Snow traction in 2WD? Just avoid it?

Also check that your tire pressure isn’t too high. That will kill your traction.

 

Fill yer boots

 

When these blizzards hit in Alabama, we just park’em.

 

If money is no object, get a sheet of 1/2” stainless, cut it to length, throw it in the bed and there is your traction for the rear.
And yes, winter tires.

 

You spent 3k on 4wd. Use it. I don’t understand the reason to worry about making the 2wd part of your truck better. Leave that worry to losers like me that bought a 2wd truck

 

Close the highways, stop the school buses, we got 1/8" of snow on the ground!

I guess you don't have outdoor hockey rinks there? Ours is about open and can't wait to get out on the ice when it warms up to about -15c or 5f to play some hockey with the kids.

 

No outdoor hockey for sure. That was last week. School was closed that morning.

 

^^^Weight is easily forgotten. Don’t. ADD SOME!^^^
Mud/AT/Regular off road tires have lugs that turn into hockey pucks when cold. Snow tires remain pliable.

 

You can’t drive around in 4x4 on pavement. When the roads are all white and covered in snow we all use 4wd, that’s not the problem, it’s when the roads have ice on them sporadically. We don’t have 4wd auto like gm, we have old fashioned “you have to put it into 4wd” and when your rear end slides out on you in the middle of a turn because of black ice you don’t have time. Winter tires are fantastic, but weight is important as well. You extended cab guys may have it easier than me, I need the weight back there, no question about it.

 

I had my first opportunity to use 4wd in the snow yesterday. Tundra works great in the snow with the stock Michelin tires that come with the trd offroad pkg. No sure why some people with 4wd like to see how far they can go in just 2wd in slick conditions. I switch to 4wd because that's why I have it.

 

For those that are hell bent on adding weight to the rear, remember in a bad collision everything in the back turns in to missles, I watched a full size spare tire blow threw a truck cap and fly right thru the woods... The cap was completely destroyed. If you use a steel plate, bolt it to the bed, everything else latch down... I normally wouldn't care what people do, but the "missles" usually fly over the cab and could end up thru someone else is windshield... I don't want to loose my head or my wifes head because someone was too f*cking lazy to strap his/her load down.

 

As far as people stretching their 2 wheel drive as long as possible, are usually those who have lived in the days of locking hubs, back then while in 2wd and hubs unlocked, you actually saved on gas, but todays rigs almost everything is turning anyway, it really doesn't amount to much savings during a storm to not have it in 4x4. I live in NH, and most of us can't wait to hit the 4x4 button, not only did I pay for it, but its also good to use it often, I've seen some people go a couple years with barely using the 4x4 and when they did need it, it wouldn't engage, the actuator seized up.

 

That’s why people use sandbags. Plus they’re useful if you do get stuck. My back rack would keep us safe anyways. I like to keep a full tank of fuel as well, it’s an easy source of weight plus it’s handy if you need to stay warm when you do get stuck.

 

Sandbags fly too.

 

Yes but sandbags tear open and don’t impale people. anyways, I think the op has enough info to figure out what he needs.

 

I guess you could say a part of me likes the challenge of not relying on 4WD especially when it's just a few inches. But I certainly do use it as soon as I need to do serious driving. Not looking to crash or needlessly put others in danger. Seems like there are several good suggestions here. Perhaps some more seat time I'll get more acclimated to how this truck handles. I was just sad that first time with like 2 " of snow an I got almost instantly stuck on my hill thinking about how many times I made it up no problem in my other truck ..

 

Your other truck didn’t have a heffer cow under the hood killing rear wheel traction

 

I don't think there is a 'black ice fix', other than not making the situation worse by bad driving habits.

Just because of this thread, did a little experiment in the 4Runner just now: checked to see if anyone was coming, backed out of the garage onto the steep, snow covered driveway [that had already been packed down] in 2WD and basically slid all the way down into the neighborhood road. Popped it into 4WD, drove it back up and into the garage and backed out again at the same speed as I did before. Didn't slide a bit.

Yeah, the best fix for 2WD is 4WD.

Like we didn't know that already ...

 

@Johnders2586, my guess is that the difference between your driving experience in the two trucks could be chalked up to weight [Tundra is heavier] and torque [Tundra has more]. Of course, heavier should HELP traction; too much torque too quickly wouldn't.

It probably just comes down to tires.

Maybe, some of the mechanics/wrenchers on here could affirm or disprove that ...

 

I forgot to mention that I do have a 4WD 1st generation Tundra with a real LSD for those times when I need to get out and do things when the roads suck.

 

Everyone that is saying add weight, I inherently agree with. I hate to sound cliche but it really does also depend on where you live. I’ve lived in Maine my entire life. 6-7 months of winter every year. I’ve always used all season ATs, no winter tires nor ultra terrain. I strap my spare in the back with 250 pounds of sandbags and that always has worked for me. I use 4wd when necessary but I find good tread on my shoes with 250-300 lbs of extra weight keeps me from spinning out on most ice spots.

 

I think your right TundraDude18 I had an 07 Silverado years ago which also sucked in snow 2wd. but I do believe it had some form of LSD factory an I had aggressive all terrain tires on it at the time so it was less noticable. I think this truck really needs a true LSD or locker. Can't for the life of me understand why Toyota puts a locker in a Tacoma TRD off road package but not for the Tundra.. I'm sure it boils down to cost.

 

The Tundra is also longer, and the rear axle is further back from the weight of the motor. The Tacoma and 4Runner are both better rigs in a storm, I owned a 2016 4Runner up until a week ago when I traded it for my Tundra, I will miss the 4Runner during a snowstorm... If you cut the wheel just a little the Tundra will spin, the 4Runner had better traction control, which wouldn't let me spin my tires even if I wanted to. My 4Runner also had A-Trac, so for going up a drive way, I'd put it in 4LO and turn on the ATRAC if it was really ice, then it could drive up a iceburg as long as 1 wheel had traction

 

Nothing compares to driving a Mercury Capri in the hills in WV in a snowstorm. When I was staying with parents during winter break I would leave bars at closing just so I did not have to deal with stuck cars on the 2 monster hills to their house. Sometimes there would be 5 - 10 cars littering each hill.

 

Indeed. Mine hardly gets taken out of 4wd in the winter. Its there for a reason.

 

Definitely agree here, concerning the 4Runner: ours is killer in the snow.

 

I rarely put it in 4wd - and try to go wherever without using it if possible...no reason, other than I want to...if I need 4x4 (or if the weather is so frightful that I want it) then I will use it.

I try and go - if some slipping - put in 4x4 and continue on.

I also put weight in the rear to increase traction.

 

I was in 6" of snow on a cut bean field last night. Put it in 2wd and set the traction control to auto LSD. Both wheels spin just like an LSD and I was able to do some pretty good donuts and figure 8's. My GMC with a LSD would not have performed any better.