California Snow

[Welkin4R]

I did a search and found a lot of good info regarding driving in the snow. I specifically wanted to reach out to those that have experience driving in the snow in California. I've had a 2006 4runner with no 4x4 and now have a 2016 trail with 4x4. I've had to use chains on the 06 and have little experience with the 4x4 on the 2016

1. (Driving in the snow in Big Bear) Has it ever gotten icy to the point where you need chains, plus you're 4x4? I feel like with big bear, you have to climb a mountain with steep hills and sharp turns and if there is a small patch of ice that you slide on, it could get bad. Also when my 4x4 is on, its tough to even make sharp turns in my parking garage, should it be fine on a snowy mountain?

2. Also when in a more naturally cold place like Mammoth or Lake Tahoe.. how many feet of snow will the Trail Edition 4x4 be able to easily navigate in? How many feet of snow before it starts to struggle? Anything else any other 4runner owners with 4x4 who have experience driving in Mammoth or Big Bear could give advice on to either avoid an accident or help facilitate convenience would really be appreciated.

I heard you should never need chains plus 4x4. If it ever gets to that, you're stuck anyways. Is this true?

Thanks again

 

[Spenny]

You will probably never experience driving in a lot of snow here in CA unless you are off-roading in the high sierras. Roads are very well maintained and regularly cleared of snow.

With that said, I've driven a fiat in about 6" of fresh snow in Colorado - going up is easy. Going down is the scary part. Use the transmission to shift into lower gears, go slow, but maintain momentum, and don't slam on the brakes. I've watched people in cars slide sideways when they come to a stop on a slight slope - here is where always maintaining foward motion will help instead of coming to a full stop in snowy/ traffic conditions.

For Big Bear, Arrowhead and Mammoth, I've never put on chains. Also lived in Montana - never in 4 years did I put on chains. Smile and wave at the CalTrans guy and chuckle at the losers in their sedans trying to figure out if they have front or rear wheel drive and what tires to put the cables on.

You'll get stuck in 2 feet of snow, maybe in a 1.5 feet of snow. But you won't experience that on a road.

With actual off road tire chains (actual chains) you would become unstoppable with 4 wheel drive, the cables everyone calls chains won't get you through the super deep snow - but unless you're planning on serious off-road adventures or ice road trucking you won't need chains. Carry some cables for funsies and extra insurance.

Once you hit wet conditions on the road going up to the mountains, throw it in 4HI and have some fun.

 

[toybox]

1. Also when my 4x4 is on, its tough to even make sharp turns in my parking garage, should it be fine on a snowy mountain?

2. Also when in a more naturally cold place like Mammoth or Lake Tahoe.. how many feet of snow will the Trail Edition 4x4 be able to easily navigate in? How many feet of snow before it starts to struggle?

1. 4wd likes a little slippage, sharp turns on dry ground are going to feel rough. With a little slippage everything will feel fine.

2. I don't have any experience driving in California but plenty of experience driving in snow and deep snow. I agree with Spenny, you'll be struggling at 1.5' of fresh snow or even stuck. 2' and your not going far at all.

 

[Spenny]

[MENTION=144152]Welkin4R[/MENTION] Come on down to the SoCal Section under all the vendor pages. We're very active there, lots of day runs and some longer rides. Some guys just messed around yesterday at Pilot Rock by Silverlake got into some snow.

 

[1engineer]

I did a search and found a lot of good info regarding driving in the snow. I specifically wanted to reach out to those that have experience driving in the snow in California. I've had a 2006 4runner with no 4x4 and now have a 2016 trail with 4x4. I've had to use chains on the 06 and have little experience with the 4x4 on the 2016

1. (Driving in the snow in Big Bear) Has it ever gotten icy to the point where you need chains, plus you're 4x4? I feel like with big bear, you have to climb a mountain with steep hills and sharp turns and if there is a small patch of ice that you slide on, it could get bad. Also when my 4x4 is on, its tough to even make sharp turns in my parking garage, should it be fine on a snowy mountain?

