Truck / SUV suited for Snowy Icy Roads

[chris2fer6148]

howdy yall ! grateful to have all the wonderful insight from the kind folk here at Rokslide !

curious as to what set ups you guys and gals have for getting around in a snowy environment

will be traversing up Mt Baldy come Winter time and looking at my next vehicle purchase to get this Adventure completed in a safe manner

so far in my line of sites is a 3rd gen (96-99) 4runner with rear locker 4wd . uncertain if this is overkill for I will be driving on paved roads that have recently ish been snow plowed .

hoping to get some advice on what kind of tires you all use , chains and car / truck in general would be suited for icy snowy conditions ! planning on Winter camping out there and would like to make the Journey up and down the Mountain as safe as possible

kudos to you all have a fabulous day

 

[PVHunter]

I'd focus less on the vehicle and more on the tires that you propose to put on said vehicle (i.e. sure, vehicle matters, but plenty of trucks & SUVs will get the job done). My observation is that people overindex on a vehicle's offroad suitability (e.g. 4WD, etc. etc.) and then careen into the mountains on some low profile all-season tires. I've been happy with Falken Wildpeaks the last few years. I always carry chains, shovels, etc. etc.

 

[Brendan]

If you're talking vehicles: Subaru with snow tires. Seriously. My WRX was way better than any truck or SUV I've ever come across, and I've done a LOT of snow driving.

Beyond that, just get good snow tires. That's the biggest differentiator in snow / icy conditions.

 

[Jclink]

Tires and weight make all the difference! I have run a commercial snow removal business and for the last 10 years or so I’ve run Hankook iPikes. They have served me well and we plow between 30-40+ snow events each year.

 

[5MilesBack]

If you're talking vehicles: Subaru with snow tires. Seriously. My WRX was way better than any truck or SUV I've ever come across, and I've done a LOT of snow driving.

I drove my wife's Subaru in the snow one time. I didn't feel comfortable at all in that thing. It seemed awfully squirrely to me, and that was with winter tires. I'm always much more confident in my 4wd trucks, seem to always have better traction and feel.

 

[Laramie]

I drive a couple of rental jeeps every year. The AWD models do very well in ice and snow. So well that I bought my wife one for her daily driver in the winter.

 

[Brendan]

I drove my wife's Subaru in the snow one time. I didn't feel comfortable at all in that thing. It seemed awfully squirrely to me, and that was with winter tires. I'm always much more confident in my 4wd trucks, seem to always have better traction and feel.

I've driven many cars in snow with and without snow tires, and a handful of subarus (Former ski racer and ski coach skiing 50-100 days a year at the time). Barring any issue in the suspension or alignment, they were ALL way better than trucks / SUVs. The weight just isn't an advantage and the dedicated snows available for cars are pretty amazing. Think about it - Subarus and the like are used as rally cars for a reason.

If something was "Squirrely" - I'd guess it had an alignment issue that was showing itself once the surface got slippery.

 

[Thinkingman]

Narrow tires are going to be better than wide tires.
Small treadblocks and lots of sipes are going to be much better than manly-man wide tires with big treadblocks.
I would concur that AWD cars with enough clearance to not become snowplows will have the advantage.
Some extra weight placed carefully would probably help.

 

[5MilesBack]

If something was "Squirrely" - I'd guess it had an alignment issue that was showing itself once the surface got slippery.

No, it's fine. That was about 50k miles ago. She seems to love it, but I just couldn't get used to that sliding around feeling. With the trucks I try to force them to slide and usually they won't. Just a different feeling for me in 4wd rather than AWD.

 

[Bubblehide]

The trem differentation comes to mind. Differentation allows tires on the same axel to spin at different rates. In ice this is a very very important feature. Think of it this way, when you are in a vehicle turning in a circle, or part circle, the outside tire is covering more ground than the inside tire; they are turning at different rates. A true 4x4 has very little to no differentation. In a true 4x4, when turning in a circle on pavement the steering wheel pulls back and forth (against you) as the inside tire breaks free in its spin, to catch up with the outside tire. On ice, this could cause a spinout...

Typically, all wheel drives, have significantly more differentation than a true 4x4. However, there are differing levels of each in regards to differentation. In Ca, chains are not permitted on concrete highways, but studed tires are. When I lived in the mountains, I kept 2 sets of rims and tires, a typical set and a studed set. From my experience, 4x4 was a disadvantage in icy road conditions. In short, in icy conditions, you'd be better of in a 2 wheel drive vehicle with studed tires; or all wheel drive with studed tires.

With that said, road conditions are usually slushy, meaining, not really icy, with ice only in a few shaded spots, and typical cheap snow chains (not actual chains) usually work well. But in true icy conditions, IMNSHO, studed tires on an all wheel drive is the way to go. If you will be making this drive regularly, you may want an all wheel drive with studed tires. If it is only going to be an occasional trip, I'd just get the typical cheap chains and use the 2 wheel drive vehicle I had.

