YotaDriver
New member
So I had the unfortunate timing to have been moving from Boston to New Hampshire this past Saturday. For those who don't live in the Northeast, this move ended up coinciding with a Nor'easter that dropped as much as 31" of snow on us. I'm happy to report that my 4Runner with its brand new Bridgestone Revo 2's rose to the challenge.
I was towing a 12'x6' U-Haul trailer and I had to drive over Temple Mountain which is a pass that sits more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding areas. Anyway, it had really started snowing about an hour before I got there so there was somewhere between an inch or two of snow on the road as I approached the mountain. I put my hazards on and muscled up the hill without even losing traction, however it wasn't until I crested the top that things got REALLY interesting.
As I came to the top of the hill there were two cars ahead of me; a Subaru Forrester and something else I didn't get a make on. As soon as we started going down the hill they both tapped their brakes, lost control, and skidded off the road into the ditch on the right. I couldn't believe what I was seeing so I touched the brakes ever-so-slightly and felt the trailer jack-knife a little bit. I immediately let off the brakes to regain control and I notice two cars in the oncoming lane which have both failed to crest the hill and are spinning their wheels as they drift sideways towards the guardrail. I pressed the brakes as lightly as I could which didn't do much to slow me down and made my way down the hill keeping things as straight as I could. I also noticed that the two cars that had been behind me going up the hill were nowhere to be seen now; they may have suffered the same fate as the two ahead of me at the crest for all I know.
Anyway, I kept it together and managed to get down the mountain in one piece just as a convoy of police headed up to close the pass. First bullet dodged.
My final destination was still a few miles further and I knew I had another big challenge ahead, however. The road I had to travel is a 30 mph street and it's got some long, steep, and winding hills on it. Fortunately I only had to go up them, but with heavy, wet snow on the roads I wasn't sure how it would go, especially towing the trailer. I approached the hill and built up as much speed as I could at the bottom, but it was so long and so steep that my speed eventually got down to below 10, then the wheels started slipping, then I stopped. I was halfway up and there was no, and I mean no, way I could possibly back down. I can back up with a trailer under normal conditions, however on this steep hill with big turns in the snow I would have been dragged off the road immediately.
I applied throttle and there was a beeping sound, the VTRAK lights came on, and the truck started moving again. It didn't matter how much throttle I applied, it only gave as much as it needed to maintain traction. This mofo pulled that trailer up another 100 yards of super steep hill at about 2-3 mph and got me all the way to the top and to my destination. Absolutely unbelievable.
After I unloaded I dropped the trailer off and let the 4runner stretch its legs a bit without all that extra weight and it was unbelievable. Below are some pictures of the truck with the trailer to give you an idea of exactly what I was towing as well as the aftermath of the storm the next day.
Here's a picture I took right after I arrived. My hands were still shaking from the previous 20 minutes of snowy driving.
Here's my truck after I went to shovel my mom's walkway the next morning. The plow hadn't been there yet but I was able to drive right up through 20" of snow, not to mention the 3' snowbank at the foot of the driveway.
Look how deep that is!
To anyone who doesn't think the Revo is a good snow tire I offer these pictures and this story as a rebuttal. Best snow tire I've ever used.
I was towing a 12'x6' U-Haul trailer and I had to drive over Temple Mountain which is a pass that sits more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding areas. Anyway, it had really started snowing about an hour before I got there so there was somewhere between an inch or two of snow on the road as I approached the mountain. I put my hazards on and muscled up the hill without even losing traction, however it wasn't until I crested the top that things got REALLY interesting.
As I came to the top of the hill there were two cars ahead of me; a Subaru Forrester and something else I didn't get a make on. As soon as we started going down the hill they both tapped their brakes, lost control, and skidded off the road into the ditch on the right. I couldn't believe what I was seeing so I touched the brakes ever-so-slightly and felt the trailer jack-knife a little bit. I immediately let off the brakes to regain control and I notice two cars in the oncoming lane which have both failed to crest the hill and are spinning their wheels as they drift sideways towards the guardrail. I pressed the brakes as lightly as I could which didn't do much to slow me down and made my way down the hill keeping things as straight as I could. I also noticed that the two cars that had been behind me going up the hill were nowhere to be seen now; they may have suffered the same fate as the two ahead of me at the crest for all I know.
Anyway, I kept it together and managed to get down the mountain in one piece just as a convoy of police headed up to close the pass. First bullet dodged.
My final destination was still a few miles further and I knew I had another big challenge ahead, however. The road I had to travel is a 30 mph street and it's got some long, steep, and winding hills on it. Fortunately I only had to go up them, but with heavy, wet snow on the roads I wasn't sure how it would go, especially towing the trailer. I approached the hill and built up as much speed as I could at the bottom, but it was so long and so steep that my speed eventually got down to below 10, then the wheels started slipping, then I stopped. I was halfway up and there was no, and I mean no, way I could possibly back down. I can back up with a trailer under normal conditions, however on this steep hill with big turns in the snow I would have been dragged off the road immediately.
I applied throttle and there was a beeping sound, the VTRAK lights came on, and the truck started moving again. It didn't matter how much throttle I applied, it only gave as much as it needed to maintain traction. This mofo pulled that trailer up another 100 yards of super steep hill at about 2-3 mph and got me all the way to the top and to my destination. Absolutely unbelievable.
After I unloaded I dropped the trailer off and let the 4runner stretch its legs a bit without all that extra weight and it was unbelievable. Below are some pictures of the truck with the trailer to give you an idea of exactly what I was towing as well as the aftermath of the storm the next day.
Here's a picture I took right after I arrived. My hands were still shaking from the previous 20 minutes of snowy driving.
Here's my truck after I went to shovel my mom's walkway the next morning. The plow hadn't been there yet but I was able to drive right up through 20" of snow, not to mention the 3' snowbank at the foot of the driveway.
Look how deep that is!
To anyone who doesn't think the Revo is a good snow tire I offer these pictures and this story as a rebuttal. Best snow tire I've ever used.
Last edited:
