Snow and ice performance of a Taco (1 Viewer)

[kcjaz]

I'm looking at buying a Taco to use as a daily driver to give my 200 LC a break from daily driver service and allow me continue the build of the 200 without the Sunday evening pressure of having to get it back together so I can drive it Monday. Anyway, I am wondering how well Tacos perform on snow and ice covered roads. Im in an area that gets a lot of freezing rain. When I'm in my 200, I enjoy watching the pickup trucks fish tail all over the place. Lots of 2WD trucks here for some reason which I would never buy. Would the rear locker on the OR version make a big difference in snow and ice? I would think, a rear locker plus some weight in the back would be good but is it really worth the cost above an SR5? The overall weight of a Taco is pretty light compared to a full size truck or SUV so it just makes me wonder if a locker would make that much of a difference.

 

[AnthonyEH]

i have a '15 4x4 base model and have no issues in the snow. a decent set of tires and the VSC in these trucks do pretty good (and yes you can turn it all off if ya wanna have some fun). didnt want the OR just due to the fact by the time i want to do all my upgrades on it (suspension lift, etc) i would be throwing all that "OR package" stuff in the bin.

 

[kcjaz]

i have a '15 4x4 base model and have no issues in the snow. a decent set of tires and the VSC in these trucks do pretty good (and yes you can turn it all off if ya wanna have some fun). didnt want the OR just due to the fact by the time i want to do all my upgrades on it (suspension lift, etc) i would be throwing all that "OR package" stuff in the bin.

Thanks. Bought a 2017 OR today. In my case I’m not likely to mod my Taco as my trail rig will be the LC but it could see some mild OR. I just got hung up with the idea of a factory locker and couldn’t let it go. I am expecting it to be more finicky than an air locker though. More than half the ORs I test drove would not engage the locker. The other thing is MTS and Crawl as I have those on the LC. I don’t use crawl much and then only to just play with it. The MTS works pretty well though. I agree that if you intent to build the truck with new suspension and lockers anyway, you don’t really need MTS or Crawl and can save the cost of the factory stuff.

 

[Cruiser_Nerd]

So I have a '15 TRD Off Road or some such thing, only way I could get a 4.0 with tow package here in CT. Daily driver work truck, towing and I plow in the winter with it. Never have I needed to use the rear locker for any reason other than to exercise it. The ATRAC is amazing, but again never really needed it and wouldn't know where to find it if I did. I have used the traction control off thingy to get some wheel spin going when appropriate. With the stock A/T's in 2WD it can get a bit sideways, in 4WD it does fine. Bypassed an early slick snow on a steep grade by leaving the road to go around the front wheel drive carnage that had stacked up at the bottom of the hill and reentered the street right where the cars were breaking loose and sliding back down.

If you're serious about snow, get dedicated snow tires and ballast, you will go most anywhere you need to in 2WD. When the snow is heavy and it looks like I'll be doing a lot of plowing I'll run about 150# of sand in pails at the tailgate, mainly to give the front end a break. With ballast I can plow a light snow in 2WD. Steel rims can be picked up on CL for $100 and I run cheap Firestone Winterforce tires that are going on five seasons.

And it probably won't be well received here but a rear locker on ice or slick snow will send you in one direction - down grade, into a hole or off the side of the road. Three or four tires breaking traction at the same time on a steep slope is not a wonderful feeling.

If you are used to the 200 as a driver in these conditions you will feel like you're in a tin can, you cannot replace that solid feeling of a heavy truck with a small footprint. The ballast also helps a lot to dampen the cushy ride of the Taco.

