EDGE

Was out in the snow and took a detour to avoid some cars that where just spinning and going nowhere,

So I was driving at a crawl and came to this steep hill and went a little to far down before I taped the breaks and the ABS kicked in and did not even attempt to stop the truck, noone was on the road or the road I came out onto but it their was I would have hit them, went right through the stop sign.

This has always been the 1 thing I hate about ABS, if you hit a really slick spot or a steep hill covered with snow the ABS will step in but will never stop cause it continues to feel slip.

My question is how in the hell would I have been able to stop the truck, drop it into 1st gear, put the ebrake on, pray would shutting it off have locked the brakes and stopped the ABS, I was in a controlled situation that will most likely never happen again and I would never do it again so it has got me thinking, I would not have wanted to throw it into reverse.

HBoss

Stick your feet out the door & pray the Flintstones was based on fact. Or buy a boat anchor & chain and keep your rear window rolled down so you can throw it out the back!

Seriously, what you stated above is all I can think of. 1st gear, pull the ebrake and pray.

BT17R

Look for something soft and cheap to hit! Really, it sounds like you did everything possible. At least you were able to keep it in a straight line. Downshifting and setting the e-brake would only have compounded your troubles. Besides the ABS, did the VSC do anything to help? Have you cleaned the seat yet?

rimpainter.com

Down shifting wont help on slick surfaces, especially that slick because the lack of back pressure. You can even stall your engine when this happens. Pulling the e-brake and turning the wheel will send you into a spin...but I wouldnt do that either.

Praying and aiming for the softest thing possible (as long as the softest thing around isnt alive) is the best idea I have heard yet.

I dont think ABS is the problem, no ABS would have been even scarier.

BT17R

Ya know, the ABS probably saved your bacon. The new-gen ABS we have on the 4th Gen is controlled by the new Hall Effect sensors on the hubs that keep ABS active down to 0.1 mph, a first for any ABS. IIRC, the 3rd Gen ABS remained active down to about 3-5 mph and then disengaged. Had that happened in your situation, you may've entered an uncontrollable spin with a bad outcome depending on when and where you regained traction. I'll take ABS every time, even off-road, although I'm sure the experienced off-roaders here (seems like most everyone but me) prefer to modulate their own brakes in certain conditions. Glad you and your 'Runner are OK.

Good Times

Just shows that there are limitations to all vehicles regardless of how new it is. As responsible drivers we have to know how to drive out vehicles in any condition. Yes, you did the right thing as crawling but do you think that you should have been driving on that road to begin with?

Was the road conditions icy? if so, what happened to chains?! if it was a dirt road, then maybe you took the wrong line down? did you inspect the road (hill) before attempting it? you may have just taken the wrong line and therefore could have met your doom

play hard but be smart about it! live and learn from others....

sometimes you can't stop a 4000+ # vehicle going down no matter what.... so as drivers we gotta be careful on where we take our suv's!!! check your lines and options before going down!

Lance

EDGE

Thanks for all the replies, I always drive that hill up or down and my father always tells me to avoid it in snowy weather it is a steep hill that I have drove down many times, I put it in 1st gear and just crawl down but this time I said common this thing should be able to stop and I went slightly faster and then hit the brakes and the ABS went nuts it almost stopped a few times but just kept pumping until I knew I was completely in the clear I just let off the gas and went through the stop and was fine, as for anything soft to hit or land on to the right I would drive up the enbankment and roll over and to the left their is a drop off so I don't think the truck would retain it's form or I

It is a hill that was cut into the side of a mountain, my Pathfinder can't pull past 35mph going up it but the 4Runner roars up to 60 with no problem.

I have takin my truck to parking lots so I know how it will handle in certain situations so I felt in control and shocking as it is, after it was over it was not one of those nevous just ˟˟˟˟ myself feeling I brushed it off and was like WOOOO I would have ****ed up big time if their was cars coming up the hill and if their where any cars in front of me

I most likely pushed the truck beyond its limits in that spot and I might call Toyota and tell them see what they say, hey I am the one guy who fell off an inversion table when they said it was not possible the owner of the company actual called me and wanted to know how the hell I did it and was I alright:cry:

Oh yeah the VSC was off, I thought about it would the VSC have helped it isn't it suppost to work with the ABS, I don't know and Im not about to try it again, should I have been on that road NO and I will avoid it, it is a road/street and I will remember this and learn cause I won't make the same mistake twice.

BT17R

Aw c'mon, next time put it in 4L, hit the DAC button and let us know what happens!

EDGE

Ya know I thought of that:pat:

kronicx

Not using either of those features, nor ever driving in super icy situations, what would have happened?

Good Times

DAC.... IT WORKS....

I've had a chance to use it real quick and it works.... talk about crawling REALLY REALLY slow!!!

BT17R

I've played with the DAC quite a bit and it's very effective. However, get ready to hear the most unusual sounds you've ever heard from a car and DON'T touch the brake while it's operating. If you do, the brakes apply so abruptly that it could upset the car. When you release the brake, the DAC will resume normal operation again. It also makes life easier for the DAC system to shift into 1st or 2nd gear and slow before engaging, although it will slow you to a crawl from higher speeds, too. Still, I don't think anything would help in "super icy" or even regular icy conditions except staying home.

rimpainter.com

You can REALLY screw up your differential by running chains on a 4WD.

Beavah

In a way I too wish that there were options with the ABS system. There must be different degrees of sensativity with ABS?

I also have been in those downhill situations where I believe if the ABS would have locked on occasion and allowed some snow to build up in front of the tires I may have stopped rather then allowing the truck to keep rolling along picking up speed

:beaver:

EDGE

Exactly, so someone else has experienced what I have, I felt if the ABS would have just let the wheels lock that I would have stopped, I heard that you can lightly push the brake or pump it manually to override the ABS

TDiddy

Good one! Another option would be to install a drag chute!

AppleJack

I am working on a solution to our ABS problems. All I need is two mini blade type fuse taps, some wire with an in line fuse. Oh and a toggle switch to make an ABS defeat switch. Mine seems to try and kill me every now and then

crolison

Fortunately my 3rd gen didnt come with abs

LuminoZ

You need to mount retro rockets... that way you can stop on the slick stuff with style.

Seriously though; I grew up in a small ski resort town in Colorado and have had a lot of experience with slick conditions. Something that I found was really helpful, and quite fun too, is to go find a large parking lot... (Ski area lots are great.) and just throw and slide your rig around. You'll get used to how it handles in a slide and how it under and oversteers depending on what you do. Knowing your truck, and what it's going to want to do are key.

It's equally important to be able to read the conditions, and have the discipline to say; "NO I shouldn't try and go down this."

Toyota and Bridgestone put on a 'winter performance driving school' every winter in Steamboat Springs co. They have a 'I don't know what I'm doing' a 'I know what I'm doing, but I'm still scared' and a 'Ice? can I go drifting now' course. Just give them money, and they can show you everything from how to get to work to how to nail the '2 left, into reverse 2 right, opens to 5, 60 over crest, into 4 left.'

ICE can be so much fun it's sickening when you know how to play on it. And the best part is that it doesn't eat up tires like tarmac or gravel does. Should you happen to loose it, all that happens is you make a dent in a snow bank.