day off from driving on some ice.

Btw, the 04 4Runner we had was far and away the best winter vehicle short of a snowmobile, that we ever had. We’d still have one if they still came standard with the awd/4wd feature.

 

Ha ha
We’ve all made our share of dumb decisions while driving. I think the cemetery is filled with people whose timing was bad when they made theirs.

 

Yeah, @Dagosa, I never put winters on my 4Runners. Good all-seasons are just fine in the city and for highway driving/commuting... especially having driven two-and-a-half decades in the white stuff. lol

With the option of 4WD and the ability to shift and drive in lower gears when necessary, I’d imagine the Taco would be much the same; just lighter in the back.

 

No amount of experience is going to make up for incapable tires. There are plenty of scientific and non scientific tests that show all seasons are garbage when put head to head with a true winter tire.

 

https://www.nokiantires.com/tires/suv-4x4-tyres/winter-tires/ The Hakkas are dedicated winter tires and must be changed out for the seasons. Nokian also has excellent all-season tires that do not need to be changed out, but will provide @ 50K of life. I run the same size as the stock tires.

 

Duh, @Navigator1; that’s obvious. I’m only speaking about my experience. Every single car and SUV I had prior to these two vehicles had seasonally-dedicated winter-tires.

Being aware, cautious, conscious, and experienced are all beneficial in snowy/sleety/rainy conditions, but not even winter tires will protect you from the dumb-asses driving with little or no snow experience, let alone their over-worn all-seasons.

 

Well you’re entire post was basically stating you didn’t need winters because of your experience so....didn’t seem like you thought it was obvious.

And winter tires can help protect you from idiots because it will allow you to drive defensively and react quicker when they do stupid shit.

 

If you’re going down a road and all the others are blowing stop signs and lights (happens a lot), you have to be lucky. The key is to not drive the first or second snow storm. That weeds out the people with crappy tires and bad driving. That’s how I get by. All the accidents I get into is that I get rear ended in the summer. Twice in 3 years. Cost me a 2015 and 2018.

 

Winter is all about the low speeds. High speed tracking and no one is safe.

 

Unless you are born in Finland & know how to drive a SAAB 99 full-lock & WFO, don't do that again.