06 Tahoe 2WD first drive in snow- unimpressed!

10372 Views 17 Replies 8 Participants Last post by BillD64, Apr 14, 2015

Family Force 6

Discussion Starter · Feb 22, 2015

It's snowing like crazy here in Denver and I just drove our new to us 06 Tahoe from downtown to our home about 5 miles away. It was no bueno.
Some background info on the Tahoe
Full tank of gas
Tires: Cooper Discoverer AT3 with 60-70% tread remaining (maybe more)
G80 Differential
Stabilitrak

I made it home safely, but had difficulty starting from a stop. Backend would start to slide one direction or another almost every time. Braking was fine. Even on streets without snow pack (freshly laid snow) I had a hard time getting up slight inclines. I tried it in both 2nd gear and normal Drive- same result, very little traction with the unnerving feeling that the backend would slide around (not excessively). To be fair, it was very slick/icy but not ridiculously bad.

My wife refused to take it back downtown when she left a few minutes ago (daughter is playing in a volleyball tourney) We still have our '99 Suburban and my wife took that instead- said it handled "like a boss".

I'm seriously reconsidering my 2WD purchase. Some things I've read is that the 2WD Tahoes get around fine, but I was more than unimpressed.

Should I have disabled the Stabilitrak? Or are these just dicey vehicles in the snow?

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Chesters

· #4 · Feb 22, 2015

Family Force 6 said:
It's snowing like crazy here in Denver and I just drove our new to us 06 Tahoe from downtown to our home about 5 miles away. It was no bueno.
Some background info on the Tahoe
Full tank of gas
Tires: Cooper Discoverer AT3 with 60-70% tread remaining (maybe more)
G80 Differential
Stabilitrak

My wife refused to take it back downtown when she left a few minutes ago (daughter is playing in a volleyball tourney) We still have our '99 Suburban and my wife took that instead- said it handled "like a boss".

I'm seriously reconsidering my 2WD purchase. Some things I've read is that the 2WD Tahoes get around fine, but I was more than unimpressed.

silverado002 said:

I agree with RayVoy about tires too but you're probably gonna need 4 wheel drive tomorrow. Good luck.

Click to expand...

Soooo, IS The Tahoe a 4w drive? Y or N If Y then in the morning slip it into 4W High and head for the mouse trap. Cooper AT3 a good tire 50% will be fine might like a little more weight in the tail, but hey seems to be the thing now days with the FBG's anyway. Your cool good choice your in the zone!

If N then WTF it is a rear 2W drive, I know Denver doesn't hold her snow, but come on. Gonna need a lot more junk in the trunk! And still would not be my winter driver in Denver, Honolulu yes sir.
Ah but you have way to much vehicle moxie to try and pull that one off, no? Man good thing you took the time to get that Burb back in condition. Any body looking for a real nice Tahoe?

Have always said, if I'm done with it, I know somebody will give me a good buck for it!

Keep smilen,
Chet

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Chesters

· #8 · Feb 22, 2015

Oh yea guys I agree you CAN do it, crap I drove my 66 GTO with MT's on the back thru the winter. But I did't have multiple choices back then either. My wife tried to drive a 94 Camero that we bought brand new and she would not be able to make it up our street back home a couple times a winter. One day she said that's it get me a 4wd and has never turned back. Myself, not for a daily driver in this area, hell I get 4 x 4's stuck in the middle of the roads! Most times I'm better off jumping off the road and using the cornfields if I know a particular hill curve desolate straight pice of road will be 2 to 4 or 5' deep in the dark at 4 am on my way to work.

But then that's nothing like driving the mouse trap during a snow storm, no that's a whole different monster! Oh, I'm normally by myself no family with me either, so yea I WOULD DEFINATLY CHOOSE a rear 2wd if I had my choice and family with me. I can just see me trying to make a couple of runs at a particular bad spot in Denver. Yea that's what I would choose, especially if I had MY choice. Yea right!

Just had to jump in didn't I? Go ahead, get those stones out of your hands!

Oh almost forgot, how do you think those studed tires would go over in your area Pikey LOL

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Chesters

· #10 · Feb 22, 2015

Pikey said:
Studded tires are illegal here! There was only one time in the 10 years I owned that truck that I was afraid that I was going to get stuck. And that was on that hill, I was in the middle of nowhere. But it was a shortcut to work that I took every day. I never had snow tires on the truck just the Michelin multi season. Sure there were times when traffic would stop on a hill with a lot of snow on the ground where I would get slightly nervous about restarting again. But with the G80 never had an issue. Heck, if I came across a killer deal on a 2 Wheel Dr. Tahoe or yukon XL I would not hesitate to take it. There is a lot less maintenance necessary on a 2 Wheel Dr. truck

And more HP ! thanks Pikey, thought that was going to hurt more!

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Chesters

· #12 · Feb 22, 2015 (Edited)

I think studded tires are pretty much illegle in most all states Pikey that was my point

guess having nothing but 4 x 4's might make a difference in my eyes, have a brand new set of the Coopers on my K1500 and they seem to dig every bit as well as the ProComps on my K2500 . Really only difference in my opinion is, the K2500 sits up a lot! higher. So consequently I go much further before I bottom out and sit farther from any help! Haven't happend to me this year, but if memory serves me every year in the past. This year the heart has kept me away from such foolishment

Ah but winter isn't over Chester!

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