Well heres my oppinion


My dad owns a 98 chevy pickup, 4x4 with limited slip rear.

I know its a chevy, but the concepts remain the same.

in 2wd the truck does pretty darn well...BUT in heavy snowfall if you hit the gas and spin the rear...the rear end will literally slid out from underneath you, before you know it, your pointing the wrong way...where as open difs (like in both my trucks, my 2wd and 4x4) will stay in one place and spin one wheel...BUT you arent sliding off the road, now, my dads truck gets around good in 2wd, but if you drove his in 2wd and my 85 in 4x4 i will go ALOT more places than his, even through i dont have as good as tires, and heres the reason, the largest portion of your weight is up front, on the front wheels. Thats why you need those to spin, the correct way to chain up a 4wd, everyone who lives in the snow knows, is to chain the front, you will go ANYWHERE with a set of front chains on.

Theres been times when id be driving over the pass (if you lived here youd understand) in my truck and all of a sudden out of nowhere a subaru will smoke you like your going backwards, simply because they run AWD, all the time...

If you ever live in the snow, you can spend an entire night pulling 2wd trucks out of a little dip in the road with your 4x4. even thought hey have studs and you dont, its just a matter of weight, ask jade when we went 4x4'n in the snow,heres a pic for ya

(everyday driving in the N. Idaho winter)



now granted this IS a mountain road, but you have to undersand...when it snows here, the whole city looks like this.

 

Yep, Tater is right, that is snow i'm standing in believe it or not... Lol...

 

That's exactly right! FWD goes pretty well in snow also and some people say they will outperform a 4X4. However, try to take one sideways on a substantial slope where one side of the vehicle is lower than the other. You're fine unless you spin. When you spin, the heavy front drops straight downhill. It's a strange feeling and you can get really stuck. A locker or limited slip differential does the same thing. The end that spins obeys the laws of gravity.

 

i use mine in the winter ofcourse also when i'm picking up manure sometimes the barn yards are a muddy mess.

 

> Given the differential being how it is a 2wd with a diff locker will go
> through just as much as a factory stock 4wd.

Not if you are going to hit mud. Going up a muddy hill, a 4x4 will breeze up it with open diffs and a locked 2x4 will be there at the bottom making ruts.

I can tell you where a 4x4 makes a BIG difference. Coming down a slippery slope, if you have a 2x4 and the rear ends starts to pass the front have very little option except to ride it out, if you don't flip first.

> But to transport that vehicle to the desert I wouldn't want the extra expense of a 4wd

Well, the first time you are towing and get stuck trying to go up slippery rain soaked hard top with the right wheel spinning on the sand and oil, 4x4 will start looking good. Even with a selectable locker in the rear. Towing is a perfect excuse for 4x4, imo. Especially if you ever plan on launching a boat you are towing.

 

My car hasn't been out of 4wd since I got it-
A lot of the SUVs you see, aren't even 4x4. Many are just 2wd, with the high ride height of a 4x.
4x4s have their place, I count on that in my business, but I do agree that most people don't have a clue about how/where/why to use it. So many people think that 4x4 will keep traction on a snowy highway, yet they are the first in the ditch. A snowy highway is probably the worst place to use 4x4, unless you are climbing a hill at about 10mph.

quote from ford_six

Bud, 4wd on a snowy highway is a must, coming from western mass with alot of hills and snow, the only people i saw in ditches were 2wd drive vehicles 99% of the time, 10 mph on a hill in 4wd????? u crazy dude,you can stop on a hill in 4wd, rip on it and you will be doing 40 before you know it...at least in a 5 speed taco. i dont know about my ranger now that im in florida.

 

Not if you have good tires (heaven forbid anyone spend a fraction the cost of 4x4 on snow tires instead ) and know what you are doing.

This from a 4x2 owner in Maine...

 

It might be a good thing you are now in Florida. You'd get killed in the mountains on curvy roads.

 

You also have to keep in mind the moisture content in the snow and the conditions that affect that in your area, they will have an impact on driving conditions.

I was raised and learned to drive in Colorado - dry snow is the norm until late spring. It packs well and makes decent traction. It melts quickly when the storm passes as the temps can heat up fairly quick. You may see ice for a few days at the lower elevations, but if you take it easy, no problem. The traction in the mountains can be tricky, but manageable. My dad drove his 2wd F100 on ski trips often enough. One fender bender in a ski area's parking lot, but never a wreck on the road. People driving too fast for the conditions. The driving conditions are different between the two elevations. My family had a wreck in snow storm in a Bronco, now I bring this up as it wasn't an issue of traction, it was visability and the other car's driver being impaired. So, incidents happen regardless of the traction.

On another trip we had our 4x2 F150 and got the truck stuck in the sand on a lake shore. It took a 4x4 to get us out. If we would have had a 4x4, would the truck have gotten stuck? Probably not.

ford_six and I live in Western Washington - if we see snow here it's sloppy and slick from the beginning. The traction is lousy. There are many wrecks. It may take a few days to melt and each day, whether the remainder freezes or not, it makes for a new adventure. People seem to drive more like idiots now, perhaps since they have invincible attitudes.

As I stated before, I grew up with 4x2s in the snow and sand -as a driver I had no issues, but the 4x4s are a noticeable improvement and I wouldn't go without one.

-Kerry

 

Now that I have a 4x4, I won't go back.

I prefered 4X2 for years, and bragged how my truck with Posi would go anywhere a 4x4 would, which isn't quite true, but somewhat. I had busted many a snow drift with the old truck, in front of the 4x4's.

Just remember that a 4x4 gets you stuck futher out and deeper. It is not a solution to all problems.

 

A/T Tires are a big help with driving on wet or snowy roads. We have 4x2 on the 98 Explorer and have had good luck with all our trips in winter up north. The 05 150 has 4x4 and with common sense has preformed great on ice and snow. at my age I would not be without it or th A/T tires. Cost is nothing if you need it once plus you recoup on resale.

 

Good reason to have 4x4 here- Hills everyhere + snow = interesting driving conditions. I just moved to an apartment in a very hilly area, and I'm wishing I had the money to buy a 4x4 because I'm not sure how well my Tempo is gonna be able to get out of here this winter if it's really bad.

BTW anyone who isn't crazy here has a 4WD truck. 2WD is useless come winter, unless you put chains and lots of weight in the back.

 

My father in law lived out on a farm in the boondocks and never had 4W4. Just a old Ford 6 banger and manual trannies. One a three on the tree and 4 speed. Throw bales of hay in the bed and M&S tires on it and it would go most places. Myself I've only been stuck twice, once in their driveway. The driveway I couldn't complain about since a cutlass sits low and the snow was about 10 in deep. The other time was my stupid for going there in the first place, but there were others parked there so heck it couldn't have been the bad,wrong idea.

 

Right, the 4x2 or rearwheel drive was fine when we were down on the plains... moving to the mountains and driving there on a regular basis is what woke me and my family up to owning a 4x4...

-Kerry

 

who would want to do 40 on curvy mountain roads???? im talking about stopping on a hill and then get it going again. thread something that pertains to the conversation.