settings for ice and wet snow?

[daveNC]

i'm in NC where we mostly end up with hard pack ice, black ice and wet snow. wife's 4runner is v8 fulltime awd. what is/are the best combination(s) of settings (e.g., H4/L4; locked/unlocked diff; VSC on/off) for driving when it's so slick you have to creep? for going down icy hills? i imagine people will differ on the magic combo (e.g., VSC is good or bad), but are there some safe bets - like better to be in L4 rather than H4 (or vice versa)? for super icy hills, should i use DSC? it's my wife's 4runner, so assume good but not great driving feel. thanks,

daveNC

*************
04 4runner v8 ltd
mz3
ktm450exc
cbr954rr
r1100rt
v65 magna

 

[Mark86]

If you are going down an icy hill, you definitely do not want the center dif locked. The only time you want the VSC off is when stuck or when you want to do donuts in parking lots. DSC is probably a good idea because that uses the engine to slow your truck. Then you would have to use 4LO to use the DSC. When I drove through the bilzzard (18 inches), I used 4 HI and center diff unlocked the whole time on the snow packed roads. I only shifted into 4LO twice the whole storm. Once to get into my driveway because there was a big snow drift there. The other time I needed 4LO and a locked center diff because I sort of got stuck in my driveway! Anyway, 4HI did fine for me in the snow storm.

 

[sharp4runr]

DSC?

Is DSC the same as DAC (Downhill Assict Control)? Thats the button on the center console near the burger tray right?

 

[Mark86]

DSC?

Is DSC the same as DAC (Downhill Assict Control)? Thats the button on the center console near the burger tray right?

Yes. When I typed my respone, that is what I thought daveNC was referring too.

 

[ToyotaDoodz]

Easiest, least complicated for on the street, in traffic is the way you drive it every day. 4Hi, center diff NOT locked. This lets all the little features work as they were designed for on street in traffic driving.

I drive on glazed ice here in OK a lot, and that's the best. I'm talking ice, no snow. Very different scenario than snow.

 

[EDGE]

Get some dedicated snow/ice tires, even if they wear out in 1 season it's cost less then fixing or replacing the vehicle and best to be safest and in control of the truck

 

[slyangel9]

just my 2 cents...when I have to drive down a hill, I shift the tranny into 1 or 2 and I leave everything else like normal

 

[Bluto]

I use 4 Lo + lock the center diff in low traction & low speed situations. Like climbing up my driveway after it has been plowed in.

I might use 4 Hi + Locked on an unplowed road with deep snow.

I would use 4 Lo to pull a boat up a ramp.

And like slyangel9 said, gate shift into D1 or D2 going down hill, use the engine to brake.


Most of the time 4Hi + VSC is all you need. A good set of tires really helps.

 

[boston_kevin]

4H and leave everything else alone

We get a lot of black ice up here (less friction than a hockey rink after the zamboni)... I have seen people do some very dumb things (and I have done them as well).

Honestly, leave it in 4H, downshift if necessary (since you have Full Time 4WD - never do this in 2WD mode) but never ride the brake, and never hit the brake hard. if you need to brake, tap the brake lightly and let the EBD system do it's job to keep you straight. Leave the diff unlocked that way VSC can do it's job. DAC will not help unless you are in 4L, and even then, it's only good for a few seconds, then it will deactivate (lasts longer than HAC). Tires are your first and best defense against the ice, a nice set of snows or blizzaks should give you enough of a surface patch to get the maximum traction on the ice. Finally, fill a couple of milk gallon jugs with sand, seal 'em up and put them in the back.

 

[DaveS]

Get some dedicated snow/ice tires, even if they wear out in 1 season it's cost less then fixing or replacing the vehicle and best to be safest and in control of the truck

I agree absolutely with this - the difference with a dedicated set of winters is huge - combined with the gadgets on your 4Runner you have a vehicle that deals with a lot of the driving complications of winter for you.

My wife did not have winters on her car and ended up in a ditch last winter - the cost of the damage was a 6k insurance claim - a lot more than the set of winter tires she now has.

 

[zig]

I drove over that very same stuff right before Christmas. We left it in 4H with it unlocked. We simply didn't drive crazy like the two idiots in front of us. :bash: Crash - boom - bang, and I kept driving. Anyways, I never felt us slide around at all but felt the VSC go off one time as we were going around a sharp corner in Arkansas and hit some bumps. If it wasn't for the sound of the brakes I would never have noticed it. It was the first time that I had driven much on this stuff and 4wd rocks compaired to any 2wd system! I'm never going back!
:guitar2:

 

[iFORCE]

For everyday driving with ice and wet snow, just use 4HI - NOT locked.

Like everyone said.. winter tires =