2016 Trail stuck in snow

[Jetboy]

Not all snow is created equal. The density and temperature make HUGE differences in your ability to drive though it. Snow offers the least coefficient of friction near the melting point. The warmer it is, the less traction you'll get. And it can be as much as 10 times as much. In addition the photos or video of deep snow is typically very cold, and very light weight snow. Colder weather means larger snow flakes and less water content. The snow can be very light in very cold weather. I've driven through snow over the hood of my tacoma on 35" tires. Only because it was very very light snow. Typically Utah and Colorado have heavier snow than northern states due to warmer weather. In Montana you may have 3-4% moisture content snow "cold smoke". In Utah or Colorado it's considered "light" powder at 7-8%. In California it's more like 15% and usually referred to as "Sierra Cement." The difference just in the density of snow will make a huge difference in your ability to drive through it. Tires are the other big difference. The stock tires are pretty crappy on snow. Softer rubber with more siping makes a big difference.

For deep snow the maximum performance is low tire pressure, soft rubber, more siping, and all your tires locked together. You absolutely DO want your locker engaged, and you want the traction control as aggressive as possible - so in rock mode.

From the sounds of it driving out once you rammed into the snow was never going to happen. Sometimes you just get stuck and either shovel out the snow or get a pull.

 

[2012 limited 4rnr]

Sounds like you were sitting on top of hardened snow and undercarriage was supporting most of the vehicle. I wouldn't panic and think 4x4 isn't working.

 

[gundrted+t4r]

I've driven all over CO in the winter on highway tires that are M&S rated. Our '15 Limited has the factory GeoLander tires I've never questioned my traction in the snow. I also grew up in Wisconsin and leaned to drive in the snow with a 2 -wheel drive 1975 pickup. Nothing like a Chevy 454 w/4-barrel to keep you on your tows in the snow ... LOL There is nothing wrong with the 4Runner.

If the OP was driving over Lizard Head pass last weekend ... I thought CDOT closed the pass due to weather. If that was the case, then stay off the roads!

The biggest thing is to plan ahead. Take a shovel and/or traction boards. My girlfriend went to Crested Butte last weekend and she took both a long handle shovel and 4 Treds-Pro (Maxtrax). She didn't need them, but had them. We also carry a kit with - 30' snatch rope, d-rings, work gloves, receiver mount and LED flares.

The biggest thing is be prepared and if the roads are bad don't travel. It better to be late than slide off the road.

I partly blame Toyota marketing for things like this. People think all these fancy do-dads will get them out of any trouble. Thats just not the case. I can't wait see the first person beach a new Tundra with the self-recovery feature and watch the truck NOT recover it self ... haha

 

[4FL]

If it was that much of an effort to pull you our, then you were high centered. The speed you were going was enough to plow right into the snow bank and high center you.

The type of snow and how you are driving are factors; if you were purposely busting through snow drifts out in a field, maybe no problems, but I imagine you hit the brakes (not wanting to go further off the road) causing you just to come to a stop and high centered.

Crossovers are not going through two feet of snow. I have no idea where you get that from. Maybe only hard packed snow where they are driving on top.

 

[jwatson]

Yeah, when you're talking 3+ feet of snow, or snow that's over the wheel, there's not much many vehicles will be able to do for you unless they are lifted with some bigass tires.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

My 4th Gen is lifted and rockin' 35's and I still managed to get my dumb ass stuck in some snow this winter twice because I high centered the vehicle.

It comes down to driving for the conditions and understanding that while snow is compressible, it can easily hold up the weight of a vehicle and let you make ice patches under your tires.

 

[carlomagne]

Shovels and traction devices will help!

Pic from last week.

 

[wfo9]

New 4runner owners have been really cracking me up lately. They post stuff just like this.

Typical things I see....

I drove into some mud and sunk to the frame rails. I engaged crawl control but the truck just sat there and spun. Is there something wrong with my crawl control? I saw a video where it pulled the truck right out. What should I have done differently

I'm really concerned that all of our mobile device and the internet has turned us into a society of people without any common sense. I guess it is good that these folks are asking for advice, but I have to wonder how this type of stuff is not obvious.

 

[p nut]

New 4runner owners have been really cracking me up lately. They post stuff just like this.

Typical things I see....

I'm really concerned that all of our mobile device and the internet has turned us into a society of people without any common sense. I guess it is good that these folks are asking for advice, but I have to wonder how this type of stuff is not obvious.

