Be honest! What's the deepest snow you've driven in with your LR4

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ktm525

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winter wheel. better than brake dust
wheel.jpg
 

mateored

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This question is not that simple to answer. I drive up to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to ski and usually try to time it to hit big powder days, so I've been in the real deep stuff a lot of times (if you're not familiar, the Sierras can get absolutely buried -- they got about 200" last month, for example). When I first got my LR4 in 2011, I was pretty disappointed with the snow traction and I had to use my cable chains in the deep snow. Then I switched from the factory Continental tires to Bridgestone Duelers -- it was night and day. [Because I live in LA, I don't want to use snow tires in the winter. I'd have to have an extra set of wheels and then switch all 4 wheels every time I go skiing.] Since I switched to the Duelers about 8 or 9 years ago, I have only had to use my snow chains once or twice -- and never for deep fresh snow. I've driven through unplowed roads and parking lots with a good 2' of fresh snow without any problem. That said, not all snow is the same, and things change dramatically with ruts, ice, etc. Unless you have studs or chains, you're still going to slide on hard ice.

Bottom line -- tires are more important than anything else. And ice is worse than deep snow. When I lived in Ketchum, Idaho many moons ago, I had a total POS 1979 Olds Cutlass. But I put studded tires on it for the winter and drove on the un-plowed roads no problem. When I lived in Buffalo, I had an old Saab 900 with really good snow tires (and 80% of the weight over the front drive wheels). That thing was better in the snow and ice than a lot of the 4x4 SUVs.

By the way, I heartily recommend the Bridgestone Duelers. Not only are they much better than the Contis in the snow, they also handle better on dry roads, and are cheaper, quieter and last longer.

EDIT: just realized I didn't really answer OP's question. I dunno - probably over 2', but I'm not sure. Definitely higher than the bottom of the doorsill in offroad height.
 
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MNLR4

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From the Twin Cities in MN: 18-24" snows are handled without a problem. Funny story.
My wife came home in her LR4 and drove through the plow line on the driveway with no issues. When I got home, I saw her track and figured I could get through it to the garage, following her trail: nope. It didn't work, I got stuck. Came out with snow blower to clear out the 3' X 6' wide snow pile and got my car tucked nicely inside for the next several days as the roads got cleared. She was kind to let me take her truck when needed:)
 

BigBriDogGuy

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I drove the LR4 in the snow today for the first time since I bought it last March. I have Goodyear DuraTrac A/T tires with good tread on 19" wheels. I was using special programs - snow, gravel, grass. It was the first snow of the season and about 8-9 inches deep. The main roads got ploughed. This is in western Washington State. I used to live in Montana and Michigan, so I know how to drive in the snow. I was a little disappointed with the way the LR4 handled. From what I had been reading, I expected it to be like a snowmobile or something.

The main issue I had was with cornering and stopping. I almost put it into a ditch a couple of times. I wasn't going that fast, but I am used to a vehicle that will fishtail a bit around a corner and then counter-steering to straighten it out. The LR4 didn't do that. Instead, it would want to go wherever its momentum was taking it (which in my case would be the ditch). I'd hit the brakes and that was a bit of a problem too. The anti-lock braking system that normally is great on dry pavement would want to allow the vehicle to continue to roll (maybe because it was "slipping" on all 4 tires?). That braking issue got me even closer to ditching it. Also, the center locker never engaged. The traction control did on occasion. I had it set to the 4x4 screen and the green lock never changed to orange. I would have thought it would lock at least a little bit. Maybe that isn't an option in the special program I was using (snow, gravel, grass).

To the credit of the LR4, whenever I got into a problem, it had the capacity to back out of it once I had fully stopped. Maybe I should try a different special program setting. Maybe I should have studded snow tires. Maybe I just need to drive more carefully. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

ftillier

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The diff lock will only engage when you're on the gas. Are you sure you have the lockers? I see mine engage if I give it a bit more gas than needed, both center and rear. In snow mode it will also start in 2nd gear only, to limit wheel spin. It is heavy, so it's best not to get it sliding. If you're going around corners, the back end will eventually agree to move out a bit, but it's definitely not tail happy.
 

ktm525

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They are heavy and weight does not like to change direction. That being said our LR4 is a little goat in the snow albeit on dedicated winter tires. Your tires are a compromise on the snow. For real performance in the snow you need soft compound real winter tires.
 

Nechaken

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It is pretty hard to get the tail to step out -- seems to default to terminal oversteer with an ever-widening radius.
 

BigBriDogGuy

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@ftillier and @ktm525 and @Nechaken thanks for your responses. I tend to have overblown expectations and push things a little too far. Not a great combination when driving on snow. The LR4 got me where I wanted to go and did so reliably as long as I took it easy and drove carefully. Plus, it looked totally badass doing it! ;)
 

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