Ideal 4x4 settings for snow...

[084runnerltd]

Came across this off-road site last night, here is what it said regarding driving on snow....


If you're driving a permanent 4x4, keep the center differential open. The last thing you want is four powered wheels all at the same speed intent on going in different directions. So, do not lock the center differential, as then only the misbehaving wheel is pulling towards the ditch, instead of all four. However, as many modern SUV's have part time four wheel drive (4x4 locked or 2-wheel drive), you make do with subtle and ginger throttle and steering inputs while in four wheel drive.

Lastly, avoid revving the engine, go into low range in deep snow, and, as mentioned above, use a very light throttle. This will encourage the tyres to bite and grip rather than spin without grip.


So, with the above being said....should we just hit our "second start" and leave everything alone with the lockers and CDL?? Only resort to them after we are stuck?? Sound like driving with the CDL alone is a risk....

 

[Howard705]

Yep on roads. That's why they have a center differential and I'm sure why they made it lock in low range. Not often at 50 mph you would need anything locked.

 

[AppalachianHigh]

Living in a place where we get 200+ inches of snow... it all depends. There is no "right" or wrong way. Depends how deep the snow is. I have bottom out my cruiser so many times trying to drive slowly through 2-3 feet of snow. It'll climb up into the snow then just sink down and suspend itself on bed of snowpack. Sometimes you need to gun it. Sometimes you don't. I once thought my cruiser could go through anything...i've been humbled by the snow gods. I've learned that 2 plus feet of snow for any lengthy distant is best handled by my tractor w a snowblower.
But for just normal driving where someone has plowed and you are more concerned with slickness rather than actual deep snow....yes just leave the locker alone.
The ultimate is studding out some tires. The cruiser turns into some kind of unimog monster.

 

[cody c]

Yep on roads. That's why they have a center differential and I'm sure why they made it lock in low range. Not often at 50 mph you would need anything locked.

yep, you'll find that it runs nicer on icy roads without your center diff locked.

If you were to drive your cruiser in a perfect circle and then look at the tracks you would notice that your front tires are inwards of your rear tires slightly, as your front axle covers less ground inwards on the circle then the rear, this means your rear tires need to rotate more then your front.

What this means, when you have your crusier with the CDL on the front tires want to spin a bit as they want to cover more ground then they are on the inner track, and essentially your rear tires are being pulled by your front slightly. You will only notice this in tight circles and less with the turning involved on the highway, but if you put your CDL on and drive as tight a circle as you can on dry pavement, you should notice your tires wanting to chirp a little bit. Having your front and rear axle in disagreement just helps break your tires loose on snow/ice, and once they start to slide, often the want to keep going, not ideal on the highway but also not an issue unless doing tight turns. Having said that, for winter trails you will care more about traction then keeping a straight line, once your on the trail then lock it up.

 

[racer122]

Completely agreed. No CDL (and locked axles can be "fun" too).

From Aspen, Colorado, where it's snowing right now.

 

[084runnerltd]

Thanks guys....I (thought) I knew the basics.

(How the system works, when to use it, never on dry pavement, etc....)

I live in ND....where they rarely plow many roads and no salt (good for car, bad for traction).

I have, and I am thinking many others have, locked center diff when roads are terrible....meaning completely covered in snow, no chance of binding the gears. As most believe the CDL only enhances the 4wd.... it does make sense though that a locked center could help you go out of control.

Dang...so that means I have to leave the button alone until I get stuck!

 

[Squash]

Depends on where you are driving.
Manys the time I've driven through the city lockedx3 just because conditions are horrendous like snowdrifts up to the hood.
If it's a counrty road or trail i'd sooner lock up and drive to conditions, keeping momentum and not oversteering or pinning the skinny unless I need to bust through.
Practice senarios close to home/help till you are satisfied with your abilities and your vehicles

Mind you I carry chains, hi-lift and a shovel. Never drive through something unprepared you are not prepared to work for.

 

[jcardona1]

I don't know much about snow wheeling but my experience is when doing normal driving with curves on any slick surface, you want everything unlocked/open unless you don't mind skidding into a tree.

 

[artech]

Like most things_ it depends.

There are way too many different types of snow conditions to just say "how to drive in snow." What works in dry light powder on the turnpike at 70 might not work so good when driving in wet slush at 35, or on wet ice at 5 mph, or when climbing over wind-packed drifts. It depends too much on the conditions you're facing.

That's the coolest thing about 80's, especially the locked ones, the select-ability! Sometimes you might want it fully locked with the 2nd button engaged, other times completely unlocked with the power button set. Depends on what is working under the specific conditions you are up against.