Can't place 100% of blame on the consumers, though. All that ad campaign that Toyota put out on crawl control, atrac, and other off-road doo-dads...makes the 4Runner/Tacoma look invincible off road. I could see someone new to off-roading get super excited about their new truck, then get themselves in a predicament. Same thing with the Ford Raptor folks, Powerwagons, etc.

Yes, using common sense is.....common sense. But when newbies see Tacomas being buried up to its frame in sand and retracting itself without much fuss.... I can see how imagination starts to take off.

 

[Brandonium]

Some of us IDIOTS from the south get snow once every 2/3 years for no more than a day at most.. so yeah pretty sure I am not going to replace the OEM tires on my Trail immediately due to a single threat of snow which may or may not come here. When I do replace them it'll be for looks because screw logic..I'm an emotional purchaser.

This...only idiots from the South would drive in snow with OEM tires.

 

[wfo9]

Can't place 100% of blame on the consumers, though. All that ad campaign that Toyota put out on crawl control, atrac, and other off-road doo-dads...makes the 4Runner/Tacoma look invincible off road. I could see someone new to off-roading get super excited about their new truck, then get themselves in a predicament. Same thing with the Ford Raptor folks, Powerwagons, etc.

Yes, using common sense is.....common sense. But when newbies see Tacomas being buried up to its frame in sand and retracting itself without much fuss.... I can see how imagination starts to take off.

Yes, but at the same time... I would hope people understand that advertising is mostly an illusion... just like the news. It's all spun to make you believe a narrative or simply be entertained. It's all there to sell more product or increase ratings....

It just feels like common sense is something people don't have much of these days, but maybe I'm just getting old and bitter. LOL

 

[4RunnerBen]

This may be a good time to invest in a winch. The advice that has been given in this thread is spot-on.

In all of my years riding trails, one of the most important things to avoid is becoming high-centered. Keep your tires on the rock tops and the rock tops from the center of your vehicle. This goes for ANY obstacle.

Also, if you decide to get a winch... It's OKAY to winch your vehicle forward or backwards out of being high-centered in the snow. Do NOT ever winch yourself off of being high-centered on a rock, tree stump, or unknown object unless you are abso-freaking-lutely positive that your vehicle will safely slide off. You can do $$$$ of damage if you winch INTO the obstacle that has you high-centered.

I hope that helps!

 

[p nut]

This may be a good time to invest in a winch. The advice that has been given in this thread is spot-on.

In all of my years riding trails, one of the most important things to avoid is becoming high-centered. Keep your tires on the rock tops and the rock tops from the center of your vehicle. This goes for ANY obstacle.

Also, if you decide to get a winch... It's OKAY to winch your vehicle forward or backwards out of being high-centered in the snow. Do NOT ever winch yourself off of being high-centered on a rock, tree stump, or unknown object unless you are abso-freaking-lutely positive that your vehicle will safely slide off. You can do $$$$ of damage if you winch INTO the obstacle that has you high-centered.

I hope that helps!

Winch is definitely a good idea. Although if you go head-first into a snow bank....it doesn't do you much good. Which is why I think a hi-lift is more versatile (as a jack, winch, etc.), and cheaper. But it does require training to use it properly.

 

[1engineer]

I stayed out of this thread because after reading the OP, the answer was obvious. He has no clue. Going through three feet of snow in a CUV? C'mon man. He high centered and needed a pull. Big deal. When you high center you have two choices... dig or get pulled out. That's the two choices.

New 4runner owners have been really cracking me up lately. They post stuff just like this.

Typical things I see....



I'm really concerned that all of our mobile device and the internet has turned us into a society of people without any common sense. I guess it is good that these folks are asking for advice, but I have to wonder how this type of stuff is not obvious.

Some of us are calling it the millennial syndrome and we notice it too. Very few engineers coming out of college with any common sense or mechanical aptitude. Most have absolutely no attention span either. Some of the projects we work on take YEARS. Figuring out a problem can take months. They give it 15 minutes before they start complaining...
Now, not saying engineers are different or anything, but in general if they are like this, what are the business, arts and humanities people going to be like? One word... Wall-E

Can't place 100% of blame on the consumers, though. All that ad campaign that Toyota put out on crawl control, atrac, and other off-road doo-dads...makes the 4Runner/Tacoma look invincible off road. I could see someone new to off-roading get super excited about their new truck, then get themselves in a predicament. Same thing with the Ford Raptor folks, Powerwagons, etc.

