When its raining, snowing or ice on the road......

[MasterB]

Do you always put your SUV, Truck, etc in 4 wheel drive? I do each and every time. Do you?

[grouser68]

I use 4 wheel on ice and snow, but not when it's raining.

[westkybanded]

Nope. It's not needed.

[Duster]

Only when it gets to bad to go in 2 wheel drive.

[aceoky]

I use 4 wheel on ice and snow, but not when it's raining.


Yep what he said

[smashdn]

Only when I get stuck. Then I throw it into 4H and get unstuck. Only had to dig myself out of a field once and once was enough to know not to do it again.

[steelslinger]

Only when the back end wants to come around.

[7mmx2]

Yep what he said


x3......................

[KyBucks10]

dang one time this past winter, i drove my brother in laws jeep wrangler up to the grocery that was literally less than a mile from the house just to pick up something really quick. whenever i left the store, i went the back way into the neighborhood, which required me to drive up this massively steep hill. well while i was in the store, it started to snow, and a lot of snow came down in that 20 minutes or so. so when i went up that hill, the back tires started to slide all over the place and i even started going backwards down the hill. dropped it in 4 wheel low for the rest of the ride up the hill and then back down, and i didnt slide another inch. but as for rain, no. snow or ice, only if its needed.

[ptbrauch]

Only if my tires start slipping.

[Chuck Milam]

Coming from my background growing up in Wisconsin, where we like to do crazy things like drive across frozen lakes:

Four-Wheel Drive, especially on ice, merely means you're going to have equally bad traction and increases the likelyhood of spinning all four wheels. Ever see a vehicle drift sideways with all four tires spinning?

Yes, 4WD is handy when you get stuck (and at least one tire is NOT spinning) or if you need extra traction up an icy driveway slope, but using it as a general travel mode is not a good idea.

[Lady Hunter]

Only until I get to the end of our little country road (with more twists & turns and ups & downs than a roller coaster)! Just easier to stay on the darned road in 4x4 with the transmission down in bulldog range... (I counted 5 cars wrecked in the mile & a half that it took me to get to the main road one year. I tell ya, this road is BAD! School's will be open & the busdrivers call out here & tell folks to meet 'em at the end of the road because they arent' even gonna try driving it!)

After that though, it's strictly 2x unless I get stuck...

p.s. This is only on snow & ice. Only time I'd use 4x4 in rain would be if part of the road was underwater... and then I'd probably just decide to stay home rather than risk getting washed away!

[headoftheholler]

I've never heard of someone using 4wd when its raining. The only time I use 4wd on the highway is when it's snowing and the rear wheels start slipping. However with that said just to get to within 300 yards of my treestand I have a steep rock climb that would make most squemish.

[MasterB]

Rain, Snow, Sleet, Ice, I put her in 4x4. I have wide tires so I have more contact on the road than most. My truck is only a 1500, the rear is light and when turning curves in the rain the rear does slip out even at low speeds. 4 wheel on ice is better than 2. In 4 wheel drive you now have mechanics operating the front along with the weight of your engine means you have better traction. I've tested this many times and it does work. That doesn't mean I'm not going to ever slide again because I do but when something mechanically is operating the front tires, you increase the traction and have better control. Same thing with snow, mud, etc. I hear people all the time say 4x4 or not, you can't ride on ice, stop, etc, when in fact you can. When it's raining out, I usually do, drizzling I don't but like this am I did. You never know when you might hit a puddle of water and hydra-plane. I can feel a big difference when I hit a puddle of standing water, without 4 wheel the front tires just jump where they want too, with 4 wheel on you can feel the tires like "grab the water" and plow thru it. Now there are circumstances when no matter what drive you are in something can happen but those are few and far between. This am there were 5 different accidents because of the rain (actually because of the drivers but everyone blames the rain, you can't drive in this stuff then stay off the road), had to take the back roads to work which is fine to me. But a lot of people just can't see to drive in this stuff and just have no idea why. If you have 4 wheel drive then people should use it, it's to get better traction, if you use it in the mud why not rain, snow, ice, etc? If you say it's not needed then you are wrong, if it wasn't needed then there wouldn't be a need for AWD and 4 Wheel Drive. Many times I have been one of the only or few people at work when it snows or heavy rain all due in part to having 4 wheel drive. One year the plant manager had me going out picking local workers up within 6 miles of the plant. Common sense and 4 wheel drive while get you a lot farther than without. And I've never missed a day of work because of the weather in the 10 years I've been here. There was one year that I was at work with my 88 Ford Ranger 2 wheel drive with a 351 Windsor tucked inside her, that I had to leave her at work. I would have never made it home.

