Slow down...:shrug03:?

 

I wouldn't know as I am driving my front wheel drive winter beater now. FJ parked in garage for duration of winter.>

 

I think my FJ is a beast in the snow and ice. I have never had an issue and can't wait for it to snow so I can go play.

I am guessing the issue is tire selection. I run Duratracs.

 

I run Duratracs as well, and pulled 6 people out during the recent NM blizzard. Several full size Chevrolet with mud tires.

I think tire selection is key

 

I'm curious about this too. I'm a bit over a month into my first FJ. While I'm not in a huge snow-area, we do see snow here from time to time. How the FJ operates in the snow is something that will be important to me.

Sean

 

I use my FJ as a commuting vehicle, specially in the snow and ice, in upstate NY. This truck is simply awesome for winter weather. I am running BFGoodrich tires too, and have no problems with traction. What tire pressures are you running and how old are the tires?

 

The FJ is a heavy pig. I would chalk this up to the tires. I've had several sets of BFGs over the years and in my experience, they are not a good snow tire at all. I bought my FJ used and there was an almost brand knew set of BFGs on it. I pulled those off after the first snow (after sledding down our driveway) and put better ones on. Made a huge difference.

IMO get better suited tires and your FJ will serve you well.

 

Super excited to be back in an FJ

Welcome back!

I even have brand new BFGoodrich KO2s on it

I've never used them myself, but I've heard bad things about them in all conditions. They look BA though.

I actually stopped in a parking lot this morning on a slight incline and the FJ started sliding down it with the brakes on and stopped.

Sounds like it's not the car unless the brakes / park wasn't working. Probably tires.

I've read extensively about this and I don't want the typical responses, "learn how to drive", or "this isn't an all wheel car", or "the FJ is flawless and I hate you"

The FJ is flawless...

...at the end of the day, when you get into your car and have the proper tires, it should perform safely in all the elements.

Indeed. I don't have any snow or ice but I love my Cooper AT3s. @FJMatt swore by AT3s until he bought studded tires.

Its impossible that I am the only person experiencing this with the FJ and I would like to hear from other honest people that have similar issues and what they did to work around them.

Speak to the Canadians & Coloradans.

 

I have an 07 fj 4wd. I have never had any issues in snow or ice with it. It's been great in the mountains under crappy weather conditions.

 

"the FJ is flawless and I hate you"

HA! That made me choke on my coffee.

Regarding snow and ice - i have noticed varying behavior. i can be driving 30+ mph in deep snow in 4H and it handles like a boss. Then sometimes in an icy parking lot in 2H at 5 mph the slip indicator comes on and all hell breaks loose. (that is probably supposed to happen if it is indeed slippery but it scares the crap out of me)

i am still running the destination a/t's that were on when i bought the fj. i have been doing donuts on my neighbors' lawns trying to wear them out as fast as possible so i can upgrade. i do imagine that better tires will significantly improve both low and high speed snow and ice performance. (i have been eyeballing the Nitto Exo Grapplers)

 

HA! <Snip!> (i have been eyeballing the Nitto Exo Grapplers)

Sooth, I have been playing around with the Nitto EXO Grappler, as i'm using them on the ALCAN in February. (245s, studded. Thinner is better)

So far, i've been really impressed with them. Think velcro.

Will be giving running updates on how the FJ survives this event, tires included.

 

...at the end of the day, when you get into your car and have the proper tires, it should perform safely in all the elements.

Its impossible that I am the only person experiencing this with the FJ and I would like to hear from other honest people that have similar issues and what they did to work around them.

Speak to the Canadians & Coloradans.

Colorado resident here, though I'm not a native (minus points) and I haven't been elected to speak for all of them.

Problem #1 : BFG AT's are terrible deep-snow tires, just as they're terrible mud tires. The gaps between the treads are too tight, so they can't self-clean.

Problem #2 : Only studded tires work on ice. For everything else it's about momentum and throttle/brake inputs. Tread has a little bit of impact, but not much. Siping helps, but it's better if they come that way from the factory.

I am guessing the issue is tire selection. I run Duratracs.

^^^ go on any offroading run with a group in Colorado, and at least half of them have Duratracs. These tires are taking over the world. A few weeks ago a couple of FJ's slid into a ditch on a hill, and the Sheriff's deputy showed up on Duratracs. This is why you're starting to see 2-3 different Duratrac clones now coming from the other tire manufacturers. Also, Duratrac's are factory siped.
@EffJ, if the problem is deep snow then you might need new tires. If the problem is driving on packed snow / ice, it's either studded tires or slow down.

 

Tires. Tires. Tires.

Doesn't matter if it's an FJC or a '68 Nova, tires are going to be the difference.

 

Yeah, I hate a loud car stereo with crappy speakers too!

