Its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

I got 2WD 5.4L Super Crew, dont snow here dont have a boat, I do have atv's and soon to get utility trailer to tow them to the riding spots figure I beat on them then my daily driver. I still can go places in my 2wd F-150, please so far haven't wished I had 4x4, to many running around here that dont even go 4x4'ing just like the soccer mom's and doctors in there Hummer's cool to have but never use it. That was what I had to decide on how much will I use it, hardly ever--I'll take the 2wd, thank you, but ya there cool but how old are you just to get 4x4 because it's "cool" not a good reason! I like how they are higher to, but you can lift the 2wd up some also as well. If you live in snow then 4x4, if your got other toys like me use them to beat-on in the off-road, then get 2wd. bottom line is get the F-150 5.4L! I probably would have got the 4x4 if it wasn't $150 more a month wasn't worth it since I wouldn't have had any use. I had a F-250 4x4 and used the 4x4 like 4 times in 8 years and those times probably didnt need it either!

 

Since we're still talking in this thread I may as well put in my $0.02.

I went with a 2WD truck even though I wanted 4WD originally, I got a lot more truck for my $ that I wouldn't of otherwise gotten had I of put the extra money to 4WD.

I live in Canada and it snows here...a lot This last winter I drove my 328IS RWD BMW with almost 50/50 weight distribution...car weighs 3400LBS (rough estimate I'm not bothering to look it up). If I made it fine through the winter are you telling me that you have trouble with your truck with weight in the bed?

Unless you're rolling on some summer performance rubber on your 2WD and have an empty bed...you'll be fine. My 79 F-150 was 2WD and it was fine as well...

I'm not saying 4WD isn't great, I'm just saying it's more of a 'nice to have' then a 'must have' unless you are truly riding off road...in over a foot of fresh snow I was fine in my 79...in my BMW I drove through over 6" of snow with moderate effort the semi's were drifting lane to lane in that even...

Anyway, if finances are better next truck will be a F350 loaded with 8" lift and 37" tires...because I 'can' not because I need it ;D

Anyway...carry on with this thread, maybe OP will come back and tell us what he decided...if he still has the truck or what not haha.

 

TO OP: get the 4x4. it's only a little bit more money. and the 1 time you need it, you'll regret not having it the rest of the time you own the truck. I'm done with 4x2 myself. I have 4 basic requirements for buying a vehicle.
1. 3.0 liter or better V-6, but a V-8 is most desired
2. 4x4
3. 4+ Safety Rating
4. American Brand, Ford/Chevy/Dodge (and mostly American made if possible)

Don't learn your lesson the hard way like I did. There hasn't been a 4x2 in my driveway for over 8 years. I agree, the 4x4 gets used only 4-5 times a year for play/necessity. But it's advantages more than outweigh the supposed negatives.

The 4x4 components add about 500lbs to the truck. They are non-rotating, so the only wear and tear in the entire system is the t-case. Engage the 4x4 1 time per month and you can easily have the 4x4 components last the life of the vehicle.

people like to claim bad MPG with the 4x4 also. it's not true of Ford and Chevy anymore. Dodge still uses Constant Motion, so they're MPG is somewhat affected if 4x4.

as for insuring, I'm puzzled by what you said. I've had misc 4x2 SUV's and Truck...and many 4x4 SUV's and Trucks. they are all about the same. Foreign jobs cost more to insure, but that's about the only difference.

 

wow...another thread that is over the hills in age...dang it, I've got to start looking at the dates

 

I agree with ya man.

I had my truck in 2wd backing out of a driveway. Icy steep, steep street. My friends truck was behind mine. I had to put it in 4wd or I woulda slid back into him if I touched the gas in 2wd.

Not to mention that I got stuck at the car dealership in 2wd on an ice puddle (easily resolved by backing up and going again lol) but like tohers have said. Better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it.

Btw, on one of the roads I saw like 2 cars get stuck on a 3 lane road. I was the only one that could get up. It was an F150 and a BMW. They couldn't get up. Imagine, paying for a tow a few times b/c you can't get up the hill. Might as well just get the 4wd instead and not waste time. Not to mention - time is money.

-rockstate

 

X3 on what tylus and rockstate45 said....get the 4x4, the 1 time you need it you will not regret it, because if you get stuck and you have to have a Dodge or rockstate45 come pull you out...



























jk rockstate

 

lol my truck can't pull out a Ford. It makes mince meat of Dodges and Chevy's though.

Actually though... some dude in a SCREW Ford woke my *** up with his loud exhaust. He got stuck in a mudpit. I walk outside, call over to him see if he needed a tow. He was like "nah, it's cool - we're in front of the house." 10 minutes later, I drive by and there was a Chevy pulling him out. I just bout threw up.