 

[jimh406]

I think the reason why so many people have Subarus is the cost and marketing. The only time I ever spun in a AWD or 4x4 was in a Subaru, and that's more than once. Also, the low ground clearance and lighter weight is not good in deeper snow. No, they aren't terrible, but they are far from the "best".

I prefer vehicles with 4x4 instead of AWD. I don't want the vehicle to decide when I need 4x4 and when I don't. Pickups are ok, but are extremely light in the rear. I give the edge to SUVs over pickup due to better weight distribution.

Do focus on tires. You should get 3 Peak tires or Winter tires at least which means they work better in lower temperatures. I also prefer siped tires. But, if it will be a lot more chance for ice, do consider studs for Winter. Chains are good at low speeds, but not so good when you go from bad to good conditions.

 

[Poser]

Tires are what matter. I have a set of Blizzacks LT (10 ply) that I use in the winter on my 4th Gen 4Runner Sport. I have a set of studded Hankooks on my backup vehicle, a RWD Tahoe.

AT tires are ok, plenty of folks around here use them, but dedicated winter tires will inspire a great deal of confidence when conditions get real. The additional sipping and softer compound will really perform well in deep snow and slicker conditions alike.

My model of the 4Runner is a AWD system until you shift to shift to 4 low or turn the traction control off. That being said, I’m not sure it’s ever even activated on the highway and I’d feel confident with the system off.

 

[LoggerDan]

Real snow tires like blizzacks on a subaru aren’t a bad way to roll if you donlots of driving. I make regular trips between anchorage and the kenai in some terrible weather and I never feel like the car is inadequate. Pretty common to see plenty of lifted red tnree quarter ton diesels on 40’s in the ditch.

 

[np307]

I think the reason why so many people have Subarus is the cost and marketing. The only time I ever spun in a AWD or 4x4 was in a Subaru, and that's more than once. Also, the low ground clearance and lighter weight is not good in deeper snow. No, they aren't terrible, but they are far from the "best".

I prefer vehicles with 4x4 instead of AWD. I don't want the vehicle to decide when I need 4x4 and when I don't. Pickups are ok, but are extremely light in the rear. I give the edge to SUVs over pickup due to better weight distribution.

Do focus on tires. You should get 3 Peak tires or Winter tires at least which means they work better in lower temperatures. I also prefer siped tires. But, if it will be a lot more chance for ice, do consider studs for Winter. Chains are good at low speeds, but not so good when you go from bad to good conditions.

Subaru is full time awd, standard torque split of 60/40 that the computer can change to 50/50. Open diffs. Standard outback and forester are just shy of 9" of ground clearance and the wilderness models have 9.5" (4runner has 9.6" stock for comparison).

 

[medvedyt]

here in the winter we re using a jeep patriot with smaller tires than during all 3 seasons. they re goodyear studded tires and even on ice packed snow they are working great certainly the combo for use as we have also very often -40 and below . they re 15 in and regular are 16. but like in alaska or winter are not short ...

 

[jimh406]

Subaru is full time awd, standard torque split of 60/40 that the computer can change to 50/50. Open diffs. Standard outback and forester are just shy of 9" of ground clearance and the wilderness models have 9.5" (4runner has 9.6" stock for comparison).

Thanks for the specs, for the other people. Have you ever driven a Subaru or been in one in deep snow? I have. They aren't high/heavy enough to push through the deep heavy snow. There is more to snow than the lowest point.

You could wait until they plow the road or maybe deep snow isn't something you'll ever see.

 

[np307]

Thanks for the specs, for the other people. Have you ever driven a Subaru or been in one in deep snow? I have. They aren't high/heavy enough to push through the deep heavy snow. There is more to snow than the lowest point.

You could wait until they plow the road or maybe deep snow isn't something you'll ever see.

Not deep snow. Sand I have. Heard the same things from people about sand. I'm not trying to say they're the best vehicles in the world, just figured I'd throw some facts in with the opinions.

 

[medvedyt]

Thanks for the specs, for the other people. Have you ever driven a Subaru or been in one in deep snow? I have. They aren't high/heavy enough to push through the deep heavy snow. There is more to snow than the lowest point.

You could wait until they plow the road or maybe deep snow isn't something you'll ever see.

have a subaru forester for work and prefer the jeep when road are not plowed.

 

[5MilesBack]

Something has changed over the years as well. Back in the 70's, 80's, and 90's we never had any traction issues. But these days I don't know if it's the rubber compounds in the tires, the chemicals they put down on the roads, a combo of both, or what. It's like a deer on ice every single time we even get a 1/2" of snow. I grew up on a farm well outside of a town and all we had was 2wd vehicles. In the winter, we always kept weight in the back of the truck or in the trunk of the car, and never seemed to have an issue even with normal AS tires.

 

[Weldor]

Read up on trac-lok and limited slip axles. Alot of manufacture's don't recommend them for ice . I put a mini spool in my jeep tj, took it out after the first winer. I was slidding all over when I turned. JMHO. I have factory limited slip in my JK and it does great. ????