Best Winter AT Tire??

[ClevelandTrail]

Guess I should have stayed what I thought was obvious.

Yes, 4WD.

What I meant is driving roads with just a little snow cover, as fun as it is to hang the rear out when safe it's just really skittish in 2wd when you just don't feel the need for 4wd.

Wondering if you guys find extra weight in the rear helps.

Sometimes my kids need the car and my wife's xc70 is off limits, so from my experience my 07 outback us Much better in dicey weather.

I have snow tires on mine currently, I would rather drive my old 04 outback on all seasons thru a snow storm. Not much drives better in snow than an outback, 4x4 is not full time AWD

 

[clo_iam]

I'm running KO2s, but I also always carry recovery gear with me in case i plow into 4 feet of snow and get stuck.

 

[MossJenks]

Guess I should have stayed what I thought was obvious.

Yes, 4WD.

What I meant is driving roads with just a little snow cover, as fun as it is to hang the rear out when safe it's just really skittish in 2wd when you just don't feel the need for 4wd.

Wondering if you guys find extra weight in the rear helps.

Sometimes my kids need the car and my wife's xc70 is off limits, so from my experience my 07 outback us Much better in dicey weather.

I think you're just not used to a RWD vehicle. They all can be a little skittish in the snow even with traction/stability control. I know plenty of people who drive them all winter, skiing and everything but when you're used to AWD they feel like a real handful.

I don't see any reason to carry hundreds of pounds of weight around in the back when you can just shift into 4wd. I'm not quite sure what the weight distribution is but a 4Runner is WAY heavier in the rear vs a Tacoma. Roof, tailgate, seats, etc. etc. "Don't feel the need for 4wd"? If it's snowy it should be in 4wd. Period. 4wd is better used before you get stuck rather than after. I've pulled several people out of snowbanks and ditches in the middle of snowstorms who comment "I guess I should have been in 4wd!" Makes me feel like leaving them stuck there.

Kids? "Hey kids, if it's at all snowy or even raining hard the 4Runner should be in 4wd". Surely they can handle that?