CO in winter.... RWD or AWD?

Long story short, wife wants to take a ski trip this coming winter between Christmas and New Year, landing area around Durango, CO, for about a week. Due to cost of flights/rental and just things in general, we are driving.
I have a 21 CM RWD Tundra (don't ask, that's the only drive available when I was picking up a truck in the middle of the pandemic) and a slightly older 17 Honda Pilot AWD.
Can CO locals give me some ideas (I left NJ area in 2011, so I don't remember much of snow driving except drifting down the mountains on a FWD Mitsubishi Galant) as to which vehicle I should take? It will be a family of four, 2 adults and 2 kids below 10. I am leaning toward Tundra as it gives me more space as well as the bed for extra load carrying, but I worry that RWD might be a bad idea on the mountains in the snow. Especially when forecast is predicting this year to be worse than before.
I guess I can always get the original factory tires back on for better traction (possibly with snow cables, but trying to get away from that)
What say you?

 

Not local to CO but do have snow experience.

I had some one wheel wonders in both front and RWD when I was young. I got around fine on all season tires with adjusted driving style and I was an idiot.

Today, I am a HUGE fan of AWD in the snow. Our Subarus run circles around my 4x4 tundra in the snow. As for tires, The tundra last winter had K02’s at the time and the Subaru had some cheap garbage all seasons I bought used off craigslist.

I can’t even imagine how much better that Subaru would have been on actual snow tires.

I have to say stopping and motivating the extra tonnage of the tundra was not my favorite thing and required much more deliberate actions to control its mass. The Subaru was much lighter and thus easier to stop and turn before all hell broke loose. When I went out of my way to break it loose it corrected much more quickly than the tundra.

The biggest plus to the AWD was getting moving from a stop and climbing steeper grades but it won’t help you stop.

anyway, that’s just my 2 cents.

I would 100% take the pilot.

 

Ugh..... Trust me, I want a Subie, too....
But wife wouldn't take the Assent, otherwise, Subie's AWD is way superior to any other AWD/4WD I have ever driven, snow or any other shit that you have to drive through.....

 

This is a hard choice but I'd lean towards the AWD if I were you. The Tundra could get it done, and you could even be between storms and have clean roads and kicking your self in the ass. Or you could be in the storm, have snow covered roads and happy with the extra traction and control.

 

AWD is the way to go.

 

It's been said, but another vote for the AWD... We took the wife's 2014 Pilot to Mammoth a few times during winter months and were very happy w/performance.

The tires on the vehicle still need to well suited for the snow/ice though, so to optimize safety I'd suggest a set of Blizzaks (dedicated winter tire) to maximize your traction. However, if you choose to not use a dedicated winter tire, just make sure you take a set of chains/cables w/you to meet any requirements that may arise.

 

Forgot to add the link. Thanks @jberry813

https://www.tundras.com/threads/10-tips-for-driving-in-the-snow.10107/

 

Tahoe not Colorado here - my wife’s 330ix wagon handles snow like a bloody champ on three-peak tires (until depth becomes a problem - like the three foot dumper Christmas of 2021).

All else being equal, I’d take the Honda. Make sure you’re familiar with the AWD controls in case you need to work around the traction control.

90% it won’t matter what you’re driving, just watch the incoming weather forecasts.

 

Pilot

 

Not a CO resident either, but have a lot of snow driving experience. AWD. This is the way...

 

Take the pilot. I’ve got a rav4 with awd and it does amazing in snow.

 

I thought so, too (Volvo/Haldex AWD >> Tundra 4x4) until discovered a 3 seconds long traction button press that disables traction in 4HI completely or almost completely. Then Tundra plows in 2 feet of fluffy, or wet, or hard packed snow, or any possible combination of those. That still says A-TRACS is subpar to rivals, but if you disable it - Tundra becomes a beast!

I would take a Pilot, too.

 

I did Tahoe one year in a manual Honda Accord Coupe, no chain, nothing.
Yea, not exactly something I want to revisit too soon for sure.

 

Take the tundra. If you end up on the side of the road, another tundra driver isn’t too hard to find to offer some help. RWD might not be ideal but just be prepared with a snow shovel and some recovery gear.

 

Thanks y'all. Great thing I came here first.

My original idea was take the Pilot, too, but space kinda is a bit premium, plus, I don't get the bed space for additional emergency fuel, so it was a hard thinking.
Or, just trade this Pilot in for a new Assent and go from there, should be fun....
Thanks all for the input as well as suggestion, especially about the chain law, definitely will look that up and be well prepared.

 

The true method for dealing with negative traction scenarios is not so much the driveline, but the engine and throttle valve angle.

During slip, use the V8 quad cam engine and position the throttle valve so that it sounds like you're on the back straight of Talledega on the last lap and your running a charge on the leader.

Continue maintaining this condition until the slip event expires or you arrive at your destination.

 

FYI, AWD in snow. It plowed high centered until tires hit an icy stream patch under the road and were not able to make enough traction. Tundra in 2WD wouldn't be able to make that far.

 

Take the AWD pilot 100%. A 2wd Tundra can get stuck in a wet front yard. Colorado with its elevation changes will have you trying to accelerate up grade on questionable surfaces much worse than wet grass. Plus the chains will be cheaper and more plentiful in Pilot size. Add a hitch rack or roof rack and weatherproof box if more cargo is needed.

 

I contend it will be a good family hauler Five of us basically lived in it for two weeks.

 

Lived in Durango 6 years. Take the Pilot with good all season tires and you’ll be fine. Chain laws usually apply to the high elevation passes, not from Durango to Purgatory. The drive from Durango to Wolf Creek can be a bit more daunting, so just be smart about weather conditions if you attempt.
Beautiful place, enjoy your trip!!!

 

Thanks! Wife's destination (well, decision with another family friend) is Purgatory resort, and from Durango I think it is uphill battle to gain traction and downhill stopping power to not plow pass the line....
We are still trying to figure out where to stay at this point, but most likely closer to Purgatory than Durango, but will be in the middle where nothing is available and your vehicle is the only thing to get you out....

 

So. Long story short. Don't buy a 2wd tundra if you plan on combined winters in areas of elevation. Overwhelming test results support traction. Although @hagrid's tips would be a story to tell for the remainder of time.

 

Living in the middle of frozen snowy Canada, having owned a 17 pilot as well as current 22 along with my 22 tundra, not even a remote question- pilot wins hands down. AWD on those are amazing. If I still had my 07 ridgeline even that would be a better choice than a tundra in your scenario that thing was a billygoat

 

So I did some digging and found this for the Colorado chain law but it only states it is for I-70 between Denver and Dotsero.
I will still be carrying snow chains, but just wondering if this law would affect me as much as on 84/160/550 as those are my main routes in CO.

https://csp.colorado.gov/chain-law-information

 

Thanks. Just want to make sure I understand it.
Chains and two pound of common sense is in good order.