“How to” for Handling Deep Snow, Ice, and Steep Grades?

Looks interesting. The video they provide is pretty damn useless though.

 

I was just up in the Mountains (~5,000 feet) this past week and I got a chance to experience driving in deep snow with a bit of ice. Here is what worked for me.

1. Get a good set up A/T tires if not full-blown winter tires.
2. I was in 4 high the entire time.
3. I also drove in 3rd gear.
4. I kept the speed nice and slow, rarely going above 30 mph.
5. There are lots of windy curves as is to be expected in a mountainous area, so slow is the way to go.
6. Pump the brakes, no hard braking if it can be avoided.
7. I did use a set of snow chains briefly, but they really were not necessary. I got the ones with the V tread to provide better grip and got chains with cams to help tighten them. I would also recommend having a bungy cord handy for pulling the loose end of the chain taught, otherwise it makes a really unpleasant sounds as it smacks against your wheel well.

Good luck!

 

Likewise!

 

Did you use chains on front or rear tires?

 

Only on the rear tires. I believe this is what Toyota recommends although I could't find anything on chain use in my manuals. Like I said, they weren't necessary, but they worked just fine on my rear tires.

 

That was Snow Driving 101. Beginners course.

We have a masters degree driving in the snow here, but Colorado is Phd. territory.

 

Don’t be stupid. Good set of tires. Take it out to a place where you can practice. Granted we deal with ice in Texas and some snow from time to time. My Tacoma Prerunner with weight in the bed did pretty good with no 4WD during last winters ice and snow storm. Take it easy, give yourself space and don’t drive like a dick.

 

I was in that same DC storm on the Maryland side. It took me about four hours to get from DC to Frederick, MD (35 miles) in a 2006 LJ Rubicon Wrangler. Surprise snow storm hit right before rush hour and power went out. 2wd's and 18 wheelers stuck everywhere, cars running out of gas and gas stations closed due to no power! That was a fun evening - thankfully I was in a 4WD.

 

“Hummmf” snow? I still haven’t put my all terrains on yet.

 

And I’ve had my heat off for two days.

 

For me, tires make a huge difference. During winter I never let the fuel level get below half a tank. With incoming weather I top off to full even if it is only a few gallons.

 

1st big snow in North Carolina Mountains for 2022.

Got up driveway just fine today with Traction Control Off, Goodyear Duratrac Tires, 1st gear 4x4 Hi. My driveway is about a 20° slope with a hair pin curve at the top. We are expecting about 10" of wet snow today.

I also use bags of tube sand over both rear tires in the rear, and keep the gas tank at least 3/4 full.

 

You can also get formal training.

winter
https://winterdrive.com/

Recovery and off road.
https://www.ontrailtraining.com/

 

What elevation is that?

 

My wife's dad would always preaches to his daughters to fill up with gas with every pending snowstorm. I always laughed since with live in a high density suburban area (MD suburbs of DC) with gas stations everywhere and only 15" of average snowfall total per year. That 2010 "snowmegeddon" DC snowstorm that hit just before rush hour and caused power outages with no open gas stations, no working red lights at intersections was a eye opener for me. Thankfully my jeep had a full tank that day since it took me four hours to go 35 miles. I typically refill when empty!

 

This is how I handle it, at least in my yard.

 

Just because I’ve never driven the 4Runner in the snow, is the sand necessary in these?? I know they were in my Tacoma for the snow.

 

I have never needed it, but it's not a bad idea. I have ~200# of constant weight in the cargo area, so I don't bother.

 

The 4Runner weighs 700lbs more than the Taco so no I wouldn't carry sand in it.
I do carry lots of recovery gear plus have sliders, skids, and winch / bumper on mine.

 

Definitely not necessary in the 4Runner. Makes more sense in the Tacoma (or other pickups) which have less weight about the rear axle.

 

Also, lowering tire pressure can help in deep snow but be careful about running low pressures on hard pack or dry roads as it can cause premature wear and give odd handling characteristics.

 

my driveway is often 500 feet of glare ice. like it is right now. occasionally i'll need 4WD to get moving. heck, i needed it to get off my flat but wet lawn a few weeks ago. if i had studded tires (like on all my previous vehicles) i'd probably be okay. extra weight in the back certainly won't hurt anything, and will give you more traction.

edited to add- i never intentionally carried extra weight in my 3rd gen 4Runner, but i had a dedicated set of studded snow tires. i don't plan on adding extra weight in my current one either, but will probably get another set of studded snow tires (or at least good snow tires such as the nokian hakkapeliitta) next winter. but if i did add extra weight, i probably wouldn't have to engage 4WD quite as often as i do.