Winter driving observations from a first-time 4Runner owner

[yognabologna]

ah gotcha. for what it's worth, I went to the Toyota dealership this morning and they let me test drive a brand new SR5 and we drove over some ice and the car was doing the same exact thing as mine - comforting to know the issue isn't limited to my car, but also, i am very seriously disappointed in the car I just spent $35k on. i'm gonna buy some snow tires.

 

[TrailHeadWorthy]

My experience is very poor driving in snow/slush/ice in here in Boulder, CO in my 5th Gen with K02's. So much slippage, especially coming to a stop. The 4Runner just slides even at low speeds. Extremely disappointed and sort of regret buying a 4Runner for how much snow Colorado gets. BTW, the K02 are awful in the rain as well. Not sure if its the tires and just the 4Runner being heavyy vehicle. 4WD helps get the car moving for sure but coming to a stop is scary.

My wife has a 2014 AWD Nissan Rogue with All Seasons and her car is so much more stable and safe feeling. The difference is really amazing how much safer her car is in the winter.

 

[ForRun]

My experience is very poor driving in snow/slush/ice in here in Boulder, CO in my 5th Gen with K02's. So much slippage, especially coming to a stop. The 4Runner just slides even at low speeds. Extremely disappointed and sort of regret buying a 4Runner for how much snow Colorado gets. BTW, the K02 are awful in the rain as well. Not sure if its the tires and just the 4Runner being heavyy vehicle. 4WD helps get the car moving for sure but coming to a stop is scary.

My wife has a 2014 AWD Nissan Rogue with All Seasons and her car is so much more stable and safe feeling. The difference is really amazing how much safer her car is in the winter.

Ah, someone that agrees with me. KO2s suck cold and wet -on road. I went with defenders for winter tires. Was gonna try wildpeaks this winter but they stayed on my runner I just traded. Now I find out in nitros suck or not

 

[4FL]

I live in Miami, but a few years ago I was in DC and got caught up in a good snow. That 4runner was awesome, felt like it stuck to the road like glue. I purposely went to some unplowed parking areas and played around also. Had stock tires on it.

In the half melted, slush stuff, worked great also. I feel they made the 4runner stupid proof regarding snow, lol.

 

[patkelly4370]

Ah, 1st world problems.
Two weeks ago I bought a 4runner. Giving my 68 F100 a rest. Been my daily driver since Grandpa gave it to me in 1986.
Coming from manual 4 wheel drums, "granny-low" 4-speed transmission, the 4runner can do no wrong.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

Tires and tire pressure can make a huge diff in your winter driving experience.

50 PSI is way way to high, your contact patch will be quite less, and would be dangerous in winter/snow/ice.

Love the KO2 in winter, my KM3 not so much.

Electrical nannies on 5th Gen much worse then on my 4th gen. Love the extra 5-10 feet of unplanned stopping distance when the brakes do the big pause/dead pedal before braking/abs kicks in- scary AF.

 

[TrailHeadWorthy]

Ah, someone that agrees with me. KO2s suck cold and wet -on road. I went with defenders for winter tires. Was gonna try wildpeaks this winter but they stayed on my runner I just traded. Now I find out in nitros suck or not

How are you liking your Michelin Defenders? I am thinking of going with these year around next time?

Do you find that highway driving is much more comfortable and quiet than the K02?

 

[deadbeat son]

I don't get all of the hate in here? I feel like my KO2 equipped SR5 is a tank in the snow; it just plows forward and keeps at it without any issues. Even during yesterday's severely icy drive from east-county into Boulder I didn't have any issues. Highway 7 was a sheet of ice in many places, but I was able to stop and go as I wanted, and all in satisfying comfort.

 

[kenwilliams0803]

I don't get all of the hate in here? I feel like my KO2 equipped SR5 is a tank in the snow; it just plows forward and keeps at it without any issues. Even during yesterday's severely icy drive from east-county into Boulder I didn't have any issues. Highway 7 was a sheet of ice in many places, but I was able to stop and go as I wanted, and all in satisfying comfort.

Just like anything else challenging behind the wheel, winter driving is 90% the driver.

My buddies in CO, MI, etc always laugh about how they say every other vehicle in the ditch is a 4 runner.

Guess what guys, it's not the fault of the vehicle.

It's easily as good as any Jeep with a part time system. Full time is better (like if you have a T4R Limited or a Jeep with a 242 or quadra drive case), but really 4WD isnt there to help you drive twice as fast as everyone else on the road and then not be able to turn or stop.

The right tires make a huge difference too. I never liked the BFG AT myself either offroad or in snow but I also haven't owned them in like 10+ years so maybe they are better these days?

 

[MossJenks]

I don't get all of the hate in here? I feel like my KO2 equipped SR5 is a tank in the snow; it just plows forward and keeps at it without any issues. Even during yesterday's severely icy drive from east-county into Boulder I didn't have any issues. Highway 7 was a sheet of ice in many places, but I was able to stop and go as I wanted, and all in satisfying comfort.

Some people know how to drive in the snow, some people don't.

