Snow driving: Chains and gears for v6, 4x2

J

JabzSA

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Before you all laugh at my simple, yet pragmatic questions: I have never driven in snow before, and i have recently moved up to NY (Brooklyn) from Dallas, Tx.

To add to my dilemma, i only have a 4x2 v6 and am planning a road trip between Xmas and NY to Montreal.

My question is:

Do folks ever use snow chains? Under which conditions? As a proactive application when roads are not salted / cleared and only when driving say less than 30miles/hour, OR do you put them on when you get stuck?

What is the best gear to use when driving on during winter season?
I dont have the luxury of a 4x4. My 2007 Sport 4x2 edition, has a LSD switch and goes to 2L on the gears. (P, R, N, 4-D, 3, 2L).

I know if will be learning on the job, but i dont want to make unnecessary mistakes and put family in danger.
 
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I'm sure others will echo this in their replies, but most of the issues when driving on snow don't come from not being able to accelerate or get up to speed. Wrecks and things occur when someone can't stop in time. Keep your speed down coming up on intersections and don't follow anybody too close. If you want, it might be a good idea to get a feel for your truck's stopping behavior in a large parking lot or empty road before driving with traffic.
 
Check on the legality of snow chains in your area too.

.. but a dedicated set of snow tires on my G35 + common sense did wonders when I had to DD it a few years ago.
 
Ill start by saying make sure you have winter tires that are up to the task of snow driving first. You get the most performance, saftey, and piece of mind there so start with that.

I have used chains, or cables on a passenger car... specifically my Acura TL which is front wheel, one wheel drive.

Most places I have been that required chains had some sort of check point setup with highway patrol flagging people down, and an area off the side of the road to chain up. Also a place you get to pull over and watch AWD cars and trucks drive though as you contemplate the decisions you made in life.

I would think chains on before needing them, otherwise you may really be in a pickle or worse case an accident.

I very much dislike needing them because of the chatter, driving characteristics, they chew up tires, and make for a crappier drive in general.

One of my biggest inspirations in having some AWD or with selectable full time 4WD was my dislike for chains. Putting them on is the pits lol.

Watch your speed, use common sense, slow and steady wins the race. I was amazed that my passenger sedan took me to where I was going, so it can't be all bad but they did a number on my brand new tires.
 
JabzSA said:
Before you all laugh at my simple, yet pragmatic questions: I have never driven in snow before, and i have recently moved up to NY (Brooklyn) from Dallas, Tx.

To add to my dilemma, i only have a 4x2 v6 and am planning a road trip between Xmas and NY to Montreal.

My question is:

Do folks ever use snow chains? Under which conditions? As a proactive application when roads are not salted / cleared and only when driving say less than 30miles/hour, OR do you put them on when you get stuck?

What is the best gear to use when driving on during winter season?
I dont have the luxury of a 4x4. My 2007 Sport 4x2 edition, has a LSD switch and goes to 2L on the gears. (P, R, N, 4-D, 3, 2L).

I know if will be learning on the job, but i dont want to make unnecessary mistakes and put family in danger.
Click to expand...
i think you will be okay with the 2wd. if you are used to speed in texas, when its snowing, you just need to slow down. keep your distance in front of you. usually, the roads are well plowed. in the snow, try to accelerate slowly and decelerate slowly. your LSD will be able to handle. just remember, you are prone to fish tailing in a slippery condition.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
.

Thanks for all of your replies...

Regarding the tires - i have BFG KO2s AT...so on paper it should be OKish.
Noted on the safe following distance and stopping / accelerating.
For the Montreal trip specifically, I will have weight in the rear with all luggage and dogs and stuff also...so it should all help.

I think i will purchase a set of chains as a precaution...
 
I have chains, but I've never used them (except to test that they fit). They are a huge inconvenience, and I've never needed them on roads that are maintained (plowed occasionally). Even if the road is snowpacked, and the plows haven't been through recently, I won't use them. I have them for unplowed dirt roads, or rare days that are so bad that almost no one can make it anywhere, or in case I slide off he road and get stuck. Even when I had a 2WD sedan I never used the chains I had for it.

I don't have 2WD, but stopping and cornering is the same either way.

Tires are the most important thing. If you're going to do a lot of driving in snow, a set of winter tires would be ideal. But the tires you have should be OK as long as there's enough tread left (at least 4/32").

You only have 2WD, but your 4runner has some advantages over lesser 2WD vehicles:
  • The Auto LSD is not a real limited slip differential, but it uses the brakes to distribute power to both of the drive wheels. It works well if you let it do its job. Give it a moderate amount of gas and expect some clicking and (maybe) beeping. You'll accelerate slowly if the ground is slippery, but flooring the gas will only make things worse. Ideally test it out in a parking lot to get a feel for how it accelerates and handles on snow.
  • The VSC system will do a fairly good job of keeping you going in the direction you want to go. It's not perfect, but it does make it harder to get into an unsafe spin.
  • The high ground clearance makes it easy to drive through deep snow. Depending on the density, 4WD can drive through snow up to the bottom of the bumper or higher. 2WD can probably still drive through a few inches of snow, but that is a situation where I might use chains.

If you hear the brake system clicking (while accelerating or braking), that means you're exceeding the traction limit, and you should probably slow down. In other words, Auto LSD is great if you get stuck or need to accelerate faster than anticipated, but ideally don't get into those situations in the first place. Same with ABS, but for stopping.
 
JabzSA said:
Thanks for all of your replies...

Regarding the tires - i have BFG KO2s AT...so on paper it should be OKish.
Noted on the safe following distance and stopping / accelerating.
For the Montreal trip specifically, I will have weight in the rear with all luggage and dogs and stuff also...so it should all help.

I think i will purchase a set of chains as a precaution...
Click to expand...
bring with you a rope too just in case. its good to have just in case you need someone to pull you out.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
radlynx said:
bring with you a rope too just in case. its good to have just in case you need someone to pull you out.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

A small shovel, too. It's amazing how much you can help a stuck situation by shoveling for 10 minutes to clear out a path to move forward (or backward, as necessary).
 
Yeah you should be fine, back in the days of the '80's we most all had rear wheel drive and got around, and your tires look much better than any back then including most snow tires.

I don't think your going to need chains, maybe in the mountains passes, with a heavy wet snow, yeah Montreal, I doubt many there have ever used chains, but I never been there for what that's worth. The shovel is a great idea, I put an aluminum scoop shovel in the back of any car I drive.

Your big advantage is ground clearance, and that if it does get deep, the ruts left by the previous vehicle would be the most likely obstacle barring you don't run off the road. And to that I'd say you don't have much worry, I drove a 96 Geo Metro for 6 years as my winter beater, and the ruts are where I would have needed the scoop shovel the most, but I don't really ever remember having to get out and shovel except one time of sliding into a snow bank.
 
RonJR said:
A small shovel, too. It's amazing how much you can help a stuck situation by shoveling for 10 minutes to clear out a path to move forward (or backward, as necessary).
Click to expand...

To piggyback off of your comment, was just looking at the Lifeline AAA Aluminum Sport Utility Shovel to have in my 'Runner for JIC moments. Anyone have any personal experience with this item?
 
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