Hey folks,
I'm wondering if anyone would care to share their icy/snowy/blizzard settings. I have a 21 TRD ORP which has about 400x as many settings as my 2008 SR5 did! I have read the manual and what the settings do and such, but I'd really like opinions from those that actually drive these things in the snow.
I upgraded to KO2 tires so that should help better than stock tires. Now I just need to know where to set all the buttons, knobs, and dials!

Thanks!

4WD high and drive carefully. You don't need any special settings.


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I'm from Ann Arbor, born at UofM hospital. You're unlikely to need anything other than 2wd hi most of the time, 4wd hi occasionally, 4lo+locker+atrac if you get stuck. Have your friends and family not disowned you for buying a Jap car?

I would be more concerned about rust prevention with how MI pickles the roads.

sand bags in the rear

Bro... you're supposed to tell me I need to set a bunch of cool buttons and dials when it snows. Like Han Solo making the jump to Light Speed. He didn't just step on the gas, he pushed a bunch of buttons first. I want that!!

And my family disowned me loooong ago lol. I have no interest in killing a deer and that's something they just could not tolerate.

being alert, driving with patience, having the right tires and knowing the limitations of your rig is all you need

if you get very cold/icy winters dedicated winters are night and day difference vs AT but AT with 3PMSF will be better than all seasons or HT tires. it's not the snow, it's the cold temps well below freezing where you have to be careful with AT (even with 3PMSF) because the rubber will get hard and less pliable

know the limitations of the AT if you get very cold temperatures. I see many people (mostly jeepers and pickups) running aggressive AT tires and struggling for traction on wet roads when the temperatures really drop. I mean struggling to get up a mild grade hill sometimes, basic conditions. or sliding to a stop. the 4runner is a heavy brute. overall it performs well in the winter you will enjoy it no doubt

Speed, speed and more speed....forward momentum will offset any lateral slippage or quartering crosswinds. Also dont forget 4wd helps you stop 4x faster in slippery conditions...except for black ice, if you cant see it, it does not exist...so just ignore those warnings.

remember when in doubt...Give it the beans!!!

oh and...yellow snow is lemonade snow...its ok to eat.

It's more tires and technique than settings. I've had lockered 4x4s in the past, and the locker often made things worse in the snow unless you were ready for it. I have studded Firestone Winterforce tires on my 2016 SR5, and it is literally like a tank in the snow, 4WD Hi is as serious as I've had to get, and that was in some pretty deep snow.

I’m in 2 Hi 95% of the time in the winter. I also run Hakkapeliitas for tires and drive for conditions. I wasn’t a fan of the KO2 in the winter. Great tire otherwise.

You must be moving to Denver soon....

I hear you! What's the point of all the cool crawl control and MTS and ATRAC buttons and dials if we don't push and turn them??? They're just sitting there, staring at me, begging to be pushed and turned!

99% of the time I'm in the car there's no opportunity to use any of these. I try to use them when I have the chance.

When I'm in snow, I use 4H and turn on the mud/sand/snow setting in MTS. At least I get to push that button and turn the dial to that setting.

Eastside of the Cascades reporting: No snow to mention so far but several "storms" passing through this week with temps below 40 deg. I rarely use more than 4H for the 3-4 months of constant snow that we usually get=- usually 3-6" per "storm".

Wife usually uses 4H more than I do but she has AWD now in her RAV4.

In most real snow 4hi will do the trick, the rest of the fancy stuff is if you get stuck.

Dedicated winter tires, slow down and maintain gap when following. 4WD high as needed.

Since you have Multi Terrain it can help in 4 Hi, it's better than the built in traction control. It will not drop engine power and will keep all 4 wheel turning while allowing some slip. I run this on most trails, sand and snow with good results.

Find a snowy area and try with and without M/T to see what you feel is best.