 

Stock tires still on my FJ. Not the grip you would expect. Tread design and width of tire are not optimum for snow. Time to change tires.

 

The stock tires are the same from Alaska to the Middle East - they're OK on the road & they kind of work on most offroad surfaces/conditions. Buy the tires that suit your conditions, not what some magazine says or what looks cool. I think hardcore mud tires look BA, but they suck in sand (sidewalls too hard mostly). I run Cooper AT3s, nice soft sidewall (good for me), but I reckon they'd suck on sharp rocks.

 

I am from the north (Detroit) originally so I learned at an early age how to drive in the snow and ice. That being said I am new to the FJC platform and have yet to drive her in the white stuff, but I would have to gather some of the issue may be;
Tires
Weight distribution
4 x 4 settings?
momentum or lack there of

I would just play around with it, did you ever drive your other one in the snow and ice?

 

Minnesota here, no issues with the FJ and even when I had stock tires, now running Duratracks. Not sure what you "expected" or how you believe the FJ "should" handle and perform in snow and ice but after owning various 4x4s and AWD vehicles for over 25 years I'm more than satisfied.
Obviously it isn't styled or designed like your countryman and really shouldn't perform like one. Weight and height, where and how it is dispersed and manipulated are vastly different. Maybe, as others have suggested, your tires aren't performing as well as other tires might.
I think some playtime in snow is in order, start off slow and experiment. I believe you'll see the performance differences not as inadequacies once you become more comfortable, but rather as capabilities you hadn't realized in other former vehicles.

 

Minnesota here.

I think this would be the guy to listen to. He probably has snow where he lives well into June and then starting again right after Labor Day....

PS I watched a football game from there today..... What was it, like -25 with wind chill?

 

I just ran this FJ in my first snow about a week ago and I was pretty impressed by the way it handled ,,could be the tires your running ,"hard telling, not knowing" as far as ice I have had vehicles start sliding after parking ..not much you can do on a wet ice surface except turn the tires to avoid sliding towards an area you would rather avoid or keep some sand with ya to throw down..

 

Are you driving an auto or a manual? That can make a difference too.

 

Oregon here. Second year on Duratracs. Been driving ice and snow for more than a month now. I can't wait to get out and drive.

 

Heh, heh, I gather you've tried it on our lovely ice storm today? I'm in the mid-valley and it snowed first, then a little freezing rain coated things on top Sunday morning. My FJ handled it like a champ and it wasn't bad at all since the ground was cold when it snowed and that kept the ice from sticking to the roads. Now today, on Monday, it's a totally different story. The stuff melted a little yesterday, then refroze into a glaze overnight. It's like wet snot right now. I wouldn't venture out it with my FJ and it's OEM all-season tires if you paid me. I can't even stand up on the stuff.

Speaking of sliding on the ice while parked, when I lived in Colorado Springs, we had a whopper of an ice storm. Some poor slob tried to drive up the hill with his small car, in front of my house. He got as far as my driveway, then couldn't go any further and decided to park his car. He gets out and starts walking away when his car decides to start sliding down the hill all by itself, with all the wheels locked too. The guy runs back and tries to get behind his car and stop it. No luck and not very bright. I have visions of this guy getting run over by his own car. A bunch of us neighbors who were watching the whole show, charged out and jammed some pieces of wood under his car wheels and finally got it stopped, only a foot away from some teenager's beloved vintage Mustang, that also couldn't make it up our hill either. :lol:

 

My advice - stay home, burn PTO
Snuggle in front of the fire and open a bottle of wine

but then again, I'm an old guy with a ton of PTO

 

And I'm an even older guy who doesn't work at all anymore.... :grin

I always keep 6 days of food on hand, 12 rolls of TP, plenty of dog food..... when it gets bad up here closer to Lake Erie, all I have to do it bundle up, go outside and shovel a 10x10 area for the dog's bathroom duties.... And if it gets desperate I can take my pistol out and hunt squirrels or something.... in the city! LOL!!!

As far as the topic, I just got F'n Jay 2 months ago and today is the first day we have snow. And even at that it isn't really sticking yet. Going to stay cold this week so whatever snow we get will start sticking tomorrow. I don't even know what kind of tires I have because I never had a reason to look. I did take a drive of about 5 miles in 4WD just to feel the bite of the thing and I can't imagine it doing bad in the snow. I may need better tires, but I'll know that as time passes.

This is a very informative thread though and I am going to read every post. It would REALLY help with context if people who don't have location in their profile would tell us where they are. Snow can't be too much of a problem in Southern California, right?

