Hello, in December I purchased a new 2011 RAV4 4WD 4 cylinder Engine and today was the first time I took it out in the snow. We got about 4" of snow on the roads this morning and I had to bring my daughter to the bus stop and the RAV4 did not go to well in the snow. The vehicle appeared to be slipping and sliding on our street though our development at a fairly low speed. Correct me if I am wrong here but isn't the RAV4 4 wheel drive automatically go from mostly 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive when needed? It just so happens we were invited to a customer appreciation night at the Toyota Dealer and we spoke to the service manager about this slipping and sliding issue and he seemed a bit surprised. So he asked one of his service reps to show me how the 4 wheel drive works. The rep kept mentioning about having to be stopped in neutral to put it in 4 wheel drive and he pressed the button on the dash that would lock the center differential? He was driving my car with a manual in one hand trying to explain how the 4 wheel drive works. When I got home I read the manual and it appears that pressing this button locked all the wheels together by locking the center differential? I also, read that this was only good up to a low speed and this mode would automatically disengage at a low speed. Should you really have to stop and push this button when you get 3 - 4 inches of snow and you just don't want to slip and slide? I was thinking you would use this mode if you really got stuck and not for every time you get 3 - 4 inches of snow. Could it be that the Toyo tires that came on the RAV are just not to good in the snow? The RAV4 has Toyo A20 Open Country Tires with the 17" rims. Are these tires not so good in the snow? Could someone explain how my 4 wheel drive is suppose to work? Thanks for all your help.
2011 RAV4 4WD Not Good In Snow? Tires?
Machquilter
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Hello, in December I purchased a new 2011 RAV4 4WD 4 cylinder Engine and today was the first time I took it out in the snow. We got about 4" of snow on the roads this morning and I had to bring my daughter to the bus stop and the RAV4 did not go to well in the snow. The vehicle appeared to be slipping and sliding on our street though our development at a fairly low speed. Correct me if I am wrong here but isn't the RAV4 4 wheel drive automatically go from mostly 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive when needed? It just so happens we were invited to a customer appreciation night at the Toyota Dealer and we spoke to the service manager about this slipping and sliding issue and he seemed a bit surprised. So he asked one of his service reps to show me how the 4 wheel drive works. The rep kept mentioning about having to be stopped in neutral to put it in 4 wheel drive and he pressed the button on the dash that would lock the center differential? He was driving my car with a manual in one hand trying to explain how the 4 wheel drive works. When I got home I read the manual and it appears that pressing this button locked all the wheels together by locking the center differential? I also, read that this was only good up to a low speed and this mode would automatically disengage at a low speed. Should you really have to stop and push this button when you get 3 - 4 inches of snow and you just don't want to slip and slide? I was thinking you would use this mode if you really got stuck and not for every time you get 3 - 4 inches of snow. Could it be that the Toyo tires that came on the RAV are just not to good in the snow? The RAV4 has Toyo A20 Open Country Tires with the 17" rims. Are these tires not so good in the snow? Could someone explain how my 4 wheel drive is suppose to work? Thanks for all your help.
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You do not have to be stopped to push the 4wd button. Staying in 4wd will disengage at 25MPH. It will engage automatically if you slip while accelerating at a higher speed or if the 4wd button has not been pressed. There are a lot of previous discussions of how it works.
Your all-season tires are not going to be as good as dedicated winter tires. I find the snow traction to be pretty good, but others have higher standards.
Note that 4WD will not help you steer or stop better than FWD. Both have 2-wheel steering and 4-wheel brakes.
Your all-season tires are not going to be as good as dedicated winter tires. I find the snow traction to be pretty good, but others have higher standards.
Note that 4WD will not help you steer or stop better than FWD. Both have 2-wheel steering and 4-wheel brakes.
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The roads were snowy and slushy.
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The problem is not with the Rav 4, but with the tires. The all-season may be good for summer driving and very light snow and ice. You can go to 'tire rack" and read the specifications of the tires on your Rav 4, but there should also be a small brochure for the tires in your Rav 4 glove box, along the owner's manual. This brochure should indicate the tire's ratings.
Don't worry, it's the tires.
I have (at the moment) all season tires, Good Year wrangler at the front and Toyo Open Road on the back. In similar conditions the back was slipping too, but for a very short time, it would instantly or very quickly fix the course. But these tires are not that best for snow.
If you buy even the cheapest WINTER tires you will see a big difference.
I have (at the moment) all season tires, Good Year wrangler at the front and Toyo Open Road on the back. In similar conditions the back was slipping too, but for a very short time, it would instantly or very quickly fix the course. But these tires are not that best for snow.
If you buy even the cheapest WINTER tires you will see a big difference.
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I was thinking tires too as I was told this vehicle would run great in the winter, thus my reason for getting it. I'm going to call the dealer today and see where I get with the "tire" discussion since they gave me misinformation on how to handle the 4wheel drive last evening.
