“How to” for Handling Deep Snow, Ice, and Steep Grades?

Hi there - I just bought a house in the CO mountains at 7,200 feet off dirt roads, so I traded in my ‘07 Prius for a 2021 ORP 4Runner to handle the snow and steep grades.

Dumb questions:
Are there any tutorials out there for which buttons to press and gears to use for 18” of snow and steep hills with ice?

I don’t plan on being in weather too often (I work from home), but I’d like to learn in case an emergency comes up or I just want to leave the house during a storm.

I’ve Googled for tutorials, but I haven’t found much beyond people showing off that the 4Runner can handle snow… but not showing how they do it.

Thanks for the help!

 

I thought this was useful...

https://youtu.be/ELw7xhWHNnY

 

I think the best learning method is practice, take it out and play in different conditions, from mild to deep snow, do not go to Black Bear. Ice is a whole different story. Were are you located in Colorado, i lived in Coal Creek Canyon for 11 yrs.

 

My advice: throw the stock tires in a dumpster and get some good 3PMSF all terrains.

Or, better yet, get a set of true winter tires and just laugh at snow. Chains might be ideal up there, if they are allowed.

 

I’m up in the hills outside of Boulder

 

1. Winter Tires, or a good AT.
2. Steep grades up, switch to 4X4 High/low depending, you will feel what best; to go down in high snow from a steep grade dirt road use 4X4 Low and lock that rear diff the locked rear diff will keep you straight and help you not to skid sideways and avoid shooting away from you on a decline.

Toyota 4runner TRD Off-Road Premium - Sequence for off-Road driving.
From easy to difficult.

If you don't go much off-road put it as a note in your phone.

(1) 2H
(2) 4H
(3) 4L (Neutral, hard right - fast up)
(4) 4L + Locked diff
(5) 4L + Atrac
(6) 4L + Atrac + locked diff (ATrac shuts of at 4MPH)
(7) 4L + ATrac+ Crawl control (Loud Clinks + Bangs + clunks normal)
(8) 4L + Multi-Terrain Select = ATrac sensitivity Changes Throttle Response)
a) Mud, Sand, Dirt (Works in 4H)
b) Loose Rock
c) Mogul
d) Rock

https://www.4runners.com/threads/off-road-sequence.20013/

 

So just as clarification. You CAN shift into 4H while driving? I was under the impression you had to be in N or P to go into 4H. If its only 4L, that makes more sense.

 

I go into 4H every Friday on my way home on a straight away by my house. I usually engage it at 35mph or so . I NEVER use 4WD, but I know I need to keep things moving every so often.

 

A set of real snow tires may be your best solution. The 4Runner systems will just complement their traction. I lived in Colorado Springs for some time and drove a lowered Honda CRX. In the winter I would raise the coilovers to stock height, put on a set of Bridgestone Blizzak tires on steel wheels, and I had zero problems in wintertime. Tires make all the difference.

 

My best advice is to not drive like a new Colorado driver who has bought a 4 wheel drive vehicle and is certain that it is bulletproof in the snow at Interstate speeds.
Enjoy your rig, it will take care of you with a bit of care and widdom.

 

Yes, you can, hence, the maximum speed in 4H is 55/60 Mph; 4L stop N and select 4L or hard right and up.

 

awesome. thx for the clarification.

 

My father used to say that everyone has 4 wheel skid.

 

#7 Crawl Control Mode is kind of a mode of last resort. I would put that at #8.

Before going into any slow 4LO mode, if you need some speed, try using Terrain Select in 4HI in the Mud/Sand/Dirt/Snow mode. I’d put that in the progression table at step #3. I use this is deep sand a lot.

For driving in snow when you want some wheel spin and slip consider turning off VSC and TRAC.

 

I would also add that the trans needs to be in N before the diff lock will engage otherwise it just flashes on the dash.

 

Like with all off-road features when engaged they need to stop flashing and appear solid.

 

The problem with crawl control, when you touch the brake it overrides crawl control and in a decline you will shoot forward; as well, crawl control and 4Mph is too fast in a lot off-road situations. I like to control the vehicle myself. (Dinosaur )

Our brain is the foremost control unit as a safety/non-safety measure.

 

Keep in mind that 4WD helps you plow through snow and muck, but it usually doesn't help you stop in slippery conditions.

I spent most of my life in hilly snow country and cringed watching people going way too fast because they were empowered by 4WD and thought it was going to stop them as well as propel them.

 

Agreed! I'll try Crawl if I'm stuck. Otherwise, I just use 4hi, 4hi trac off, 4lo, 4lo locked. Sometimes A-trac.

Good point!

