best smaller 4 x 4 for deep snow?

[lannie]

I have a jeep tj with a winch blah blah and I think they are a great 4x4 but....
There are many Suzuki's around here and they are much better in the trails.

[rhuntley12]

I've been pretty negative about our Jeep Wrangler, as had quite a bit of warranty issues.

I take it all back after driving it in the snow this winter so far. It does amazing in the snow.

[1899b]

Originally Posted by rhuntley12

I've been pretty negative about our Jeep Wrangler, as had quite a bit of warranty issues.

I take it all back after driving it in the snow this winter so far. It does amazing in the snow.

I just don't like the 3.8l mini van engine. I always loved the 4.0 straight 6 engines. The 3.8 we currently have is a dog with 33's on it....

[RedLabel]

I won't argue with any of the Jeep Wranglers suggestions for going through deep snow but I would strongly recommend a Grand Cherokee for daily driving. Offers a few more creature comforts and the AWD system will provide you more stability at highway speeds.

I had a Jeep Commander and it was a beast in the snow but a monster on fuel.

[CaberTosser]

Don't forget about Subaru, an Outback has a lot going for it. A VW Touareg certainly has its charms as well, though it doesn't get much attention..

[rogo]

I have an Xterrra, OffRoad edition and can't get stuck in it.

It is setup to be a truck that gets used and with a set of snowies on it, this thing has gone up and down quad trails. It has lock diffs and then whole deal but is really well weighted and thinner than most vehicles.

They are priced well and keep their value.

I can send a pic if you want.

[GREENGUN]

Originally Posted by cobes

Jeep Rubicon, you can't beat it.

Love my Wrangler and it's only the Sahara. Rubicon is almost unstoppable. If you want something a little more comfortable the new Cherokee is good and the Trailhawk version has a rear locker! Grand Cherokee is a little more but works pretty good.

[Okotokian]

Acreage on a county road... not the toughest environment. As you can see from the above comments probably any vehicle with 4x4 capability and ACTUAL SNOW TIRES, not all-season tires, will do you fine. For greater certainty get something you you can put into full-time 4x4 (not front wheel drive where the rear wheels kick on and off with slippage) when you really get bogged down. I have a Rav4 and DID get stuck once. Bottomed out in deep snow and had no full-time 4x4 to get out. But that was me trying to take a "short cut" instead of sticking to the road. LOL

[jednastka]

I live on an acreage. My 1999 4Runner has almost 400,000 km on original motor. As Other posters have said, having the right tires is almost more important. I run good all seasons in the summer max grip tires in the winter. Have never found anything I can't get through or over. But... with the light weight, I can't seem to be able to pull anything out of the ditch!

That generation of 4Runner can't be beat! I specifically looked for the 1999 year since it was the last time Toyota offered a standard tranny in a 4Runner. Also a must for me.

Vic

[Icatchfish]

Originally Posted by ACKLEY ABE

Drive train on the Rubicons is totally different than the Sport's or Sahara's. Dana 44 axels, 4 whl diff lock, hd transfer case, etc......

However......the Sports and Sahara's do great. The Rubi's are off-road serious right from the factory. Over-kill for most drivers.

That being said, I'm on my 3rd Rubicon Unlimited and LOVE EM....

AGREED. I priced a rubicon (4 door) and the going price was around 56k. the sahara unlimited was more in the low 30k if i remember correctly and it is more than sufficient.

now no one mentioned that the wranglers plastic roofs are not insulated and therefore are very cold in the winter and since they have a plastic roof and its an suv it has a higer insurance premium than FJ crusier.


would love to own one though. its a great vehicle.

[1899b]

Originally Posted by Icatchfish

AGREED. I priced a rubicon (4 door) and the going price was around 56k. the sahara unlimited was more in the low 30k if i remember correctly and it is more than sufficient.

now no one mentioned that the wranglers plastic roofs are not insulated and therefore are very cold in the winter and since they have a plastic roof and its an suv it has a higer insurance premium than FJ crusier.


would love to own one though. its a great vehicle.

Which makes no sense. I have been in a roll over before where the roof of a half ton was pancaked on us. I would rather roll my jeep if i had a choice. Jeeps have whats called a "roll" bar. LOL

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by 1899b

4 door Jeep Wrangler JK. Great in the snow and good cargo room for 3 whitetail plus all the gear....

Don't forge to buckle up...now that's a meat wagon!