What brand of tires are folks in snowy conditions running that could be used year round? We had a sequoia with Michelins on it's and my husbands 4runner has those as well and both seem to handle snow conditions well.
Thanks for everyones help!
What brand of tires are folks in snowy conditions running that could be used year round? We had a sequoia with Michelins on it's and my husbands 4runner has those as well and both seem to handle snow conditions well.
Thanks for everyones help!
Check out the Nokian WRG2 SUV . You can use it all year. Very expensive tires, but great in the snow.
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skidding
checkout the discussion on "skidding" in general forums 2001-2005
checkout the discussion on "skidding" in general forums 2001-2005
Have heard that some people run the General Altimax Arctic year round. It's the winter tire we use and it works fantastically well for the type of tread compound that it uses. But being a traditional winter compound, it'll last if you run it during the summers to.
Just realize, that you won't have a lot of high temperature capability and the handling will be sluggish. If you drive this fast and heavily loaded on a hot day, there are no guarantees that this tire will hold up to that. Every tire is a compromise, and if you are wanting one tire that will do better in the winter, it is not going to do as well in the summer.
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You make an excellent point about tire selection. Not wanting to have an extra set of winter tires parked in my already stuffed garage but still desiring to have a modicum of winter performance in an all-season tire, I purchased a set of GY Fortera Triple Tread tires. They apparently perform well enough that they are able to have the 'snowflake' designation. This is actually my second vehicle with these tires and I have been generally pleased with them. The downside (and we know every tire has one or more) is shorter tread life than average and slightly less MPG than the average competing SUV tire. As you say, every tire is a compromise.
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Have the Bridgestone Dueller H/T D687 as OE tires on both the RAV4 and our Highlander, and they've always been perfectly fine in all conditions, including snow. Decent handling, never noisy, good MPG, good in wet/snow, wear pretty well. Our Highlander is on its third set of those tires and my RAV4 is on its second. The Highlander has made it through just about everything fine. The RAV isn't quite as good in the snow as our HL, but it's lacking the full-time AWD and is wearing 235mm tires on my Sport model, so a bit less ground pressure. I don't know that you need snow tires. You might just need different all-season tires.
Be sure to hit the 4WD Lock button to manually lock it in 4WD mode whenever you're starting out in the winter. I hate that it's manual and that you have to keep pushing it everytime you drop back down to lower speeds if you happen to go above 25 mph, but that's the way it is. Some sandbags in the sub-trunk area if you don't have the 3rd row seats might help too, to get a little more ground pressure on the rear tires to help them cut through snow/slush.
Be sure to hit the 4WD Lock button to manually lock it in 4WD mode whenever you're starting out in the winter. I hate that it's manual and that you have to keep pushing it everytime you drop back down to lower speeds if you happen to go above 25 mph, but that's the way it is. Some sandbags in the sub-trunk area if you don't have the 3rd row seats might help too, to get a little more ground pressure on the rear tires to help them cut through snow/slush.
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In my experience the stock tires really suck in the snow. I now switch to dedicated Michelin X-Ice tires in the winter and they make a big difference. Once there is 8" or more nothing is going to help you; I have been high centered more than once at the ski area............ See gallery for pics!
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Yokohama Parada Spec-X. Best value out there for a 30,000-35,000 mile All Season.
Quiet, handles Lakes with ease, can cruise all day at 80mph in 80F. Firm sidewall, yet nice ride quality. Goes through snow like a bear, and is good on Ice also.
If you want a 60,000 mile all season you're better off to go with dedicated snows. The compound on 60,000 mile tires is too hard for Upstate New York.
I don't think my Parada's spun once driving home today in an 8"-12" snow storm with 40mph wind and drifting everywhere.
Just my opinion. Others experiences may vary. This is not a paid product endorsement.
Quiet, handles Lakes with ease, can cruise all day at 80mph in 80F. Firm sidewall, yet nice ride quality. Goes through snow like a bear, and is good on Ice also.
If you want a 60,000 mile all season you're better off to go with dedicated snows. The compound on 60,000 mile tires is too hard for Upstate New York.
I don't think my Parada's spun once driving home today in an 8"-12" snow storm with 40mph wind and drifting everywhere.
Just my opinion. Others experiences may vary. This is not a paid product endorsement.
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Called dealer and was told the tires are AA rated and can't get much better then that. He suggest I drive the car down the next storm and he'd take it out. He's got a whole lot filled with them, so I don't think I'll risk life and limb for that "test". When I asked about other tires gave suggestions he told me why these were better. Then he suggested that I might have experienced loss of traction and the electronic steering at the same time which could explain everything! I'm mostly an around town driver so if things get real bad and I can't get around we will swap them for something better. Funny part is you can't find tire companies selling these.
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