 

Yeah, I’d try crawl control if I ever got severely stuck, like I’ve seen YouTubers do intentionally in sand and CC powered them out. I’ve engaged it only twice to test it out, it makes such a damn racket.

My 3rd Gen 2000 SR5 had none of the electronic traction gizmos and it was great in the snow.

 

I would recommend you invest in a set of Diamond Chains. Check the vehicle user manual, I believe Toyota has a recommendation in there for the size of chains that will fit on a stock height 4Runner.

A small suspension lift will usually allow you to run larger chains. V-Bar chains are the best but most likely won't fit a stock 4Runner.

I have a set of Diamond Chains for my Nissan Frontier and have used them to prevent sliding into a ditch while helping recover a friend's vehicle a few winters ago. Installing them front tires, allows you to steer more better-er. Having chains for all 4 tires is best. Check the user the manual though.




With all chains, you need to drive on them for a short bit and then re-tighten them.
Note they are limited to slow speeds. This is not something you put on and forget about.

Diamond Chain Install:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CPVDbfn0Ow

Ladder chain install (Jump to 4 minutes):
https://youtu.be/-Uu8RivUay4

Off Roading with chains in Colorado (Jump to 14 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCJXnCbveN0

If you find yourself unable to climb something steep, put your tire chains on. Take them off before driving on a paved road that has been cleared of snow.

 

Maxtrax or generic traction boards are good to have along as well.

These guys in Colorado have a fun video of helping out folks stuck in the snow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bpGxHoVcKk

The Suburbs of Chicago (aka Flatlands) are completely different winter driving than the Colorado mountains or even here in the hills of SW Missouri. Be mindful of that when taking winter driving advice from folks in northern snow states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, etc). Lots of these states don't have hilly curvy / mountainous roads.

That being said basic winter driving skills still apply.

As kids in Illinois - every year after the 1st snow fall, we would go find a big empty parking lot that was covered in snow and practice our winter driving skills - aka do donuts. I had front wheel drive cars growing up and learned to do donuts in reverse.

Donuts refresh your counter steering knowledge. They also help you re-establish those skills needed to drive in snow / ice.
Things to do - slow down. Leave lots of room (4 to 6 car lengths) between you and the vehicle in front of you when coming to a stop. Leave lots of room between you and the car in front of you when driving. 4wd does not aid in stopping your vehicle in snow and ice.

Depending on the weather and road conditions, slow on a 65mph highway will usually mean driving 45mph or slower. There will always be some jackass that flies by you. Usually you will see the same jackass in a snowbank on the side of the road.

Be mindful of vehicles at intersections and those coming from side streets. Lots of vehicles won't make the stop and will continue through into on coming traffic.

For climbing steep grades - you may find you want to turn off traction control when using 4wd high. Traction control is known to kick in and kill momentum. You want momentum for climbing slick icy / snow covered grades. I've been impressed with my 4Runner's traction control in 2wd on slick / wet short inclines. It works pretty good.

However, in hilly areas you will find mile + long icy grades. That is where traction control can really hinder your forward movement.

For normal snow driving I stay in 2wd depending on the road conditions. A plowed road with patchy snow / ice 2wd is fine. Snow covered road and snowing, I'll use 4 high with traction control on.

I read lots of folks would rather use engine braking / lower gearing than their brakes on snow and ice. That really hasn't been my experience. I grew up pumping non-anti lock brakes and braking early to get a vehicle to stop on ice / snow.

With anti-lock brakes, I'll do 2 things - start braking early, way before I need to stop, and stomp on the brakes when necessary - allowing the anti-lock braking system to do it's thing. I've never been in a reportable accident. Driving like a Grandpa in extreme weather helps.

Couple 8 year ago, I flew into Springfield Missouri for Christmas. Came back from contracting in Iraq.
There was a police officer at the Springfield airport who told us, that the roads are terrible out there. Very icy. He said the smart thing to do was to get a hotel instead of trying to drive long distances home.

Highway 65 south of Springfield has long steep hills with long inclines and declines. I should've listened to the Police Officer and gotten a nice hotel in Springfield instead of trying to drive home (1.5 hours away).

I had my Nissan Frontier with 4wd and BFG AT KO1 tires. I thought I would be fine. Wrong!!!
Traffic was bumper to bumper on ice. I found myself sliding towards a guardrail multiple times in the right lane of the highway. For some reason my Frontier didn't want to go into 4wd. I tried 1st gear 2wd plus light on the throttle. That still resulted in too much speed. Too much speed resulted in braking and sliding to the right. I must've avoided 50+ accidents on those hills and ice.

