2wd vs 4wd

This is the best reason I can give!

Two nights ago it was almost dark and my wife called with a panicked voice saying she was stuck. The GPS for some reason told her to take a road to the RV park we were staying at. She said the road was fine then it turned to gravel then it turned to sand. She was stuck. I told her how to put it into 4wd. She tried to drive out but she was still stuck. I then told her how to go into 4low. She drove out with no effort and turned around drove to where she felt like she could drive in 2high. So just that experience made it worth every penny for her and me.

If you drive using engine braking more than using your service brakes, 4wd does handle slowing better on adverse surfaces. I can go down a slippery incline in 4-low with engine braking working on all four wheels and only need to lightly touch the service brakes. Even with low gearing on 2wd (creeper first gear), you cannot do this without having the back end start sliding and trying to get sideways.

If you camp anywhere where the sites are roughed in and not in a manicured RV resort, you will eventually find a need for 4wd or the availability of traction material to lay under your drive wheels.

My '89 Mazda, '05 Ford and '15 Ram could not be driven on hard surfaces in 4wd without drive train damage. None of these are AWD and do not have a differential between the forward and rear drives.

I sure enjoyed driving an old FWD truck. It was full-time 4x4 with a lockable center differential. Non-Synchromesh 5-speed transmission with a 2-speed transfer case behind a 6 cylinder Climax engine. Lots of fun.

Prior to the days of ABS, 4x4 did improve braking. With all 4 wheels interconnected up you could not lock one wheel up without locking up all. This means you could apply more pressure to the pedal and maximize the braking from the wheel(s) with the most traction.

With ABS preventing/limiting individual wheel lockup this is much less of an issue however I'd still bet having the wheels connected allows the ABS to operate a little less and less ABS = more braking.

The smoother you can slow the drivetrain, the less chance for wheel slip.

As for 4x4 usefulness, I use mine the most in the middle of summer to back trailers up my gravel driveway. Impossible to do in 4x2 when dry.

But like a couple others have said, if you have to ask...you probably won't miss it.

Turtle...folks who 'think' 4x4 stops better in adverse conditions vs 2wd are
out to lunch

2WD has 4 wheel brakes just like their 4x4's...though 4x4's generally
do have better tires for adverse conditions

4x4's just allows them to get going easier/faster or out of conditions that 2WD
would not be able to

Why most trucks and SUVs I've seen up against the guard rails are 4x4's... ;)

One of the worst advice (Grit) I've read in a while here...unless he has full time 4x4

Take your regular (non-full time) 4x4 out to a dry asphalt parking lot
with room to do this.

Put it into 4x4 (non-full time and hope you understand what that means) and
if you do have full time 4x4, then put it into 'lock'

Turn the steering wheel all the way to one side. Makes no difference
which way...just all the way to one side's bump stop.

Hold it on that bump stop and run it in circles...all the while holding
it against the bump stop

WARNING...years ago had a similar issue with someone and warned them
that this will break something in their drive train. That guy came
back a few days later yelling that he'll sue me for breaking his truck

A lot depends on the traction/tires you have. If OEM...most likely
they will just skid with no Crow Hop. If good tires and over sized...
they *WILL* Crow Hop and break something

OR if lucky, the drive train will just bind up and not move with a low
throttle...give it more and it will Crow Hop and break things

All why they invented "full time 4x4"...for folks who don't understand
how 4x4 works and use it on good traction conditions....PS...I did have
a NP203 on my 1973 K5 Blazer...sold the FJ40 'cuz fiancee didn't know
HOW2 shift a manual and wanted an automatic...removed the full time
and converted that to part time after 1 year. It was her daily...

You are WARNED

Here is a thread on this:

4wd characteristics, page 7 of 10


To the OP...if you have to ask, don't get it...you'll know when you
need/want it...

brulaz wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

...
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.
...

My 2009 Tacoma 4x4 could not. You could feel the heat and smell the stink if you mistakenly left it on for a short while on dry hard roads.

And according to Ford F150 manual: "4WD should not be operated on dry pavement; driveline damage may occur."

The higher end F150s have a "Full-time 4x4" or AWD that can be left on all the time.

Grit dog wrote:
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.

This is not true. There is a difference between having AWD and having 4WD. If you drive "as far as you want in 4WDH on dry roads", you will eventually cause damage. It might not occur immediately, but it eventually will occur.

Had both and currently own a 4x4 for many reasons. Even in Florida u can get stuck easily. Had last truck being 2 wd, got stuck on wet grass even with a locker in the rear pulling the camper. And if u have a 2wd on the beach.... Well it's no fun unless u air down signifcatly... I will always own a 4x4 or awd, just my opinion.

Note that a 4x4 can get stuck just as easy as a 2wd can in some situations...it's not the cure all, but when it gets ruff it can get u out...

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

OK :B

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

Yip I did that very thing one time in South Dakota. I pulled a Chevy 4x4 Suburban out with my 2wd Van.