New tires, you need them.

 

Interesting you brought up suspension geometry; I didn't put the two together. Are the rear springs too stiff for the weight?

 

stopping??? no.. going? yes.. and you dont get ice in texas.. they call that frost!

 

Forgot to ask, have you had an alignment done or noticed your 4Runner being out of alignment? I had an old E30 BMW that was a little bit out of alignment and it would start to wag around 40MPH on packed snow (had snow tires, too).

 

I have the same problem with my worn Yokohama Geolanders...comming back from the ski hill is a work out most times in 2wd...so I just put it in 4wd stay under 50mph,and get crappy milage all the way home.

Get new tires...I'm getting the new BFG KO's...they have 12% better tread wear for 2008 among other improvments.

 

News for you brainiac, if you were still slipped you were still driving to fast. Simple and too easy. No matter how you feel you were driving if the condition still existed you were FUBR.

If I affended you, I can live with that.

If you lived in the artic and drove on ice every day for a hundred years and still had to ask the question you began this post with please refer back to my first paragragh.

You can argue with reality for eternity and it won't change all the denial in the world won't change it.

Try sipping your tires, get a front wheel drive small straight drive car, or move to a warmer climate.

As for everyone driving faster than you, so what if all your friends jumped off a building would you? Be an individual.

I aint mad just telling you how it is. You can argue with me all you want.

 

Your 4runner has more than enough power to spin the tires even on dry ground. Your problem is probably a combination of speed and poor tires for the conditions. You would probably be fine if you just listen, when you start to hear the engine rev up or the sound of tires slipping just let off the gas and it will avoid it starting to get out of control. I'm not trying to tell you how to drive just stating points that i use when I've driven on ice and snow.

 

Umm... I don't think youre at liberty to call someone a "brainiac", considering I hardly understood what you just posted.

The easiest way to increase traction would be a good set of winter tires. If you dont want to front the cash for new ones you can usual find a half decent set used..

 

couldn't resist.

 

Man, reading this thread I thought I was on TTORA.

 

No kidding...when i bought my truck back in 2002 i didnt know any better.

 

Seriously. All the guy did was ask a simple question and in comes the e-thug flamers.

I think he was being sarcastic!

 

I think he was being sarcastic! [/QUOTE]

lol.. he was.. that guy need a FWD car if he wants a 2wd truck.. unless he plans on building a truck for the dragstrip... or doing some 2wd class racing.. if so ill shut up.. but im pritty sure hes not..

 

Controlling speed and driving technique are the two keys to success.

 

To put it in 4wd at high speeds just put the tranny in neutral and shift... but make sure the t-case is in gear before you put it back in drive...
I do it all the time, when i see a snowy / unplowed road coming up...
mine loves to spin the rear end in the rain or snow (hell i cant even moev in the snow in 2wd)
rain it's awd for me, and snow it's 4wd... (theres a big difference)

 

I feel it definitely has a bit to do with the solid axle. Accelerating around turns I can chirp tires in my 4Runner even easier than my modified IS300. Granted that has an LSD, but you can still get some chirp before the diff locks it up. Either way... its a truck, so I drive it like one. I never top 55 in the rain, and if the roads are wet and the temp is dropping into the low 30s, I drop it to 45... everyone else be damned. Worse case scenario, I get rear ended by someone going 15 miles per hour faster and I get a free shiny new bumper!

I drove up (and back) to Boston from Charleston sc over the holiday and went 45mph most the way north of baltimore. I got there in one piece... so I;m happy.

 

dude, it's not too hard, honestly. i think you're all overthinking it. slow down and shift into 4wd - you'll be fine, you won't wreck your truck. these things are beasts. if you're worried about driveline windup just pop it into 2wd for a few seconds every now and again.

i drive my rig on the highway in snowstorms with icy roads and never have a problem because i drive slow and in 4wd. even around town i use 4wd a lot; the city has a big problem with plowing side streets, it seems. just go into 4wd when you anticipate a problem. it shouldn't be "one more thing to think about" because if you do it before you hit the ice you won't be fishtailing in the first place. and if you feel the rig fishtailing, let off the gas. you're fishtailing cause your tires are spinning. get off the gas and your tires won't spin. then shift into 4wd and punch it, and notice how hard it is to break it loose

and if it's black ice, just drive in 4wd.

 

Get your tires siped and use a higher gear if you can. If you start fishtailing, push the clutch in. Its worked for me.

 

Thank you for providing your wealth of knowledge in a manor that is uplifting to others.
I found it interesting that I was the only one on the road experiencing the problem. It was not a matter of the others driving faster than me, and I wanted to drive fast too, it was merely an observation. As I continued to experience the rear of the vehicle want to swing out, I would slow down a little more. I no longer felt comfortable driving on the interstate so I got off at the nearest exit and took the highway home. I am sorry I even asked the question.

 

why wouldn't you put it in 4wd when you started fishtailing? maybe i'm missing something...