 

[Chris In Milwaukee]

So my first real winter driving experience in the 4Runner was last night during a winter storm headed home to Milwaukee from Green Bay. New KO2s two weeks ago lead the charge. I kept the truck in 4WD the entire trip. It started as heavy sleet and turned into heavy snow as the trip progressed. No snow plows out yet, and what was flying was wet, heavy, and snotty.

When driving on the interstate, I kept it to about 40mph. There were some tracks down to pavement in most places and things were starting to get rutted. That’s my least favorite because you get yanked around a lot. Next thing you know, you’re in a ditch. While in the ruts, I didn’t feel much in the way of pulling by the vehicle. And when I did, it didn’t take a lot of pressure to keep it straight. I found the 4Runner performed better when I drove in the left lane with less- or undisturbed snow.

Short story is that I’ve never felt more in control and stable in any vehicle. My truck weighed 1500 pounds more than the 4Runner, but I was always worried what it was going to do next. Not this trip. While it was stressful, it was uneventful and well within my control.

 

[deadbeat son]

Just like anything else challenging behind the wheel, winter driving is 90% the driver.

Some people know how to drive in the snow, some people don't.

That was my assumption as well. If you don't compensate for driving conditions, any vehicle will drive like crap. If you adjust your driving style to the weather conditions, the 4R does better than many other 4wd vehicles I've owned in the past. Obviously, others' mmv.

 

[cb1111]

Had my 2020 now for about a month and noticed the tires are aired to 50psi even though the door jamb states something like 32psi . Is this normal from the factory? Seems very high.

I'm guessing this was done at the dealer, not at the factory. If you're running stock tires, stick to the doorjam's recommendations.

Thanks. Will have to air them down. As 4Rman mentioned, it's probably done to keep from flat spotting as vehicles may sit on lots for awhile.

Tires are overinflated for transport. This reduces movement when the cars are tied down on a boat or train during transit. The dealers are supposed to adjust the pressure during PDI.

 

[cb1111]

Just like anything else challenging behind the wheel, winter driving is 90% the driver.

My buddies in CO, MI, etc always laugh about how they say every other vehicle in the ditch is a 4 runner.

Guess what guys, it's not the fault of the vehicle.

It's easily as good as any Jeep with a part time system. Full time is better (like if you have a T4R Limited or a Jeep with a 242 or quadra drive case), but really 4WD isnt there to help you drive twice as fast as everyone else on the road and then not be able to turn or stop.

The right tires make a huge difference too. I never liked the BFG AT myself either offroad or in snow but I also haven't owned them in like 10+ years so maybe they are better these days?

The proper tires make all of the difference. AWD/4WD/2WD is just the number of wheels that are driven. AWD/4WD won't help the car stop or steer any better and only the tires will help with that.

Some people know how to drive in the snow, some people don't.

Kinda-sorta, because those people who "know how to drive in snow" also know to have the proper tires.

 

[TrailHeadWorthy]

I don't get all of the hate in here? I feel like my KO2 equipped SR5 is a tank in the snow; it just plows forward and keeps at it without any issues. Even during yesterday's severely icy drive from east-county into Boulder I didn't have any issues. Highway 7 was a sheet of ice in many places, but I was able to stop and go as I wanted, and all in satisfying comfort.

Good stuff! How many miles are on your KO2s? I have 30k.

Not hating just disappointed that my wifes Nissan Rogue AWD with Michelin Defenders does not slide nearly as much and handles way better in winter conditions.

Yes the 4Runner will handle deeper snow better but most of the time the roads are packed snow, ice or slush.

 

[Tuco Ramirez]

That was my assumption as well. If you don't compensate for driving conditions, any vehicle will drive like crap. If you adjust your driving style to the weather conditions, the 4R does better than many other 4wd vehicles I've owned in the past. Obviously, others' mmv.

B-b-b-but it’s easier to blame the vehicle rather than admit one is a poor driver!

 

[JFlo76]

I recently got my 2018 4Runner SR5 and took it up into some snowy forest service roads. It did great! It was fairly steep in a couple spots, so coming back down was slow going. I gave the DAC a try, and didn't really like it. Felt I wasn't in control and didn't quite trust it. Maybe I need to read up more on it... anyone else use it and find it helpful?

 

[msp]

That was my assumption as well. If you don't compensate for driving conditions, any vehicle will drive like crap. If you adjust your driving style to the weather conditions, the 4R does better than many other 4wd vehicles I've owned in the past. Obviously, others' mmv.

KO2s are better than the OEM tire for winter. I run KO2s for 3 seasons, and run Blizzaks in the winter. Love the full time 4wd on the Limited.

 

[kenwilliams0803]

B-b-b-but it’s easier to blame the vehicle rather than admit one is a poor driver!

I once saw a statistic, and yes statistics are easily made up -- but if you ask people how good THEY think they are at driving most will say like 90th percentile or more. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[ForRun]

Just like anything else challenging behind the wheel, winter driving is 90% the driver.
Guess what guys, it's not the fault of the vehicle.
days

Then explain why I went from KO2s to defenders in the same vehicle and the Michelin stuck to the road like glue, night and day difference.
Not the driver in this case it's the tire

Common sense and driving skills help but not the complete picture