Active Response 4WD - Is it worth waiting for when driving periodically in snow?

[thephatp]

Having driven a plain Jane (1999) 4WD Suburban over Donner pass through maybe 10 severe snow storms and 100s of days hubcap deep snow in Lake Tahoe. I would tell you with a fair amount of certainty, any 4WD Yukon XL you buy will make you feel bullet proof in the snow.

Clearly, the more capability the more bullet proof, but you are well past the point of diminishing returns once you have 4WD and a LSD or locker rear diff.

Great to know, thanks!

One final thing is even with the most capability, you can still screw things up if you are heavy footed and inexperienced. Coming down the mountain today, we watched a couple in a Rubicon Jeep get stuck and high centered over a berm on the side of the trail. She just stood on the gas and was shouting at her windshield…

We hooked her up and backed up the trail dragging her out. Super slick and high arrogance can get you stuck regardless of the bells and whistles.

Excellent point, which I almost learned the hard way recently. I was in Colorado in October during a light snow. I was in a small SUV with AWD and learned very quickly that downhill definitely requires much caution. I do have a heavy foot, but having never really driven in snow, I'll be MUCH more careful from now on.

 

[thephatp]

Did some reading... Considering I'll rarely be towing, and I do have a heavy foot (a little impatient driving to the mountains and want to pass people), I'm leaning to sticking with gas instead. While the savings in gas sounds nice, I'd have to order an $85k Denali XL to get the diesel the way I want it vs an AT4 XL at $80k. So, the savings in gas doesn't quite stand out as much as I would have liked. I don't understand why they force you to add so much unnecessarily to the Denali to get the Active Response system. :/

 

[wsteele]

Did some reading... Considering I'll rarely be towing, and I do have a heavy foot (a little impatient driving to the mountains and want to pass people), I'm leaning to sticking with gas instead. While the savings in gas sounds nice, I'd have to order an $85k Denali XL to get the diesel the way I want it vs an AT4 XL at $80k. So, the savings in gas doesn't quite stand out as much as I would have liked. I don't understand why they force you to add so much unnecessarily to the Denali to get the Active Response system. :/

An AT4 Yukon XL will take you anywhere you want to go. No drama, not even thinking that much about the inch an hour snow that is pounding down.

 

[Stbentoak]

So, this will be my first venture into a larger vehicle for the purpose of mountain (slight off-road, but just over some rocky paths), and possibly hauling a trailer here or there (but again, rarely).

Between that and the lack of diesel in the US, I'm completely unfamiliar with the benefits. Why the strong draw to a diesel? What are the benefits for you? What would be the benefits based on the potential usage I mentioned above?

And thanks for humoring my ignorance.

Well, I don't understand your comment about "Lack of Diesel.." I've travelled many states and I've never had any issue finding fuel. The benefits to us are, we take 2-4 trips a year that are in the 3K mile range. Can go 600 miles on a tank. 28 MPG at 80 MPH vs 16-17.... Don't have to buy Premium fuel... Hate stopping for fuel in a V8 every 4 hours or nervous in a traffic jam when I'm under a quarter tank and we are just creeping along...no worries in a diesel as I prob have another 100 miles of range at that fuel level... Also, if I have to yank my 6K Tritoon 100 miles to a lake, it won't take a half a tank to do it.

It's not for everyone, but having had 4 other ones in the past, it's the only reason I bought Yukon, as it's the last Diesel SUV in real existence.

If you've never had one, and not really sure if it's for you... I'd Pass and just get a normal V8....

 

[CTown Duramax]

Snow tires matter a lot for heavy snow conditions, maybe as much as 4WD. I used to drive 8-10k miles through deep Maine winters every year in a '95 municipal Caprice, most of it over unplowed frost heave two-lane roads. The Caprice was my winter car, had a '98 Z28 convertible for summer. I never got stuck in the Caprice, even going up my steep, 20% grade 200ft driveway after an icy snowfall. The secret was NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA 10 unstudded tires. I have a 4WD diesel hoe now. If I were driving in the winter conditions I used to live in, I would still change to those winter tires.

Re diesel, I like my 3.0L diesel a whole lot after only 2k miles. It's a huge bargain at $995 in the lower trims. I don't think there's any inconvenience with diesel at almost every filling station. It's just the right balance of power and efficiency and has plenty of grunt for a three-ton SUV.

 

[thephatp]

I should have clarified that statement about lack of diesel--it's not from a lack of diesel fuel, but rather, lack of diesel vehicles in general in the US. In Europe, I believe diesel engines make up about half the market, but much fewer here in the US. And the cars (which is exclusively what I've driven until I bought an SUV for my wife) are even more rare in the US. So, I was just pointing out the lack of education on diesel here in the US simply because the engines aren't as common here.

I'd probably be pretty torn on whether to get a diesel or not (biggest concern would be HP when trying to pass someone at 80 MPH), but alas, the AT4 doesn't have an option for diesel. And the Denali would add another $4-5k to get the equivalent features I want, because adding the active response 4WD and air ride requires not just that package, but another $4k of stuff I don't want or need.

