How can I make my snow handling better in my 4x2?

[Alan760]

I bought my Tundra while I was living in the desert of California and never expected to use it in snow, so I got the 4x2 version and saved some money. I moved to Northern Nevada last year and had my first winter with snow ever. It snowed about 6 times and each time I felt like I was going to die when I drove through the snow. The rear end would start to slide out when only going 5 mph. When I tried to stop when only going 5 mph I would slide for a bit. I almost got into a wreck every day.

What are some ways I can make my handling in snow this winter better?

Info:
I have stock tires, and willing to buy new tires but not new wheels
My model is the CM.

[NickBrewer]

I have the Bridgestone Blizzak DMZ3's on my 4x4 Tundra, but I can get around just fine with these tires in 4x2 mode on ice and snow, just takes a bit more finesse from a stoplight in 4x2 mode than in 4x4 mode, but the nannies do a pretty good job of keeping the truck moving and stopping safely with the Blizzaks.

Dedicated winter tires (not all-seasons) do a fantastic job of making winter driving safer, highly recommended!

BTW, the stock all-season Michelins on my truck are down right scary on ice and snow, I wouldn't even attempt to use them all winter long.....

[MIKEMAGNA]

The only advice I can offer, which is from past experience, is to load up the back of the truck with about 700-1000 lbs of tube sand and center the weight directly over the rear wheels and put studded snow tires on for the winter. I have gotten very good traction in the winters of northern PA with this combination in the past. Then I got smart...bought an '09 DC 4X4, no more sand in the bed!

[SARPD]

Get a 4X4.

[Alan760]

Originally Posted by SARPD

Get a 4X4.

Wow.

[Tbirdness]

I would get the Blizzaks all around and put 300 lbs in the bed over the back wheels. You will be amazed.

T

[SARPD]

Tried to save some money huh...good job with that. who's the retard? Next time raise you hand if you have a question.

[JaredPointer]

Originally Posted by SARPD

Tried to save some money huh...good job with that. who's the retard? Next time raise you hand if you have a question.

Guy asks a legitimate question, and gets a jackoff answer.

In the event you took the time to read all of his post, you'd see that he bought the 4x2 when snow wasn't an issue and he had to move. Not all of us can run out and buy a new truck whenever we get the urge.

[CCTUNDRA08]

Originally Posted by SARPD

Get a 4X4.

I think he could of figured that one out by himself. And as for the op's question i would go with what Tbirdness had to say. Blizzaks and a couple hundred pounds over the rear axle.

[kt001]

I would get good SNOW tires and put 200-300 pounds (sand bags) in the bed.

[SE2000]

If you only have snow on the roads 6 days a year, I would not necessarily go blizzaks. I've only driven through reno once in january so I am not all that familiar with what kind of snow you have.
Blizzaks are great for ice and hard packed snow on the roads. they suction themselves down. If you don't get that, a different tire may be better. I have blizzaks for my car, have tossed a dozen worn out ones in the trash.
the michelins are the worst for snow, duellers are therefore used up north but they are not great. I drove new duellers in the snow but not this winter.
You will need 4 winter tires. My suggestion would be goodyear duratracs. you could even use them year round if you cannot store an extra set. they would be good if you get of into a little bit of sand.
The biggest issue is that you are not used to snow. It is a skill. the tire will make a huge difference but you will need to practice in a open are after the snow falls.
This advice from someone upstate NY with a 2wd

[ICON]

I've had quite a bit of experience driving 2wd vehicles in the snow and it comes down to aggressive tires and the driver. Having driven 2wd quads in the winter for years earns quite a bit of experience on knowing the machine's limits in different situations. Me and my buddy would blaze new trails in 8-10" of snow all the time w/our sport quads, took time but we'd do it. The tundra is my first 4wd truck i've owned, although driven many 4wds, and the difference is huge. Although my last truck Chevy C1500 did pass many, many 4wd vehicles on the roads in snow storms. What i did w/that truck is put about 400-500lbs in the bed and get the most aggressive snow tires i could get and even w/an open diff, it was very stable. It was no use starting from a stop on an incline though. There were good and bad parts to having the open diff though. As you found out w/an auto lsd, lsd, locking, etc diff the rear end wants to come around at the slightest touch of the throttle. This is where driver knowledge comes into play. Brake before the turn and slowly and gently accelerate through the turn and if you feel the tires break free, take your foot off the throttle and it'll straighten out, if you're not too far into it. When it comes to braking the golden rule of "there's never too much room from your truck to the vehicle in front of you" will become very clear. Best bet is to find a parking lot and practice driving like you stole it and know when the limits are and how to get out of trouble before you get in trouble on the street. I've been driving in New England winters for 16 years and there's always a small relearning curve the first snowfall.

