Oh, and 100% agree on the need for snow tires if you encounter real snow. I've gone from the factory continentals to the cooper AT3s to blizzaks, and the blizzak is miles above the other two in terms of keeping all 6000 lb going where you want it. I think the two common snow tires for this are the Blizzak and the michelin X-ice, with the Blizzak being better for deep snow and the x-ice being better for mixed use on plowed highways.
Be honest! What's the deepest snow you've driven in with your LR4
- Thread starter Davidinseattle
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FWIW I currently have 3 vehicles on snow tires. The gen1 Honda Ridgeline (Blizzak DMV2) is the best handler on packed icy streets. The LR4 (Blizzak DMV2) is not as good on packed stuff/ice but if the conditions get real deep and nasty it starts to outperform the Honda (It slides around but better at not getting stuck). The Volvo XC60 T6 (Sailun Iceblazer) is somewhere in-between the two. It has more ground clearance than the Honda so it doesn't get hung up but at the same time it handles/brakes better than the LR4 on slippery stuff. It is probably the best all-rounder and the reason my kids drive it.
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BigBriDogGuy
Full Access Member
I'll admit that part of my challenges may come down to operator error. I've always had vehicles that took advantage of momentum when driving in snow, but I am finding that's the opposite with the LR4. I took it out again this morning to get some more ice melt and found it would go through about anything even at a crawl. It likes to pull rather than coast (or power) through drifts and so forth. I can feel when it's solid, grounded, stable, and under control. That seems to be when it's going a little slower and pulling itself across the road. When I go a bit faster and it's coasting or slowing down quickly, that's when it starts to feel a bit squirrely, out of control. You aren't going to bring 6,000 lbs. to heel rapidly when gliding over snow and ice. Plus, my sense is all these electronic programs attempt to create the best driving dynamics automatically, but takes something out of the hands of the driver in exchange. I feel like there is a layer between what I am doing as a driver and how the vehicle responds. I'm getting used to it, but it doesn't snow here that often. Just need to remember for next time. In the famous words of Foghat, "Slow ride. Take it easy.".
Tires are absolutely everything when it comes to snow driving, a crap car with good snow tires will typically do much better than a good car with crap tires; it's basic laws of physics. The same is true with the mass and momentum of this vehicle, tire size, etc. If you want the vehicle to be tail happy then you need to look at the size/stiffness of the sway bar (anti-roll bar), but this would also be opening Pandora's box. When they tune most modern suspension systems the engineers are typically told to bias the vehicle to understeer as this is typically much safer for must drivers; I say safer but not necessarily more fun! Anyway; the LR4 weights a lot so be careful what you ask of it...
There's some great tire evaluations on YouTube should you have a spare hour or so!
There's some great tire evaluations on YouTube should you have a spare hour or so!
Yes, these trucks don’t drive like a traditional part-time 4x4 where you’d blip the throttle to rotate it. The default is to just PUSH and understeer.
If you are driving around on the highway or shallow snow, snow/ice mode works best. That keeps slippage to an absolute minimum, it will also never allow you to rotate it. If you’re in deeper snow, I’d keep it in auto or even deeper…. Mud and ruts. If you’re stuck, snow/ice mode won’t help at all.
What you’re looking for @BigBriDogGuy is to run the truck in mud and ruts, and turn the traction control completely off. Then you can unleash the jaaaaaaaaaag V8. It’ll give you some pops and bangs when you run it near the rev limiter.
If you are driving around on the highway or shallow snow, snow/ice mode works best. That keeps slippage to an absolute minimum, it will also never allow you to rotate it. If you’re in deeper snow, I’d keep it in auto or even deeper…. Mud and ruts. If you’re stuck, snow/ice mode won’t help at all.
What you’re looking for @BigBriDogGuy is to run the truck in mud and ruts, and turn the traction control completely off. Then you can unleash the jaaaaaaaaaag V8. It’ll give you some pops and bangs when you run it near the rev limiter.
BigBriDogGuy
Full Access Member
@Longtrail and @mm3846 thanks for the helpful replies. Next winter, I am definitely going to invest in a set of premium snow tires. Not sure if studs would be helpful, but they might. As far as the programs go, I was thinking along the same lines. Wasn't sure what the right work around might be, but the description for the snow, gravel, grass setting made me suspect the traction control was washing over everything to make the truck drive the way the engineers thought best.
I can't see the traction control, but I can see the dynamic headlights. I'm the kind of guy that is more than capable of turning my high-beams on and off during times when it seems most appropriate. Plus, the high-beams turning on and off with the auto setting seems almost random. Same with the dynamic intermittent wipers. I'd rather have straight up intermittent wipers and set the interval for the rain conditions. Of course, traction control for a truck that relies on it so heavily is more important than gimmicky auto headlights or wipers. Not sure I want to mess with that too much.
I can't see the traction control, but I can see the dynamic headlights. I'm the kind of guy that is more than capable of turning my high-beams on and off during times when it seems most appropriate. Plus, the high-beams turning on and off with the auto setting seems almost random. Same with the dynamic intermittent wipers. I'd rather have straight up intermittent wipers and set the interval for the rain conditions. Of course, traction control for a truck that relies on it so heavily is more important than gimmicky auto headlights or wipers. Not sure I want to mess with that too much.
powershift
Full Access Member
During your skid maneuvering, the computer navigates the rig in the direction that you are pointing the wheel to. Don't try to correct it and instead steer to where you want to go. Its a learning curve to trust it vs try to correct by steering into the slide. With DSC mode off you might be able to steer out of it. I haven't tried it but if all the skid control is genuinely off when DSC is off, then that is the mode you'd like better.
Give it a chance. The turning off the DSC isnt really turning off traction control… the systems are still very much active but you allow the truck to get a lot more loose and have lots of wheel spin. It is still very much monitoring your throttle input, yaw, steering angle, wheel speed, etc and making decisions for you.
Trust me, if you let the truck know you want ALL the power it definitely takes a second or two, but you’ll get it.
You can do full on suicide spins with the DSC off if you want to. The truck eventually gives up and lets you put the power down.