Snow chains and studded tires are legal to use on highways in Missouri. I had my Thule Diamonds chains in the Frontier but couldn't find a safe place to put them on.

I finally got into the left hand lane and put my left side tires into the snow on the median to gain traction and was able to drive to my exit. I then stopped at shitty motel for the night. In the morning the roads had been plowed and salted.

Hindsight being 20/20 I could've chained up before getting on the highway or gotten a nice hotel in Springfield with a good restaurant nearby. Oh well - we survived.

 

3rd final post.

Colorado has a winter driving school:
https://winterdrive.com/

I'd love to take some classes there as it looks like some serious fun! I believe they have Toyotas to drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZubmPrRzoU

 

Like others have said, just get another set of wheels and put real winter tires on them. There is a huge difference. I switch to Blizzaks on my Subaru in winter and it's amazing how well it does on snow and even ice. I have about a 3 mile drive on dirt roads to get to my place and in the winter the snow gets packed down and turns to sheet ice after it melts a bit during the day and freezes at night. I made the mistake of switching to all season tires too early once and I could not stop and slid all the way down one of the hills here. I have to wear cleats in order not to fall on the ice but the Blizzaks somehow handle the ice no problem.

When my ORP finally gets here, I'm just going to get rid of the stock tires and and get a set of Coopers with the 3 peak symbols and just drive the Subaru in bad conditions.

 

Really excellent advice here.
Having grown up and lived in the snow belt of western New York State I can relate to all you said.
I liked the FWD car I had for winter driving. You could grab the hand brake to slide the rear and carve S curves in the snow.

On a business trip to the DC area I had a similar experience getting on I66 during the start of the 2/5/2010 “Snowmageddon” event. I should have grabbed a hotel room for the night. But I got on the road just as the snow started for a 15 mile drive that took 9 hours with all of the stranded cars and jackknifed semis on the 4 lane. I did OK winding around all the stuck vehicles in a RWD rental car but a 4WD sure would have been nice.

 

Yes first things first, Tires
If you are talking of just staying on the roads up there in the canyons. 4 high is probably all you need. Momentum is your friend going up the grades. Easy controlled coming down lots of twisties. Never go into these twists to fast. And with the day time thawing and evening freezing beware of ice. Also ice in the shadows.
Be careful driving the edges of the road snow can drift up and you think it is flat find yourself sliding down the embankment or buried into deep snow.

Always watch out for the other guy. If you have some yahoo riding your ass let them go ahead. Don’t let them push you down the mountain. Keep distance

If you are talking the off road stuff in deep snow well you have plenty of gadgets. And you probably will get into a situation of needing to find the best combo.

Cell service is sketchy up there in the canyons also. So if you are out playing with the 4Runner in deep snow best to go with at least 1 other vehicle.

So keep the normal things in vehicle for if you get stranded. You know water, food, blanket etc. etc.

So peaceful to go out at night when it is snowing driving in the snow, quiet and peaceful.

I crawled them canyons up there for many years working for the phone company.

Easy does it, you will get used to it.

 

So far this winter has been very mild in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina (so no snow yet), so this driveway photo was from my FJ with General Grabber Tires. I've lived here for over 25 years. I'm originally from Montreal, Canada, where it really snows!

Severe Snow Rated Tires are a Must Have - Mountain Snow Flake on side.
Use 2nd and 3rd Gear, never Drive - 4x4 but not on dry pavement.
Keep speeds under 45 mph, 25mph on back roads.
I only use 4L on my Steep Driveway.
Go Slow especially on curves which is where you will slip off.
Don't tail gate, leave plenty of space between you and the guy in front. Stopping distances are 2x or longer.
Expect the unexpected! I had a guy do a 180° in front of me on the 401 in Toronto when he hit some black ice, luckily he went into the ditch and I missed him.
Tube Sand 50 lbs over each rear tire. You can use the sand if you get stuck on ice. Lowes carries this.
I carry a Folding Shovel, Scraper/Brush, Emergency Survival Kit with orange hat, Multiple Tactical Flashlights and Lithium 123 batteries incase I go off the road.

Watch out for the tourists from the South!



My Mountain Driveway!

 

So today I was up exploring some FSR’s and a dodge came barreling through the middle of the trail and I had to think fast in the snow and pull to one side. Passenger tires didn’t hold and I went sliding sideways right into the ditch. Let’s just say this vehicle is fully capable with 4Low A-Trac and some good ole Maxtrax. Tow ropes just sat in the back of the 4Runner all tucked away. I’m really glad I got to learn good recovery experiences and put them to use today when I needed it the most.

 

So you were able to get out of the ditch using the max tracks?

Wow, what a deal.

 

Looks like they paid for themselves already.