Rav4 And Deep Snow

[metoy]

How RAV4 handles in deep snow? I am considering RAV4 and Landcruiser. I don’t drive off-road much. It’s just the last two winters I could not make it to work.

Thank you.

[Bristim]

Driving in REALLY deep snow, the main problem is losing traction due to lack of ground clearance. In that respect the Landcruiser will be better than the RAV due to more ground clearance and weight...

But with more weight the Landcruiser will be harder to control and have more momentum than the RAV - just search youtube for many videos of people sliding out of control.. On another well known RAV website there are lots of Canuks and Yanks who seem to deal with far harder winters with a RAV. I'm also sure that the Scottish brethern will be on here shortly with lots of comments about 'dahn sath'.

That said, just fitting winter tyres makes a massive difference to whatever you are driving - many Swedes drive 2WD Volvos after all! 4x4 is a luxury most of the time and a necessity rarely. I once passed a large 4x4 which had all 4 bling low profile wheels going round on a hill in a very small 2WD hatchback with winter tyres

If the snow is actually that deep and you do not know how to drive in it, no car is going to make a difference to ending up in that ditch. If you fancy a RAV - go for it and use the 'snow' as a good excuse - but make sure that you know how to control a skid, get the best traction etc. if you do go out in it, otherwise you can end up as part of the biggest problem in snow - other people getting stuck and blocking the road.

If it is that bad, always ask if you really need to go, or could just build a snowman instead. :D

[local hero]

I Think you will manage Stew

[bothwell_buyer]

I have 2 RAV4s - both 3 door and lightweight and both with wide tyres which are Falkens - which are fitted for good handling on fast roads etc.... and both did really well in the recent winter that stopped most of Glasgow. Then both are 4 wheel drive and driven with care and Scottish determination, they passed by every other motor on the roads. nuff saud !!!

[*srjp*]

It'll cope with snowy and icy roads fine, winter tyres being in the very least 'a good idea', however I've tried to take mine off-road a bit in the snow and ice and it's rubbish at that so steep country lanes are possibly best left to the Land Cruiser. I suspect it's really my Pirelli 'SUV' winter tyres at fault though so might try and get some more nobbly ones this year.

[Manxrav]

I am seriously thinking of buying some Snow socks for the front wheels of my U/C ready for if we have bad snow again this winter. Don,t know whether they are any good but think they are well worth a go. It,s not so much the deep snow but the Ice on the roads that puts the fear of God up me.

Regards Clare

[Mike JD]

I am seriously thinking of buying some Snow socks for the front wheels of my U/C ready for if we have bad snow again this winter. Don,t know whether they are any good but think they are well worth a go. It,s not so much the deep snow but the Ice on the roads that puts the fear of God up me.

Regards Clare

Fair point re ice. Last winter round yur on and off the moor hard packed snow and ice was the real problem and NOTHING coped on the skating rinks and toboggan runs that our lanes became.

Going back to the start point of this thread, if real mud-plugging off-roading, regular snow or serious towing were on the agenda then it would have to be the LC but in every other respect I would choose the RAV. On ice the bigger they are the harder etc........... The RAV is the better bet for the majority of the year and while its 4x4 abilities are not class winning they ain't bad either (where's me tin hat?.....). Just think, with the money you save on fuel alone you could buy those winter tyres and narrow the winter performance gap even more!

Mike D

[bluevortex]

Metoy - don't waste your money on a LC. The Rav4 is extremely capable in snow and Ice. Please see my thread above as I am selling a virtually new set of genuine Toyota alloys and Vredestein snow tyres withonly 4 months use - barely even used any tread on the tyres in this time. The Rav was great fun and I will miss it next winter :(

[Remoh1]

I have the RAV4 2004 with falken tyres fitted and I have driven that in all conditions, including a daily commute from Newport pagnellto Staines (57 miles each way) during all the bad weather we have had since feb 2009. That includes up to 18" of snow. As long as you remember to be gentle on the throttle, brakes and steering you will have no trouble and be able to go anywhere even if you have the auto version like I do

[redlew]

This winter it coped with everything I asked it BUT when the snow got about 10 inches deep, I didn't risk it -for a start the exhaust would have been making a channel in the snow and I didn't want to get stuck. Tyres are the key -worn tyres aren't going to get you anywhere and proper winter tyres will be better than all year ones.

[CharlieFarlie]

Metoy - don't waste your money on a LC. The Rav4 is extremely capable in snow and Ice. Please see my thread above as I am selling a virtually new set of genuine Toyota alloys and Vredestein snow tyres withonly 4 months use - barely even used any tread on the tyres in this time. The Rav was great fun and I will miss it next winter :(

Mate PM Me regarding the above mentioned wheels ?? I may have them if We can agree a price ??? Cheers

Charlie.

[three5]

How RAV4 handles in deep snow? I am considering RAV4 and Landcruiser. I don’t drive off-road much. It’s just the last two winters I could not make it to work.

Thank you.

Hi Adam,

I've had a long list of 4x4s over the last 40 years - Landrover 88s and 108, Landrover 90s, 2 Isuzu Troopers, a Discovery, Suzuki Vitara and finally the 4.3 5Dr 2.2D-4D RAV. In the snow we get in this country it's no contest. The RAV is nimble and easy to drive and despite trying some pretty daft things I could NOT get it stuck. Oh, and it only has ordinary Michelin Latitude Tour tyres on it. Have a look at the threads on driving in snow that were posted on here in January/February this year.

[redlew]

"Oh, and it only has ordinary Michelin Latitude Tour tyres on it." I've got them but they have the M&S symbol on them so I assume that they are designed for mud and snow even if not a full blown winter tyre.

[Bristim]

I am seriously thinking of buying some Snow socks for the front wheels of my U/C ready for if we have bad snow again this winter. Don,t know whether they are any good but think they are well worth a go. It,s not so much the deep snow but the Ice on the roads that puts the fear of God up me.

Regards Clare

I have a mate who owns a BMW - in the snow this year he had to drive in reverse for 2 miles to be able to get off the motorway but got some snowsocks and had no problems - if they make a BMW drivable in the snow...

[MarsKy]

"Oh, and it only has ordinary Michelin Latitude Tour tyres on it." I've got them but they have the M&S symbol on them so I assume that they are designed for mud and snow even if not a full blown winter tyre.

M+S is just a marketing gimmick, usually put on nobbly tyres put on 4x4s by manufacturers to make them look the part. They are not designed to any industry recognised standard.

Whereas the winter tyres with snowflake and mountain symbol are designed and made to an industry standard, having proper rubber compound for below 7'C, and usually patterns to grip better in the snow/ on ice.

Some countries insist on winter tyres, and they won't accept M+S.

Snow socks - as soon as you get on any bit of tarmac, like at a junction, they will get chewed up quite easily.

[Worlds End Stu]

Last summer I bough a cheap and cheerful (£1200) RAV 4.1 precisely for some cheap 4WD capability should we have another nasty winter after I had some scarey experiences in my regular (RWD) car the previous winter.

I had a set of winter tyres fitted and nothing could stop me during the snow we had over last winter.

I don't think we had much more than about 12" of snow around here but it was enough to force loads of people to abandon cars as they got stuck.

Never a problem with the RAV and it was great driving along deserted snowy roads. My parents live at the top of a very steep hill and when we had the worst of the snow no one had even bothered attempting to get up or down it. I did it in the RAV with no drama.

I'm chuffed to bits with my "banger" and hope it will continue to give me cheap and effective winter transport for many years to come.

So for me, it's a no brainer. Get a RAV !