How Good (or Bad) Is the Old School Suzuki Samurai 4X4 System in the Snow?

(www.TFLoffroad.com) How Good (or Bad) Is the Old School Suzuki Samurai 4WD System in the Snow?
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[@kaan898]

we had this samurai from 1991 to 1996,this was my dad's favourite 4wd vehicle of all times,he passed away last year,i hope he is doing well with his brand new samurai in heaven...

[@honda116969]

God bless your family & your dad sorry to hear about your loss & you damn right he's up there 4 wheel driving around having a great time don't worry about your dad he's having a blast! 😉👍🏻😎🇺🇸

[@billyputnam6892]

Sorry about your dad. Like you said he's probably having a blast with a Sammy and all the other guys who love these little Riggs!

[@oldwolf1928]

Love My Sammy!

[@SuperEman500]

Nice, here in Eastern Europe i can get a UAZ 469 for €800 - 10,000 euros.

[@chrisgarcia5462]

My father bought my sister one of those back in 89 for school . My brother and I were so surprised that it was a little beast . It went through some of the trails that some of the small Nissan and Toyota pick up's would go through. My father took care of it big time making sure it was topped of with oil, coolant and the thermostat changed every 2 yrs. It ran forever with no issues until some drunk idiot crashed into it 10yrs later with 180,000 miles when it was on the side of the freeway cuz of a flat tire. I was definitely impressed with that little Samurai.

[@Loyalwhiteknight]

Those little Samurais are awesome little rigs. To bad Consumer Reports screwed Suzuki over and tanked they're sales or we would have the Jimny right now with a practical price tag unlike most new 4x4s today. Great video.

[@Offshore1977]

Shawn Showalter Consumer Reports brought the end of the CJ-5 as well.

[@nuur2825]

What did consumer reports say? They weren't safe?

[@kevinsong712]

@@nuur2825 They Faked results and claimed that it flips over.

[@Loyalwhiteknight]

@@nuur2825 While they were testing it and some other SUV's like the Jeep Cherokee, they couldn't make it tip over onto two wheels so they rigged the test and kept at it until they finally got it to do it and when it did, they actually cheered. There's a video of it on KZbin.

[@ggolds5]

The really sad thing for me was I had just purchased a new , first year 87 Samurai. Would you believe I called Consumer Reports and asked them just before it was brought to the Northeast if they were going to test it and if I should buy one before they did or avoid it. I was worried that since the CJ-5 got so poorly rated that the same could happen for the new Suzuki. Of course they said they couldn't give me any information privately. I then bought one, and 1 month later I got the CR issue showing a Samurai on it's side in the snow. I was horrified, was dropped by Allstate insurance. No one would insure it after that. I decided to sell it and oddly enough a local Fireman wanted it anyway. I then bought an 88 Suzuki Sidekick a few months later. They had JUST come out and CR liked it. I still get CR because for the most part they are really good at testing just about everything, but I had a bad taste in my mouth to this day about what they said about the Samurai and how they almost made it so I couldn't sell the damn thing and almost got stuck with it forever. I loved that little trucklet. I almost bought a bootlegged Suzuki ..... can't remember what the smaller, even thinner 900 cc vehicle in 1986. That was only sold in Hawaii and Europe prior to the Samurai and sold them through some car dealerships here in CT. They weren't suppose to sell them supposedly because even Suzuki new those would never make the handling tests. The Samurai was supposedly to be a more stable vehicle and not have the same issues here in the US. Unfortunately CR didn't agree. They stopped selling it in 92 or so. Sales had dipped to just 5K a year. The Sidekick and the GM version badged the Geo Tracker sold very well, even after the Samurai slam. They left the US only about 5 years ago, due to slow sales of their latest car that got good write-ups but a CVT transmission that made the car too slow for the US to be like enough by US drivers.

[@matticusmac6452]

Most underutilized reviewer at TFL, great work.

