Winter driving - Am I supposed to drive all time 4*4

[DieselPower]

Winter is here and its cold and snowing like crazy. The outside temp is -30C (-22F). My question is am I supposed to drive all time in 4*4? If yes then its crazy expensive on gas for me.
I tried driving in 4*2 and let me tell you that was the most scariest experience of my life. It performed very very badly. It never drives straight in 4*2 in snowy and cold weather.
Another question. How fast you can drive in 4*4 without damaging anything?

 

[brian2sun]

It is what it is. I got a pathetic 160 miles out of a full tank this week driving in 4hi and 4lo basically the entire time. The tank before?.. 240 miles driving around in 2wd. Better to spend a little more money on gas and be stable on the road than save a few bucks and loose control and crash.

As for how fast you can drive in 4x4 depends on your year, I would suggest putting some details about your runner in your sig line. Standard 4x4s can go up to ~50 mph safely in 4hi. The later 3rd gens with the multi-mode 4x4 systems can go ~80 or so in 4hi unlocked.

 

[gptoy96]

4x4 turns it into a bigger gas guzzler for sure. It's been a while now but thinking mid-300km's per tank when it got real cold and used 4x4 more. When I had my 3rd gen I'd only shift it in 4x4 (I didn't have multi-mode either) when I was taking off from intersections etc. when it was glare ice. I'd sit and spin if I didn't. Other than that it was a good winter driver generally speaking.

Not sure what you have for tires, but I had 265/75 BFG A/T KO's and they worked great for me.

The owners' manual would be best for the highest speed you can go in 4x4, but if I remember right 80km/h seems to ring a bell for some reason.

 

[Elton H]

could slow down too

 

[Avarice]

The way I figure it is this. If you don't want to use 4wd because of the mileage and use 2wd instead, you're gonna have to do what essentially any other person with rwd does in bad winter conditions, and stick some winter tires on it. This will definitely cost as much or more than the extra gas you will use, but it also will give you a lot better braking and cornering performance, especially should you hit ice.

Then if you combine that with 4wd when you really need it, you've got a better winter car than the vast majority of people out there, which for me, is worth all the money invested.

I've never had any issues using 4hi in either of my Tundra's or my 4runner at highways speeds(100km or lower) as if you're using 4hi on a highway, then the conditions must obviously be bad enough that you shouldn't be going too fast, or even the speed limit in most cases.

The worst issue with using 4hi about town is that by virtue of what it is, the car naturally "creeps" due to the operation of the 4wd. Only really a noticeable pain when you're in a parking lot or doing 3 point turns.

If you're lucky enough to have the multi-mode 4wd, then I can't praise it enough, you don't get any of the creeping you'd get from 4hi, and get as much traction as you'll need. Plus I've driven it up to at least 130km with no issues at all.

 

[DieselPower]

I am hardly doing 200 kms in one tank in 4*4. These numbers are making me think to buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris for city driving during winter time. Dont want to but looks like have to.

 

[Avarice]

I am hardly doing 200 kms in one tank in 4*4. These numbers are making me think to buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris for city driving during winter time. Dont want to but looks like have to.

That's odd, I get a good 300km off a tank. About 375 to 400 in 2wd, depending how I drive(obviously accelerate a lot faster when I'm driving 2wd in regular conditions).

Before you decide you need a fuel miser of a car, I'd ask you whether you've replaced the spark plugs recently, cleaned the MAF sensor, the throttle body, keep an eye on your tire pressures, have the right amount/clean diff and transaxle fluid, properly working o2 sensors.

You'd be surprised at how much those effect your fuel economy.

 

[brian2sun]

I am hardly doing 200 kms in one tank in 4*4. These numbers are making me think to buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris for city driving during winter time. Dont want to but looks like have to.

How would you save more on gas than what the car payment (or cash up front) would be for a Yaris or a Fit? A lot of people seem to think if they save $100/month in gas that it somehow justifies a $300/month payment. Just trying to save you $$, the fuel economy craze always costs people much more than they save.

 

[bike]

I normally hovered around 500km a tank (stock 97 5 speed) and now it looks like this tank is going to finish around 410kms. Not too bad considering the amount of 4x4 I've used and -12 to -25 Celsius temperatures.

 

[Stillrunning]

Alot of the extra gas is burned during the idle time during the winter.I realize 4x4 uses more fuel but just shift it in and out as required.Try 2wd until you really need 4x4.What tires are you running? I had a set of Michelin LTXs that just plain sucked when the winter came.Believe it or not a cheap set of Kumhos work better for me now I run in 2wd most of the time.

 

[Hacker]

Isn't the philosophy in snow to drive in 2WD until you need 4WD to get you un-stuck? The idea being that if you get yourself stuck with 4WD, you have to go with a winch or wrecker to get you out of that spot...

 

[bike]

Isn't the philosophy in snow to drive in 2WD until you need 4WD to get you un-stuck? The idea being that if you get yourself stuck with 4WD, you have to go with a winch or wrecker to get you out of that spot...

