2WD 4Runner suggestions for tackling Snow.....

[4RunnerStunner]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you all have any pointers about driving in Snow with a 2wd 4Runner. I checked the forums but could not find a definite answer. After seeing what everyone can do with the 4x4 version, makes me wish I looked for a 4X4. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! I know I need to inverst in some good tires, but what if I get stuck. Can I take a slippery trail if I enable Auto LSD?

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you all have any pointers about driving in Snow with a 2wd 4Runner. I checked the forums but could not find a definite answer. After seeing what everyone can do with the 4x4 version, makes me wish I looked for a 4X4. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! I know I need to inverst in some good tires, but what if I get stuck. Can I take a slippery trail if I enable Auto LSD?

With good tires, using the Auto LSD and a little weight in the cargo area you should do well. The tricks, IMHO, are as follows:
1) Dedicated snows or A/T's that work very well in the snow. Tirerack.com is a good research tool in addition to the countless posts in the "Perf Zone" section here. Nokians, Blizzacks or similar is probably worth it if Kent gets a lot of snow.
2) The exact weight is a guess on my part but something between 100 and 160lbs of something is probably the right amount. 5 or 10lbs of that weight should be a good recovery starp and then you'll never get stuck
3) Understand your Auto-LSD. It's basically ATRAC which is well covered here. The button disables the throttle intervention feature and allows you apply power even if the wheels are spinning. What's important to understand is that to maximize it's effectiveness you want to apply power smoothly, slowly and avoid rpm's over 2500-3000. Very high power settings and sudden power applications can overpower the brake that's operating on the low-traction side of the vehicle.
:cheers:

 

[scottm]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you all have any pointers about driving in Snow with a 2wd 4Runner. I checked the forums but could not find a definite answer. After seeing what everyone can do with the 4x4 version, makes me wish I looked for a 4X4. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! I know I need to inverst in some good tires, but what if I get stuck. Can I take a slippery trail if I enable Auto LSD?

I had a BMW 740iL for a couple years, ran dedicated winter tires in the winter, and it was impressive. Despite lack of ground clearance, the weight, traction control, and winter tires got it around better than most front-wheel-drives. Trails would require chains, and even then it's risky. Of course, it depends on the trails, even 4x4 won't get through everything.

 

[eskimochaos]

With good tires, using the Auto LSD and a little weight in the cargo area you should do well. The tricks, IMHO, are as follows:
1) Dedicated snows or A/T's that work very well in the snow. Tirerack.com is a good research tool in addition to the countless posts in the "Perf Zone" section here. Nokians, Blizzacks or similar is probably worth it if Kent gets a lot of snow.
2) The exact weight is a guess on my part but something between 100 and 160lbs of something is probably the right amount. 5 or 10lbs of that weight should be a good recovery starp and then you'll never get stuck
3) Understand your Auto-LSD. It's basically ATRAC which is well covered here. The button disables the throttle intervention feature and allows you apply power even if the wheels are spinning. What's important to understand is that to maximize it's effectiveness you want to apply power smoothly, slowly and avoid rpm's over 2500-3000. Very high power settings and sudden power applications can overpower the brake that's operating on the low-traction side of the vehicle.
:cheers:

Agree, steelies and dedicated snow tires can be had for $600 and will last at least 5 winters.

 

[charlier180]

1) Dedicated snows or A/T's that work very well in the snow. Tirerack.com is a good research tool in addition to the countless posts in the "Perf Zone" section here. Nokians, Blizzacks or similar is probably worth it if Kent gets a lot of snow.

FYI, when it comes to tires be advised that tirerack is a good alternative but not always the lowest price when you consider the shipping, etc. Shopping around might be worth considering. I bought a set of steel wheels off of a Toyota Tundra and mounted Blizzaks from my local tire dealer on them a few years ago. This will be my 5th winter with this combination and they have performed VERY WELL.

BTW, I went with Blizzaks that were more narrow than my stock Dunlops.
With the 16" steel wheels and the more narrow tires I still kept the overall height about the same so the speedo is not off by much at all. The more narrow tires also seem to Bite better in snow and plow the snow less (wider tires tend to plow the snow more).

I did not get Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors for the snow tires. After about 60 miles or so the TPMS light on the dash comes on. When I get home the light resets since I park my 4Runner about 20-30 feet from where the stock Dunlops are stored. Some people put a piece of black electrical tape over the TPMS light when they run winter tires without the sensors. I just ignore it.