 

[thephatp]

Snow tires matter a lot for heavy snow conditions, maybe as much as 4WD. I used to drive 8-10k miles through deep Maine winters every year in a '95 municipal Caprice, most of it over unplowed frost heave two-lane roads. The Caprice was my winter car, had a '98 Z28 convertible for summer. I never got stuck in the Caprice, even going up my steep, 20% grade 200ft driveway after an icy snowfall. The secret was NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA 10 unstudded tires. I have a 4WD diesel hoe now. If I were driving in the winter conditions I used to live in, I would still change to those winter tires.

Thanks for the recommendation on a tire. That'll be another step in the process, and obviously, snow tires are new to me. Can't wait for next winter!

 

[NYisles1]

Always have heard great things about the Nokians as CTown Duramax suggests. In the northeast I've had good success with mild all-terrain mountain/snowflake rated tires on our pickups and SUVs. That setup has worked really well in anything i've encountered in the NE --occasionally deep snow covered roads (6" or more), but more commonly just snow packed roads. Even so, when i look at miles driven for the year in this area it has to be less than 10% on snow -- probably less than 5%. I think for snow tires to payoff on an already capable 4wd SUV like these you'd really have to be logging some serious miles on snow covered roads each year. Then again, that one time they save you is worth alot.

 

[wsteele]

I too think the Nokian's are a great tire, but frankly, I don't think you need them on a Suburban/Yukon XL WB length and weight vehicle equipped with a locker/LSD and 4WD Getting pretty aggressive tread patterns for highway snow conditions is probably a bad trade-off for these trucks. My Sierra AT4 came with Duratracs and when I am off on one of the 4X trails we frequent, es[eciallly in snowy and muddy conditions, they are great. The tradeoff for that is a pretty loud tire when rolling down a normal highway in dry conditions (and they are relatively new, in 30K, they are going to be LOUD).

On our old 1999 Suburban we had just basic All-Season tires and never had an issue, even in the most extreme conditions. I mean, you don't want to stop half way up a steep icy driveway and try and get started again, but otherwise, conservative smooth driving will get you through anything on the highway with the tires that came stock on your Yukon XL.

On the other hand, if I am driving a rear wheel drive sedan with an open diff in extreme conditions, I would want studs. A guy who lives up the road from me drives a Toyota Camry up and down a pretty steep road in the worst snow/ice conditions and seems to get by fine with his studded winter tires. I do know when snow is coming, because I can hear him coming down the road, with his studded tires on the car.

 

[thephatp]

Always have heard great things about the Nokians as CTown Duramax suggests. In the northeast I've had good success with mild all-terrain mountain/snowflake rated tires on our pickups and SUVs. That setup has worked really well in anything i've encountered in the NE --occasionally deep snow covered roads (6" or more), but more commonly just snow packed roads. Even so, when i look at miles driven for the year in this area it has to be less than 10% on snow -- probably less than 5%. I think for snow tires to payoff on an already capable 4wd SUV like these you'd really have to be logging some serious miles on snow covered roads each year. Then again, that one time they save you is worth alot.

I too think the Nokian's are a great tire, but frankly, I don't think you need them on a Suburban/Yukon XL WB length and weight vehicle equipped with a locker/LSD and 4WD Getting pretty aggressive tread patterns for highway snow conditions is probably a bad trade-off for these trucks. My Sierra AT4 came with Duratracs and when I am off on one of the 4X trails we frequent, especially in snowy and muddy conditions, they are great. The tradeoff for that is a pretty loud tire when rolling down a normal highway in dry conditions (and they are relatively new, in 30K, they are going to be LOUD).

On our old 1999 Suburban we had just basic All-Season tires and never had an issue, even in the most extreme conditions. I mean, you don't want to stop half way up a steep icy driveway and try and get started again, but otherwise, conservative smooth driving will get you through anything on the highway with the tires that came stock on your Yukon XL.

On the other hand, if I am driving a rear wheel drive sedan with an open diff in extreme conditions, I would want studs. A guy who lives up the road from me drives a Toyota Camry up and down a pretty steep road in the worst snow/ice conditions and seems to get by fine with his studded winter tires. I do know when snow is coming, because I can hear him coming down the road, with his studded tires on the car.

Greatly appreciate the explanations and thoughts on Yukon capability and 4WD from experience. It's a bit daunting considering I've none. The area I'll be driving where I'm most concerned is a road leading up into the mountains (county maintained), some parts will a decent slope, up to my road, which is not county maintained and is about 16% slope. It's only about 90 ft to worry about from county maintained to my driveway, but still.

I'll probably give it a test run without the snow tires and see how it feels. That said, if I do the snow tires, I'll probably just have them as a backup set--swap them on before the trip, and take them off when back home. And @NYisles1, as you said, it's that 1 time they save me that would make it more than worth it.