My 31s were too wide on heavy snow around here. I used to run my 225 on stock steel and did a lot better. Could have been the width, or the tread, I'm not sure.

 

You could just be exceeding the speed that the tires can "do work in". They could be filling up faster than they can unload.

 

Yea def sounds like lockers. My 86 is locked front and rear and feels like a fish tail any time u touch the gas while on the road. On trails it's perfectly fine. Sounds like the exact same thing u experienced. Steered better in 2wd.

 

i just think it's because of an alignment issue. Is the problem worse when you're applying throttle? My truck does this. When i give it throttle, or are just cruising while using throttle in 4WD, it wanders all over the place. I almost am certain it is because of a misalignment because i have replaced almost all my front end parts, my tires are good, and i know for a fact my front diff is open. I had my truck aligned but it gets messed up everytime i wheel it so i just say screw it.

 

Just one of those things .

I do know some years my driveway is like a bobsled course I just let it followed the tracks.

I run all the same size tires so I really can`t say 235/75/15 I have some that are over 10 years old and work just fine.

Then snow changes so much with the temperature as do road surfaces as well.

Could just be a bunch of different things all adding up.

Thing is with these older trucks one never knows just what might have been done before it was rescued.

 

When I had open diffs on both ends, my 4runner didn't wander at all in 4WD on snow. That's with 31 inch BFG AT's. Now that I have an LSD in the rear and an Aussie locker in the front, it's a bit more "interesting", but still quite stable when driving straight ahead. The main issue I notice now is that the front locker causes tugging on the steering wheel as the front wheels encounter differing traction conditions.

 

I skipped over a few posts here, but just wanted to quickly get my 2 cents in. You're sure your differential is doing what it is designed to do in the front? What if only one of the front tires is getting power?

You said it does well on the trail though, I understand. Regardless it's an easy test to do and make sure it's all kosher.

 

I'd have to agree the locker:

-You've got a locker (front or rear).
- Your front diff isn't actuating in the proper sequence (4HI is 2HI, 2HI is 4HI). But you would notice when it's dry and you try to make a tight turn (the truck will hop or skip).
- Bald tires?
- Different gear ratios in the front and rear. As said before, running different gear ratios in the diffs will make it squirmy and usually ends up with a destroyed diff when you hit pavement.

 

i'll second the comments about airing down in the snow, drop it to 15psi or so, see if it makes a difference... just don't be driving around on pavement like that.

i'll take a locker over open diff in the snow, even if it handles squirrely at times.

 

Dropzone got it. Unlock your hubs. When turning (even slightly) with locked hubs the inner tire will turn too much, causing it to slip on packed ice and snow and lose traction. Locked hubs is great for offroading and probably ok in loose powder but not on packed ice or snow. I've never had issues in powder or ice with my ADD, and I only have A/T 275/75 r15's.

 

You're telling him to basically put it in 2wd? Dropzone isn't referring to the hubs when he used the term "locker" for the test he suggested. Your ADD diff is fine cause you have decent alignment and an open diff, allowing your front wheels to spin at different speeds, like you already know. The locker that Dropzone is referring to possibly being in the front would be in the differential, and that's what wouldn't allow the tires to spin any slower on the inside.

 

I've been told by others that if you have a diff lock in the front, then unlock one hub and run in three wheel drive.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I did check the date stamp on the tire and they were manufactured in April of 2011, so that shouldn't be an issue.

I did notice that the tires were getting packed with snow pretty easily until I gave them a good spinning.

This weekend I will jack up the truck and see if it has lockers or not.

Unfortunately, short of tearing apart the diffs, I guess I will never know about the gearing.

 

Actually, that would make sense.

 

Figuring out the gearing is simple matter of counting. Assuming you have open diffs, here's the procedure.
- Jack up one wheel with the xfer case in neutral. Be sure to block the wheels still on the ground.
- Put an easily identified mark on the drive shaft.
- Rotate the wheel exactly 20 turns while counting drive shaft rotations. You may want a helper for this.
- divide by 10 to get the axle ratio. (for example, if the drive shaft turns 43 times, you have a 4.3 ratio. 45.5 turns indicates a 4.56 ratio, etc.

If you have a locker, it's the same process, except you need to jack up both wheels and turn the wheel 10 times while counting drive shaft rotations. After that, the math is identical.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the tip.

 

Yea that's a handy simple way. Nice post

 

i still vote alignment or worn out front end parts....sounds just like my truck haha.

 

When I had an IFS truck if it pulled to the right i would hit something with the left lol

 

so many replies are helpful .I was researching tires and I was surprised to find that the bfg all terrain ta were rated very high in ice . like another stated ive gone down the same road in so many different winter conditions .dry fresh powder ,no problem . fresh snow over ice ,a real pain a lot of control loss .when its icy under the snow it jus is what it is . steady gas no jearkn and momentum . it doent take much but a little rutting and it freezes u jus have to guide the truck . its like when u drove the cars at the amusement park you think your steering til you let go of the wheel .. it jus follows the track..