Officially given up on the Rugged Trails - Sienna did better

My driveway is a circular and slants upward so that water runs away from the house. The driveway is one big sheet of ice. I cleaned it real good Sunday, but that black ice is inevitable.

My wife gets home and pulls in just fine into the garage. A little slipping but nothing that hangs her. Later on that night its my turn., I get stuck halfway up. I'm just spinning in the wind in a little sheet of ice. Of course I put on the 4WD and was able to get up just fine. But damn... If the Sienna can do it
just fine. I was on the wing, listening to people that the Rugged Trails weren't that bad. To just deal with it till you need new tires. But forget it. Depending on the size of my bonus this year, I will buy now or sometime mid Jan. This is ridiculous.

I know the 4wd corrects the tires faults. But I should not have to resort to 4wd in minimal situations. Am i wrong in this assumption?

 

Perhaps your expectations are greater than your circumstances, The Sienna is front wheel drive and the Taco with the rear wheels pulling is no comparison Pickups with no load on bad roads are useless. If you could use just the front wheels on your Taco you could go a lot of places with ease like your wife! !

Don G

 

LOL. Rugged trails suck for off-road.

I dont know a lot about the sienna. But if it has LSD and your truck does not that may be the reason it can make it and you cant....in 2wd!

My friend has a 2wd with a LSD and when i follow him, he can go up slippery terrain that I have to switch to 4wd. Little things like that make me want to do the "Gray wire Mod" or whatever the anytime locking rear diff. mod is called. It would be perfect for times like that where you just need a little push!

$$ Go ahead and snatch up some BFG All-Terrains!$$

 

Your Taco weight less at the rear and since you have it in rear wheel drive only, it will spin air. Try putting some weight in your bed and try again. I bet you it will go up fine.

 

I think Don's right on this one, although i will say to go ahead and ditch those worthless rugged trails. I know i will after the new year, those tires are completely useless

 

I'm gonna back Don G on this 100%

I will not debate the quality of the Rugged Trails. Though I had them on my 04 Tacoma in plenty of rain and plenty of mud dirt and sand off road and never had a problem with them. (I dunno about them in snow or ice as I have never drivine my Tacoma's in the snow or ice as I don't want to give the other morrons a chance to hit them.) But on ICE, particularly balck ice like you are describing, in a rear wheel drive truck with an empty bed it is not going to matter in the least what tires you have as they all will spin on that ice with no weight in the bed, doesn't matter if they are $69.00 Pep-Boys tires or $300 baja claws. Ice is ice, and without weight or a locker or LSD you're done.

 

I don't think I can go back on this now... Wifey was looking and she said you are right. Change em out. The truck is right now the primary fam vehicle with the Sienna seeing its last legs. I want to have the best tire possible for any and all conditions. I should have asked my neighbor to try the same on his f250 with the good BFG AT.. See what happened in that case.

 

i dont want to be rude. but u are comparing now an f250 with a taco? the 250 is about 2000 lbs heavier. u slipped on the ice cause u are rwd pickup with no weight in the bed, and not in 4x4. the sienna is front wheel drive like everyone else said. u are searching for a problem that is of no fault of your truck or its tires.

 

I can't get more than 3 feet up my driveway when it's icey (in 2wd). That is the nature of the beast.

 

I'd say at least 300lbs in the bed. I had 180 in mine with stock tires and it was like it wasn't even there. Still, sand is cheaper than tires and it'll help you get by until you can really afford new tires.