Yes, using common sense is.....common sense. But when newbies see Tacomas being buried up to its frame in sand and retracting itself without much fuss.... I can see how imagination starts to take off.

How in the world can you even make that first statement with a straight face??? Seriously? Is there no personal responsibility anymore? Do people not read the owner's manual? It's even online!

Man, advertising is advertising. It has always been like this. Question: Do you drink an energy drink and start dancing uncontrollably? Do you grow wings? When you drink specific beers do beautiful women surround you? Are you most interesting? If you eat macaroni and cheese do you camp out in the supermarket aisles protecting it? Think what you just wrote. Geez.

 

[badhabits]

This is handy. It is not cheap. Double line pulling capacity is 6,000 pounds dead lift and 12,000 drag/pull. Single rope capacity is 3,000 lbs dead lift and 6,000 drag/pull.
3 Ton Ratchet Puller With 35' Of 5/16" Amsteel Blue | Hand Winches | Winches & Pullers | www.www.baileysonline.com.com

 

[DesertCanyons]

Winch come-along

This is handy. It is not cheap but with double line will give you 12,000 lb of pull.
3 Ton Ratchet Puller With 35' Of 5/16" Amsteel Blue | Hand Winches | Winches & Pullers | www.www.baileysonline.com.com

The Wyeth-Scott winch is a good option to a winch. It will pull from either the front or the back with the right gear to connect it to your bumper or tow hooks. American Power Pull makes one that is identical.
I got one because I have no plans to install a winch bumper. I carry this when I'm out in the So Cal desert to get out of sand.

These winches have 6000 pounds of pulling power if you use the pulley and hook shown in the image. Hence the name, 3-Ton.

 

[manofsteele2003]

This is why you see so many 4wd and AWD vehicles on the side of the road during a storm, people don't know how use them, don't know the limits and assume that it's 4wd it can go through anything.

 

[p nut]

I stayed out of this thread because after reading the OP, the answer was obvious. He has no clue. Going through three feet of snow in a CUV? C'mon man. He high centered and needed a pull. Big deal. When you high center you have two choices... dig or get pulled out. That's the two choices.

Some of us are calling it the millennial syndrome and we notice it too. Very few engineers coming out of college with any common sense or mechanical aptitude. Most have absolutely no attention span either. Some of the projects we work on take YEARS. Figuring out a problem can take months. They give it 15 minutes before they start complaining...
Now, not saying engineers are different or anything, but in general if they are like this, what are the business, arts and humanities people going to be like? One word... Wall-E

How in the world can you even make that first statement with a straight face??? Seriously? Is there no personal responsibility anymore? Do people not read the owner's manual? It's even online!

Man, advertising is advertising. It has always been like this. Question: Do you drink an energy drink and start dancing uncontrollably? Do you grow wings? When you drink specific beers do beautiful women surround you? Are you most interesting? If you eat macaroni and cheese do you camp out in the supermarket aisles protecting it? Think what you just wrote. Geez.

Wow, calm down guy. I'm just laying out the facts. People do dumb things. I do dumb things at times, too. OP did a dumb thing. He went in unprepared. Sure. I'm sure you've been there, too. I'm not defending the guy. If you read my post, I was merely pointing out I can UNDERSTAND why he did, what he did. We all learn from mistakes. Hopefully, he's learned his and be better prepped next time.

 

[Thirty4]

Man, advertising is advertising. It has always been like this. Question: Do you drink an energy drink and start dancing uncontrollably? Do you grow wings? When you drink specific beers do beautiful women surround you? Are you most interesting? If you eat macaroni and cheese do you camp out in the supermarket aisles protecting it? Think what you just wrote. Geez.

I damn near pissed my pants after reading this....priceless for so many reasons!!

 

[Cymon]

Some of us IDIOTS from the south get snow once every 2/3 years for no more than a day at most.. so yeah pretty sure I am not going to replace the OEM tires on my Trail immediately due to a single threat of snow which may or may not come here. When I do replace them it'll be for looks because screw logic..I'm an emotional purchaser.

I know, I live in South Florida. That is why I currently have 26k on my OEM Dunlops. I apologize for not using green font.