About the ice and 4 wheel drive. Try this, 2 wheel drive, on ice, stopped, then try to slowly drive, what happens? You slide more often than not. Now put it in 4 wheel, on ice, stopped and then slowly drive, what happens? You are actually moving farther, faster, more control, straighter line. Why? Front tires are now pulling along with the weight of the engine. And yes I have done this test with a friend of mine at work that thought otherwise and proved him wrong. Stopping can be a different story, especially if you slam the brakes which you shouldn't do, which most people do out of instinct. I was in 4 wheel drive, slowly making my way down a mild decline then started to slide, tapping the brakes with 4 wheel drive on, I could feel my truck grabbing the road and pulling me in the direction of where the tires are pointed to, not where the ice is making me slide towards too. Then there happened to be a patch of road with no ice on it, tires grabbed it as I was about to jump the curb and then I was ok. Had I not been in 4 wheel drive, had the 4 wheel drive not been getting some sort of traction and pulling my truck in the correct direction, I may have jumped the curb and hit the car that was parked there. In 2 wheel drive there would have been no hope, I would have jumped the curb.

[philipfleek]

only ice and snow. But it's got to be a good one before I lock er down.

[EKUgrad]

It all depends. I'll use it if it's really wet in the fields so as to avoid slipping and tearing up the pasture. I'll use it on snow if the kids are with me or there is excessive wheelspin without it. I do my best to avoid driving on ice...

[westkybanded]

Rain, Snow, Sleet, Ice, I put her in 4x4. I have wide tires so I have more contact on the road than most. My truck is only a 1500, the rear is light and when turning curves in the rain the rear does slip out even at low speeds. 4 wheel on ice is better than 2. In 4 wheel drive you now have mechanics operating the front along with the weight of your engine means you have better traction. I've tested this many times and it does work. That doesn't mean I'm not going to ever slide again because I do but when something mechanically is operating the front tires, you increase the traction and have better control. Same thing with snow, mud, etc. I hear people all the time say 4x4 or not, you can't ride on ice, stop, etc, when in fact you can. When it's raining out, I usually do, drizzling I don't but like this am I did. You never know when you might hit a puddle of water and hydra-plane. I can feel a big difference when I hit a puddle of standing water, without 4 wheel the front tires just jump where they want too, with 4 wheel on you can feel the tires like "grab the water" and plow thru it. Now there are circumstances when no matter what drive you are in something can happen but those are few and far between. This am there were 5 different accidents because of the rain (actually because of the drivers but everyone blames the rain, you can't drive in this stuff then stay off the road), had to take the back roads to work which is fine to me. But a lot of people just can't see to drive in this stuff and just have no idea why. If you have 4 wheel drive then people should use it, it's to get better traction, if you use it in the mud why not rain, snow, ice, etc? If you say it's not needed then you are wrong, if it wasn't needed then there wouldn't be a need for AWD and 4 Wheel Drive. Many times I have been one of the only or few people at work when it snows or heavy rain all due in part to having 4 wheel drive. One year the plant manager had me going out picking local workers up within 6 miles of the plant. Common sense and 4 wheel drive while get you a lot farther than without. And I've never missed a day of work because of the weather in the 10 years I've been here. There was one year that I was at work with my 88 Ford Ranger 2 wheel drive with a 351 Windsor tucked inside her, that I had to leave her at work. I would have never made it home.

