Thanks to everyone replying thus far, this is very helpful. I live at 6500' in Colorado, and the road of concern is a 200-300' rise and generally not reliably plowed, especially if the storm was not known in advance. I always drive outside of the well packed/ICE tracks that most drivers seem to stay in ... I just find the snow chop is often a lot less slippery than the hard pack (duh). I also drive like I have an egg under the gas pedal ... slow on the gas and brakes ... something I keep telling my wife (as I see many on the roads here, esp. transplants from CA) who gas it and just create these ice patches with excessive gas pedal for conditions thinking more is better -- and it isn't.
Snow Driving (paved road) tips - Gen3 Montero
- Thread starter taybrynn
- Start date
RttH
Member
I leave mine in 4wd most of the time in the winter, dry roads or not. Tires are the most important for icy conditions. I have found that when I'm trying to turn sharp, or on an incline the Traction Control will purposely rob you of power as this is how it is supposed to work. But once while accelerating and turning in a busy intersection my Montero would not drive forward as it was so slippery, so by turning off Traction Control I was able to get the needed wheel spin to at least move out of the intersection. Tires, Tires, Tires!
PajEvo
JDM Journeys
For clarity, the center diff is a viscous coupled unit, similar to an auto transmission's torque converter, or a fan clutch, in that it uses fluid to "lock" the center differential, but since it isn't locked mechanically (unless you engage 4H locked) it still allows a difference in rotations between front and rear wheels.
Lots of good tips so far, except airing down ON the road. I would not do that. A narrow footprint increases your contact pressure, which in shallow snow, ice, slush, etc, is exactly what you want. Wider tires tend to plow the snow instead of cutting down through it, and aired down tires are also wider tires, with less contact pressure.
Snow tires are made of a compound that remains pliable below 7* C, and this is one of the reasons they are preferable in the cold. I have Blizzak commercial tires on my wife's gen3, and it is able to go anywhere, regardless of the roads. On my daily I've got KO2's, which have been improved for the snow from the KO's. I also see gravel and mud on my commute, so I live with the compromise of not having dedicated snows.
One tip I haven't seen yet, but sometimes useful - on the gen3, the ability to start off in 2nd gear is sometimes helpful, in really slippery conditions. Come to a complete stop. Shift the selector to manual mode, then bump it to second. Proceed slowly, with often less slip. (some earlier models had a HOLD button, which accomplished the same thing).
Lots of good tips so far, except airing down ON the road. I would not do that. A narrow footprint increases your contact pressure, which in shallow snow, ice, slush, etc, is exactly what you want. Wider tires tend to plow the snow instead of cutting down through it, and aired down tires are also wider tires, with less contact pressure.
Snow tires are made of a compound that remains pliable below 7* C, and this is one of the reasons they are preferable in the cold. I have Blizzak commercial tires on my wife's gen3, and it is able to go anywhere, regardless of the roads. On my daily I've got KO2's, which have been improved for the snow from the KO's. I also see gravel and mud on my commute, so I live with the compromise of not having dedicated snows.
One tip I haven't seen yet, but sometimes useful - on the gen3, the ability to start off in 2nd gear is sometimes helpful, in really slippery conditions. Come to a complete stop. Shift the selector to manual mode, then bump it to second. Proceed slowly, with often less slip. (some earlier models had a HOLD button, which accomplished the same thing).
I run about 150lbs of sand in the back of my 1998, not so much for traction but more for slowing the tendency of the rear end to come around during braking. It just stabilizes and slows the body movement overall and it does also improve traction. Even with ABS, which I love in the winter, if I brake hard on slippery surfaces the back end almost always starts to whip. The sand really helps. I believe there is far more weight sitting on the front axle vs the back, at least without a load in the back, so the sand evens that out just a tad.
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