2. Also when in a more naturally cold place like Mammoth or Lake Tahoe.. how many feet of snow will the Trail Edition 4x4 be able to easily navigate in? How many feet of snow before it starts to struggle? Anything else any other 4runner owners with 4x4 who have experience driving in Mammoth or Big Bear could give advice on to either avoid an accident or help facilitate convenience would really be appreciated.

I heard you should never need chains plus 4x4. If it ever gets to that, you're stuck anyways. Is this true?

Thanks again

Please don't take this the wrong way but, based on your comments and perceptions above, reading your owner's manual will help you the most.

It covers tire chains and when to use 4X4 and all the different modes. You really, really need to read your owner's manual first before coming to a forum.

 

[mckennar]

Talk about timing, Jalopnik just posted an article about this (similar).

Disregard the hyperbole and other journalistic garbagery, the real meat of this article is the fact that some CHP (CA highway patrol - CHiPs or chippies if you're old) stations have facebook feeds that will tell you when and where chains are needed in real time. Like the one in Truckee on I-80 (linked-to in article).

Plus the article links to the CHP or CalTrans website that explains it all.

The Cops Don't Like Your Zip-Tie Tire Chains

Anyhow - just grab a set of chains, learn how to properly install and remove them, and leave them in the back of your vehicle in case they're needed (try to leave them in a place that's accessible... not under a weeks worth of ski gear). Don't be afraid to take it slow, you don't have to keep up with the 18 wheelers, and you most certainly don't need to go 65-70 mph.

Unsolicited advice: when possible and safe to do so, I used to stab the brakes to check traction whenever the road surface visibly changed. I'd also wiggle the wheel back and forth. Usually on flat, straight roads w/o an incline or decline, always with some form of snow or ice (never on dry pavement or where the possibility of dry pavement existed). Usually I'd do this far enough from an intersection or stoplight so that I'd know roughly how much room to stop I'd need, worst case, by the time I got to the intersection. This might not be for you, it isn't for a lot of people, but it helped calibrate my brain as to the amount of friction available in a worst-case scenario. But again, road surfaces change constantly, so quite literally YMMV.

Good luck!

 

[MeefZah]

OEM tires?

 

[BlackWorksInc]

[MENTION=106999]mckennar[/MENTION]

It's funny you mention that.

When I was on my way down to CA for this week to spend with Family I was driving down HWY 97 which was basically snowy/icy up until a bit before Redding.

When I was on a few long stretches by myself I'd snap the brakes and wiggle the steering to judge how well I was gripping the road and know how to adjust my speed, reflexes, and expected vehicle handling accordingly. So that way I knew what to expect in case shit went south.

 

[Ariel15]

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[BearBio]

I grew up in SoCal and one of my closest friends had parents and grandmother who had retired to Big Bear, We didn't really ski (we did X-country) but did trout fish a lot. Went in all seasons in a Subaru Brat. Never needed chains.

Now live in the PNW in the Cascade foothills. Retired after 20 years as a Wildlife Biologist with the Feds. The only time I would have used chains was on a hunting trip in Wyoming. We had been snowed into camp for 2 days and a sudden thaw came up. It was on a slope and VERY muddy conditions. My buddy chained up his Ford p/u and drove around the road then tugged us up the hill (FWIW, my Toyota p/u got further than anybody else before bogging down).

Year before last, we visited SoCal and caught a pretty heavy snowstorm coming south out of Carson City. Four-high and Wranglers easily carried us through.

Last year, same route, we got caught in 3 days of bad snow. A little here at home then constant from Bend, OR to Carson City, and BAD from Carson City to Bridgeport. Same tires (Wranglers) and 4 low in some areas. A little dicey but no real issues except for one patch of complete white-out up round Tom's Place to the Mammoth turnoff.

in short, drive slow with good/decent tires and 4WD and you should have no problems. Obey "Greg's Rule of Two": Half as fast, twice the distance, and brake twice as far!