About the ice and 4 wheel drive. Try this, 2 wheel drive, on ice, stopped, then try to slowly drive, what happens? You slide more often than not. Now put it in 4 wheel, on ice, stopped and then slowly drive, what happens? You are actually moving farther, faster, more control, straighter line. Why? Front tires are now pulling along with the weight of the engine. And yes I have done this test with a friend of mine at work that thought otherwise and proved him wrong. Stopping can be a different story, especially if you slam the brakes which you shouldn't do, which most people do out of instinct. I was in 4 wheel drive, slowly making my way down a mild decline then started to slide, tapping the brakes with 4 wheel drive on, I could feel my truck grabbing the road and pulling me in the direction of where the tires are pointed to, not where the ice is making me slide towards too. Then there happened to be a patch of road with no ice on it, tires grabbed it as I was about to jump the curb and then I was ok. Had I not been in 4 wheel drive, had the 4 wheel drive not been getting some sort of traction and pulling my truck in the correct direction, I may have jumped the curb and hit the car that was parked there. In 2 wheel drive there would have been no hope, I would have jumped the curb.

That sounds like a tire problem to me. Not a 4x4 vs. 2x4 problem.

[KY_Fried]

I very rarely put mine in 4x4. Even in heavy snow I usually do fine in 4x2 unless I have to go up a steep hill or plow through a big drift on the road or something.

[AMR40509]

I'm not an engineer (I neither design cars, or drive trains) but here is my take on it. PLEASE let me know if I'm wrong, I could be.

A AWD system has a center differential that allows the transfer of power front to back. A part time 4x4 system has a transfer case that is more of an on/off switch and directly connects the front and rear drive train - making each drive shaft be powered at the same speed when it is locked into 4WD.

My wife's crossover style SUV for example is a full time AWD. It generally puts the majority of the power to the front wheels, and add power to the back as it experiences slippage.

My SUV is a part time 4wd. In 2wd, I spin the rear drive shaft - in 4WD I spin both the front and rear shafts at the same speed.

This means that on my part time system, the front and rear wheels have to move at the same speed all of the time (yes there is a differential front an rear that allows one side to be different than the other, but at least one tire front and rear will be moving the same speed as each other).

Now think of going around a corner, the front tires actually make a wider circle, the rear cuts the corner a little and travels a less distance. For the two ends to travel less distance there has to be a difference of speed -- which we know is mechanically not allowed.

This is why you are only supposed to used 4WD on loose/slippery surfaces - you want that difference in speed to be absorbed by the ground/slipping NOT by adding stress to the drive line components.

SO...that is my long way of saying that I don't use 4WD unless I'm off of the pavement, or there is enough ice or snow that the pavement is covered. Otherwise I'd be risking - at worst breaking a lot of high prices drive line components, at best, making the slippage happen at the expense of my tires.

[quackrstackr]

AMR, you just summed up what I was getting ready to say.

A regular 4x4 truck is not designed to be driven in 4x4 (especially for very far) unless there can be some slip to ease the stresses on the drivetrain. You don't get enough slip on wet pavement.

MB, you need to buy yourself a decent set of tires and keep it in 2wd for the rain or else you are going to find yourself with some major repair bills from using your 4x4 system as compensation for them.

[AMR40509]

An interesting example of this need to have the front/back tires moving the same speed that I just thought of.

A couple of years ago I was in Aruba, about 1/2 of the island can be covered on an off-road trail that ranges from mild to "glad this Jeep is a rental".

The Jeep I rented was from the cheapest place on the island, and was junk. It looked like it spent most of it's time full of water, didn't have a shock inside of the front coil spring at all on the front driver's side, the clutch only grabbed about in about the top inch of its travel, and had 4 tires that were all mismatched in age and brand big time.

There are a couple of spots that you go from either beach or loose rock, back on to pavement. This Jeep didn't like to shift out of 4WD so it took about 5 min of rocking it, backing it up, tossing it around, to get it back into 2WD each time.

