Advice for Northward Bound T4R'er

flashbolt

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This spring I'm planning on moving from Raleigh, NC to outside Minneapolis, MN and I was wondering if you mid-westerners had some advice for things I can do over the next year to make my 2006 V6 4wd T4R Sport, more Minneapolis winter worthy. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks guys,

Joe
 
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This spring I'm planning on moving from Raleigh, NC to outside Minneapolis, MN and I was wondering if you mid-westerners had some advice for things I can do over the next year to make my 2006 V6 4wd T4R Sport, more Minneapolis winter worthy. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks guys,

Joe

First and foremost are fluids/tires.
 
Behind fluid and tires I'd add a good battery, fill the washer fluid with winter grade washer fluid, make sure the spare tire is full to avoid a tire pressure light.

On the subject of fluids I'd consider a 5w-20 beginning in late fall. There's a TSB that allows for 5w-20 in 2006 and newer T4R's.

Build a winter kit with a survival blanket etc. There's a couple of good threads on that topic. If you venture beyond city limits it can make a huge difference.

Exercise your 4wd BEFORE it's frigid and you need it (V6 model). If it's going to be very cold and slick park it in 4hi to assure that it'll be there when you need it the morning.

:cheers:
 
Windshield washer fluid. Mine froze last week, I just bought this truck and haven't gotten to checking everything out. Not all fluids are good below freezing. Check your coolant, make sure it's good to below zero. I froze a block at O'Hare, 200 miles from home, it was inconvenient.

Wipe down all your foam door seals with silicone, I just spray it on a cloth and wipe. That keeps any moisture from sticking and freezing the seal to your doors. Squirt a little WD40 or similar in the locks, even if you don't use them, you don't want them freezing. Rubber floor mats are helpful for keeping things neat. Good wipers will be more important in snow. Snow brush and scraper. Wax it in the Fall. Some people wax their lights, that helps keep ice from sticking. Rain-X the windshield and mirrors to make it easier to remove snow and ice. My manual cautions against Rain-X on the mirrors because they're already hydrophobic coated, maybe someone can chime in. I don't have heated mirrors, you probably do, so don't bother doing them. Learn to leave your wipers up when a blizzard is coming, you'll see everyone else doing it. Tire pressures go down in the cold, you'll need to check them as winter begins.

Synthetic oil will give easier starts when it's really cold, that's my main reason for using it. Even heavy synth starts easier than dino. And I mean real synthetic, not a blend or even the "new" Mobil 1, but Mobil 1 extended performance or Shell Rotella T Synthetic.
 
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Not sure the exact conditions you'll experience there but seems close to us in Canada so I'm assuming it can get quite cold like it did here this weekend (-43 yesterday, -40 this morning). In those temperatures if you're truck is going to be parked outdoors overnight there's no way it will start in the morning without some sort of engine heater. In Canada we get block heaters in our T4R's, without that it's a no-go in those temps.

Not sure what it would take to put one on but another option I've seen (although never tried so can't vouch for it) are oil pan heaters which keep the oil in your pan warm to acheive a similar effect.

That's something you'll want to take care of before hand instead of waking up one morning to find out you can't start your truck, as when we hit a cold snap it usually lasts a few days so you could be without your truck for some time if it freezes.

That and if budget permits remote starts are so sweet to have too. Some have features with temperature sensors or timed intervals that will fire up your truck at certain intervals in case a plug-in isn't available for the above block heater.
 
Oh yeah, funny story just to explain how cold it is.

This morning when I fired up the trucks for work (T4R and Taco), when I closed the door after starting, the doors bounced back open when I closed em! I'm guessing it's the grease in the latches that have turned to the same viscosity as frozen molasses and becasuse of that they don't close fast enough on the pin to keep the door shut! Only reason they kept closed is because of the safety latch that doesn't let the door stay completely open, but it wouldn't stay completely shut until after they ran for 15 mins or so enough heat got to them that they finally shut.

If that happens to the grease in the latches, you can imagine what having the improper oil in your engine would do also. Good advice with the above posters about the fluids.
 
Never mind the T4R; that can deal with winter fairly well on it's own. Good tires are a requirement, however.

More importantly, plan to spend some time in unplowed empty parking lots during snowstorms to familiarize yourself with driving in the slop. Do it till it's second nature to you. Alot of us northerners spent hours doing this in our "youthful offender" days just for fun, but in reality, it's a very good way to develop skills that southerners rarely need.
 
Good stuff above. What tires are on the truck now? Even garbage tires (I have the Dumbflop Grandcrap AT20's, a truly shi**y tire) do fairly well in 4WD but a better tire will provide a lot of improvement.

Find yourself a good set of winter floor mats. You won't believe the amount of water and trash that'll be tracked into the car. Also, a good, long ice scrapper with a brush. I like to carry a tow chain or strap, too. Only had to use it once (over the last 19 years of 4Runner ownership) to help someone else but I was glad I had it.
 
I hear they have two seasons in MN. Winter and Road Work. Tires tires tires with a good damage protection package. You will get as cold if not colder than here in the petite state of Alaska so get ya some Weathertech mats and some -40 windshield washer fluid. Did I mention tires?
 
Oh yeah, funny story just to explain how cold it is.

This morning when I fired up the trucks for work (T4R and Taco), when I closed the door after starting, the doors bounced back open when I closed em! I'm guessing it's the grease in the latches that have turned to the same viscosity as frozen molasses and becasuse of that they don't close fast enough on the pin to keep the door shut! Only reason they kept closed is because of the safety latch that doesn't let the door stay completely open, but it wouldn't stay completely shut until after they ran for 15 mins or so enough heat got to them that they finally shut.

If that happens to the grease in the latches, you can imagine what having the improper oil in your engine would do also. Good advice with the above posters about the fluids.

it was -36 here outside of edmonton the other monrning, and i've been having the same problem with the door not wanting to stay shut when its cold! I've had oil changes at the toyota dealer and they have been lubricating the door hinges with whatever they use.
but after a few slams the door stays shut ;)
 
And I thought that I was crazy moving to the Chicago area...

The news was saying they were the second coldest place on the planet yesterday at -46 celcius (-59 with the windchill). Second only to a place in Siberia at -48.

We werent' far behind at -43.
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the advice. I recently swapped out the OEM tires for some Michelin cross-terrains. I didn't even think about the washer fluid and coolant. I'll make sure that gets checked out when I get up there. I'm hoping to find a house with a garage, and I'll ask around for good place to go and learn how to drive on the show.

Thanks again,

Joe
 
. . . I'll ask around for good place to go and learn how to drive on the show.

Driving on the snow is easy in any 4 Runner. Follow 1 simple rule.

Drive as fast as you are willing to slide off the road and into the ditch, concrete barrier, etc. 4wd will help you out of the ditch, but won't necessarily prevent you from sliding into the ditch when a :roadkill: dumb a$$ cuts you off!
 
Empty parking lot would be a better place to learn.

Just remember 4WD only gives you traction and helps get you moving, it does nothing to help you stop better.
 

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