Getting scared...truck,snow

Im not a new driver,coached hockey and done lots of winter driving.
Only on my thrid winter with this truck, 2014 extended cab 4x4...last year pretty tame winter no issues.
First winter, highway driving, just starting a bridge...blink of an eye over the yellow line 3 feet or so, if another vechile was coming, wouldnt have been good.
Today, same thing but going approx 45mph and roads are snow covered(1inch or so)
I no ... slow down
My issue is why does the traction control or abs or whatever send me over the line 3 feet of so.
Possible traction control problem with my truck or driver error?
Should i turn traction control off? Turn wll the"nannies" off?
I wasnt in 4 wheel drive either time this happened.
Tires are wildpeaks.
Again is it just me? Back to work i go, putting it in 4x4 , for starters.

 

If the roads are that slick, you need to be in 4Hi (assuming the tires have adequate tread). Lighten up on the Go Pedal, put it in sequential mode, slow down, and stay below 4th or 3rd gear. Minimize brake usage. traction control and ABS have very little to do with the situation you described.

 

not understanding what you are asking. You are saying the truck veered over to the left, making you cross over the center line?

 

I'm not following it well either.
One thing is clear though, if you're at all questioning if its you or the truck... its you. That means you should never turn the nannies off or you'll quickly learn what the ditch is all about or worse. Slow down.

 

When in doubt, winter tires. Especially in Canada. A/T tires work fine for deep snow, but don't do shit for ice or slush. Rubber compound gets rock hard once the temp drops, and the siping isn't right for those conditions. 3 peak snowflake label be damned.

 

You said it was on a bridge. Bridge decks are notoriously dangerous in winter due to icing quicker than the roadway.

Was your cruise control on?

I absolutely would not turn any of your nannies off. Quick recipe for the ditch. What psi are your tires at?

 

Winter driving in trucks, you MUST add some addiotnal weight, like sand bags, tires, firewood, etc, into you bed to aide in your lightweight rear end! This will greatly improve your confidence and traction. The next best thing, if nor the actual best thing, are good tires. You got this...do the cheapest thing first, add weight in your bed and you'll be set...I have a topper and in my bed have 360 lbs of tube sand (x6 60lb bags) and I have no issues around town...in deeper snow, I will than engage my 4x4 and have nothing but smiles on my face.

 

There needs to be a sign before bridges and overpasses. Caution Your vehicle may handle like a hockey puck when temperatures are below freezing.

 

There usually is.
"Bridge freezes before road"

 

Those are on all the bridge decks/overpasses around here too.

 

Thanks for all the quick replies(seriously)
Again though, I'm not a new driver or winter driver. I understand there can be black ice on bridges,even if the roads are bare.
For me it's just the quickness of the left turn ,then slide(this time). Had a 06 tundra before this one never a issue in winter. I know this truck is bigger,heavier and more powerful but the sudden quick veer to the left is just crazy. Coincidence,that it went to the left 3' each time...maybe...
I already have a cap(topper) might put some more weight in there..I have 4 extra rims as well,might price out some winter tires,the temperatures where I live go freezing 1 day to above freezing regularly. Think the last winter tires I bought is when I had old AMC spirit.
To answer acouple replies...yes, veered over the center line, no to the cruise control, psi 40 front 38 rear. I wasnt heavy on the pedal when I happened (this time),might of been the first time.
Might try the sequential (manual) mode but for now,4x4 is on,speed down. Hate that nervous feeling when you mess up or something happens....

 

I’m guessing you are going left because the rear end is going to break loose downhill with the crown of the road.

I had a little pucker the other day, hit a patch of loose snow and could feel the truck drift a little. Sometimes it just happens. If you’re going too fast you eat it. If not, you can recover

I would lower the PSI down to 32-35. Have your alignment checked too if you really feel it’s a truck issue.

 

So your driving a 2wd truck, on icy roads onto a icy bridge deck with all terrain tires?

I drive a similar setup with my work van, it means I have to drive very slow for the conditions and never ever press the gas in a slippery situation.

As for 2wd driving in ice and snow. I can feel my tires start to slide around corners then I know I'm going too fast for the conditions any acceleration is going to whip that rear end out as it'll be one wheel driving when the power goes down and the tires slip. I have to be very light on the pedal all winter. This doesn't matter the brand any 2wd truck with rwd won't have weight or traction with an open diff.

If you want it to feel better in 2wd a limited slip diff will keep power to both tires making you drive straight vs whipping the rear end out.

