Crabwalking in the snow (1 Viewer)

[toyotaspeed90]

So.... have had the 100 series about a year. We've been hit with snow, more snow, and snow. This region is known for barely freezing temps causing compacted snow and ice, which never gets plowed.

Last snow regiment we had our 3x locked 80 series on BFG KO3s. It was a beast and never an issue.

This 100 has new ~33" tires (I think Cooper.... A/T, snow rated) and it's very different. 2001 LX470.

In powder, 4L through hills it just powers through, even without the CDL engaged. Zero issues and not a hint of getting stuck or having issues.

In compact snow and ice it acts like a RWD vehicle.

At about 20-25mph, CDL engaged or not, O/D off, in 2 or D.... it acts the same. Left turns, right turns, straights- the driver rear wants to push out (forward). It doesn't drive straight.

In dry, wet, very wet, high or low speed conditions it has pretty perfect alignment. Driven at 80+ and nearly 10k miles since I got it without issue.

Rear brakes (pads and rotors) are new and I dont use the ebrake- it's actually set not to drag.


ATRAC will kick in if things are losing traction at low speed but hasn't kicked in at 20+ when sliding/driving.

It's actually quite uneasy to drive. Like I said. It acts like a RWD vehicle.

Anyone else experience this or thoughts on causes?

 

[RND1]

I have 33" BFG K02's and have driven in all kinds of compact snow and ice and have never experienced crab walking. I have experienced some mild oversteer on icy roads when carrying too much speed in a corner. VSC and the other electrical nannies start yelling at me and the vehicle quickly rights itself. My 100 has been the best snow vehicle I've ever owned.

When your 100 starts crab walking, does VSC kick in and start beeping at you?

 

[toyotaspeed90]

No. Like I said - the nannies dont seem to know or care that things are off. One corner was just shy of drifting around because I couldn't get the back to right itself while turning. That was at about 15mph. No complaints from the ATRAC.

ATRAC has only kicked in on icy steep hills at low speeds when it recognizes tires slipping.

The 80 series was much better in the snow.

 

[toyotaspeed90]

I don't know how to edit in this update.....


I would blame the tires, except it never kicks/slides out the passenger side.

I reduced air to an even 32psi across all tires and it still did the same thing.

 

[TXLX100]

I don't have traction control. It's a pretty stable vehicle. It's a pro / con.... the weight of the vehicle keeps it stable most of the time, but if traction is broken the weight of the vehicle definitely doesn't help things when going sideways.. Also, I find the "snow" rating of tires to be highly suspect. I have ko2 on both my cars and it's just ok in snow.

 

[RND1]

Thinking it's the tire too. Maybe other snowbelt members with Cooper AT's can chime in?

 

[jLB]

It may be the tires, but if turning to one side behaves differently than the other, you may want to look into a "zero point calibration" to reset the inputs into the VSC computer.

(I actually find my son's LC and my LX fairly easy to drive under slick conditions, but my idea of "slick conditions" (in Texas) is probably very different from what you guys experience in the PNW.)

 

[ktmracer01]

I've been driving my 2000 LX 470 around Seattle and the surrounding area during this freak snowfall over the past couple of weeks. I haven't had any issues like what you've described. I've only had to lock the transfercase a couple of times, other than that, the 100 series has been really great on snow and ice. I'm running BFG AT KO2's and they've performed flawlessly.

If your truck is crab walking, I would definitely consider an inspection of the suspension and control arms to make sure all everything is aligned properly and don't have any bushings that need replaced, etc.