I'm only using mine for starting at intersections. Plowing here is somewhat poor and they don't use salt so a good inch or two of ice and packed snow builds rather quick. Rather than spinning the rears and throwing gravel it's easier shift into 4x4 and I'm normally shifting back to RWD between 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 3rd gear.

***That tank went 435km for ~52L to refill. Not bad, definitely a lot more idling around town but my summer tanks were 60-90km better***

 

[brian2sun]

Isn't the philosophy in snow to drive in 2WD until you need 4WD to get you un-stuck? The idea being that if you get yourself stuck with 4WD, you have to go with a winch or wrecker to get you out of that spot...

On flat roads when it's snow (not ice) I would say yes. But I think it really depends on the environment though. Where I live it's all curvy and steep mountain roads so I have to leave it in 4x4 most of the time just to get over the hills and because it's so easy to slide out in 2wd.

 

[DieselPower]

I dont see any traction control switch in my 98 ltd runner. I am wondering does it have one? If yes then how can I turn On/Off the traction?

 

[02SE]

A '98 LTD 4Runner does not have traction control.

As for fuel mileage, 4runners are not economy cars to begin with. Using 4wd will hurt fuel economy more, the bitter cold temps will definitely drop the fuel economy further, and if you have Ethanol in your gas it will hurt fuel economy further still. Prolonged idling to warm up a vehicle really knocks down the MPG figures, too.

Sorry, it's just the way it is. But hey at least you can get to where you need to go, without freezing to death in -22° F temps.

 

[DieselPower]

A '98 LTD 4Runner does not have traction control.

As for fuel mileage, 4runners are not economy cars to begin with. Using 4wd will hurt fuel economy more, the bitter cold temps will definitely drop the fuel economy further, and if you have Ethanol in your gas it will hurt fuel economy further still. Prolonged idling to warm up a vehicle really knocks down the MPG figures, too.

Sorry, it's just the way it is. But hey at least you can get to where you need to go, without freezing to death in -22° F temps.

Yeah no doubt its expenisve on gas but undoubtedly its an unstoppable machine and extremely reliable.

 

[Maritimer]

I'm trying to decide if I like winter handling. I have Grabber AT2s with the Mountain and Snowflake, but I still slide a bit on snow/slush covered turns, swerve a bit if I drive on the mess to the side of the clear tire tracks on roads, and lock and slide on hard-packed stops. This is in 4WD. Maybe my expectations are too high, or maybe I'm lucky I'm not doing the same thing in a Honda Fit.

 

[ironhippy]

I'm trying to decide if I like winter handling. I have Grabber AT2s with the Mountain and Snowflake, but I still slide a bit on snow/slush covered turns, swerve a bit if I drive on the mess to the side of the clear tire tracks on roads, and lock and slide on hard-packed stops. This is in 4WD. Maybe my expectations are too high, or maybe I'm lucky I'm not doing the same thing in a Honda Fit.

I have the same tires and am in Fredericton (hi there!), I usually only use 4wd on pavement to get going on slippery intersections. If I am in 4wd on the pavement for a long period, I am going less than the speed limit due to the conditions and in that case expect the handling to be poor.

I try not to use 4wd to make up for slippery roads, I like to stay in control in 2wd, I feel like I will have better luck braking if I'm in control in 2wd. I use 4wd for off road and when there is a foot of snow on the ground but no plows :biggrin2:

And about liking winter handling, give it time, once you get the hang of it, bombing around town in 2wd drive is a lot of fun and you can be confident knowing if things get real rough, you can always switch into 4wd and plow through everything.

 

[Maritimer]

I have the same tires and am in Fredericton (hi there!), I usually only use 4wd on pavement to get going on slippery intersections. If I am in 4wd on the pavement for a long period, I am going less than the speed limit due to the conditions and in that case expect the handling to be poor.

I try not to use 4wd to make up for slippery roads, I like to stay in control in 2wd, I feel like I will have better luck braking if I'm in control in 2wd. I use 4wd for off road and when there is a foot of snow on the ground but no plows :biggrin2:

And about liking winter handling, give it time, once you get the hang of it, bombing around town in 2wd drive is a lot of fun and you can be confident knowing if things get real rough, you can always switch into 4wd and plow through everything.

Awesome! We had a good dumping last night considering we were supposed to get flurries. There was tons of snow in mall parking lots, out where there are no cars parked, and I got to play with 2WD and 4WD, only doing the slightest donuts (LOL). Judging by what I was seeing during my travels--trucks fishtailing up Smythe, accident at the end of the Princess Margaret, cars not being able to get out of the apartment parking lot because of the sloping driveway, and the fact I was riding solid and in control, really made me appreciate things. I can see how 4WD will be overkill except for actual severe winter situations, though.

 

[spongerx]

I drive in 4hi usually when town is snowy. But on the highway I'll pop it back into 2 wheel drive if the high has been plowed. When I get into the mountains the snow gets thicker so I go back to 4hi and drive around 80mph. I didn't know I was only supposed to drive about 50mph in 4hi however this is the 4th winter I've used it at that speed and so far no issues. Fingers crossed.