 

[kcjaz]

So I have a '15 TRD Off Road or some such thing, only way I could get a 4.0 with tow package here in CT. Daily driver work truck, towing and I plow in the winter with it. Never have I needed to use the rear locker for any reason other than to exercise it. The ATRAC is amazing, but again never really needed it and wouldn't know where to find it if I did. I have used the traction control off thingy to get some wheel spin going when appropriate. With the stock A/T's in 2WD it can get a bit sideways, in 4WD it does fine. Bypassed an early slick snow on a steep grade by leaving the road to go around the front wheel drive carnage that had stacked up at the bottom of the hill and reentered the street right where the cars were breaking loose and sliding back down.

If you're serious about snow, get dedicated snow tires and ballast, you will go most anywhere you need to in 2WD. When the snow is heavy and it looks like I'll be doing a lot of plowing I'll run about 150# of sand in pails at the tailgate, mainly to give the front end a break. With ballast I can plow a light snow in 2WD. Steel rims can be picked up on CL for $100 and I run cheap Firestone Winterforce tires that are going on five seasons.

And it probably won't be well received here but a rear locker on ice or slick snow will send you in one direction - down grade, into a hole or off the side of the road. Three or four tires breaking traction at the same time on a steep slope is not a wonderful feeling.

If you are used to the 200 as a driver in these conditions you will feel like you're in a tin can, you cannot replace that solid feeling of a heavy truck with a small footprint. The ballast also helps a lot to dampen the cushy ride of the Taco.

I’ve never driven a 4x4 with lockers. I just drool when I watch the guys with them just crawl over lines that I can’t do or need to use momentum to make it. Maybe not having them is making me a better driver...

I can see your point about ice and lockers. It’s one thing to loose traction because of articulation or loose dirt but an icy road is a different game.

 

[wapitimud]

Is a Tacoma really a good choice for highway ice and snow? You already have an LC, and can likely pull a trailer with that. What do you need another truck for, really?

I had two trucks for awhile, and it was really redundant. Driving around the highways with an empty bed, sucking down fuel with a large engine, it seemed kinda pointless.

I sold that and bought a new Subaru. winter tires too, never been stuck with it, great on ice and snow. Won't go through the bush, but I have a truck already for that. Superior to a Tacoma on an icy highway.

 

[kcjaz]

Is a Tacoma really a good choice for highway ice and snow? You already have an LC, and can likely pull a trailer with that. What do you need another truck for, really?

I had two trucks for awhile, and it was really redundant. Driving around the highways with an empty bed, sucking down fuel with a large engine, it seemed kinda pointless.

I sold that and bought a new Subaru. winter tires too, never been stuck with it, great on ice and snow. Won't go through the bush, but I have a truck already for that. Superior to a Tacoma on an icy highway.

I agree it is not the best choice for snow or icy roads. I want a small pickup for other reasons and will likely keep the LC at a different location from my house as I don’t have garage space for 3 vehicles. We don’t get a lot of snow where I’m at. It’s usually 2 or 3 ice storms each winter where everything is ok after a day or so. I was really just trying to gauge how “bad” a Tacoma might be in winter street conditions and curious how a rear locker might affect things.

 

[greenbeast]

Living in NW Colorado where we live in snow 4-5 months a year a Tacoma with 4x4 is more then capable with or without lockers. If its a sheet of ice as the south gets at times for usually a short amount to time then different tires are the key. Instead of 4 wheel drive you simply get 4 wheel slide on ice if you have the wrong tires.
I see travelers from Oklahoma (I am originally from Oklahoma) and TX come up here with AT tires and do well MOST of the time. However we run strictly Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter then swap them in the Spring. Cooper Discovery AT tires do very well for both and this is what I have on my GMC truck with tube sand in back.
That being said my son has a 2007 Tacoma and drives it every day, simply throw some tube sand in the back and you will be fine no lockers required.
All the LC's are more then capable on snow and ice but the shoes you put on it make all the difference. I was amazed when we moved up here how much difference they make. Considering the small amount of snow and Ice you get in Kansas good AT tires on your Tacoma is all you need. Blizzaks are very soft and will not last a year due to tread loss is why I say a good AT with decent snow rating is perfect in your place.
Cheers