[Red Bullets]

Been driving a ford explorer for 8 years. With good tires it will go through some pretty heavy snow. Very reliable vehicle in snow and mud.

[Andrzej]

You need FJ ....

This one on 2006 November moose hunt.
With BF Goodrich M+S tires on 16" rims.
Same rims and tires I use for 2003 Tundra.

[Iron Brew]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Don't forget about Subaru, an Outback has a lot going for it. A VW Touareg certainly has its charms as well, though it doesn't get much attention..

X2 on the Subaru. After a heavy snowfall my wife is out the driveway and a mile down the road before I can get the dodge diesel 4X4 out the driveway. Good winter tires on both. We have had really good luck with the Subarus...

[moosemad]

I also like the Cherokee but whatever you get tires are key. Get a good set of winters that aren't too wide, the wide ones tend to plow the snow instead of cut thru it. They will also work good in mud.

[coolpete1]

i lived on an acreage for years , i had a big lifted dodge but my daily driver was a dodge colt hatchback with snow tires . i never had a problem or got stuck in that stupid little car.

[rwm1273]

Originally Posted by rogo

I have an Xterrra, OffRoad edition and can't get stuck in it.

It is setup to be a truck that gets used and with a set of snowies on it, this thing has gone up and down quad trails. It has lock diffs and then whole deal but is really well weighted and thinner than most vehicles.

They are priced well and keep their value.

I can send a pic if you want.

If you want to get it stuck, I bet I could do it for you.lol

[ACKLEY ABE]

Originally Posted by Icatchfish

AGREED. I priced a rubicon (4 door) and the going price was around 56k. the sahara unlimited was more in the low 30k if i remember correctly and it is more than sufficient.

now no one mentioned that the wranglers plastic roofs are not insulated and therefore are very cold in the winter and since they have a plastic roof and its an suv it has a higer insurance premium than FJ crusier.


would love to own one though. its a great vehicle.

Not cold at all. The old time Jeep owners always ask me.."is it cold in the winter"? Heater will put you out of the vehicle at -40. All three I've had have been the same....and it's sure nice when the snow goes away and you can take those "plastic" roofs off and you have an actual targa..

Rubi's are overkill, but fun. ...and loaded up they are pretty nice inside (another thing that bugs old Jeep owners). Heated leather, power everything, gps, sat radio, etc..

Howver, for the average person as Sahara will do everything and more than they need. Another advantage to the Sahara is the gear set 3.73's get a bit better milage than the 4.10's in the Rubi's.

The new Pentastar 3.6 is a much improved engine over the 3.8's that were in them. Tons more power and although they will try and tell you they get better milage than the 3.8 did, the two that I've had did not, but they trade-off for the additional power was well worth while. 12-13 litres per 100 km is about what I get.

6 sandbags in the back and I very rarely use 4 whl drive by the way.. Just a good way to get into trouble. Driving around town in 4-wl....

Even in deep snow 2 wl is usually good. Probably the only advantage to those big wide Mud TA's. Mud and deep snow. Lousy on ice, but that's what comes on them. A nice narrow,tall, Mud TA would be better, but wouldn't look as cool.......

[1899b]

Originally Posted by ACKLEY ABE

Not cold at all. The old time Jeep owners always ask me.."is it cold in the winter"? Heater will put you out of the vehicle at -40. All three I've had have been the same....and it's sure nice when the snow goes away and you can take those "plastic" roofs off and you have an actual targa..

Rubi's are overkill, but fun. ...and loaded up they are pretty nice inside (another thing that bugs old Jeep owners). Heated leather, power everything, gps, sat radio, etc..

Howver, for the average person as Sahara will do everything and more than they need. Another advantage to the Sahara is the gear set 3.73's get a bit better milage than the 4.10's in the Rubi's.

The new Pentastar 3.6 is a much improved engine over the 3.8's that were in them. Tons more power and although they will try and tell you they get better milage than the 3.8 did, the two that I've had did not, but they trade-off for the additional power was well worth while. 12-13 litres per 100 km is about what I get.

6 sandbags in the back and I very rarely use 4 whl drive by the way.. Just a good way to get into trouble. Driving around town in 4-wl....

Even in deep snow 2 wl is usually good. Probably the only advantage to those big wide Mud TA's. Mud and deep snow. Lousy on ice, but that's what comes on them. A nice narrow,tall, Mud TA would be better, but wouldn't look as cool.......

