I'm going to be using my runner in snow for first time, TIPS?

[orangeblast22]

Hello,

I'll be heading up to Big Bear this coming weekend and will actually be using the 4x4 feature for "real" the first time.

Using when it rains out here in orange county, CA I'll turn on the 4x4 just for fun, I can feel it grip the pavement much better in wet conditions.

When I go to big bear I will be using it in 4x4 all the way up and there....do i just leave it in 4x4 high? When would I need to switch it to 4x4 low?

are snow chains still required?

I'm still using the dunflops, i know its not the best, but any tips for that area of question?

what is the difference between switching to 4x4 low and being in 4x4 high and going to the "low" gear...or even gear 1 or 2...3...

thanks!! I want to make it safe along with my passengers.

 

[Climb14er]

Hello,

I'll be heading up to Big Bear this coming weekend and will actually be using the 4x4 feature for "real" the first time.

Using when it rains out here in orange county, CA I'll turn on the 4x4 just for fun, I can feel it grip the pavement much better in wet conditions.

When I go to big bear I will be using it in 4x4 all the way up and there....do i just leave it in 4x4 high? When would I need to switch it to 4x4 low?

are snow chains still required?

I'm still using the dunflops, i know its not the best, but any tips for that area of question?

what is the difference between switching to 4x4 low and being in 4x4 high and going to the "low" gear...or even gear 1 or 2...3...

thanks!! I want to make it safe along with my passengers.

You won't be needing or thinking about the 4LO unless you hit super heavy snow or get stuck and need to crawl out.

I'd focus on keeping the speed down if you hit snow and especially ice.

Many think a 4WD can get you out of tricky conditions if you're going too fast and it's super slick and this is just b.s.

Also, it's not only the tires that make a good driver on snow and the Dunlops are more than adequate.

It's how you will handle any potential problem conditions that counts.

Have fun and keep the speed down if it gets wet and slick.

 

[GYoter]

Climb14er hit it right on.

First off, if it is icy just slowing down would be the best advice.

If it is not snow/icy, you wont even need 4wd. If it is, 4hi is fine to drive around all day long.

You wont need 4lo at all unless you are in deep. You wont need to lock the center diff either.

The dunflops will do fine, you wont need chains.

Remember, 4wd helps only for acceleration/traction. Braking will be the same as 2wd, so if you lose it and slide you need to know how to recover. TOO MANY people feel 4wd allows them to haul ass, they are the people you pass buried in the snow bank, or wrecked.

It really just comes down to using you head, common sense goes a long ways. If it looks sketchy slow down. If you have a chance, find an open parking lot and do some donuts. Its a great way to get a feel for the car in a slide and how to recover. (To do good donuts, you will need to lock the center diff) Have fun.

 

[sharp4runr]

For the most part you won't want to lock the center differential. Do so disables VSC and you'll want this on to keep your truck stabile.

 

[007Runner]

I live in an extremely heavy Snowbelt that normally gets snow like Colorado is getting except to us it is normal. So here is my advice: The previous two posts were very good so I will just add to it. In a turn brake before you get there. Never brake in a turn, even anti lock brakes can get you killed in that situation. Slow down before you hit the turn. Turns get very icy and you need all the steering control you can get. These next two may save your life. The main highway may not be too bad. You may even be cruising at 60mph. Now your exit is coming up. Guess what, that exit ramp is covered with 10 inches of snow with ice under it! When you come to stop signs or traffic lights. Very important, they often become extremely icy and slippery because vehicles melt the snow there and then it refreezes. A skating rink is a good comparison to how the roads will be at stop signs and traffic lights. Every now and then if nobody is behind you, firmly apply the brakes to get a good feel of how slick the roads are. Do this at under 30mph and only on straight roads with lots of room in case you slide a bit. If you slide out, never panic, back off the gas pedal a bit, and never ever jam on the brakes. If you change lanes, brake, turn, do everything gently. Remember this very important just do everything gently. Abrupt maneuvers guarantee you a date with a ditch. Always allow enough room in front of you to stop or allow an emergency maneuver. Never follow another vehicle too closely. At a stop sign or light, allow your self enough room to pull around the vehicle in front of you, not every thing out there will get going again like the 4Runner in slippery stuff. When the temperature hovers in the mid to upper 30's be mindful that bridges and overpasses freeze first, then the roadway. Wet roads turn to ice really fast when the temp drops closer to 32. Consider your self prepared now. The post about the center differential is another life saver.

