Braking on snow

[Wasatch Rebel]

I don't know why I'm thinking of this now, but I was having real problems stopping on snow or slush last winter. I would put on the brake and continue sliding, even sometimes into the intersection. It was so bad it was almost like there weren't any brakes there at all. Thank goodness there weren't any cars coming at the time. It didn't seem to matter if I slowed down prior to getting to the intersection or if I pressed on the brakes steadily or pumped them. I tried all I could think of to figure out what would work, but it still remained a problem. Has anyone else had this problem and if so, what is the solution?

 

[kingwilliam]

A lot of people have posted on how bad they think the ABS is... that it kicks in way too early and lengthens stopping distances.

However, I drive in a lot of snow and ice up here in Ottawa, Canada, and I find the ABS on my 1999 (with snow tires) works just fine.

 

[Wasatch Rebel]

A lot of people have posted on how bad they think the ABS is... that it kicks in way too early and lengthens stopping distances.

However, I drive in a lot of snow and ice up here in Ottawa, Canada, and I find the ABS on my 1999 (with snow tires) works just fine.

I wonder if there's just something wrong with mine then.

 

[brian2sun]

What year is yours? Do the brakes pulsate as they aren't stopping your truck? The ABS on my '97 was deadly so I pulled the fuse a long time ago and never looked back. You'll just have regular brakes after that. And you'll have a dash light on unless you remove the bulb, but that's no big deal (mine's been on constantly for years, I just never cared and figured sooner or later it would just burn out). If you want to try it, you'll have to unbolt the fuse block under the hood and flip it sideways because the ABS fuse is screwed in from underneath. Wheeling with ABS on in the earlier 3rd gens ('96-98 or so) can really make you pucker.

 

[Drcoffee]

Have your local tire pro sipe the tires. The truck weighs 5,000 and stopping is always harder than accelerating. Siping adds a million cross cuts on the tread to give more grip to the road. It should not reduce tread wear or void any warranty. The cost is about $30 for all four tires

 

[4yotaguy]

Tires- they are everything...

For example, all these idiots where I live are sliding all over in their Escalades, X5's and other 65k + SUV's with low profile summer tires on in the snow.

My 11' 335xi with all seasons has gone through some crazy blizzards with no problems. In the 10-11 winter I made it to work- not even shoveling in over 15" of snow with no plowing, same this past year, car is awesome. That being said, the all-seasons with 20k on them are wearing so now stopping is worse.

4runner is no different. Turning and stopping large amounts of rolling mass requires decent tread. The tires you run make all the difference, way more than the abs or anything else.

 

[white_n_slow]

I will second the tires comment. Unless you have a tire designed to work in the snow, then it might as well be designed not to work in the snow.

That and, no offense intended, but how old are you and how much snow driving experience do you have? Everyone I know (including myself) has had their fair share of weather related driving mishaps before they really knew what they were doing.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

Also think about airing your tires down some. It gives them a better footprint in the snow/ slush/ ice to help stop, accelerate and help turning. Be sure to air back up when the winter months are over though!

 

[downpour11]

OP, might be nice to know what tires you're running too, as well as the size.

 

[JWaldz]

ABS on these rigs kind of suck, I've found myself sliding prematurely a few times as well. All I can say like the people above me is tires, tires, tires! Makes a world of difference. If you have an auto, use the shifter to slow you down instead of immediately using the brakes. I know you can't always anticipate stopping but on ice and snow, you have to slow down WAAYY ahead of time and literally creep up to wherever your stopping point is. Know your surroundings, don't wander off on streets that you've never been on before.

 

[snivilous]

ABS on these rigs kind of suck, I've found myself sliding prematurely a few times as well. All I can say like the people above me is tires, tires, tires! Makes a world of difference. If you have an auto, use the shifter to slow you down instead of immediately using the brakes. I know you can't always anticipate stopping but on ice and snow, you have to slow down WAAYY ahead of time and literally creep up to wherever your stopping point is. Know your surroundings, don't wander off on streets that you've never been on before.

Disagreed on shifting down. If it is super icy then the bump when the truck shifts is enough to start you sliding. I was going down a hill near my house a few years ago, going literally ~15mph, and thought it'd help if I dropped it into first like you said. Just from the tranny shifting at 15mph was enough to lose the very limited traction I had and go off the road. If I had continued braking and never had the impulse from the lurch then I believe I wouldn't of lost it.