What I'm getting at is that I got the rare chance to take a 4WD w/ 4 different sized tires on the road in 4WD. It would literally jump up and down as the whole tire/drive-train/springs system got bound up and released. Probably not what you want happening, even on a smaller scale with your ALMOST matched tires (you know they aren't EXACTLY matched right?)

[trust me]

I know a guy that drove his Ford around in 4WD for about a week because his shifter messed up. Instead of parking it and getting it fixed, he tooled around town in 4WD. Soon he was back to 2WD because his differential was toast. Maybe it was his front hubs, I forget, but he cost himself a lot of money unnecessarily.

[Scott7m]

unless your vehicle is a full time AWD, it's not a good idea to drive in 4X4 when it's raining or snowing.. and doesn't make a lot of sense. you can actually lose control quicker and it can take a bit of the drive-ability away if you were to skid/hydroplane. even when our roads are snow covered i'm always in 2wd unless i'm getting ready to climb a hill or the snow is really deep, other than that your better off being in 2wd, but if you feel it start to spin you might as well kick it in 4x4.

a lot of ppl think there invinsible in a 4x4 and they always sling em in 4x4 and think they've got it made

[Zeb]

Do you always put your SUV, Truck, etc in 4 wheel drive? I do each and every time. Do you?Really depends on the vehicle. With my old CJ and Wrangler, I would often switch back and forth depending on road conditions. The back end would get loose very fast on them and the short wheelbase made it tough to correct. Even a little snow or wet leaves could make for an interesting ride in 2WD. But with the older locked hubs you had to be carefull not to turn sharp while getting good traction. Fairly easy to break them. In snow, I would usually lock them in only untill I made it to a "main" road that had been partially cleared. Automatic hubs on a 4x4 Ranger were easier to deal with but I only "locked in" in mud or snow or to keep from tearing up a pasture. My current vehicle is AWD

[Hoosier5]

My Toyota RAV-4 is full time 4WD.

[MasterB]

Every 4x4 I've own slips with their crappy OEM tires, A LOT. My 05 Silverado had brand new Wranglers on it, those had to be the worst ever. Try stopping on a hill when it's raining and not spinning out without going 2 MPH. Leaving the gym in Erlanger, I almost always get stuck just after the RR bridge. Put her in 4 wheel and off she goes, then I put it back in 2 wheel. Sometimes when I pull in somewhere that required a sharp turn, I could feel the front tires slipping which were the wranglers, but not what I got now. When it's raining, its slippery. Driving slow in 4 wheel drive when the conditions are bad won't hurt the drive train. I have about 12 miles to get to work and never had any issues with my 4 wheel drive. Handling isn't as good as Full Time 4 wheel drive or AWD vehicles but it does help a lot and can make a big difference when driving. Of course driving like an idiot is one thing but driving at the correct speed, in 4 wheel drive is the thing to do. Driving in 4 wheel drive on DRY pavements in not something you want to do thou as it will bind and at higher speeds explode. The Max safe speed for my truck I think is 55 MPH in 4 wheel drive but never actually been that fast in it and don't need too. Being in 4 wheel drive doesn't make me think I am invincible or have a go anywhere attitude. It simply helps me get to where I'm going a lot safer. Why drive in 2 wheel and then when you start to slip put it in 4 wheel drive, when at times it may be too late.

[headoftheholler]

Driving in rain at a moderate speed in 4wd will eventually wear out drivetrain. Rain is not mud or snow or even gravel.

[quackrstackr]

If you can't drive on wet pavement without 4wd, you have crap tires. Period.

[chadman3_25]

I'm not the smartest person in the world never claim to be but what size are your tires. I am almost willing to bet you have bigger tires and if you have big wide tires in the rain or snow they can at times act like skis on the front. It is almost like driving a snowmobile. Wider the tire the more space water can get under and hydroplane happens. Just my 2 cents

[Zeb]

Wider the tire the more space water can get under and hydroplane happens. Just my 2 cents I was thinking the same thing but I guess it's debatable. A wide tire may actually have more surface area on the road but it will apply less pounds per square inch than a more narrow tire. May make it easier to hydroplane? Also a big difference between wide Super Swampers and some of the wide low profile tires I've seen on some trucks

[Scott7m]

If you can't drive on wet pavement without 4wd, you have crap tires. Period.