-rockstate

 

The Ford should have been pulling the Chevy into the mud pit, unhooked and left him were he belongs!



I like your grille guard, looks good all black.

 

I'm just wondering who these people are that are driving these cars...I've seen 4x4 SUV's pulled over at the side of the road in the winter (Explorers, Blazers and 4Runners...brand doesn't seem to matter) and I've driven by them, this past year in my BMW (which is light and tiny and technically by all accounts of people here should be horrible in the snow) and last year in my monte carlo...again not exactly the greatest winter vehicle (only 2WD! :P ) but yet I'm quite fine...and I live in Canada...you know where we have igloo's and dog sleds ;P

Seriously...if you can't handle the weather then people should stay at home regardless of what you drive

Still though, 4WD isn't a bad thing...it's just only necessary if you are truly going to be off road...it's not going to save you on ice, only studded tires and slow speeds will do that regardless of what you are driving...or maybe chains.

-Chad

ps. Just thought I'd add due to contract work I was doing this winter I drove over 20,000KM's during the extremely bad weather months here...so it's not like I'm only going to the corner store and having these problems

 

Be very careful with Ford's 4X4 design. I have an 04 Lariat Supercrew with 51,000 miles on it that's in the shop for a $1,500.00 repair bill. Take a look at this video first and then read the rest of my post.

YouTube - Ford F150 - 4 Wheel Drive Disconnect

The system is a good system except when it fails. My solonoid failed and my left hub froze up, keep in mind the system must be pressurized to disengage the front axles. When pressure fails the diaphram gets sloppy. When this happens the gears start to wear, my sounded like I was dragging a 50 lb sheet of metal under the left front side. My mechanic installed a new hub bearing yesterday and today it is shot because he made the mistake, after carefully looking over the axle's gears, that the axle gears were good. He asked me to come into his shop and see what he was talking about because I was naturally pissed off when he told me he has to install another hub bearing and the axle.

The hub bearing is $230, the axle is $380 plus the time it will take him to repair both sides, yes, the right side is seized as well. After he fixed the left today (again) he took the right side off and sure enough, same problem. He charge me for the parts for both left and right and the labor on the right side. Even with his help, I left the shop $1,350 lighter than when I came in.

He recommended I bring the truck to his shop every three months so we can put it on the lift to see if the front axles turn when the 4 wheel drive switch is engaged to avoid the bearings seizing again.

If you are not going to routinely use 4X4, then until Ford redesigns this system, I would stear clear of 4X4 unless you like to dump close to $1,600-$1,700 into the front end every 3-4 years. This is coming from a guy who owns one and is going to put the truck in the classified section of the newspaper today.

 

Oh yeah dude, people can't drive in the winter. I feel as if I'm a fortunate one but still, I use 4wd when I get stuck (which would be at every hill b/c 381 hp and the crappiest tires on the market didn't help out much - the new BFGs should be a REALLY nice change in the snow).

Oh, and on a side note... I was driving home from Target in the truck and in my neighborhood it is a gentle upslope with a gentle curve to the left. I was going about 15 mph on the snow. I touched the gas, bringing the RPMs up from about 1500 to 1800 and my back end started to come around. I had to save my *** before my Traction control even started blinking lol.

On your note, people with 4wd feel as if they are invincible. It only helps you to get going, not to stop. In my blue Expy I used A4WD b/c it was safer. In my red Expy with nice Goodyear A/Ts, I would just use 2wd since I didn't spin a lick on the snow/ice.

Those oldschool BMWs can go just about anywhere I hear I wouldn't put much money on the Monte Carlo though lol

-rockstate

 

Haha you're just being nice. You know a Chevy doesn't deserve something as nice as a mud pit


Thanks man! I like the Ranch Hand too. It helps hide the ugliness while adding character, brute strength to something that crumples like a tin can (they get totaled out REAL easy), and it's fun to run over stuff lol

You should put one on your F150. Mine was about $600 installed (I ain't gonna put on a 112 lb grille guard in an apartment parking lot with nothing to rest it on lol)

-rockstate

 

I knew there was something in your sig pic that made your truck better looking then the rest of those yota's running around. I think the grille would look great on my truck too but just spend about $600.00 on adding the trailer towing mirrors....so all other mods on are stand-by...lol



sorry for getting

 

haha I like to say my truck "has a nice personality" cause it surely won't win any beauty contests lol

Damn I didn't know they were that expensive. When I first saw them on an F150 he wanted to race me on the highway. He got a good jump on me but I reeled him in real fast - I wanted to see those tow mirrors again. It confused me b/c it was prolly last summer when they first came out i spose. they looked good though!

-rockstate