 

[OUTRNNR]

For the most part you won't want to lock the center differential. Do so disables VSC and you'll want this on to keep your truck stabile.

But if you run into snow deeper than 8-12" you won't be going very fast and you'll need to lock the center dif to allow more power to the wheels.

4LO in deep snow doesn't do anything. 4LO is for trail and rock crawling and going up steep hills. It affords no more traction than 4HI.

Playing in the snow that past few weeks in CO and here is what I've found works best:

Less than 8": 4x4 HI dif unlocked (<20 mph, lock the dif)
More than 8": 4x4 HI dif locked
More than 30": Good Luck

Remember that even though it says VSC OFF in the dash while you have the center dif locked it isn't off completely. Have fun!!

 

[Climb14er]

4LO in deep snow doesn't do anything. 4LO is for trail and rock crawling and going up steep hills. It affords no more traction than 4HI.

That's incorrect based on my experience.

4LO will get you out of deeper snow situations whereas 4HI won't.

In 4HI, the wheels could spin as they did with me.

The lower gearing of 4LO gets better grip, like on the rocks and trails and in the steeps, in the snow too.

 

[007Runner]

Tell us more about 30 inches of snow and good luck. Did this much snow get up under the frame and stop the 4Runner?

 

[jacal]

4LO in deep snow doesn't do anything. 4LO is for trail and rock crawling and going up steep hills. It affords no more traction than 4HI.

I respectfully disagree. 4Lo is great in deep, difficult snow because you are running in lower gears, and not bogging the engine as much. You get increased traction from reducing speed (from gearing) For me, in off-road conditions, it makes a noticeable difference. I can climb better and make better progress in 4LO, all without loading the engine as much.



J

 

[Light_Mania]

I don't know if your T4R is new enough to have VSC, but if it is you will be amazed at how stable it is in snow and ice.

Still, its easy to get into trouble if you get over-confident. Its a real good idea to get in the habit of frequently testing your braking traction as you go along. This will give you a good feel of what to expect under different conditions and reduce the chances of being surprised.

Hopefully you won't encounter much black ice. Almost nothing will keep you safe there.

 

[OUTRNNR]

I respectfully disagree. 4Lo is great in deep, difficult snow because you are running in lower gears, and not bogging the engine as much. You get increased traction from reducing speed (from gearing) For me, in off-road conditions, it makes a noticeable difference. I can climb better and make better progress in 4LO, all without loading the engine as much.



J

Fair enough. I guess I've never tried it. The one day I was stuck in my parent's driveway I couldn't get it into 4LO. Not sure why, maybe because the center dif was locked. I guess I'd have to experience it myself to believe it because I don't see how lower gearing gives more traction. That being said, when I was trying to ease out of the spot I was stuck I remember that I did have to ease into the pedal a bit before the wheels would break loose, and when they did it was too much power too fast and they would just spin, so maybe that is what you guys are talking about. I'll keep that in mind next time.

Tell us more about 30 inches of snow and good luck. Did this much snow get up under the frame and stop the 4Runner?

