GM HD Trucks Many with AWD instead of 4WD
Where snow and mud isn't an issue, you can have a 4X2 truck as your tow vehicle, but here in the Northeast, 4X4 trucks are the norm. Now GM is offering AWD instead of 4WD in many of their HD trucks. A...
Forum Discussion
Terryallan wrote:mkirsch wrote:
AWD and traction control probably would have worked well in that situation.
Traditional 4x4, even with a limited slip or locking rear diff, is at best a THREE wheel drive system, and that one front wheel that's spinning doesn't bring anything to the party except some slung mud. If you've got open diffs front and rear then you're down to a TWO wheel drive system, and the wheels that get power are always the ones with the LEAST traction.
AWD doesn't let you get to that point. If you're stuck, you're truly stuck because all four wheels have no traction. You're not stuck because the two wheels that might be able to get a little bite are just sitting there while the other two spin.
AWD will cover 99.99999% of cases, except maybe rock crawling or mud bogging. If you're doing those with a brand new production vehicle, I'd call your sanity into question.
I have seen a AWD stuck spinning each wheel, then taking power from the spinning wheel, until finally. It took power from all the wheels. and it just sat there doing nothing.
Yup, and I have seen 4x4's stuck spinning ALL the wheels, mud flying, going nowhere too.
What's your point? You can come up with a corner case for ANY kind of drive system where it will fail and leave you stuck.