Actually narrow and tall is much better for snow as well. The wider the tire, the more they plow. Just my experience......

[ACKLEY ABE]

Originally Posted by 1899b

Actually narrow and tall is much better for snow as well. The wider the tire, the more they plow. Just my experience......

True..I guess what I was trying to say that mud and snow is the ONLY place the wide tires are any good.....ohh and they work great in a peat field. Slick muddy roads....you end up fighting the vehicle all day. I ran 9.5 x 15 x 33's for 20 years...Pizza cutters work well.

There, I feel better now, for a while I was sounding like a Jeep Salesman, a good Jeep Salesman, but none the less......

k....So tall narrow mud tires on a Rubicon with a lever gun in the passenger seat....Good to go?

[lannie]

Narrow tires for snow and wider tires for mud.
Its all about PSI. Wide floats, narrow goes down to firm ground with traction.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by lannie

Narrow tires for snow and wider tires for mud.
Its all about PSI. Wide floats, narrow goes down to firm ground with traction.

That REALLY depends on the depth of snow, and what the base is.

While in theory, yes thinner taller tire is best only when there is something for it to dig down to. IE, if the snow is less than a 1' and there's a solid base, they work great. If the snow is deeper than a foot, you'll just end up sitting on your frame or axles, spinning tires.

Basically snow can act like sand, and thin tires on sand are useless, as there is no base. Floatation CAN be a good thing, but for most conditions YES, thinner is better.

[JB_AOL]

Oh, and a jeep would be perfect..

Although I do not like their crash ratings. Any sort of side impact, you can pretty much garruntee you'll be hurt.

[RBI]

Originally Posted by 1899b

4 door Jeep Wrangler JK. Great in the snow and good cargo room for 3 whitetail plus all the gear....

Wow , I get crap for just having my tools in van

[1899b]

Originally Posted by ACKLEY ABE

True..I guess what I was trying to say that mud and snow is the ONLY place the wide tires are any good.....ohh and they work great in a peat field. Slick muddy roads....you end up fighting the vehicle all day. I ran 9.5 x 15 x 33's for 20 years...Pizza cutters work well.

There, I feel better now, for a while I was sounding like a Jeep Salesman, a good Jeep Salesman, but none the less......

k....So tall narrow mud tires on a Rubicon with a lever gun in the passenger seat....Good to go?

Friggen rights!!!

[JRsMav]

Originally Posted by bsmitty27

I have a 250m driveway. You definatly need a 4x4. But that's my wife's 1/2 ton. I get to drive the rugged strawberry Toyota yaris as my daily driver. Definatly need to be prepared, good tires, I've parked at the road in preparation for big storms. Got snowed in once last year for a couple days. (was nothings 4x4 helped with) A few days I took the truck. But can't (I don't want to) afford to drive the truck every day!

I have no idea why.....but this made me laugh so hard. I think because a hockey buddy bought himself a 70k f-150 but is somehow relegated to driving the sweet Taurus wagon due to the wife's preference. Thanks for the morning chuckle.

[stuckincity]

Originally Posted by jednastka

My 1999 4Runner has almost 400,000 km on original motor. As Other posters have said, having the right tires is almost more important. I run good all seasons in the summer max grip tires in the winter. Have never found anything I can't get through or over. But... with the light weight, I can't seem to be able to pull anything out of the ditch!

That generation of 4Runner can't be beat! I specifically looked for the 1999 year since it was the last time Toyota offered a standard tranny in a 4Runner. Also a must for me.
Vic

Good stuff!
I still have a old '88 and I'll never get rid of it.
Standard transmission and MECHANICAL 4WD - manual lock/free hubs and a transfer case lever.
I dislike the modern "push-button" setup, but nobody makes anything else that I know of. And I heard you can't even order the old setup from the factory.

[sinawalli]

Originally Posted by GREENGUN

Love my Wrangler and it's only the Sahara. Rubicon is almost unstoppable. If you want something a little more comfortable the new Cherokee is good and the Trailhawk version has a rear locker! Grand Cherokee is a little more but works pretty good.

I have a Rubicon, and it is amazing in the snow! Can lock the axels and rip!!

[Tactical Lever]

Price range, or size preference? Have a couple of Suzukis, one a Sidekick and one Xl7, and they both do well and get good mileage.

They both have slightly oversized tires and the Sidekick goes through deep enough snow to blow it up onto the windshield. It goes quite a few places.