Toffees
Member
:iagree:
4Runner in snow?
- Thread starter Conrad
- Start date
:iagree:
1engineer
Moderator
Dude, I'm just trying to help you keep from screwing up again. There is a big difference in AWD and the Limited's FT4WD. I gave you the link. I've said my piece. Good luck.
I appreciate it. I read that article several times before I bought my truck. After driving mine, I'm not entirely comfortable with the way a RWD vehicle performs. Even if the day-to-day difference in driveability isn't all that great, I will just feel more secure behind the wheel knowing power is always going to all 4 wheels. I am leaning toward keeping this one through the summer to see how much I use the off road features of the TE. Having that information will make the decision to swap it or not easier.
1engineer
Moderator
How many miles do you have on the TE?
Portland is going on a week with a foot of snow and packed ice on the roadways. I have a TEP with Blizzaks. I've probably put on 350-400 miles in the last week around town and have actively tried to slip in it and can't. In 4H on a steep hill covered in snow and ice I can stop in the middle of the incline and start again and it doesn't slip an inch. To each his own but I have been more than impressed with the snow handling in my rig. Good luck to you.
1engineer
Moderator
You do realize you have absolutely no seat time in it yet right?
I concur with you keeping it through the spring and summer. Get some time in it. Take it out to every slick parking lot you can find and just drive it - in every mode - especially 2WD - and get used to it. Also try to emulate all conditions like hard braking, sudden turns, slides, etc in all modes. Unless you hit something you won't break it. Then, if you still feel uncomfortable with it, get rid of it.
After awhile, shifting into and out of 4WD becomes second nature and when to do it does as well. Have fun with it! My '16 TE will be a year old in April. I have 31K on the clock.
DurangoMax
Member
Purg is Awesome this year
Over 12 feet of snow already this year :smow: - excellent base, the pow off chair 8 is excellent - just wish the sun would come out again (been two weeks without) - but hey that means more snow and better skiing so no worries. Roads last week were bad with ice and that put many of our NM visitors in the snow bank....for this post, I just flipped it into 4H and motored on up the hill.
All about being pro active with the surrender lever.
BTW how's the snow? I hear good things, headed up in two weeks.
Over 12 feet of snow already this year :smow: - excellent base, the pow off chair 8 is excellent - just wish the sun would come out again (been two weeks without) - but hey that means more snow and better skiing so no worries. Roads last week were bad with ice and that put many of our NM visitors in the snow bank....for this post, I just flipped it into 4H and motored on up the hill.
DurangoMax
Member
Purg is Awesome this year
Over 12 feet of snow already this year :smow: - excellent base, the pow off chair 8 is excellent - just wish the sun would come out again (been two weeks without) - but hey that means more snow and better skiing so no worries. Roads last week were bad with ice and that put many of our NM visitors in the snow bank....for this post, I just flipped it into 4H and motored on up the hill.
All about being pro active with the surrender lever.
BTW how's the snow? I hear good things, headed up in two weeks.
Over 12 feet of snow already this year :smow: - excellent base, the pow off chair 8 is excellent - just wish the sun would come out again (been two weeks without) - but hey that means more snow and better skiing so no worries. Roads last week were bad with ice and that put many of our NM visitors in the snow bank....for this post, I just flipped it into 4H and motored on up the hill.
FlightMedic303
New member
I feel like maybe you're not used to it yet, I honestly feel my Trail does great in just 2WD. I went over Wolf Creek Pass a few weeks ago at 0200AM in a blizzard with 4-5" on the ground (probably not the smartest decision, I know) but I made it up the Pass effortlessly in 2WD and decided to put it in 4WD heading down the other side.
But ultimately whatever makes you more comfortable behind the wheel, I support that.
Last edited:
WindyCity4Runner
New member
Just curious - what tires on on the 4runner now?
I ask because while we've had a pretty mild winter in Chicago I have not had to put in in 4wd yet once. I do have snow tires and that makes a difference, but whether driving in the snow or the ice I haven't experienced any significant loss of traction. And I moved to Chicago from the deep south so I didn't grow up driving in the snow/ice.
I ask because while we've had a pretty mild winter in Chicago I have not had to put in in 4wd yet once. I do have snow tires and that makes a difference, but whether driving in the snow or the ice I haven't experienced any significant loss of traction. And I moved to Chicago from the deep south so I didn't grow up driving in the snow/ice.
Saxainpdx
New member
I guess I'll throw a wrench into the works too
I just bought a Limited this fall, and so this last week here in Forest Grove/Hillsboro(West of Portland, OR) has really been my first time in the T4R in snow(Had snow a couple of weeks ago too, but that was only like 3" or so)
For me, the only places that the Limited (in H4F, center not locked) has slipped is in traffic circles on ice, and on a couple of icy corners(I was probably going a 'little' too fast for conditions
It did great in the unplowed neighborhoods with 8" of snow and ice, stopping slid a bit(but I was slamming the brakes on trying to get it to slide)
So basically I'm saying that I still wish I had bought the TEP instead of the Limited for some of the capabilities(crawl, KDSS, etc), but still love the Limited. I'm just a little nervous about the broken conditions like dry pavement, then in shade, have snow/ice. The Full Time 4WD almost makes me forget that I am in 4WD, and get a little cocky, then hit some ice and slide a bit until the VSC/TRAC takes over(which I still don't fully trust, but I know I should)
This is in my 285/65R18 KO2's also...
So, Limited does great in 8" + of snow, but on broken snow/ice/dry pavement, I'd almost rather have regular, controllable Part-Time 4WD back. (Had 94 Nissan 4x4 truck, 05 TRD Off Road Taco, 07 TRD Off Road FJ, 09 TRD Off Road Taco, and this 16 NBM T4R Limited.