[@Scottstunts]

Those little things are awesome! They have a t-case that isn’t connected to the trans making engine swaps of all kinds super easy. My buddies got one with a turbo charged Nissian Sr-20 engine.

[@ojbarberena7090]

Here on Colombia we are fortunate to have the new Jimny and it's HOT.

[@spyder000069]

Throw two 60lb bags of sand in the floor behind the front two seats and you will have a beast in the snow. Also get some boots because eventually every samurai driver tries to see just how far they can go.

[@dommm111]

Old school's the best

[@darkstaroblivion]

best 2 4x4 i ever had a zuki and my bronco ii .. while not the fastest they certainly are small light dont cost much to push down the road very good working 4x4 in snow and mud . i miss my old zuki

[@ipdjbt]

I want to see you guys run Fins & Things in the Suzuki!

[@jakestech28]

It's a super easy trail, I bet it would do it. I've seen stock Ford rangers do it... It's not hard at all.

[@mikeyfaulknor9970]

Love my samurai have an 87 tin top. Bought it stock when I was 15 currently on toyota axles caged 37’s extended wheelbase etc... they do great in the snow because of their weight and if they’re locked can go anywhere snow or mud.

[@luvr381]

My '03 XL7 had limited slip diff in front but open in rear, it was awful in snow in 2wd even with good snow tires.

[@jrhunt414]

Never use the parking brake in the winter. Just leave it in gear. At least you’ll only do it once.

[@RememberVietnam]

Why?

[@apumontano4307]

jrhunt414 too risky since it’s a stick shift

[@dmitriyplaksin5272]

Will be interesting to see comparison with Mahindra Roxor especially on.winter offroad obstacles

[@mukundthorat5672]

Suzuki has better ground clearance and ramp over angle and is lighter. Both have open diff both ends .I suspect Suzi will come out on top. Roxor has torque which is useful in crawling on the rocks. The comparison should be fun to watch

[@howarja]

That was a fun video! Really enjoyed watching!

[@willhopkins678]

I had one it was badass went everywhere in the blizzard even after the blizzard excellent little 4 wheeler,I'm talking the older model

[@LoudGuitar14]

It's the switch under the brake handle keeping the light on and not actually frozen. Just have to wiggle the handle as you lower it. Also dear Denver, a mile is not that high. Lots of us live well above that

[@Loyalwhiteknight]

It wasn't the light, the brakes were actually on and frozen. Most of us in cold climates leave the car in gear and the emergency brake off during the colder temps.

[@LoudGuitar14]

@@Loyalwhiteknight It's rolling just fine and not frozen. I've lived through winter in the Rockies with a Samurai too. I think he got tricked by the light

[@Loyalwhiteknight]

I thought the same thing at first too but he asks if it's maybe just the light and says no, it's the brake because it should be rolling back and it's not.

[@OverlandTT]

As for braking in a manual transmission - you should only ever press the clutch just as you hit stall speed/come to a almost complete stop.

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

The only thing I don't like about these trucks is they are sprung for carrying weight, and if you are just driving your butt around they ride pretty stiff. It's fine on road, drives like a truck, but offload there is very little flex and you basically bounce over things. There are some leaf spring swaps you can do, but in stock form it's like driving a pogo stick.

[@marysmith4576]

Ok ive found that my braking is actually better in 4wd than 2wd. This in all of our older 4x4 vehicles (50 cj3a, 63 cj3b, 70, j20, 00 suzuki vitara and 02 suzuki vitara). With a gear to gear "mechanical" transfer case and NO traction control the braking seems to help balance out our braking power front to rear. Almost all of these are on all season "Generals" which help out greatly.

[@garrettabell4741]

I miss my samurai. Bought it with a bad engine. Rebuilt it with a over bore and put on a Weber carb. Still wasnt the fastest but it would good for what it was. Top speed was a little over 70 mph

[@lonebrave630]

had an 88 and lived in rollinsville on peak to peak worked at the peaceful valley ranch drove 5 days a weak in all conditions wishing i still had it was a bullbog in snow with studded snow tires went anywhere in the front range i wanted

[@Weebbs]

Loved my old Samurai...

[@audesai]

I hope they were just playing around with the hair dryer for content cause Hand Brake in Suzuki Samurai is mounted on the transfer case as opposed to the actual wheels... hence the manual has separate set of instruction on engaging and disengaging the handbrake for protecting the cogs...

[@Bearlake1624]

Blast from my past I had the 1987 model mine was a great car for what is was with its limitations.

[@alfredellis8026]

put 215 tires K02 bridgestone they fit on your rims. I’m on my second set of K02s. A game changer

[@maltem6226]

The all Season vs Snow Tires debate is so weird to me... in my part of germany there ist like mostly no snow at all (3 days last year and maybe 20-25 days below zero (32F)) and probably 50% and more of the cars are on dedicated snow tires.

[@dsf5362]

I had a hard top the first year they were out. Never got to drive in snow but off road it was amazing. Yeah jeeps are better blah blah but not for the money. The thing that killed it for me was when my commute went to up an hour each way. The suspension travel being so low made my balls ache. Ha.

[@kaptainkoolz6359]

Dont know about suzuki but the manual on my mid 90's toyota advises to not use the parking brake in below freezing temps, I carry a wheel chock in the bed for such situations.

[@jp-fv8ph]

Here in india it's known as gypsy , and still in production used heavily by indian army ,very reliable compact car

[@tokslut]

"205 section tires" As a Swede that sounded strange, you don't say 205(mm) wide over there? And Good job! You got this ;)

[@Floreypottery]

My friend had one no top put in 4 low it could pop willies lol scary fun stuff

[@foxtroth1]

oh snow tires like a regular studded snow tire? a tire that actually works. and not the so called "winter" all terrain snow tires that, resembles hard plastic. when it gets below 20F

[@fastestmanalive4]

I’m not sure if you guys have done it before but can you do a test of snow tires vs all season tires and do a test on stoping distance that would be cool oh and does it matter if you have a 4wd car with snow tires vs all seasons

[@adolfoabhurtadoc6106]

Minute 0:59...... that leaf spring frame mount doesent look´s so well D:

[@mohamedmajed6870]

Not sure what is the eventual plan for that car ..but if you guys ever going to sell let me know ..I love small old 4x4s and It's really hard to find one of these for sale in Bahrain ...this was a cool video though enjoyed every bit of it

[@Slipknotyk06]

You should have done the 2wd stop test. I'm betting the added stability of 4wd made it stop marginally better. I'm betting the stop test in 2wd was 225-230.

[@vwmetal66]

Next I want to see what this thing can do in all stock form with those tires on the trail. Please!

[@tokslut]

Just a little tapp on the mouting plate is all (inside/backside of drum). Usually no need of any force, just a tapp. My trailer brakes do this from time to time...

[@honda116969]

Such a cool old school ride I love that shit in the great condition it's in!👍🏻🇺🇸🛵💨

[@1234tric]

How do you suggest putting it in 4 wheel drive at any time. When the manufacture says only drive it on hwy. in 2 wheel drive, unless it's 4 wheel drive situations .

[@kccollins8994]

I feel you could stop faster if you down shifted as well as brake to stop.

[@michalbarsfajny4268]

If it is freezing, dont use your parking brake. I never do during winter. It can freeze or jam on any car

[@justryan5697]

This is the truck...because yes it’s a truck... that got me into cars. 🙂

[@1Also]

1:06 I can’t believe you didn’t say “Colder in Boulder,”

[@fastestmanalive4]

I know it does make a difference by the way just want to see if it’s a big difference

[@elsuperpollo2273]

I would drive a 1980's Suzuki samurai in 2023, especially since I hate new electronics they put in vehicles today

[@jedironin380]

The 1.3L naturally expired motor... ;) Snow tires for Sammy should be pretty inexpensive at that size. Check out General Altimax Arctic tires.

[@TheCronan]

You don´t use the hand brake when its freezing outside (unless you park on a slope). P or leave it in 1st gear is sufficient. /Swede

You definitely need to get new tires but I think - given the type of the vehicle - you should get snowflake-rated AT tires, not dedicated snows. There are quite a few of them for this vehicle.

[@HOCKEYRULES19971]

g oconnell i have a samuri for off road twin lockers and snow tires love it thanks for the test

[@GSCETR]

Wasn't it known for being tippy, i didn't see you test that.

[@scotchbudmeister9018]

I bought a new '87 at Leo Payne - that could be it! lol

[@Sakralny19]

Hand brake in samurai is on the drive shaft :)

[@Dragunov302]

Always thought samurais were cool and unique. I prefer auto locking hubs tho vs manual. However I do like a manual transfer case

[@pamodousawaneh]

I love the samurai send it to me in the Gambia

[@jarrahpitt4706]

Lol the hand brake is on the tail shaft not the drums 😂

[@kolyan1980]

Rev up your Samurais !!!!⛩🕹🔑

[@artnoll]

Service brake cable every 30 years, or when it stops working - whichever occurs first.

[@sevensenseification]

never use the handbrake in the winter for a long time if you have drumbrakes.

[@paulcondie2520]

Awesome little machine! SMALL!!! lol Awesome in the woods, especially in the tight stuff. Like a lil go cart. Way good when modded!

[@valentincano5401]

Awesome vid

[@Hydrostream1972]

WHAT'S THE MPG'S IN THE SUMMER TIME? ????

[@martinlocke6293]

No point in locking hubs unless the diffs are welded

[@fredbrackely]

Errr 1:21 you actually have it set to cold. No Barbie mobile should be without a pink hairdryer as part of the tool kit haha.

[@767dag]

Anybody that grew up in the cold, is aware that you don’t set your parking brake

[@rajuseth1683]

@TFLoffroad can you get tata safari storm & review it

[@Lanciarules]

Is thar on your wrist a seiko skx009?

[@Microplastic_Therapy]

On a old carbureted engine, I recommend checking/adjusting the gap on the spark plugs. I also recommend preforming a sea-foam treatment to get rid of carbon buildup

[@space6712]

What’s the color code of this samurai?

[@space6712]

Can I get the color code of this samurai please?

[@wallacepelletier698]

i don't care what kind of 4x4 you have if you drive in winter with crappy tires like you have on there it isn't going to be the greatest at anything,and believe me those tires you have on there are garbage for winter.you should have given the little zuki half a chance at least with good tires.......ZUKI FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!

[@truthbetold89]

Are those old Suzuki samurais reliable?

[@Rudrasharma3388]

More than any car

[@seanfrank4158]

Two things wrong with running Samurai's in winter. The interior heater SUCKS!!! And the body rusts BAD! Well....really the body would rust out in the Arizona desert regardless. Other than that those little Sammy's were fun vehicles.

[@johnyreb5464]

Tech tip for millennials don't use the e break in the winter time it freezes turn off engine put in first gear

[@dungdoan9830]

Nice 👍

[@jebu100]

In this situation you are just testing the tires not the car.. in my country we call samurai as gypsy and believe me this car perform amazing on 14 thousand feet or even higher roads in Himalayas

[@paradiseroad6405]

...testing the tires and driver...

[@blooberization]

hahaha thats amazing, gypsy, love it

[@takiman1]

Here in Sweden in the north you never put the parking break on in sub-zero degrees. Rather leave the manual transmission in 1st gear. But, that mistake almost everyone has done at least once. Great content!

[@takiman1]

ConnorConzo123 well, just like showed in video- the handbrake freeze shut and you can’t/ have a hard time get it free.

[@michaelheimbrand5424]

I wonder if the swedes ever forget these basic skills? Svar ja, häromdagen i mitt fall. ;)

[@Tango4N]

@@ConnorConzo123 See my comment above! From Canada and the same thing... don't use it in winter for parking.

[@Jimfinn649]

Surprised this guy didn't know to not leave the E brake on while parked on level ground in freezing temps..with a warmer garage in front of him..when planning to make a video the next morning. His reading the "recommendations" was torcherous.

[@LouieSmithSenior]

"My feet are about a foot." wise words.

[@metalman69201]

Mine too!

[@jonny-nava-367]

Mine 10 1/4"

[@anilpanta1505]

I have maruti Suzuki gypsy MG410 that is 1000 cc. I live in Himalayan region and have driven it on river beds, snow, ice and mud on quite steep inclines and no roads. It is very good in snow in 4L, but on ice one has to be extra alert like in any other car.

[@Bigben-pz8bx]

Don’t use the parking brake in the winter. Park the car in 1st or reverse

[@regsparkes6507]

@Jason ...and or freeze!

[@Billy123bobzzz]

@Jason When the weather gets cold enough we do hat regardless of the possibility of snow because the brakes have frozen of us with no snow in sight.

[@KTMcaptain]

Jason you don’t need it to snow. Simply getting moisture on the brake and having the temperature plummet is all it needs.

[@andreasm2882]

Yup, and these guys should have known this. It is not like this is their first winter

[@Sebastian_Dinwiddie]

It was on flat ground. Don’t use the park brake on an old vehicle in the winter. Google to the rescue! Let’s see, run the engine to generate heat. Genius! Thank you google! Seriously people?

[@cnoyes72]

"fast" and "snow" don't go together, unless your goal is to get into an accident.

[@hk-1290]

Can I add Whiskey too your equation 🥃😋?

[@scenicdriveways6708]

I had a 1988 Suzuki Samurai and it had no problem with the Wyoming winters , it was also very good on the mountain trails.

[@Teamoneilrally]

These things were GREAT. Here in the northeast the trails are often so tight and narrow, these can go places that bigger rigs just don't fit.

[@cornrichard]

Samurai won't blow heat out of the dash. Floor and defrost vents only. The little pictures on the control lie.

[@Billy123bobzzz]

Thats not the only car the did that, since heat rises it worked passably well, it just took longer to defrost the windshield.

[@Offshore1977]

The pictures don’t show heat from the dash either. Look carefully, it only shows from the floor and defogger

[@pryme2013]

My old 82 toyota 4wd didnt blow fron the dash vents either. Only floor or defrost vents.

[@stalincat2457]

It's designed that way on purpose to prevent people getting sleepy. It's a Japanese thing.

[@ohmyadventure61]

This is true. I almost forgot. I always had a blanket in mine because as soon as you started moving all the heat blew out the softtop.

[@ec6933]

Man that thing looks good

[@greenman2515]

Oh wow the memories! Lol I beat the crap out of mine it always came back for more. My only complaint at the time was that any speed over 65 and it sounded like it was going to fly apart because of how it was geared lol definitely not a interstate vehicle but man it was so fun off road. I drove that thing for years.

[@GreatW0N]

4WD does actually help stopping a bit. When in 4HI the front and read axles are connected, so as the front brakes harder it slows down the rear tires more than if it were in 2WD. There are some videos on KZbin comparing braking in 4WD vs 2WD.

[@mikijovanovic525]

He should have downshift it too while braking

[@tmar9159]

Agreed. On that vehicle, with a basic 4HI system, I think you will find that it WILL stop a litter better in 4wd rather than 2wd. When in 2wd, on a snow/ice covered road, many times the front wheels will lock up and the rears will keep rolling. In 4wd, all 4 wheels should lock up at about the same time. You then modulate or pump the brakes to just BEFORE the brakes lock up for the best braking.

[@roxydog545]

With the motor running, take a hose, if you got one, attach one end to tailpipe and point the other at the rear drums. Wait for it... then drive away. The heat from the exhaust will thaw the drums. Only try this if the unit is parked outside, safety first.

[@adammontgomery1405]

when are you putting it against a Roxor

[@johnpearson492]

A Samurai with real snow tires is by in far the most controllable and best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow. In 2wd it's just powerful enough to have fun doing low speed drifting. In 4x4, it's just about impossible to spin the tires. Short cars do want to lift off oversteer a bit in the snow but I've never found it a problem to correct. Simply put, a Samurai is a fun vehicle in the snow, capable and engaging to drive.

[@morgancoldfirecoldfire8256]

never use your parking brake in the winter . If you have any experience in cold whether you will know this.

[@EastCoastATV]

You can use it in the winter if you use it all the time. If you don't use it much at all it will seize on you when you go to use it, no matter the weather. I live in a snow belt and use mine everyday and never have a problem with it.

[@morgancoldfirecoldfire8256]

if you get freezing rain with high winds it still can freeze up had a 1999 f350 Duelly freeze its parking brake. In like 5 hours . @@EastCoastATV

[@johnpearson492]

I've been using the handbrake daily on my manual cars for the last five winters in the snowbelt. Never once had an issue. We don't get any freezing rain here like down south. I have had trouble with ice building up on slotted brake rotors then not allowing me to stop the first stop after driving. I'll never put slotted rotors on a car again after that.

[@morgancoldfirecoldfire8256]

live in alberta get all type of whether up from freezing rain to -45 C with out wind chill. I would not recommend to use the hand brake in winter . Most likely its more of a problem with vehicles that are older but ive had it happen on a few vehicles and I would not recommend it . First gear should hold you just fine . @@johnpearson492

[@tylerdavidson2400]

Morgancoldfire coldfire I lived in Wisconsin and used it all the time.You must be talking about old cars

[@Sig721Tau]

TFLoffroad, You guys should review the 2019 Suzuki Jimny that's currently out now. Looks pretty cool.

[@brandondannys-menary3678]

Not available in the usa

[@martinder3199]

Do the canadians have it? Maybe the canadian TFL branch has access...

[@Sig721Tau]

@@martinder3199 My thoughts exactly.

[@XerxesTheGreatOne]

@Martin Der, we do NOT have the Jimny in Canada. I wish we did, I would have bought one yesterday! It's a shame that Suzuki left Canada because the SX4 and the Grand Vitaras were selling well in Canada and my gf at the time was also considering the Kizashi just before they left Canada a few years back. The only reason we didn't get the Kizashi was because we ended up worrying about warranty and long term part support when we heard Suzuki may be leaving Canada and US.

[@robertwilliams3457]

Awsome video! Great little truck. Nice to see one that hasn't been molested and turned into a beast off-roader. I own an 86 Samurai and drive it daily.

[@vinuv16]

Samurai's cousin Gypsy in India is a great offroader climbing himalayas with ease.

[@90AlmostFamous]

Vv hese I will take Gypsy over those gimmick suvs any day

[@boohoomoron7629]

Love this car especially the way it creeps the jeep folks out of their mind ... Lol

[@Billy123bobzzz]

Exactly! I also love the look on Jeep driver's faces when the Suzuki passes them on the trail, its priceless!

[@MrELIAN602]

Suzuki Samurai Rules

[@davidbrennan5]

Buddy of mine had one and with good snow tires it would climb hills that 95 percent of vehicles couldn't in the Winter after big storms, That thing was easy to lift go from under leaf springs to over leaf springs add some brake extensions and you have a 3" lift. It was light so it was good in the mud the short wheelbase made it awesome for going through narrow ditches. Bigger tires Lockers and lower gearing for the axles are the best mods you can do to one.

[@78a67h]

Bravo! These are the kind of tests off-roaders are REALLY interested to see.

[@patloughner9551]

I had a 1995 Samurai, I had that thing in places you couldn't walk. It was so much fun to 4 wheel in. I use to jump it, cross deep creeks, and used it for hunting , fishing, and camping. I used it for yard work too. If it didn't rust away, I'd still have it.