Snow set up

Hello everyone! New to the group also first time 4runner owner! So excited and happy with the vehicle so far. Just few questions about driving the vehicle on snow.
I have an 24 sr5 brand new equipped with skid plate and 285/70r17 BFG ko3s

1. How much do I have to air down with these tires if I’m going to drive snowy road?

2. Do I just automatically engage to 4H once I start driving to the snow or wait till I feel 2H can’t handle the road?

3. 4H is below 50mph and 4L is below 10mph right?

4.Do I turn off traction control?

5. What do you guys do when going uphill and went on a complete stop? (I obviously hit gas quick cause my vehicle tend to back up if don’t. Maybe cause it’s too heavy? Any tips?)

appreciate your answers and any tips! Newbie here. Thank you!

 

1 - Dont air down
2 - https://aguyagirlandatrail.com/2022/12/07/winter-driving-with-4wd/
3 - Lo gives you more torque at the wheels, you don't want that in the snow.
4 - No
5 - Slow down early and crawl along avoiding making a full stop. If you do stop hold the break with the left foot and gently start applying the throttle with you right. Release the brake slowly while still gently on the gas.

 

Are you talking about driving on road or off?

Remember, it's rear-wheel-drive.

 

1. Snowy road, none.

2. When to engage 4wd is up to you. worst storm we had last year I drove the 20 miles to work in 2wd, meanwhile the other person with a 4runner complained that the office should have been closed (and she has snow tires, I run Toyo AT3's).

3. You're not using 4L on road. 4wd you can transfer in to 4H at up to ~50mph but you can drive in 4H above 50mph (people debate the safety of this, some people think if you need 4wd you shouldn't be going that fast...I disagree, you just have to understand how it works and the consequences of fucking up).

4. Depends if you want to have fun or if you're trying to get somewhere...if you're not used to snow, leave it on.

5. Drive normal?

Where are you and have you not driven in snow or have you just not driven something with 4wd in snow? My recommendation is to find an empty parking lot when it snows and learn how the vehicle reacts to different inputs. General rule, no sudden movements, look ahead and react well in advance.

The wider tires don't help in snow and, unless KO3's are better than KO2's, they'll be mediocre in snow (some will disagree but that is my assessment based on the snow type we get here).

 

Woah! Appreciate all the response! I live in Los Angeles and planning on a trip to mammoth end of December early January. First time driving on snow by myself so I really wanted to know more, maybe I am also overthinking

I have my tires psi at 35 so just leave it as it is.

I have the sr5 with part time awd. So I guess just have it on 2H then switch to 4H/awd when needed but no need for 4L unless I get stuck. ? Right?

last question! The DAC does it really make that loud sound when going downhill? Thank you all so much!

 

So there are 2 train of thoughts on when to engage 4wd, wait until you start slipping then engage 4H or engage 4H before you need it. Im of the mindset to engage 4wd before you need it. If you wait until you start slipping it could be too late, game over. If you have a winch and recovery gear that isn't a huge problem but I have no winch, minimal recovery gear and the last thing I want to do is dig myself out trying to get back on the road when it is below freezing outside.

 

Thank you @wildgoose ! This makes so much sense. I forgot to mention that this is a family trip so there’s 6 of us in the vehicle, so does this matter? I might be overthinking underestimating the power of this vehicle lol

 

If you first time drive in snow - turn on 4Hi as soon as you see snow or road becomes slippery. You can drive at any speed in 4hi as long as it's not dry pavement. Drive like you're in 2wd - i.e. drive slowly with the flow and be especially careful on turns. 4hi will give you a lot more stability than 2wd, but braking distance will be same as 2wd (very long) and if you're going too fast even in 4hi you'll end up in ditch. In other words 4Runner in 4 hi feels great in snow, and often people start driving in like on pavement, but sharp turns or braking might get vehicle slip and you'll need experience to get it back under control. Use transmission to downshift when it's very slippery downhill, or if you don't feel comfortable applying brakes.

The only time you might want to turn off TRAC is when stuck in deep snow or you try to keep momentum going uphill and TRAC cuts power to all wheels before you reach the top. In this case slowly let vehicle back up trying not to slide sideways too much and try going uphill without TRAC, but it could be risky. In other cases TRAC and especially VSC can save you.

If you go off-road in deep snow you might want to use 4lo and ATRAC depending of situation, but never go alone, have somebody who can pull you out : )

 

DAC will indeed make loud click/thunking noises. You can hear it here around 1:40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jBnA9UNTqw&

 

. Even though you have 3 season tires on it, do yourself a favor and get a set of chains or cables for the rear. You won’t need to put them on unless conditions are really bad, but CHP can ask if you have them at a snow chain stop. If they get really nuts, they’ll even check the size to make sure they fit on your tires.
Don’t try to drive like you do on dry pavement in LA. Slow down and give yourself lots of room/ time to anticipate your moves. Keep a flat blade shovel in the runner to clear berms and chip ice if needed, also a scraper/ brush to clear the snow off the windshield and windows. Bring blankets/ extra water/ snacks in case of getting stuck on the road with accidents or mechanical problems.

