2wd vs 4wd

Hybridhunter wrote:

Lessmore wrote:


Where do you live ?

I'm in the prairies, in Canada. Might as well be Siberia for 4 months of the year though.

Me too. Winterpeg.

Lessmore wrote:


Where do you live ?

I'm in the prairies, in Canada. Might as well be Siberia for 4 months of the year though.

post deleted by poster

...i live in ga....

Hybridhunter wrote:
So many theorists on the value of 4wd in snow.
Unless you spend at a minimum a few months, and a few thousand miles a year on frozen snowy roads, you truly don't know...And it's funny to read.

It doesn't sound like the OP needs it's, but it's night and day where I live. 2wd pickups are probably the most hazardous, unbalanced and unstable vehicles on the road in extreme conditions. Where as a 4X4 pickup is one of the best. The 4X4 system messes up the weight distribution even worse than a 4X2, but the tractive effect of 4 wheels in sync, makes a huge difference. It also imparts the ability to pull out of a skid using power, where a 2wd truck has both on throttle, and closed throttle oversteer. The minor tradeoff in handling is understeer under certain conditions, in my experience not any worse than a 2wd.

This is one of the many reasons folks bomb along in 4wd, because until you left off the gas abruptly, they are inherently very stable. Around here, 70mph on snow packed roads with black ice underneath are a way of life. Just because it's unfamiliar to many doesn't make it a death wish or crazy. 4-5 months of real winter means you either learn how to drive, or end up in the ditch, and most folks that hit the ditch up here belong in it.

Where do you live ?

Yeah...knew that commercial (half inch dia's) does not have a safety bead and
that commercial tires have a ramped taper to seal the bead

Risk management decision (gambling) that worked for over a year...but that risk
management decision turned out to be a bad one...

For those who don't understand that...'P' and 'LT' class tires has a raised ridge
that the tire bead has to go OVER in order to seat the bead to the wheel rim

That is the 'pop' when the tire tech 'seats' the tire on the rim. Then they will
air it to the proper PSI

On a commercial tire/wheel...the tire carries weight a little differently. Most
all commercial tires are mounted on wheel rims almost as wide as the section
width. Almost no sidewall bend back

The bead is VERY WIDE compared to a 'P' or 'LT' class tire. the bead is also
tapered with a complimentary taper on the wheel to rim.

My gamble was that 15PSI was enough to continue to push the tire bead against
the wheel rim...

Also, commercial tires do NOT like to have more bend back due to reduced PSI.
When my K5 was aired down using commercial tires...the sidewall didn't bulge
at all, or that I could eyeball

We all make risk management decisions (AKA Gambling)...I lost that one...

Other risk management decisions (AKA Gambling) are stuff like whether
to push the speed, be at or over the 'ratings', etc, etc, etc...

So many theorists on the value of 4wd in snow.
Unless you spend at a minimum a few months, and a few thousand miles a year on frozen snowy roads, you truly don't know...And it's funny to read.

It doesn't sound like the OP needs it's, but it's night and day where I live. 2wd pickups are probably the most hazardous, unbalanced and unstable vehicles on the road in extreme conditions. Where as a 4X4 pickup is one of the best. The 4X4 system messes up the weight distribution even worse than a 4X2, but the tractive effect of 4 wheels in sync, makes a huge difference. It also imparts the ability to pull out of a skid using power, where a 2wd truck has both on throttle, and closed throttle oversteer. The minor tradeoff in handling is understeer under certain conditions, in my experience not any worse than a 2wd.

This is one of the many reasons folks bomb along in 4wd, because until you left off the gas abruptly, they are inherently very stable. Around here, 70mph on snow packed roads with black ice underneath are a way of life. Just because it's unfamiliar to many doesn't make it a death wish or crazy. 4-5 months of real winter means you either learn how to drive, or end up in the ditch, and most folks that hit the ditch up here belong in it.

You should consider if you plan to use 4WD when the truck is unhitched. My truck sees far more miles as a daily driver and 4WD is a necessity in our snow country. But 2WD may suit your needs.

Any of the 1/2" increment diameter rims rely on pressure to keep the bead seated. I don't dare air down bellow 50 PSI for slow crawling through sand with my 19.5's.

Ben,

Issue you had was the 16.5" tires. IIRC even sized tires have a better bead setting system so losing beads is not as hard with 12-15 lbs psi.


Marty