Basically when Denver got that big blizzard (the first one) It dumped about 30" of snow in my parent's driveway (which isn't a conventional driveway, because the house sits on 5 acres and it up a hill off the road a bit.) I was pointed toward the road and downhill and I wanted to make some track in the driveway to get a feel for what the 4Runner would do. Well I didn't want to go all the way down the driveway into the road because the it hadn't been plowed yet and I would have had to drive all the way to town (downhill) before finding a spot to turn around without risking getting stuck. So I went back and forth and as I got a little closer to the road the driveway got steeper and when I tried to back up I couldn't move. This caused me to slide sideways into deeper drifted snow. Yes, the truck was high centered and I have pretty crappy tires for snow. At one point I had to crawl out the passenger door because the snow was so deep on the driver's side that I couldn't open the door! After a little digging and pushing I finally got it backed up into the driveway again. Maybe 4LO would've helped here, and maybe it wouldn't've (new word). I call it stuck because I couldn't go where I was intending, but I could've easily plowed forward and downhill to the road which had about 30" on it as well (see the pictures in Koz's thread). I didn't do this because I didn't want to risk getting stuck in the road and be in the way of the road grader that plowed the next morning. Check out a few pics I posted here:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24435

 

[jpalaska]

Hey Orangeblast,
You're getting some great advice here from the previous posters. Always remember that 4WD helps you to go but not to stop on snow and ice.

If you're stuck or wheels are spinning when trying to get going in deep snow, put it in 4lo and lock the differential. It works like magic to get you moving straight and solidly out of the deep stuff. Then you can unlock and proceed in 4hi.

It's not a bad idea to carry a small shovel just in case you get stuck in a drift or really deep snow that's deeper than your truck's ground clearance.

JP

 

[007Runner]

Thanks OUTRNNR, normally the most we see in a single snowfall is no more then 24 in. I think we can safely say that 30 in will get the 4Runner stuck.

 

[OUTRNNR]

Thanks OUTRNNR, normally the most we see in a single snowfall is no more then 24 in. I think we can safely say that 30 in will get the 4Runner stuck.

Maybe even more if 4LO can afford more traction. It all depends on what kind of snow too. This was very cold, very fine and very light Colorado snow. People in the mountains of Cali might not have as much luck.

 

[TeCKis300]

More important than keeping the speeds down yourself...be concious of the people around you, especially the tailgater behind you when it gets icy/snowy. In this situation, you might want to let them pass but that can be an iffy proposition on a 2 lane mountain road. You'll want to brake extra early to force them to brake early as well.

 

[Uneek]

are snow chains still required?

what is the difference between switching to 4x4 low and being in 4x4 high and going to the "low" gear...or even gear 1 or 2...3...

thanks!! I want to make it safe along with my passengers.

Technically, you are suppose to carry chains with you in areas that have chain controls. However, Caltrans will usually shut down the highway when conditions warrant a 4WD vehicle to install chains (R3). With that said, in most situations with chains, chains will be required on a 2WD vehicle, and 4WD can just pass. See this page for different chain requirements.

4Lo is for maximum torque, you'll want to keep your speed pretty low, I think under 30mph. (I could be wrong about the 30 though.) 4Hi is what you want to be using.

Have a safe and fun trip.

 

[Falls]

I agree with 007 , 30" will stop the 4R ! I would be surprised if it does not .


Since everyone has given you suggestions about how to operate the 4R in a snow storm I will not elaborate on that anymore except everyone has missed out on the most important part....................................HAVE A BLAST IN IT !!!

 

[bonds44]

this way i look at with chains if driving a 4x4 and u have snow tires and there requiring u put on chains then i say get off road and try again later just from my own safty stand point and all the in fo above is great info great going guys rite on the money as u always arejavascript:smilie(':')
wink

 

[V8Limited4wd]

i had my first encounter with snow when the huge snow storm hit the northeast in 2005. I think it was around 2 feet of snow.

i was on the highway before it was plowed and i was amazed how stable the 4runner was... i know it's not safe, but i was going about 50mph without a problem. this was around 1-2am so there was no traffic at all.

the only time i used 4lo with diff lock was when i was snowed in because a plow was clearing a parking lot. the packed snow was about 2-3ft high and after a few minutes i was able to get out of it. my friend was pretty suprised that i got the truck out.

 

[Jacobzky]

dont forget the pictures, we want some snow covered 4runner here. if not covered, at least some snow action.

have fun and be safe.