 

All the advise here is great and you will do fine on roads following this advise. One thing I will emphasize is practicing in a snowy parking lot a bit. Specifically with stopping. Nothing fast.

I always play when I first get on snow again to see how the vehicle performs. I will get up to 10, make sure there is plenty of room, then slam on the brakes and see how antilock (or without on my FJ40s) brakes react. Sometimes I might get a little sideways. That is good to know before I have to do that in traffic or an emergency. It lets me know how much space I need to give. I will go faster than 10 as well. Just be careful as you are intentionally loosing control to understand what that feels like and how your reactions help or hinder.

my wife hates it because I am not smart enough to follow my own advise and I do that on the road, without informing her first. And giggling afterward does not help.

so maybe by yourself and not with 5 others in the truck!

the 4low a-trac and locker are for the deeper stuff.

 

BFG ko3s are not the right tire for this. Winter tires make the most difference for winter driving, if you regularly have to deal with winter driving then Step 1 is to get a set of tires designed for that.

 

BFG KO3 are absolutely the right tire for this. They are better than the KO2 in snow, and do very well in snow, compared to a highway tire. If you're making "a" trip to Mammoth, there is no reason to buy dedicated snow tires. Drive smart.

 

Then the Tire Rack ratings are wrong. The KO3's are rated 6/10 for winter with a yellow caution. There are lots of better choices for winter than KO3's. I find the Tire Rack ratings to be a good starting point. I'd also question your generalization about highway tires unless you're talking about slicks. There are a wide range of "highway tires" including ones rated for severe snow service. My Michelin Defender M+S's do everything better than the KO3's except hard core off-road and although they are superb street tires they also do pretty well in mud and very well in snow and ice.

 

Step 1. Leave it in 2wd. Controlled drifting in 2wd is easier to control than it is in 4Hi.
Step 2. Turn off traction control and lay on the throttle.
Step 3. Keep your head on a swivel. Steering with the rear tires whilst in constant counter steer mode is not as easy as it is in an Ae86. The rear of the 4Runner carries a lot of weight and the point of no return (spin out) comes quick.
Step 4. You haven't crashed yet and you are ready for more speed. Pop it into 4Hi, traction off, and see how fast you can go. You are now steering with all 4 tires and you resemble something like a parallelogram on steroids. You can no longer steer with the rear as well as before, but you feel confident with your advanced math skills and your 4Runner starts to shine as you navigate a twisty snowy back road at 100mph.
I for one, am seriously looking forward to winter. See you in the rear view.

 

I would have said severe snow rated or 3-peak, if that's what I meant.

TFL just tested the KO3 and showed it performing quite well. I wouldn't buy a dedicated winter/snow tire for a trip, not when the BFG AT KO3 does so well. By the way, I've been driving in areas with frequent snow for 35+ years, and I'd rather have BFG AT tires than many others; although dedicated winter tires, which I've also run, are almost always better than AT in (on road) severe snow conditions.

The OP has "a" trip planned in an area that will be plowed and in truly adverse conditions will have CHP escort. There is no need for Nokian Hakkapelittas.

 

I drove many unimproved roads with snow with KO2’s, my work vehicle was a GMC 3500 pickup. Highway driving in the winter was fine with those tires.

 

@Yotaco Thank you so much! Great details!

 

1. On a road? Never. If I'm hitting trails in deep snow, 12-15 psi.

2. I usually engage 4H when I see snow or slush on pavement. The 4Runner with its short wheelbase is tail-happy, so 4WD helps with directional stability. 4WD without a center diff also helps reduce braking distances.

3. Going from 2H to 4H needs to be done below 50 mph. Once in 4H you can go as fast as conditions allow, up to the 4Runner's top speed. You need to be stopped with transmission in neutral to go from 4H to 4L. Once in 4L you can go as fast as gearing allows. 5th gear is locked out in 4L, so 4th gear with engine at redline is you top speed.

4. For charging through deep snow, turn off traction control. For street driving, turning corners, etc, have VSC and traction control on.

5. There's hill start assist that works automatically. You can also hold the brakes with your left foot, give some gas with your right foot, then let off the brakes.

 

I had my first opportunity to drive on snow with ko3’s the last few days. We got hammered with close to 2 feet of snow. (northern Michigan) I had no problems. My 400 ft long driveway had 18 inches, so i actually plowed snow until i reached the road. The snow was lake effect so light, but icy on the road surface. My road had tracks in it but about 6-8 inches of fresh snow on it. I used 4hi, didn't slip or slide and felt in control. I also drove on an expressway with a 75 mph speed limit, but the traffic was closer to 45-50 mph due to ice mostly. No problems there either.

 

Aw hell, real world experience, please keep those informed.opinions to yourself!

 

I go several times every year and mammoth roads are usually pretty decent in my experience. Unless they just got dumped on or it's mid storm the roads are usually cleared out pretty quickly. just go slow and do everything early. In my experience, some of the downhill highway sections can get kinda hairy if you're driving in during a storm, so just try to time it so you're not arriving mid storm... and if you can't avoid that have chains for peace of mind. Probably best to have them regardless. I've never used them even during storms but there are areas where you pull over and put them on and people can help you do it if you don't know how (might try to charge you $20 though)