 

You didn't mention if you were driving in 2WD or 4HI. In snow, the FJ is indeed terrible in 2WD. Around my house in the winter with 2WD there are constant bells and warning lights going off but switching to 4HI gives an extremely controlled ride. Tires also make a huge difference. I've not used KO2s before but I found Duratracs to be noticeably better than the original KOs in deep or packed snow.

However, maybe you were just driving with too much confidence. It's a very common problem with 4WD vehicles with tough looking tires. If you are driving a Mini or BMW, you are probably babying it subconsciously because you know it's likely to do something squirrelly at any moment. In the FJ you are over confident and the truck doesn't react like you'd expect (though, it doesn't go flying off the road like the Mini or BMW might have).

 

These two things and tires are the most important. I've seen all types of built 4X4's in ditches and off to the side of the road because of overconfidence. 4X4 and tires don't make it so you can drive around town like you usually do in regular weather. As for your tires im pretty sure most people say duratracs. KO's are nice to look at but thats about it to me. I'd rather have tires that work when i need em to rather than something pretty to look at but don't handle well in oh **** moments

 

My 2014 with the stock Dunlop tires handled great in the snow last winter. Fresh snow, packed snow and slick icy roads - it was all good. I expect the same this winter (if we ever get snow here in Eastern PA).

Could it be your driving style? :simmadown: I have driven for years in the snow and have usually driven a 600+ hp rear wheel drive Mustang Cobra. So long as I didn't have to stop it was fine. The FJ is easy in comparison.

 

I would agree, all about your driving style.

I've had my FJ for 3 winters and found it is a great car for the snow when driving in semi deep powder, at lower speeds (under 40mph +/-) and without abrupt movements. There is an alley near my house which has a 30 degree incline. My daughter and I always hit that slope when it snows and we tredge up like we were in a ski lift- steady, slow, but without any problems (up to 12").

That being said, the Mini you drove is probably similar to my A4. Confident and great in 3" or 4" extremely confident at highway speeds. With all wheel drive system, low center of gravity and if you have good tires it's like Rally Racing!

Not the FJ's fortay but I'd say to adjust your driving style and the FJ will get you through anything the Mini would do. . . and more.

 

I've run the BFGs on a Chevy 2500HD and F250s and they were a good all around tire.
The General Grabber AT2 on my Tundra are a much better snow tire tho. I'd say the tires on your are the reason for your crappy snow/ice handling.

But on snowy roads I'd rather have an AWD car. Best thing I've ever driven on snow covered roads was an old Subaru with Nokian tires.
Light, low center of gravity and not a lot of power will make a lifted 4x4 look useless in snow as long as it's not deep.

 

My wife drives a 6 cyl legacy with Nokians and i agree it is like a slot car on snow covered roads. it just goes where you tell it.

 

I am in Minnesota and have boring Nexxen all-seasons, and I get around just fine. But you must realize that the FJC is much heavier than a Mini...braking is going to be more difficult no matter what.

 

I agree that the FJ is a heavy pig, my FJ has not stopped in a parking lot at work where I asked it to and slid on some ice and took out a glass smokers huts.

The smokers were not happy that winter.........

Now generally speaking mine is lifted and sometimes it has gotten stuck in snow, but I just have Nitto Trail Grapplers so not the heavy heavy duty ones with deeper tread.

I want to add I did purchase some TREDS for peace of mind.

 

...at the end of the day, when you get into your car and have the proper tires, it should perform safely in all the elements.
...

... and you DON'T.

You've bought an all-terrain tire... which is fine if you want to head out and do some wheeling. You will hear varying opinions about their quality but keep in mind different people are in different environments and ice and snow qualities.
For me and the environment I live and drive in, they are crap. It was like putting hockey pucks on my FJ. When I switched to the Duratracs it was way better.

You are comparing an AWD car with snow tires to a 5,000 lb full frame vehicle with AT tires. You're comparing apples to basketballs.

Perhaps switching back to a car would be best. It takes a different skill set to drive a full sized vehicle.


I have driven various cars, trucks, and suv's...... and the FJ is the most capable vehicle I have driven so far. Does it need to be driven different than a little awd car?... yes.

Drive safe.
I suggest slowing down a lot more a lot sooner than you would normally. Those tires are NOT snow tires. Having a snowflake symbol on it doesn't make it a winter tire.... just one that is slightly better than a tire in the same category without the symbol. And that category isn't anywhere near the true snow tire category.

The good news is the FJ is very safe... and when you get into an accident because you expected it to handle like a car with snow tires, you should be able to walk away from it.

:cheers:

 

Tires will make or break you. I've never had too much trouble in the snow on the stock BFG tires. I'm in northern NJ and see probably about 50" of snow for the entire winter season on average. I never got stuck with them, but the rig did tend to wander off to the sides occasionally when driving straight. Right now I'm on 285 KO2s but haven't been in the snow with them yet.