2018 4Runner TRD OR - deep snow impressions

[sonjason]

I think the consensus is the ground clearance was an issue, and possibly a lack of momentum. I felt momentum may have been a cause, as well as the traction control still being active.

I didn’t think about ground clearance honestly, but now that it was mentioned I see that the Tacoma has 11 inches where the T4R only has 9.6. I guess that is pretty significant in this case actually. I just assumed my height was good.

Thanks for all the input.



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[baitdragger]

we got 13" in the same storm, my front wheels packed with snow and kept me from being able to drive on the highway without a bad steering wheel shake...cleaning the factory limited wheels of snow pack with your bare hand is a chore!

 

[Moses_J]

I live in the Morganton/Hickory area and we got between 14-18". My ORP went through it like a champ. I did have to put it in 4Lo a few times but the TRD Wranglers did great.

 

[Hadelson]

I was excited to know that we were forecasted to get between 1 to 2 feet of snow here in the NC mountains this past weekend. I was ready to test the capability of our new 2018 TRD OR 4Runner... My brother lives up a pretty steep incline. It is paved, but a sharp curve right ahead of the steepest incline kinda kills your speed. Last year he tried taking his Dodge Ran 1500 4x4 up the driveway in 9 inches of fresh snow, that didn't end well. I ended up using our 2016 Wrangler Willys to make him a path up. The Jeep had ZERO issues going up the hill in the snow. I simply put it in 4Hi and up I went... I had done the same before in my 2006 4Runner sport edition. I just knew this shiny new 5th gen was going to make me feel all kinds of badassery.

Fast forward to now, and our new 2018 4Runner TRD OR. I assumed the T4R would go up as easily as the Jeep did - not the case at all. I just put it in 4Hi and off I went... or so I thought. I got stopped pretty quick in the 4runner. Snow was a bit deeper this time, close to 13 inches as opposed to 9 last year in the Jeep... pretty wet snow in both cases. I will be the first to say, it was probably my ignorance of all of the various systems/settings in the T4R - and I didn't read the manual at all... so shame on me. My 4Runner has the matte black TRD wheels with Duratrac tires from the factory, and those tires are severe snow service rated. I just assumed to be honest the T4R would easily do the same thing the Jeep did last year with BFG mud terrains.

Boy was I wrong. I backed up and punted. Decided to fiddle with MTS and see what happened. I enabled MT/S and turned to the first dial, which I now know is Mud/Sand. Still no luck getting up.

Backed up again and said piss on it. Turned off MTS and put it in 4Lo, and turned on the rear diff lock. This time I made it up, but it still wasn't "easy".

Now my question... WTH did I do wrong? What would have been the best setting to climb a steep paved incline in 13 inches of wet snow, with relative ease - on ONE try? Or are my expectations too high? I feel like my issue is that perhaps I didn't turn off the traction control stuff, and when I enabled 4Lo that was disabled automatically, but not sure. Just looking for real world experience from fellow 4Runner enthusiasts.


For comparisons sake, a friend of mine has a 2001 Tacoma regular cab 4x4 with no locker and none of these bells and whistles, and he made a similar climb this weekend in same conditions in that truck with no issues whatsoever.

Lot of snow driving experience growing up in snow country. Factors to consider: Heavy wet snow with depth exceeding ground clearance. This creates situation where snow packs under skid plates and results in loss of ground pressure/traction to tires. High Moisture content with wet snow (Water) acts like a lubricant. I would bet if this was powder snow, you would have run right up the drive. Tires and Pressure affect traction as well. Not an expert by any means having buried a my old scout in snow and mud many times. Hope this helps

 

[willo]

Did you go slow and then over accellerate? Once you spin too much it's often a losing battle. If it's set i personally like to pick my diff before slipping. Of note I live at 9k feet and have a North facing hill climb to get home...

If the set snow cooled the road enough to stick, it formed a bit of an ice layer underneath. Pack down snow on top of that and it's worse than snow over here ice.

side note Duratracs are my least favorite snow rated tire. Does your set have the snowflake symbol on them? Not all manufacturers certify all sizes...
Goodyear has a terrible website and doesn't note this info like general does.

 

[Glandnut]

I will be the first to say, it was probably my ignorance of all of the various systems/settings in the T4R - and I didn't read the manual at all... so shame on me.

^^Pretty much sums it up^^

 

[sonjason]

^^Pretty much sums it up^^

I said it first soon one else had to lol.


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[alcomedic]

Interested to see what folks say in this thread. I've got a fairly steep driveway to contend with and it can get nasty with snow and ice. (Still dealing with a shoulder injury from last March after wiping out while walking.)

My prior car (VW Tiguan with Michelin Pilots) did horribly on it and a key reason I got my TRD Pro is to handle snow better. It call comes down to tires + weight + traction technology + actual conditions on the roadway.

I'm sure people will say this is ridiculous but I picked up some burly snow chains just in case.

where in norcal are you?