Be advised that some winter tires use a special rubber compound (ie Blizzaks and others). This is great for performance in Low temperatures. This also means that it is VERY, VERY IMPORTANT that one does not run these tires for too long once the temps rise in the spring. That is the #1 reason why some people do not get as much life out of winter tires as they could. As I mentioned earlier my Blizzaks are 5 years old. This will probably be their last winter since their tread is getting worn down to the point where after this year they will probably be less effective in snow. Even so, 5 years is well worth the money spent especially given their excellent performance during that time.

Also do not be surprised that winter tires are not as quiet as all seasons especially on dry roads. That is the nature of the beast.

 

[scottm]

Be advised that some winter tires use a special rubber compound (ie Blizzaks and others). This is great for performance in Low temperatures. This also means that it is VERY, VERY IMPORTANT that one does not run these tires for too long once the temps rise in the spring. That is the #1 reason why some people do not get as much life out of winter tires as they could.

I've always heard that truth from every car and tire expert or enthusiast. However, I've had a set of Blizzaks on my wife's Land Cruiser for nearly two years, and will need to replace them in the Spring.

I bought this LC early Winter of '08, it had Blizzaks. Apparently the wealthy previous owner ran them year 'round, and replaced them when they wore out. I began looking for another set of wheels and tires, so I could take the Blizzaks off before Spring. I had a deal with a guy in California, but he kept changing his mind and putting me off, and Spring turned into Summer. I decided the Blizzaks were probably ruined, and I'd put a set of All Seasons on before Winter. My Land Cruisers have always been hard on tires, so these should've been ground to dust pretty quickly. I haven't rotated or babied these tires any special amount, and they've held up well, and I'm shocked.

Winter tires are softer, partly because they use much higher silicone and other more expensive materials and methods. I'm starting to think those materials hold up better than standard tire materials, I can't explain this any other way. Blizzaks are known to have a spongy layer that gets phenomenal grip, but wears out quickly. I've probably worn that off, but the underlying tire still gets great traction, because its soft and highly siped.

I still don't recommend running winter tires in the summer, but I won't be as fanatic about changing to summer tires ASAP when the roads clear as I used to be.

 

[4RunnerStunner]

With good tires, using the Auto LSD and a little weight in the cargo area you should do well. The tricks, IMHO, are as follows:
1) Dedicated snows or A/T's that work very well in the snow. Tirerack.com is a good research tool in addition to the countless posts in the "Perf Zone" section here. Nokians, Blizzacks or similar is probably worth it if Kent gets a lot of snow.
2) The exact weight is a guess on my part but something between 100 and 160lbs of something is probably the right amount. 5 or 10lbs of that weight should be a good recovery starp and then you'll never get stuck
3) Understand your Auto-LSD. It's basically ATRAC which is well covered here. The button disables the throttle intervention feature and allows you apply power even if the wheels are spinning. What's important to understand is that to maximize it's effectiveness you want to apply power smoothly, slowly and avoid rpm's over 2500-3000. Very high power settings and sudden power applications can overpower the brake that's operating on the low-traction side of the vehicle.
:cheers:

Thanks for the info! And thanks for everyone else's imput! Will take all this info with thought!

 

[JAC]

I own a 2wd also...and I have decided to go with the Goodyear Fortera Tripletred ...expensive yeah.. ..but I like the overall reviews and rating + they look sweet.

U may want to check them out.

 

[scottm]

I own a 2wd also...and I have decided to go with the Goodyear Fortera Tripletred ...expensive yeah.. ..but I like the overall reviews and rating + they look sweet.

U may want to check them out.

X2, I've run them on several family cars for years. The truck-size Fortera version is fairly new.

 

[Nuke]

My '08 is my 3rd 4Runner; all 4WD models. I previously had a 2nd gen and a 3rd gen.

I don't kick in 4WD in the snow until I really feel like I'm losing control. Unfortunately, on all 3 4R's that happens with very little snow. Even with Michelin LTX's, Bridgestone REVOs and Firestone Destination AT's my 4R's were squirelly as hell in most any snow (although I never added any significant weight in the rear). My wifes Camry with all seasons would run circles around me until I kicked in 4WD. Pretty emabrassing... :violin:

 

[charlier180]

Winter tires are softer, partly because they use much higher silicone and other more expensive materials and methods. I'm starting to think those materials hold up better than standard tire materials, I can't explain this any other way. Blizzaks are known to have a spongy layer that gets phenomenal grip, but wears out quickly. I've probably worn that off, but the underlying tire still gets great traction, because its soft and highly siped.

I still don't recommend running winter tires in the summer, but I won't be as fanatic about changing to summer tires ASAP when the roads clear as I used to be.