Last edited:
jrob
New member
-Why would you not engage it??? As previously mentioned, you just need to learn to be proactive on using the system, take some time to learn it. Put the calculator down and just go drive it around. Just need seat time dude.
-According to yourself, but the words you type on the internet would suggest otherwise.
-Seriously?? I bet you ski in jeans don't you?
Word. Pulling yellow and turquoise plates out of the ditch is a favorite past time of mine.
Our place on Lime Creek has been getting nuked. Looking at a few purg days, bump over to Telluride for 1 or 2, maybe a silverton day and hopefully get some tours in.
I guess I feel like shifting in 4HI is something of a last resort, given how much if affects the handling characteristics of the vehicle on anything other than very slick surfaces. I guess I need to get used to the fact that there is going to be wheelspin on wet pavement and steep intersections, and that it's a characteristic of RWD.
I prefer jorts and snowlerblades, actually. Saucer Boy is my spirit animal. :cheers:
Attachments
Last edited:
jrob
New member
Saucer boy rules. Any fan of Shanes is alright in my book.
I'll see your stoic powder gaze and raise you a flannel telly turn.
Stay safe out there!
The weekend before last, we got a pretty decent snow storm here in Connecticut (12" before it was done). I have a stock 2016 SR5 and had to drive from New York City to my home in eastern Connecticut during the worst of it. The 2 hour drive took 4 hours.
There were some spots that were decently clear and some that were not!
I'm used to driving an AWD vehicle so the biggest issue was shifting it into 4H when I thought I needed it. Obviously with an AWD you don't have to do anything if it works correctly.
I really like the heavy-ish feel that comes with the 4runner and I was very impressed with how well it performed in the snow, even with the stock Bridgestone Dueller H/Ts. My previous AWD vehicle felt as though it lost stability, even if only momentarily when changing lanes and braving the mounds of slush between lanes. The 4Runner felt much more stable.
The true test was when I got home around midnight. Not a single plow had touched my neighborhood. There was a foot or more on the roads leading to my house. I shifted into 4H and was easily able to steam my way up into my neighborhood via some pretty steep hills in over a foot of snow. One of my previous cars was FWD and I was unable to make it up the hills to my house many times in only a few inches of snow.
I feel like an AWD is a no-brainer if all you ever deal with is snow and you don't want to think about turning knobs or pulling levers, but with a little practice (remembering to shift into 4WD) the 4Runner can handle snow and SO MUCH more that a unibody AWD could never dream of handling fresh off the lot.
Hope that helps.
p.s. I've never driven a trail, but it does offer terrain select that I believe has a snow setting. I assume that it electronically controls throttle response and the ABS to help even more. I guess what I'm saying is the SR5 did AWESOME for me so a trail would probably do even better. The important thing to remember is that all of this capability does require operator action to initiate.
b407driver
New member
Is that a crown you're standing next to? lol
Apologies in advance, but let's cut to the quick here and help us out with some perspective: How old are you?
Lots of people are trying to give you good information based upon decades of driving experience, but you appear to firmly believe that the Limited is the answer to your issues (it will admittedly solve the inconvenience 'problem' of having to shift in and out of 4WD). If you are having wheel-spin problems while driving in 2H like a grandpa in merely wet conditions on pavement, it would seem that other things are at play here. Stiff steering while in 4H should not be the fatal flaw you make it out to be, though it does indeed feel different than normal.
N=1, but last Wednesday I drove to Loveland toward the end of that huge storm cycle we just had, and my '16 TEP w/Cooper AT3's performed fantastically. Any vehicle that does well in severe storm conditions should perform equally well in variable conditions, assuming you are driving safely (with your eyes out the windshield) for the conditions. Variable road conditions are typical for CO mountain winter driving, so I'm not sure why your personal scenarios are to be considered in any way unique.
If you want a Limited, then suck it up and buy it, but a Torsen-type differential will not likely solve all your problems. The bottom line is that a drive system that is optimized for snow will not likely hold up for robust off-road uses, so for you, perhaps a Quattro or Subaru remains the right choice for your winter driver.
LandCruiser
New member
This is my opinion, your opinion and mileage may vary, void where prohibited.
I miss 4HI with an unlocked center diff and I don't like drivetrain bind.
If I had to do things over again, I'd get a Limited as a starting point for a Colorado truck.
My next vehicle will either be a full time 4WD with a locking center diff and two speed transfer case, or a one that's selectable but has a locking center diff.
I miss 4HI with an unlocked center diff and I don't like drivetrain bind.
If I had to do things over again, I'd get a Limited as a starting point for a Colorado truck.
My next vehicle will either be a full time 4WD with a locking center diff and two speed transfer case, or a one that's selectable but has a locking center diff.
I think my plan at this point is to keep the truck through the summer. I plan to use if a fair amount for backcountry driving in the summer months, and I want to see if I utilize some of the off-road oriented features of the TE. If I end up using the locker or crawl control on a regular basis, I may decide to keep it, but if those are features I don't use, or use once in 6 months, I will get rid of it for a Limited.
In the long run, I don't think I will be satisfied with a part-time 4wd system for winter driving, but I do want to put the TE to good use this summer before I decide what to do next.
And no, that isn't a crown, I'm standing on a sidestep track.
In the long run, I don't think I will be satisfied with a part-time 4wd system for winter driving, but I do want to put the TE to good use this summer before I decide what to do next.
And no, that isn't a crown, I'm standing on a sidestep track.