What's your tire psi? Very full tires in the winter means less contact patch onto the ground. I go from 40-50 psi down to 30 in the winter with e rated tires, going as low as 20 if it's a winter storm and travel is necessary. And chaining up beyond that.

Why are you not using 4x4? All the weight of the truck if over the front tires. Click into 4x4.
On my last truck 07 tundra we did almost 250,000 km in 4x4 mode and our 2018 stays in 4x4 all winter.

 

Probably a mail box/cliff over there.

 

I just finished a round trip of about 800 miles (Eastern Washington) in the same conditions you described. I have A/T tires and had 4x4 on the whole time. I never once felt the truck slip, it was rock solid. a few times i had to make a pass to get around people that were paralyzed on the shoulder going 20mph, and even crossing over the pile of snow in the center of the highway was fine with no slip or loss of traction. The traction control/vsc light/beep never came on.

 

How much tread is on your wildpeaks? Bad tires can cause more problems than not using 4x4.

If it's slick out, just use 4wd until the road is cleared/dry then switch back to 2wd.

Also a full tank of gas is always a safe and effective way of adding weight. Especially for those of us with a 38 gallon tank. Not a ton of weight but still additional weight.

 

Ok, just went to 35psi all the way around.
JLS mentioned he noticed his truck drift alittle,probably slacked off and it straightened? Me, hard 3' left ,felt like a 50' slide at a 30 degree angle. It's the quickness of the first left,like an anchor gets thrown out on the rear drivers side.(that quick)
Anyways,yes driver error, to fast for conditions.
Yes to mailboxes,we have them,ditches too,deep ones.

 

Last February, Central TX had an epic ice storm, over 2" at my place, followed by 3-4" of snow. Power was out at my home for 11 days. When it was just ice on the highway, I tried to make it the 20 miles to my house, and my 2WD Tundra did just fine on street tires for as far as I went. Halfway there, is a rather long moderately steep hill. As I neared the based of the hill, which also has a sweeping "S" turn on it, I decided that while I might make it up the hill, I sure as hell would not make it back down. I decided to turn around and go back to town. It took me 45 minutes each way to get the 10 miles before turning around and going back. Once it snowed and I could get a little purchase on the tires, I did go to the house to survey the damage. There was a lot of damage. But the point of my post is that yes, it's you, not the truck. Gotta be real easy, even with the weight, you have a lot of torque under that hood, and it's going to break the grip on your tires in, as you put it, "the blink of an eye."

 

Yes,need gas..normally wait till weekends,get double air miles.
The wild peaks I bought aren't doing so well in the lasting department, only have around 35km(21000 miles) on them but not much left. When you start saying ,get the winter out of them and summer,new set by next fall ,you know there getting bad.
To be fair to Falken, I bought 265 75 18s but there not the heavier ones,think the truck is just to heavy for them...should have bought the higher load rating ones.

 

also, rotate/balance tires every 5k miles and there should be no reason not the get what they list for the mileage warranty. If you dont rotate/balance regularly or have worn parts in suspension/steering you will not get close, same with running correct air pressure for your truck and conditions. I run wildpeaks too, think they have 50 or 55k mileage warranty.

 

Here's a random thought too. You mentioned it's a quick slide like an anchor was dropped. Is it possible that you may have a sticky caliper that is stuck just enough to lock up the tire on ice/snow, but not enough to notice on dry pavement?

Just something to consider and possibly rule out.

 

I like to be in 4x4 anytime the roads are covered. Of course this is not gonna do anything for ice which is probably what you hit on that bridge. Also there could be snow accumulation on the bridge to the right due to the bridge being narrower than the road. This build up of snow could have pushed you over and you just didn't notice the build up on the right traveling 45 mph in white road conditions. My thoughts anyway. Stay safe out there.

 

Beer works too.

 

True, but we're taught at a young age to always bring two cans/bottles...one for the road, one for the ditch!

 

I meant for weight, in the back. Then you have something to drink while you’re waiting for somebody to come pull you out of the ditch.

 

I suppose that works too

 

Threads like these make me happier than ever not to live in the land of ice and snow anymore.

A couple of 2x4's framed around the wheel well make a great (used to be cheap) slot to throw sandbags or mulch or whatever you can use in the spring when the ground thaws.

 

OP see this thread… https://www.tundras.com/threads/if-you-drive-in-snow-dont-buy-a-tundra.99916/

sorry, couldn’t resist. Follow the advise already given and you will be good to go.