2wd vs 4wd

naturist wrote:
Unless you plan to drag that thing through mud/snow/etc. up a hill, I wouldn't get 4WD, either.

Do be aware that there's a huge difference between 4WD and AWD. The former cannot be used on dry pavement, lest it break things in the axle. Very few vehicles offer BOTH 4WD and AWD in the same vehicle, it is usually one or the other.

That said, also note that both 4WD and AWD will only help you go when the going gets tough. Neither is any help whatever steering or stopping, which are the other two parts of driving. And are indeed more important than going.

(No doubt you've heard the joke: "If you can't go, there you are; if you can't stop, where are you?")

You're completely misinformed on most accounts here. The last 4wd transfer case that didn't act well on dry pavement in 4wd was the NP 205 in early 80s pickups. Maybe some jeeps for a few years after that. Any new or newer 4wd can be driven as far as you want in 4 wdh on dry roads, however unnecessary.
As far as 4 wd not helping in turning or stopping, you have obviously never driven in snow with 4wd so don't spout false statements. It doesn't help those more impressionable! True 4wd will not make you invincible and all the abs, traction control and stability control go a long ways towards keeping you on the road, but they are only a substitute for driven traction.
To the OP, I'm not sure why you'd consider NOT buying a 4x4 in your situation. If you were needing the best tow rig you could find on a limited budget and didn't really need 4 wd then it would be good to chop it off the must have list. For this same reason, you will lose more on resale with a 2wd than you spend on the upgrade new. But you're already buying the most expensive pickup on the market, so what's the difference.
Plus you'll look pretty goofy stuck with your travel trailer in wet grass with the baddest tow rig out there!

On our Thanksgiving weekend in Ontario in Oct we were in a Provincial Park. The site was quite loped down to the flat area for the trailer. With all the rain the ground was quite soft.I could not get the trailer out in 2WD. The 4WD made it no problem. That was one time in 3 years I needed it but it was definitely worth it. I have also needed the 4wd drive various other times without the trailer. Have had several 2WD trucks. Now never will I go without 4WD.

jbres wrote:
As everyone stated, it all depends on your needs.
Personally, it wasn't worth me spending the extra 5K on 4x4 so I settled on a 2wd. I mainly stay on paved roads with my TT, but once a year take it out onto a farm. Also, I launch my boat several times a year with my 2wd, and as long as you have common sense, you don't have an issue doing this.

Yes, owned a 4X2 F250, and could get it stuck in a flat field, posi only helped with digging two ruts! We four season camp in the PNW, and when gone for more than a few days you never know what you might run into on the drive home!!

My last two TV have been 4X4 and very glad of it more than once!

As everyone stated, it all depends on your needs.
Personally, it wasn't worth me spending the extra 5K on 4x4 so I settled on a 2wd. I mainly stay on paved roads with my TT, but once a year take it out onto a farm. Also, I launch my boat several times a year with my 2wd, and as long as you have common sense, you don't have an issue doing this.

That is why 4wd is optional. Get what suits you for your own reasons.

Halmfamily wrote:
We own a four wheel drive and always will. I cannot get up my back driveway where the fiver is parked without four wheel engaged, 100 degree turn to enter a gravel 12% grade then turn at the top around 80 degrees. I like the saying its better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it. Good luck with your decision.

I would say in your case...given the grade and slow, tight turn...while traction is an important factor...another important factor is the gear reduction you can get putting the 4WD system in low range.

In other words, the ability to use very low gearing.

If the OP has a similar driving situation as you do, then 4wd with a low range, maybe required.

If he doesn't, then maybe not.

Question for the original poster. You need to provide the driving conditions you deal with, in this thread, in detail, before any of us can provide good answers.

Les

Since my truck is a daily driver in NJ and I have to be at work no matter the weather, 4x4 required.

For rving... I've gotten into/ out of spots I could not have with a 2WD. Been stuck 2x on muddy grass. Once 4x4 got me out. The other time the mud was too much and it was uphill. Got pulled out by a friend who's trucks was on the road.

For where I live and the way we camp its a requirement. For others, its not. It's a personal choice that you have to decide on. Think about what you do now and plan to do. Then consider if those plans warrant a 4x4. Make a pro and con list if you want; sometimes they help clarify.

Nutinelse2do wrote:
Please do a seach on this subject. This deceased equine has been beaten waaaay too many times.

Most subjects on here have been discussed in the past. No biggy.

Our 4x4 is used in snow and ice..... And mud......and sand.....and steep grades...

I have not had a need for it in my last two trucks. Both trucks have had LSD, or whatever Ford refers to it as.

My Rubicon jeep does have 4x4, and I've only used that....to use it!

I vote for the 4X4. I used mine last week to get a friends 27 foot bumper pull out of their back yard, the 4X4 low range made it easy to back up a incline in the front yard without spinning the tires. I also used it to pull my fifth wheel down a rock filled rough road boon-docking, again the low range allowed me to just crawl over the rocks.