I agree that down shifting is good most of the time, just be cautious and shift in a dry (enough) spot.

 

[JWaldz]

Disagreed on shifting down. If it is super icy then the bump when the truck shifts is enough to start you sliding. I was going down a hill near my house a few years ago, going literally ~15mph, and thought it'd help if I dropped it into first like you said. Just from the tranny shifting at 15mph was enough to lose the very limited traction I had and go off the road. If I had continued braking and never had the impulse from the lurch then I believe I wouldn't of lost it.

I agree that down shifting is good most of the time, just be cautious and shift in a dry (enough) spot.

I agree, you have to be smart and know your truck and the appropriate speeds to shift so you wont get that jerk/instant slowing down. If not yes, you will find yourself sliding. It's a mixture between using your brakes and shifting. Just have to be careful all together on ice. And again.. tires, tires, tires!

 

[PaperweightNate]

BFG TA KO's.

Thats my answer. Rated as an all season snow tire. Best you can get. Mud Terrains are awful for snow. :fencing:

 

[Riceye]

Make sure that your rear brakes are adjusted up. If you are stopping with only the fronts, you would have just this problem. Poor braking, plus your steering is compromised.

 

[brian2sun]

I think the real "trick" to stopping on snow and ice is already being in the right gear before you start going down that hill. Most people learn that the hard way, lol. There's one road that i will stop and put it in 4 low every time there is even a coating of snow because i learned the hard way on that road as a teenager.

 

[JB.]

OP,

Don't reduce air pressure to try to get better traction. That works only when you need flotation.

On balance, you'll get better traction in mixed winter road conditions with normal or even slightly higher pressure to give the footprint a better chance to penetrate down to the road bed.

 

[Robb235]

OP,

Don't reduce air pressure to try to get better traction. That works only when you need flotation.

On balance, you'll get better traction in mixed winter road conditions with normal or even slightly higher pressure to give the footprint a better chance to penetrate down to the road bed.

Completely disagree. I've experienced first hand being stuck (not in the 4Runner) due to the idiot driver in front of me STOPPING while going up a hill covered in ice / slush. Due to losing the forward momentum, I was stuck. I got out, aired the front tires down (fwd midsize car) and had much better traction and was able to get going again.

 

[jsmith7]

I don't know why I'm thinking of this now, but I was having real problems stopping on snow or slush last winter. I would put on the brake and continue sliding, even sometimes into the intersection. It was so bad it was almost like there weren't any brakes there at all. Thank goodness there weren't any cars coming at the time. It didn't seem to matter if I slowed down prior to getting to the intersection or if I pressed on the brakes steadily or pumped them. I tried all I could think of to figure out what would work, but it still remained a problem. Has anyone else had this problem and if so, what is the solution?

I have a 99 and I have the same problem when stopping on snow/ice. I could be going 1mph and if i try to stop on an icy surface, I will slide forever.. I have good tires too. the only way i stop is if i pop it in 4wd. in 4wd I can stop very well on any surface.
So, I tried pulling the abs today. What a PITA that was. But, that did nothing, still cant stop. What I did find to work was if I put in neutral. If I started to slide, I put it in neutral, and i stopped.

 

[BillIam]

i just replaced my tires with some cooper at/3's and it definitely makes a massive improvement in "responsiveness" of the abs, BUT I can still stab the brakes and it will just lock up, give yourself more distance and drive slower, dis-activate the overdrive aswell! and keep them inflated to recomended air pressures, you want the tread to clear out you dont want floatation in snow IMO

 

[jasonoflivingston]

First off, as has been mentioned, tire choice makes a huge difference, especially in colder temps. When the temp drops, the rubber hardens and stopping becomes poor even in good conditions. I have had tires that couldn't stop on pavement in cold weather let alone snow or ice.

As far as ABS goes, mine works just fine on my 99 Limited. I have never had it come on early or inappropriately (not saying this doesn't happen on other 4Runners). Assuming no ABS, you want to hit the brakes until you feel the vehicle start to slide and then release and re-apply. Random pumping will help you gain control of the direction of your slide, but won't stop you very well.

Of course, without more information on what tires you are running, whether or not your ABS is activating, and what kind of weather conditions you are experiencing, there is no specific advice that can be given.