am i the only one?
- Thread starter jazzy jae
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bluewolf
New member
The biggest problem a rear-wheel drive vehicle has in the winter is a tendency to "fish-tail" when accelerating on an icey surface. This tends to be especially bad going up-hill. In the winter, throw some sand-bags or some other type of weight in the back and just take it easy.
kglueck
New member
nope, you're not the only one...I've got an '03 limited 2wd that I've had for just over a year now...I absolutely love it!
however, seeing all these great pictures people are posting, makes me wish it was 4wd. Ah well...the next one.
:
here's my gallery thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3966
Kevin
however, seeing all these great pictures people are posting, makes me wish it was 4wd. Ah well...the next one.
:here's my gallery thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3966
Kevin
Nothin wrong with a 4x2 but for snow driving just take it slow and put some extra weight in the back but I think the truck already has even weight distribution, my 2000 LE Pathfinder with Yokohama Geolandar AT+II tires did awesome in the snow in only 2wd, I would actually see how far I could drive in just 2wd, and I had no problem, I actually started to wonder why I had 4WD
I would only suggest AT or snow tires for the snow, other wise the all season tires the 4Runners come with don't really cut it in the snow especially if you want to stay in control and maybe go up or down some hills.
Im still riding on the Dunlops and they are OK tires, at 15k they still have another 10k in them at least but 1 of Toyota and Lexus short comings is they equip their vehicles with less then adequate tires.
The 4Runner is great but at certain times it feels like a big guy who wedged his size 15 feet into an old pair of size 13:arrow:
I would only suggest AT or snow tires for the snow, other wise the all season tires the 4Runners come with don't really cut it in the snow especially if you want to stay in control and maybe go up or down some hills.
Im still riding on the Dunlops and they are OK tires, at 15k they still have another 10k in them at least but 1 of Toyota and Lexus short comings is they equip their vehicles with less then adequate tires.
The 4Runner is great but at certain times it feels like a big guy who wedged his size 15 feet into an old pair of size 13:arrow:
bluewolf
New member
EDGE said:
Rear wheel drive trucks and older cars are much lighter in the back end because the engine is in the front. It's not evenly distributed at all (especially pickups), which means the light end is trying to push the heavy end, and you end up losing traction. In snow, I don't usually have trouble in 2WD on the flats because snow will usually provide a fair amount of bite, but pushing upwards on a moderate hill is where you will run into a problem. On ice? Forget about it.
The only thing 4WD gives you in normal driving conditions is another pair of driving wheels with a lot more weight on them. It keeps you from "fish-tailing" and provides much better traction for inclines and manuevering. Stopping, on the other hand, is no better than 2WD.
That's my experience anyway. If you're concerned about being "SOL" for winter driving I would say definitely not, but you'll need to plan ahead a bit more by weighting-up the back end, maybe purchasing a couple of studded tires or chains, etc.
How bad do your winters get, anyway?
kglueck
New member
I say ditto...shorts during the winter. actually, I might wear long pants and a jacket during the "winter" that lasts like a month.
my 4r has been fun, and performs quite well on the stuff around here. the two things that 2wd doesn't perform as well on is the somewhat sandy soil around here and mud. those extra two wheels help a lot. but like you say, if you're careful you can still do a lot. As long as I stay outta the muck, I'm ok...: Plus I have long range communications in my vehicle, so if I don't stay out of the muck...
Kevin
my 4r has been fun, and performs quite well on the stuff around here. the two things that 2wd doesn't perform as well on is the somewhat sandy soil around here and mud. those extra two wheels help a lot. but like you say, if you're careful you can still do a lot. As long as I stay outta the muck, I'm ok...
: Plus I have long range communications in my vehicle, so if I don't stay out of the muck...Kevin
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jazzy jae
New member
bluewolf said:
We get a good amount of snow maybe twice during the season. Not as bad as more northern areas,ny. but i'll be taking the 4R on snowboarding trips and such into the mountains. I've never owned a truck before and I had a celica before this. I'll remember to weight the back down before going out. Thanks for everyone's help.
bluewolf
New member
jazzy jae said:
Right... if you've never owned a truck before you'll find that it will drive much differently on slippery roads than your front-wheel drive Celica. Once you get a feel for the "fish-tail" slipping effect and how to deal with it easily, 2WD should give you no problems.
o9stealth5
New member
I have 2wd. And c'mon guys...it's not "fishtailing" if you DRIFT!!! So turn off the traction control, countersteer, and floor it!