From the Bridgestone web site regarding Blizzaks:

Blizzaks with Multicell compounding are “dual compound” (cap and base) tires. The cap features the Multicell compound, and the base is comprised of a winter compound, allowing continued use as a winter tire after exhausting the Multicell compound. When the Blizzak is 50 percent worn, a snow platform in the shoulder area lets the motorist know that only five percent of the remaining tread is the Multicell compound.

» As with any purpose-built winter tire, the Blizzak should only be used during the winter season to maximize the tire’s life span. The motorist should utilize conventional tires during other seasons.

» Note: The Blizzak DM-Z3, WS60, WS-50, Blizzak W965 and Blizzak MZ-03 contain Multicell compound. The Blizzak LM-25, Blizzak LM-25 4x4, Blizzak LM-22 and Blizzak LM-18 do not contain Multicell compound, but instead utilize a conventional winter driving compound.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

If the tires on your LC are the ones listed above as not containing the Muticell Compound, that might explain why they have lasted longer than you thought they would. I would be interested to know if the Blizzaks on your LC are one of the Blizzak models listed above or not.

Personally, I take the Blizzaks off when I do for two reasons. First, to maximize their life. Second, I do it because I tow my trailer fairly early in the spring each year with my 4Runner and the Blizzaks are not made/rated to do that. Having owned tires like this before I can tell you from my experience that running these tires in warm weather did wear them MUCH FASTER then if they were used just during the winter. I guess we each have our own experiences with these tires. That is good since it gives a well rounded opinion on this topic.

 

[scottm]

I'll have to check which Blizzaks I have. Since I didn't buy them, I didn't do my usual exhaustive research on them. I would never have run them in the Summer, but got caught up in a situation. Which might happen with checking which Blizzaks I have tonight, I'm in 737 training in Dallas most of the month, crazy busy on my visits home.

 

[4RunnerStunner]

I've always heard that truth from every car and tire expert or enthusiast. However, I've had a set of Blizzaks on my wife's Land Cruiser for nearly two years, and will need to replace them in the Spring.

I bought this LC early Winter of '08, it had Blizzaks. Apparently the wealthy previous owner ran them year 'round, and replaced them when they wore out. I began looking for another set of wheels and tires, so I could take the Blizzaks off before Spring. I had a deal with a guy in California, but he kept changing his mind and putting me off, and Spring turned into Summer. I decided the Blizzaks were probably ruined, and I'd put a set of All Seasons on before Winter. My Land Cruisers have always been hard on tires, so these should've been ground to dust pretty quickly. I haven't rotated or babied these tires any special amount, and they've held up well, and I'm shocked.

Winter tires are softer, partly because they use much higher silicone and other more expensive materials and methods. I'm starting to think those materials hold up better than standard tire materials, I can't explain this any other way. Blizzaks are known to have a spongy layer that gets phenomenal grip, but wears out quickly. I've probably worn that off, but the underlying tire still gets great traction, because its soft and highly siped.

I still don't recommend running winter tires in the summer, but I won't be as fanatic about changing to summer tires ASAP when the roads clear as I used to be.

Cool! One question though, I have not seen anyone recommend chains. Has anyone done that on their 4Runner before? I s it recommended?

 

[scottm]

DM-Z3, so they had the hydrophilic layer and it's long gone.

 

[scottm]

Cool! One question though, I have not seen anyone recommend chains. Has anyone done that on their 4Runner before? I s it recommended?

If I had a place to off-road in the winter they'd be handy. I think they're limited to around 30mph, not so handy on the road. But it'd be nice to have a set. I usually jump in my truck and drive around when the plows give up, just to see what I can do, and I've not gotten stuck yet in those conditions without chains.

 

[charlier180]

DM-Z3, so they had the hydrophilic layer and it's long gone.

I run the DM-Z3s on my 4Runner also. Have to check the tread after this winter and decide if they have one more year left in them or not.

I usually jump in my truck and drive around when the plows give up, just to see what I can do, and I've not gotten stuck yet in those conditions without chains.

When it snows where I live I avoid the limited access highway and take the "scenic" route to/from work. Funny how that route involves some fairly steep hills that do not get plowed too often during a snow storm. With these Blizzaks I have gone "hill climbing" with more than a few inches of snow on these roads without a problem. The current snowfall forecast for Eastern Pennsylvania this weekend is for 8-12 inches of snow. If that turns out to be true, I see some hill climbing in my future on Saturday night and/or Sunday morning. :banana: