3rd Gen Tundra in Snow?

Hey all,

Curious to know how well the 3rd Gen Tundra does in the snow with just standard 4WD, not the TRD package with deep snow mode? I know the truck doesn’t have an automatic 4WD function which I’m used to having in my old truck. So just curious if it gets around in the snow or if it’s more of a slip and slide on the white stuff.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

Put it in 4X4….

I’m disappointed the Tundra isn’t offered with full time 4 Wheel Drive like a Land Cruiser, but the 4X4 system will work when you select 4X4.

After that it comes down to tires, in fact the tires are probably more important than the 4X4 part of the equation.

 

I did my first Wisconsin winter and agree to put it in 4x4 when there's any fresh snow on the ground. 2x4 was a slip and slide last year mainly because the stock tires(LTX trails on the SR5 OR) aren't snow rated. I upgraded to Toyo Open Country AT3s in the oem size which have the severe snow rating, so hopefully this winter is better. They certainly have a lot of siping on them so hoping I can leave it in 2x4 more.

 

Good tires I think are more important, depending on your type & amount of snow and ice. I agree with Coal dragger, yes 4x4 will improve traction too, but remember - in the 70s & 80s most of us drove in the winter in 2wd (mostly rear wheel ) fine. I use my 4x4 in snow, where I live rarely,(Sunny South of Canada) but haven't used any of the OR modes beyond just plain 4x4 in the snow. I scrapped the OEM tires on day one and use winter rated all weather tires. Massive difference. Now if I head up north into the snow belt, I will definitely use 4x4. Standard 4x4 works just fine.

 

Picked-up my truck in Feb 2023 here in Canada/Québec and have dedicated winters (Toyo GSi-6) on my OEM wheels. Never really had to use 4x4 on the truck, we will see this winter if that's still the case. But for me, it's not about getting the truck moving, but more getting it stopped in any winter weather (snow and/or ice!)

I do have a Subaru Forester as well, so I'm not in a bad place during winter!

 

It's more tires than truck. After putting dedicated snow tires on last winter, I rarely used 4wd for in-town driving. 4wd at stops when you see others in front of you spinning helps keep traffic moving smoothly.

 

how are you liking the toyos?

I usually buy nokian but they only have LT sizes for the tundra. Blizzaks seem to be sold out. Toyo is available locally and their “tech” looks interesting, I.e walnut shells.

I’ve got a set of oem rims From eBay. Thinking of pulling the trigger on the gsi6

 

im in Winnipeg. I learned how to drive during the winter. 2 wheel drive. And lousy all seasons.

it’s all about the tires. 4x4 just helps ya go. Winter tires help you stop and turn.

 

This. I've driven all over Canada. Learned in NL with a front wheel drive Honda, lived in rest of the east with same car. Moved to AB, and drove a lot with a a RWD crown vic, and trucks as well. The vic was better in snow than the ram and fords due to superior tires. Run Nokians on my Acura and Tundra now... 4x4 does help with turning, but tires are more important.

I am interested to see how the added weight of a hybrid will affect it.

 

You don’t need to decorate much for Christmas. Once it snows and all the front sensors are covered and turned off the dash lights up like a Christmas tree!

 

Driver Skill as well.

Drove a FWD 5-speed Rav4 150 miles during a 30+ inch Northeaster. Saw lots of 4x4's stuck and spun up. If you don't have skills, the best equipment ain't going to work.

 

I'm in the minority on this topic. I do a lot of driving in the Colorado mountains during winter. I often use 4HI when the roads are slick. While it's true that 4WD doesn't make you stop faster, it does help maintain traction around hairpin curves, or when accelerating. I don't worry about the minor decrease in fuel mileage.

Matt

 

Agreed. Similar environment here in Oregon and while I just picked up the Tundra the Tacoma I came from was awesome in 4HI and engine braking/downshifting as appropriate while driving in the mountains with varied degree of snow/ice and who knows what kind of road maint has been performed. When you downshift and accelerate out of your turns your 4WD is absolutely assisting vs the other cars on the road that go to fast and then brake mash and you watch them white knuckle it.

I’m curious how the 10speed and weight distribution will be in this regard.

But like everyone else said, none if this even matters if you don’t have appropriate tires.

 

I am running the GSI 6 on my tundra. I bought some 18" take offs to run them on as well. I had GSI 5s on my last 2nd gen tundra and I was happy with them. They wear much longer than the blizzaks and michelin ice radials.

 

I traveled over Berthoud Pass CO last week in freezing rain/snow in my 2023 Tundra. The plow trucks weren't out yet, and the roads were slicker than snot on a doorknob (one of my father's favorite sayings). In 4HI, and downshifting into curves as you mentioned, my truck handled the conditions beautifully. I'm running BFG KO2s, as usual, and never felt uncomfortable at all.

I've also noticed my new truck has much less body lean around curves than my 2015 Tundra, which makes for a much more enjoyable driving experience. I have complete confidence that it will a great ride for snowy/icing conditions this winter.

Matt

 

Absolutely driver skill is #1, then tires are #2. 4wd 3rd. 4wd can be a curse. Over confidence (friend is a responder, and almost every single vehicle in a ditch is,4wd). Also consider in 4wd the 2 axles,are locked together. Sometimes you can spin out on,a curve that’s icy and you’re driving too fast. Awd is another story all together.

