Very unstable with the lease bit of Ice on the road.

I have driven my 2017 4Runner in snow a few times here in Colorado but not so much in icy conditions. Last night while driving on patchy ice and partial wet/dry roads, (not icy enough for 4WD),I hit a patch of ice while only going 25 - 30 MPH and just about lost it completely. Tagging onto previous posts, anybody else experience this level of instability? I'll probably try switching to 4wd next time as long as the roads are wet. It was pretty hair raising.

 

The simple answer is, adjust to driving conditions.

 

Got it. I was just a little surprised only going 25-30 MPH.
Thanks!

 

If you are in RWD, it'll act like any other RWD vehicle. Snow tires help substantially, but when you are still supplying power only to the rear, it will behave that way. I wouldn't hesitate to put/stay in 4wd, wet OR dry roads, if you are worried about snow/ice. I'd rather have a little tire wear than have my vehicle not setup for the road conditions at hand. - I learned this on a Tacoma with snow tires. Everyone who says 4wd doesn't help above a certain speed speed. I bought into it until I did a lane change and just enough power to the rear wheels without the fronts pulling sent me sideways. Fortunately the snow tires somehow regained control, but after that moment, I realized the 4wd HI is there for a reason (and blizzak tires too).

 

I hit some ice walking at 2mph and weight 225 and almost lost it, so 25-30mph and 4600lbs would be bad. Anytime you are unsure of conditions toss in 4wd and go slow.
My tips for snow and ice:
All vehicles can only do 3 things
Accelerate
Stop
Turn
None should ever be done together in bad conditions. Pick 1 at a time and you will be ok

 

Frozen water will, lower the friction between your contact patch and the road. By nature, it's very slippery.

 

Water is wet, and ice is slick.

 

When I get caught off guard by scattered ice... the "don't use 4wd on dry pavement" rule gets thrown out the window. Especially on the hiway. I'd much rather break my truck than fish-tail and end up in the ditch (or worse). And on the highway, nothing is going to break anyway. In town, you just need to be smart about it. Either slow down or shift out of 4wd when cornering.