2wd vs 4wd

IIRC 4wheeler magazine a decade or so ago, took a rwd LS equiped rig across the Rubicon trailer. THey made it with out too many issues. I do seem to recall it may have been a 4x that they choose not to lock the front, ut could be remembering wrong......I can hardly remember yesterday sometimes, much less an article from a decade ago......

So rwd with the proper driver, TIRES for the task, can get places just fine in some instances. 4wd a bit better some times, worst others......4lo is nice. BUT with manufactures finally putting decent low first gears in autos, 4lo is not needed as much to keep tranny temps low. That is what I miss about having 4lo/4wd with my c2500. A way the heck too tall first and reverse, gets me stalled where as I have the HP/torque, just not in a manner that I can use to get the tires to turn at times........

Choose you poison for how you drive.

Marty

gmc6000 wrote:
Biggest reason for getting a 4X4 even if you don't need it, is resale value. A 2WD is not much cheaper than a 4X4 when buying new. But when the time comes to trade it in or sell it outright, you can't hardly give the 2WD away, nobody want them, not even the dealers.

This might be it. Truck shopping this spring, I can't recall a single 2wd F150 that I came across, new or used.

It isn't like I use 4wd every week or even every month. But it opens up a lot of options. Like pulling the trailer out into the sand dunes, like we did last month. It is nice for the snowy days. But best of all, I like it to get off the beaten path and explore a bit while we are out camping.

blt2ski wrote:

Brisk wrote:

gafidler wrote:
the best thing about 4 wheel trucks is they can be pull by a 2 wheel truck when they get stuck.

Yeah, Ok. That's close......

Depends upon how they are stuck, and what is around......dropped my 88 K3500 right front wheel in a ditch, 4wd could not get me out, but could with a rwd toyota 4 banger to pull it back, as I lifted the front end out of the ditch with my bobcat. voila, truck was free. Yota driver got a kick out of that one! FE was bottomed out majorly! Even the yota driver admitted, his dually Fummins would not have pulled it out in 4lo! it would have needed the bobcat to lift the front tire out of the predicament it was in.

4wd is NOT the end all be all of every situation!

Obviously there are exceptions but my 4wd has only been stuck once when i high centered it on top of a sand dune. However that same truck has pulled out dozens of 2wds and a few 4wds with dumb drivers in sand, snow, mud etc. I agree that 4x4 is not the end all be all. However it is *almost* unstoppable (within reason) with good tires and with a smart driver behind the wheel.

CampingN.C. wrote:
X2 on the gear reduction comment earlier. I've used 4lo before just for that reason. I've read post here in the past where guys have overheated trannys just getting in their driveways.

Yes!! I use 4low just for this reason probably 10x/year.

f

Some never need 4x4 to rv and some do...I do.

boingram wrote:
Hi all...time to open another can of worms...we r going to purchase a 2015 2500 denali duramax crew...just don't see the need for 4wd...how abt some non male ego driven opinions on the subject. ..thx...bo

...being a newbie. ..I apologize for not searching first. ..forget the topic...bo

:B

you might send the mod a pm that you no longer are interested and he can close the thread.....now if your looking for entertainment just keep reading.

X2 on the gear reduction comment earlier. I've used 4lo before just for that reason. I've read post here in the past where guys have overheated trannys just getting in their driveways.

Grit dog wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

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.

I don't have a 4x but I'm still trying to figure out how a 4x stops better that 2WD? :h Please explain?

Well the first part is you don't have a 4x. 2nd part is, even with abs, stability control and all that cr@p, if both axles are locked together, you will get much more stopping power before you lock up a wheel or kick in the abs.

You not only were mistaken about how a 4x system works and when it's safe to use it you also don't have a clue on how ABS works.

ABS will not let any wheel lock up. That's what ABS is for. it's designed so no wheel locks up. If all the wheels are locked together the ABS will find the one with the least amount of traction and will not let that wheel lock up. Since they are all locked together even the ones with good or better traction will suffer from less braking ability.

Thank you for listening in to the ABS and physics lesson of the day. :B Please sign the guest list on the way out. :)

valhalla360 wrote:

camperfamily wrote:
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.

Shocking. I must have been doing it wrong all these years in Michgian where I also must get to work every day...yet 2wd has worked fine.

Then again the OP's tag says he's from Georgia so major snowfall is probably not a big concern.

To the OP: As others have said, if you have to ask the question, you don't need it.

And I and my dad commuted for years in Chicago with 2 wd trucks. Throw some weight in the back and let er rip. For the last 2 months I've been driving 100% on snow covered roads and shifted my truck into 4 wd maybe twice. Now if I hooked a trailer in the same conditions, 4 wd would not be an option.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

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.

I don't have a 4x but I'm still trying to figure out how a 4x stops better that 2WD? :h Please explain?

Well the first part is you don't have a 4x. 2nd part is, even with abs, stability control and all that cr@p, if both axles are locked together, you will get much more stopping power before you lock up a wheel or kick in the abs.