ssupercoolss

I have had my truck for about 3 yrs now and it recently became my winter driver due to the sale of my beloved 4runner. So, i have not had that many oppurtunities to drive the truck in the snow, but over Christmas we got some snow. i have to tell you i was somewhat dissapointed with it overall. let me explain.....it snowed all day, and on my way home from skiing (in 4wheel of course) the roads had just a little packed snow/slop on them. very slick conditions. we were down to about 10 mph (not my choice) just about to head down a hill, the road is pitched left to right. Barely moving (whick i tihink was part of the problem) and the backend just starts sliding out. i was able to steer over some to grab some untracked snow towards the gaurdrail and gathered things back up. My buddy behind me in his full size chevy was in no way experiencing the same issues. is the backend of this thing just so light that this is the norm? i am starting to think weight is the key, but just how much makes the difference?

now, when i get into my development the roads are just 6-8 inches of snow. the truck handled that fine. i dont want to say awesome, cause simply, in my opinion its just ok, i guess the 4runner was balanced better. in packed snow in 2wd, just letting off the clutch has the tires spinning.

Just as an fyi, its a 2004 ex-cab 4x4 5 spd. bfg's a/t's with plenty of tread. and, yes, i have tons of experience driving in snow, i gave up the snowplowing biz after i put in my 20 yrs.

so, weight in the bed, how much?

ssupercoolss

hmm...double post somehow

smithyboy69

Ive got a friend with the same tires and he said they suck in the snow. A few sandbags in the bag wouldn't hurt either

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

It's a truck with a light rear. It's gonna suck in snow.

When it snows around here I like my AWD Impreza with snow tires, that thing is unstoppable.

Nuthuts96

iTrader: (1)

i put 180lbs sand in the back of my 2wd 87 p/u when it snowed and it became an unstoppable beast. take the sand out, it was stuck in place until the snow melted.

Mtn Mike

iTrader: (1)

Yes, all Toyota pick-ups suck in the snow unless you put some weight in the back. My 4Runner is slightly better than my tucks were. The right tires make a big difference too. And I'll second swimmerboy on this too; my AWD Impreza with snow tires is absolutely the best car in snow that I've ever driven. It's a snowcat.

Dirt Driver

1.) SUVs are almost universally better in this regard than their pickup counterparts. It's the same between Rangers and Explorers. The 4WD Rangers pretty much suck on slick surfaces whereas Explorers don't.

In a similar vein, the Cadillac CTS-V wagon is actually faster around a road course than the sedan and coupe due to better balance.

2.) Something as light as a basic (~100lb) camper shell would make a noticeable difference IMO. It certainly did when I had my '94 2wd.

+1. More precisely, it's a minitruck that's lighter in the back.

The force of friction between two objects is directly related to the force pushing the two objects together. The coefficient of friction on ice is very low, but as long as it is greater than zero, more weight = more force = more friction = more traction. That does not mean a heavier vehicle can accelerate or change direction(which is angular acceleration) faster on the same surface, however. Isn't physics fun?

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

i think the down hill grade

the fact that your truck was engine braking caused the back end to kick out .

I always go down hills in neutral just about every morning with any frozen water on the road.

By far the best way .

up hill if I stop on a ice covered grade in 2wd it just spins put it in 4 hi and it just pulls away no problem.

when I put weight in it is in the neighborhood of 800 to 1000 pounds I just need to be careful stopping and going down hill.

85GT-79FJ40

BFG at's as long as they have tread left aren't bad in actual snow but on packed snow anything that isn't an actual snow tire isn't too great. I actually liked the General Grabber at2's even more than the BFG's as far as snow traction was concerned. But I think both are actually extreme snow rated for areas where chains are required. The problem is weight. My 96 is a 3.4/auto with SUCKY pepboys tires courtesy of the P/O and it can barely hook up in 2WD in the rain if I try and take off fast. In the snow it's absolutely useless in 2WD and in 4WD you have to be careful at times. But with a few hundred pounds in the back it's an entirely different animal. I drove through a bad snowstorm with an engine crane in the back and the thing went better in 2WD than it usually does in 4WD. I have about 400 pounds of construction debris in the bed of my old 89 toyota I plow with and it's unstoppable.

Baloo

would stay away from sand for many reasons. We use a SureTrax in or 01 Taco.

vikkz

mine does ok on the snow but i do got a tool box with about 100lb of tools 2 20ft chains which adds another 40lb and i got airbags in the rear for when i carry really heavy stuff. Noticed that inflating the air bags to 25psi instead of 10psi i handles even better but then again it might be in my head for that one.

rworegon

And, those reasons are?

thaddeusss

my 99 x-cab has a 200lb fiberglass canopy, and I'm always carrying chains and tools... I think it handles perfectly. best snow rig I've driven, short of my old subaru JUSTY

my .02, bfg at's suck in the snow. I've owned several pairs and loved that they never got flats, but now I'm running wildcat xt's and they're 5x better on slick slush or packed ice, despite the less aggressive tread... I think the large, stiff tread blocks really work against you in those conditions.

so, short answer... weight in the back, different tires.

javadoody

I have those tires and they are the garbage in less than 6" of snow. They're not a good ice tire, look at tirerack.com. My 94PU had Firestone Destinations and it stuck like glue. Moral--bullet proof off road tires aren't soft enough for ice. And good ice tires may not hold up off-road under heavy use.

Dirt Driver

I buried my "phony 4WD" PreRunner in a middle-of-nowhere sand wash back in November on brand new Cooper Discoverers with 100+lb in the back. By dumb luck I stumbled on some floormats nearby that someone else had used for traction when they got stuck where I got stuck. After several hours digging out alone in the middle of the night with rocks and my bare hands(seriously), I got free and going....and left the mats behind just like those before me.

I have no doubt that 4WD would have made the whole experience rather mundane.