I’ll,take 2wd on winter tires vs 4wd on all seasons anyday. (Typical winter conditions, NOT 30” snowfalls)

awd on winter tires is a whole new beast. My wife’s rav4 on blizzaks was more confidence inspiring,than my frontier 4wd on nokian. The rav would drive circles around the truck.

 

blizaks are awesome until they are just about,1/2 worn. Whatever makes them great is only in the first 55% of the compound. When they hit that, they are mediocre winter tires (still better than an all season)

I’ve enjoyed blizzaks, and nokian most of all. Really thinking of trying the Toyo this year. Tundra + winter tires + diamondback cover (125lb weight) = pretty confident,driving.

 

4x4 is usually the ones in the ditch for sure. As a responder, haha. AWD is superior to 4x4 in snow. And not all AWD are equal. My Acura on the same tires as our work explorers, my Acura can significantly out perform the explorer.

 

One piece of advice I got when I was learning to drive (many, many years ago) was always drive in 2wd, then if you get stuck you can shift into 4wd to get out, but if you get stuck in 4wd you are stuck...

 

I use this same practice when off-roading. (makes it more fun too!) Rarely needed 4WD when I had a rear locker in 2WD. Bummed this new Tundra only allows rear locker in 4WD.

 

My grandfather taught me this decades ago. “2wd gets you stuck, 4wd gets you home”. If you NEED to be in 4wd you don’t NEED to be out, and about. 4wd gets you stuck further from home.

and of course gramps classic “don’t be such a god damn putz”

 

I'd chock that up to low quality, worn tires and overconfidence ie, the "I've lived and driven in the northeast my whole life" mentality. When I did my stint in Maine, I saw plenty of guys in 3/4s and half tons with bald tires in the middle of winter.

 

I have a fair bit of winter driving experience after 32 year in WY...

• There is some wisdom in learning how your truck will behave in RWD under various conditions. However, once you have done that, why screw around with getting stuck? Run it in 4WD as conditions require.
  
• More importantly 4WD is not just about stuck/unstuck. A truck that is running RWD and light in the back will be squirrely on icy roads. Once the rear end-loses traction things can go wrong quickly. That's easy to control at low speed, but completely different at highway speed. It takes skill and experience to avoid and control this situation.
• 4WD trucks also have a high center of gravity, which also makes them squirrely.
• Putting the truck in 4WD makes it much less likely for traction to break loose.
  
• Running in RWD on snow/ice at highway speed should be done cautiously.
• A snow packed or covered road is a much safer situation than ice.
• It also goes without saying, but if you are on snow/ice on a highway you should consider your speed.
• As has been mentioned here: tires do make a huge difference. True winter tires offer impressive grip. I used to run different winter and summer tires on various vehicles, but got tired of storing and swapping them. My Tundra is new and has crappy OEM tires. We will see how it goes this winter. Will likely switch to some kind of snow-rated ATs.
• Best for winter highway driving: AWD car/crossover with true winter tires, but I realize that's not the topic here.

PS: OP, I am also curious how the Tundra will do in snow. Probably great, just like every 4WD truck I have owned. It's the ice that will get you.

 

Good post. I'm honestly shocked how many people advocate running a pickup in 2WD in slick conditions when they have 4HI available to use.

Matt

 

Winter tires + weight in back + common sense driving = 4wd not needed. Very very rarely do I “need” 4wd.
Usually after a heavy snowfall I may need 4wd.

im by no means advocating running 2wd in slick conditions. I’m just saying people place way too much confidence in it. The 4wd vehicle almost ALWAYS the one in the ditch.

 

Well, that hasn't been my experience in 50-plus years of driving Colorado mountains in the winter. The cars I almost ALWAYS see in the ditch are SUV grocery getters with out-of-states plates on them. But that's not really the point. There's no denying that 4WD improves traction and handling in slick conditions. There's exactly ZERO reasons not to use it. If it makes some drivers over-confident, that's the driver's fault, not the 4WD system.

Matt

 

I have a separate set of winter tires/wheels for this truck (Blizzaks), my wife's A6 (Blizzaks) and my 911 (Sottozeros). I drive the 911 year round but don't take it out if it's already bad - those winter tires are more for temperatures than blasting through snow and ice. Performance summer tires can get very unfriendly when temps go much below 45F.
Agree on Blizzaks not being run down to wear bars. I try to "use them up" within 5 years of manufacture but I'm not sure if the newer compounds age better than before.
I'll be changing to winters on all 3 by mid November depending on the weather trends here.

 

For the last 5 winters driving here in Yukon Canada, I've been using BFG KO2 for the 4runner, traction control and vsc always works on slippery conditions and seldom use 4h. This year I upgraded to a tundra with 35 KO2 and even without snow or ice in the road with -5 degrees I can feel the slide on highways using just 2H. I had experience the my 1st drive of the tundra for snow and ice 2 weeks ago driving to Dawson City and it was the scariest drive i ever had. So little traction even with weight in the bed. I'm swapping to a proper winter tires this week just in time for snow fall here in Whitehorse.

 

Yea this really sucks. Atleast of Toyota offered the Auto mode for the 4x4 like other makes.

 

If there are more 4wds in ditches, it’s probably because the majority of vehicles out there running in snow are 4wds. And the 2wds are either stuck in the driveway or driving really slow with their chains on.

That would be like saying because the majority of car crashes in the summer on windy canyon roads are 2wd sports cars. It’s safer to drive your truck in the canyons in 4wd. Lol