Snow Driving Tips and Techniques

Yeah, but you’d be surprised.

 

Advice for driving in the snow. take it slow around corners/gun it before you head up a steep hill/make sure your tires arent bald/if youre afraid to drive in the snow dont/use the skinny pedal and when in doubt throttle out.

but the most logical response would be go in a parking lot when its snowing and just see how your car/truck handles. Then figure out how to correct it when it slips and slides.

 

Yes and no. Yes, there's a lot of people here so, like Texas, we have more people that don't know what they're doing because of pure mass effect. No/also, the snow and driving conditions here are much more variable than most other places in the CONUS. We'll go years in drought and have very little snow, and so people go years without any exposure to winter driving. Then, when it does snow, it thaws and refreezes almost instantly because we have Mediterranean weather + 10,000 foot peaks in parts of California, which combined with pre-WPA mountain roads makes for dangerous driving conditions. Even the young HiPSIs of the world didn't come out of the womb knowing all of that, no?

 

I understand. I lived 15 miles from a ski resort so we got a lot of snow of all different types. However, 20 minutes in the opposite direction only got trace snow every few years.

 

Ya gotta learn somehow.
I was lucky and grew up on a farm. Dad had me driving our Ford 9N as soon as my legs were long enough to push the clutch pedal. Wasn't much afterward I graduated to a 1950s Chevy dump truck.
Got my driver's license at 16 in October. First real driving experience was in the Winter in New England (1960 Chevy station wagon).
It should be required of every driver in snow country to 'play' in an empty snow-covered parking lot. Get moving then cut the steering wheel to induce a slide. Figure out how to counter-steer. Blow a few donuts. Power your way around a corner by accelerating into a slide (but that don't work with front wheel drive).
Learn how to get your vehicle moving WITHOUT mashing the gas pedal. Know when to back off on the gas so your drive wheels can actually get some traction (albeit limited sometimes).
I find it so amusing to watch the Southern TT drivers on a snow-covered interstate burning their drive wheels up with almost wide-open throttle. Guess they figure they'll just melt the snow & ice and eventually get to level ground.

 

My Top Tips:
You need to see. Running the windshield defroster and cracking the driver and passenger windows will give all that hot air somewhere to go. Once you get things clear cracking the windows allows them to de fog and maintain clear vision.
If you must brake in snow or ice...its too late, you have been either following too close, going too fast or were in the wrong place having someone else spin out in front of you. Braking is the last thing you need to do.
Old time Greyhound Bus Drivers used to apply the brake and a tad of throttle to actually stop more with control. Next time you are in a snow covered parking lot give this a try, it works.

 

Having been on and around military installations most of my life, you have a wide demographic of drivers from all over the country/world in one locality. My experience has been that during snow events, the drivers from Michigan, Wyoming, Wisconsin, etc. find themselves in the ditch far more than drivers from say California, Texas, Louisiana, etc. The reason? "I'm from up north and we drive in this stuff all the time" and tend to want to prove it to their own dismay. The others? "I'm going to take it slow, because I never drive in this sh*t, and don't want to take chances". Good attitude. This a very general observation, but it does hold a certain amount of truth.

 

LOL! I absolutely believe you and it's true! (25+ year vet of driving in all kinds of snow..)
The light fluffy stuff? Easy and you can get lots of traction.
The really wet stuff that's like a Slurpee at 7-11? That's were it gets difficult. I avoid that unless the fridge is completely empty of beer.

 

I've found the complete opposite. Especially the Kalifornia drivers. Where I live (40 miles from the Canadian border, E. WA., stones throw away from ID. panhandle) the only ones we usually see in a ditch are the transplants. They think that because they have a new 4x4 Jeep or an AWD Subaru Forester, they can still drive like it's a nice warm summer day.

 

Today we are getting snow in my area. Earlier I was out and see how people seem to forget how to drive in snow even in Pennsylvania. Mostly the problem is that they go to fast, turn too quickly, brake too hard or follow to close.
Only a few blocks from home I seen a Grand Cherokee sliding around a turn. Going too fast because they have 4wheel drive and are invencible out there.

Me I know to test my traction, and do all manauvers slow smooth and deliberately. No hard braking, easy on the gas. I didn't even use the 4wheel drive.

Actually that's another thing. I'm not sure with this truck how much snow does there need to be on a paved road to safely use it with out binding.

My Jeep had a full time 4 high setting that you could even use on dry pavement so I didn't need to worry about that.

 

From what I’ve read in the third gen subforum of TacomaWorld, these trucks should be run in 4hi only when you are flopping and sliding all over the place or the front diff will melt! There was much debate and hand wringing about it recently.

Last Monday, I drove 200 miles on unplowed and snowy, slushy roads. Slow and steady, and testing traction every so often. I’m sure my front diff will shit the bed next week but dammit, I love living dangerously!

 

I read that thread and I think it’s very amusing these guys buy a 4x4 truck but are afraid to use it.

 

They are so fragile!

I glued my 4x4 selector to “2hi” so I do not ruin the truck.

 

I think that driving on packed snow would probably be ok as there would be some ability for the wheels to slip and not bind since in the Toyota set up the front and rear are locked. However when I was out today there wasn't that much snow and it was plowed well on main roads. I would have went to 4wheel drive if I wasn't getting traction. I'm not afraid to use it but Wasn't needed. So far I've only used 4Hi on the un plowed gravel private alley behind my house, that should not be any issue.

 

Only real way to learn is drive in it. After 40 years you learn... or have someone drive you.
I have driven in the snow all over this great land (including Russia and China) and it becomes second nature.
Except... last year I moved to a land without snow because I was finally tired of shoveling.

 

Does airing down the tires help in the snow/ice?

I usually air down to about 18 PSI when I go off-road. I normally run about 30 PSI cold, 32–34 PSI (according to the TPMS) after driving a while and the tires heat up. I'm running the stock tires: 265/70R16 Goodyear A/T with M+S rating.

 

No, on-road you'll want to be at full pressure for snow / ice. Off-road you might want to air down depending on what you're driving over.

 

Thanks.

 

Go as fast as you can. If you start to slide, go faster. Once you are completely out of control, stand on brakes and lock up all the wheels. Brace for impact.

At least this seems to be how a lot of people do it.

 

Lol! You forgot never clean the snow/ice from your car and follow cars ahead very closely