So, get some weight in the bed, really aggressive rear snow tires, decent front tires, and know what the vehicle can and can't do in the snow. And practice, practice, practice.

[eharri3]

I have lived in the northeast all my life so even though winters have been somewhat mild in my specific area for a couple years 4x2 was never an option. Ive done 4x2 in snow, I know it sucks. Can't blame you though if you made your purchase based on where you lived and what you dealt with at the time.

Don't know how deep it gets in Nevada. On my 04 Dakota quality all-terrains kept me moving in anything 6 inches or less with no steep hills involved and this was with no weight in the bed. Probably woulda done even better with a couple hundred pounds. Get the best possible tires that would suit the amount and depth you deal with and go with a minimum of a few hundred pounds centered and secured over the axle. I don't know about 1000 or more pounds as the weight distribution on these crewmaxes already ain't too bad. Never used snow tires so I can't speak that knowledgably and give any real good recommendations but I've run Toyo Open countries and Bridgestone Dueller Revos and found that they handled probably 80-85% of snow conditions I drove in without any drama.

4wd won't help you stop any better than you already do, only tires will help with that. And even with great tires if I don't leave space in the soft stuff so I can come to a controlled stop, I still kept sliding for a bit. The only real solution is to leave space, plan ahead, and stop VERY gradually.

4wd keeps forward traction going and can keep the truck pointed in the right direction in reasonable driving without the rear end kicking out because your steering wheels are turning as well as your rear wheels. But if you can't modulate the throttle it can only do so much. I experimented with 2 and 4wd on my old truck. It became more stable with less of the rear end dancing around in 4wd. However, I find I had most issues with my rear end kicking out in 2wd when I stabbed the gas more than i should have when accelarating.

3 priorities should be careful throttle and brake modulation and the best tires that will suit your driving situation.

[RONE]

Honestly, you need to learn how to drive. I've got my stock tires, and I didn't have any problems getting around in snow last winter in 2wd. If I had known how great this truck does in the snow I wouldn't have gotten a 4wd model (I never use 4wd as it is). So accept that your winter driving abilities aren't good enough, and improve them. I'm sure there are lots of write-ups online about "how to drive in the snow", and several are probably wrong, but if you read enough you'll probably see some general trends in them that will serve as good starting points for you.

Here's just a couple quick things that come to mind for driving in the snow:
~turn your stereo off
~don't talk on your cell phone
~pretend like there's an egg taped to the bottom of your foot and you have to press on the gas and brake with the egg (this will force you to be smooth/gentle)
~plan ahead! If there's a green light a ways ahead of you and it's been green for a long time and you can see cars waiting on the cross streets, let off the gas and slow down a bit so you're not rushing up to a light that is probably about to change
~be SMOOTH - I really cannot emphasize that enough

[Coal Dragger]

My advice living in a place where we get snow (in fact it is snowing right now) is to put 300-500lbs of sandbags in the bed over the rear axle, and put on a set of good all season tires. Dedicated snows are not going to be worth it for you with as little snow as you get, and if you did get that much snow you should buy a 4X4 and run snow tires.

As for tires to put on; take your choice of the various A/T tires or all seasons with a lot of siping on the tread. The Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor is supposed to do really really well in the snow (actually it qualifies as a snow tire), and so is the Michelin LTX A/T 2. The new Michelin LTX M/S looks promising as well.

Another option to consider would be tire chains; if it gets really bad outside there is almost nothing as effective as chaining up.