My wife had driven Ford Escape for 9 years and I wanted to do something nice for her so I got her a 2006 GX 470. in the Escape she just turned a dial and it was in 4WD. everywhere I look it says the GX is full time four wheel drive. Well we just had some snow here in Salt Lake and she said she was sliding all over the place. The car had brand new Dueler Alenza's ( I HATE Bridgestone tires) and don't know if the problem was the tires or something about the car we don't know about. any ideas?

 

It's the tires for sure. I had Bridgestone Duelers on mine and was slipping like crazy on the snow (and they were also brand new). Just last Monday I picked up a set of meaty all-terrains (General Grabber AT2) and it's a night and day difference. The Duelers are a great tire for someone who lives where it doesn't snow, and they are nice and quiet... but holy crap they suck in the snow.

 

Big, heavy even with AWD does not equate to great "handling" in the snow, it will almost guarantee you won't get stuck in the snow. 5000 plus lbs just doesn't stop on a dime nor stick to the road in a curve....but those tires are terrible also. I live in jersey and I put on dedicated winter tires for Dec-March. Now that makes the difference in the light snow, slush, wet and cold.

 

Thank you to micah360 and ALAN553 for your input. I've been a Michelin fan for years and wanted to try a set of M/S 2's. I just wanted to be sure those Alenza's were P.O.S.'s like every other BS tire before I made that investment .

 

Since you seem to have more winter exposure than I do, the M/S 2s might be the right choice in Michelins. My experience with A/T 2s has been stellar; just purchased my second set (search my posts for details). The smoothness, lifespan and blend of highway and off/road ability is remarkable. My snow driving is limited to Nevada mountain roads and trails for recreation. But the A/T 2s pulled me through situations where I expected to get stuck (dragging the floor pan-deep snow). The treads unload snow very well and keep on gripping. Worth considering, especially if you have a tire retailer that will let you try and exchange for no cost. I've heard some comments about noise with the M/Ts, but I assure you the A/Ts are silent.

 

Thank you zippinbye , that's something to remember if my wife would ever consider taking it off road. As it is, she will only drive on paved roads and very seldomly lets me drive it.

 

I experienced alot of slipping In the snow the past few years as well. I have since put on better tires and have had no issues. Im not sure how bad the snow was where you are at in SLC but My GX did great driving around in the light snow here in Layton and Ogden.

 

Yes, your GX is full-time 4WD. Probably zero need for 4L in the snow around town.

Do take a peek under the truck to ensure you've got two drive lines. One runs to the front diff and the other to the rear differential. (That was an expensive life lesson on a used Jeep CJ that I bought many years ago...)

I'm on Michelin MS/2 with excellent results in UT, then CO and back in UT. In fact, I'm buying a new set next year.

Before you rush out and do anything with tires, you may want to "audit" your spouse's driving. Just saying.

 

The 4.7 liter has a lot of torque (320 ft-lbs, IIRC) so it's possible to break traction.

Is she using the 2nd Start button when in snow & ice?

Chip H.

 

I'm running Goodyear Duratracs on ours, it's the wife's daily driver. Amazing traction in the snow and ice, it has never even occurred to me to try the 2nd gear start feature, totally unnecessary with the available grip.

I run the same tires in a bigger size on my Land Cruiser. Nothing but good things to say about them.

 

why wouldnt there be two drive lines?

 

There are people who will remove the front propshaft to reduce friction loses (hypermilers, usually).
Or it may have failed (bad u-joint, etc) and they didn't want to pay to repair it.

Chip H.

 

It was a lying, cheating seller in my case with the CJ.

Expensive lesson learned.