4Runner Vs. Grand Cherokee

[BENZ BOY15]

Hopefully you have snow tires.

Not sure what sort of tires they are but I'll check. I doubt they're snow tires as I bought the car in Orange County.

[BENZ BOY15]

The existing tires look pretty meaty.

What do you think about snow vs all season tires?

[Laconian]

The existing tires look pretty meaty.

What do you think about snow vs all season tires?

Big difference. Snows use a different type of rubber which stays sticky when it's below freezing. ASRs get hard.

We got CrossClimates for our Outback. They're snows that you can drive year-round.

[Speed_Racer]

Yeah for wet snow, dedicated snow tires make a huge difference.
For the dry powder here in UT, I've managed with all seasons.

[CaminoRacer]

Yeah for wet snow, dedicated snow tires make a huge difference.
For the dry powder here in UT, I've managed with all seasons.

There has been 1 day when I probably could have used snows here in UT. 5-6 inches of heavy wet snow on the east bench and I had to get up a hill. From what I remember, I made it up, but really I probably should have just stayed home that morning anyway.

[r0tor]

I have never wishes for snow tires on my Jeep

[BENZ BOY15]

My first snow/ice driving in the car was not good. I was going down a somewhat moderate/gentle slope and I think I hit the brakes too hard and was sliding around and almost flew off the road into the forest. It was scary. I noticed it slipped a bit in other areas and the tires are clearly not winter ones (I've ordered them) but I think also it was my driving. I also wasn't in a lower gear going into the slope. When it is wintery it'll vary between snow and then at times we'll get 'graupel' which is essentially a different form of hail and basically ice. So that combined with the topography makes it challenging.

After that I just went home and didn't drive until the storm blew over. I tried out the Subaru the day after but on that one the tires are not winter ones either.

I've never gotten the hang of winter driving and probably never will. With the past Lexus I slid off the road and hit a snow bank at a relatively low rate of speed but the car was so durable that it just kept going. Like bumper cars.

[SJ_GTI]

If you are nervous in the winter weather just get winter/snow tires. I got in the habit when I lived in Canada but still do it now that I am living in NJ. It is really helpful in the snow, but its also better just in general in below freezing temps. The advantage of using winter tires is that I also get to use dedicated summer tires in the spring/summer/fall, which also perform better than all-seasons at those times.

If you are completely mechanically disinclined you can get a local shop to switch them over for you (this is what I did when I lived in an apartment in Montreal). But if you have a basement or garage to keep the extra wheels in one of the simplest things you can do on a car is switch the wheels. This would mean just getting an extra set of dedicate winter wheels to go along with the winter tires.

[BENZ BOY15]

Yeah that's what I'm going to do. I got some good ones coming in and then I'll take the current ones and stash them at my friends house.

[AutobahnSHO]

Just take it much much easier when it's slippery out! You can NOT rush things! Physics are physics, you wouldn't try to run full speed on an ice skating rink in flip flops.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Go practice snow and ice driving in a big emtpy parking lot

[Morris Minor]

Yeah that's what I'm going to do. I got some good ones coming in and then I'll take the current ones and stash them at my friends house.

Does the GX have any kind of winter driving setting/option on the transmission?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I was serious about practicing

[AutobahnSHO]

Go practice snow and ice driving in a big emtpy parking lot

+1

[AutobahnSHO]

I was serious about practicing

+1

[BENZ BOY15]

Does the GX have any kind of winter driving setting/option on the transmission?

Yeah it has a 4 low option. I should have had it in that when I went down the hill....on my way back I put it in that & went down a steeper hill with no problem.

[FoMoJo]

I have a "snowflake" option on my Discovery Sport.  Haven't tried it yet.

[BENZ BOY15]

I was serious about practicing

I've driven quite a bit in the snow so not sure that'd make much difference. A lot of it is the tires....I ended up going with these in the end:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+DuraTrac

Haven't put them on yet as now it seems we're in a dry period but once the weather turns I'll change them out. The existing ones have quite a bit of life left on them so I can use them next summer.

Overall though, it's an awesome car. The gas milage is awful but other than that I love it. I'm glad I went with this one as opposed to the older GX, even though I really liked that one too.

[Laconian]

I have a "snowflake" option on my Discovery Sport.  Haven't tried it yet.

It makes your Discovery into a safe space.

[FoMoJo]

It makes your Discovery into a safe space.

I prefer being "on the edge."  I may try using "Sport" mode during the next ice storm.

[Eye of the Tiger]

It makes your Discovery into a safe space.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I've driven quite a bit in the snow so not sure that'd make much difference. A lot of it is the tires....I ended up going with these in the end:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+DuraTrac

Haven't put them on yet as now it seems we're in a dry period but once the weather turns I'll change them out. The existing ones have quite a bit of life left on them so I can use them next summer.

Overall though, it's an awesome car. The gas milage is awful but other than that I love it. I'm glad I went with this one as opposed to the older GX, even though I really liked that one too.

It makes a yoooooooge difference. A new vehicle or new tires changes everything.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yeah it has a 4 low option. I should have had it in that when I went down the hill....on my way back I put it in that & went down a steeper hill with no problem.

4-Low is literally for walking-speed crawling.  On slippery roads, it would be better to just shift the transmission into 1st (in 4-High)