Don't forget tire pressures and sizes, they can play heavily into what works best for your area's snow conditions. Up heah in Maine most guys favor tall thin studded all terrains at normal pressure for most of the wet icy type snow we get. Offroad gets wide mud tires and low pressures to try and get floatation. I hear that the mountain guys like in Colorado use a different setup with chains, but their snow is generally drier and more powdery than we get so it must work better for them. Almost nobody in the northeast uses chains because they freeze solid and you can't get them off. (That and the salt eats them up.)

Hope this helps a little, even though it's not really a good answer.

 

[western flyer]

Does anybody do anything unusual with the ABS on steep snowy downhills? IOW, does anybody lock the CDL (or otherwise disable ABS) on steeper downhills in snow solely to not fight the ABS? I have been doing that (on steep straight downhill sections) in the snow in Utah and Colorado, and my limited experiments indicate that it works for me. Thoughts?

Has anyone made ABS selectable with a switch (beside pulling the fuse)...for any reason?

 

[hh65flyer]

Amazing how we all survived with our 4X4 pickup trucks locked in 4-hi on snowy roads... Now 4-hi with lockers in the ice and snow, that's a different story.

Have to agree with what Artech and others are saying...

 

[084runnerltd]

Amazing how we all survived with our 4X4 pickup trucks locked in 4-hi on snowy roads... Now 4-hi with lockers in the ice and snow, that's a different story. Have to agree with what Artech and others are saying...

Yeah, I guess I should have figured there wasn't an easy answer. (Otherwise my searches would have yielded the same answers).

My wife drives a 4runner and I have her the 4 wheel drive overview for the winter....

If any of you are familiar them, it is an 08' 6 cylinder with selectable 4wd. I told her to leave it in 4....unless roads are completely covered. If completely covered, engage the center lock.....I think she will end up in the ditch...oh well

 

[Squash]

If cars are with you on the road unlocked.
If the road is unpassable for others and even you are having a hard time start locking.

Remember one thing you truck weights 3 tons... it takes time to stop. So slow down when it's bad.

 

[ironhippy]

Remember one thing you truck weights 3 tons... it takes time to stop. So slow down when it's bad.

This is important to remember. I liked driving my 4runner in 2 wheel drive (on the road) in the winter because it kept me very aware of how much traction I had and I rarely had to worry about outdriving my stopping distance.

With the 80, the full time takes care of all the slipping, so it's a lot easier to get going faster than you can stop.

 

[pharmerdan]

Not to "drift" off topic......If a Cruiser gets "high centered" during a blizzard, it doesn't matter what diff setup you have. The concerns are now: did you pack proper clothing and recovery gear, and is the engine exhaust entering the cab? Happy winter motoring!

 

[Douglas S]

My favourite setting on an empty road with packed snow is high range, cdl and rear differential locked. If you've ever been in that situation, you will know exactly why.


Other than that, the most I've ever needed on the road is just regular 4wd, cdl unlocked. Even with some of the huge snowfalls (80", no melting) we received last year getting around like this was never an issue.

 

[wrongway around]

She'll end up in the ditch,oh well. Beautifull. Personally I prefer to run open as much as possible. Absolutely hate abs systems except on m/c. For snow practice free wheel hubs high range , center diff locked , rear diff locked, hand on the front line lock ,and pedal to the floor,nothing bellow 5 g ,and full figure eights ,steering with the throttle and emergency brakes only. Then some power slides,a little drifting . Then its the kids turn. Not really it never snows where I live.

 

[peteinpeb]

I have done a ton of snow driving around the Tahoe area, used just about every feature on the 80 for snow and ice. My rig does not have factory lockers, only CDL switch. I stay in 4 high mostly, but hit the 2nd button and leave it on if there is good snow cover on the road. If the road is really icy I go into 4 low as long as it's under 25 mph. Get out of overdrive for better engine breaking.

A major problem for snowy roads on our cars is the weight, body roll is no bueno on an icy road. I added wheel spacers to spread the weight out wider. Really the best thing for snow driving is a good tire. I have seen a Prius on studded blizzaks tear up highway 80 going 70 in a blizzard and I have seen a 4x4 suburban on generics slide off the road going less than 5 mph. But il save the tire debate for another thread

 

[JCruse]

I had just got my 80 last winter when a big snow storm hit one night. There I was blasting around the back roads in a foot and a half of fresh snow at 3AM with barely 3/32" of tread on all four tires. I just had to try out my new truck.

I didn't have a locking diff back then so I just put her in "D" and tore up the snow! The LC plowed through it effortlessly, so that's how I would say to do it.

I'll second the good tire advice. It makes a huge difference in both rain and snow.

 

[canman]

Really no need for locking center diff or axle diffs on plowed roads - probably could make situation worse as already mentioned. I rarely lock up during the winter months. Only time would be on unplowed roads and when going up slopes. Been high centered and embarrassed by my "unstoppable" locked legendary "Land Cruiser".