Or you are one of these guys that are either hard on the gas and then harddddd on the brake with no in between....

[itallushrt]

My Mercedes CL65 AMD doesn't have 4 wheel drive. :)

[quackrstackr]

Or you are one of these guys that are either hard on the gas and then harddddd on the brake with no in between....

He drives a chevy.. gotta be the tires. :D

[Scott7m]

He drives a chevy.. gotta be the tires. :D

My cousin has had the same complaints, and he just can't drive. He's either almost wide open or dang near sliding...

[MasterB]

If you can't drive on wet pavement without 4wd, you have crap tires. Period.

First of all, my tires arent crap. They are Cooper Zeon LTZ 18's

http://www.discounttire.com/images/brandCooperTires.jpg http://nwoods.smugmug.com/photos/196422879-M-1.jpg

Second of all, I dont think you all are understanding what I'm trying to say. But if you havent done it yourself then you really can't have anything to say. I know from experience what happens when you drive in 4 wheel and when you dont under certain circumstances. All you need to do is try it yourself this winter or next time it rains heavily. Whats the difference between rain, snow, ice and mud and as to why you cant drive in one but you can the other? Maybe you all just dont notice or im OCD about it. And I'm not driving all the time in 4 wheel, its an every once in a while ordeal, I do it just to be safe.

[philipfleek]

It's rained in our area for the last six days, have you used 4wd everytime you have been out? Just asking

[MasterB]

No, I did today because I took the backroads but just for a short period of time. You never know with people, slamming on their brakes all of a sudden, low areas with standing water, etc. I dont take chances

[philipfleek]

No, I did today because I took the backroads but just for a short period of time. You never know with people, slamming on their brakes all of a sudden, low areas with standing water, etc. I dont take chances

All I can say is slow down and dont follow so close. What you are doing is not good for your truck. Call a chevy dealer or a trans shop. I'm pretty sure what they will tell you. Just trying to save you some money.

[quackrstackr]

Whats the difference between rain, snow, ice and mud and as to why you cant drive in one but you can the other?

Friction.

More specifically, increased frictional forces between your tires and the wet asphalt wearing out your drivetrain. That's the difference. There's a lot less friction on ice, snow or mud so it doesn't bind your drivetrain as much.

Nobody in this thread has stated that they think you are doing the right thing, but you insist that you are. Do you actually think that many people with 4x4 trucks don't know what they are talking about?

I don't care if Cooper or Michelin made your tires. If they spin that easily on wet pavement, the tread pattern / wet traction is lacking.

BTW... 4x4 has nothing to do with how fast you can stop or hydroplaning. Wide tires and mud tread are both terrible for wet traction and hydroplaning. But, I've only owned 4x4 trucks for 24 years with almost every conceivable tire size and tread pattern on them (not to mention the cars that I've owned), so what do I know?

Enjoy your future repair bills.

[MasterB]

I understand but no matter which way you look at it, you get better traction. I dont ride people or drive fast when in 4 wheel, as I have already mentioned. Four wheel drive engages all wheels to the power train. It gives much better grip on the surface. If you are likely to be driving on slippery surfaces or steep gradients, engage 4wd. Otherwise it can be switched out very simply when not needed.:rolleyes:

[MasterB]

Enjoy your future repair bills.

I'll send the bill to you.........when it happens, if ever ;)

[philipfleek]

Please scan your bill when your trans goes out. Cause it's going to happen. And we will want to know what it cost you..2 grand easy!

[MasterB]

Please scan your bill when your trans goes out. Cause it's going to happen. And we will want to know what it cost you..2 grand easy!

You know me, I love to take pics. When the time comes I will take a photo and post on here for all to see. :D

[bowhuntinslife]

not being a smartass or anything but unless you have done some stuff to your drivetrain or you have a z71 offroad then when you put your truck in 4wd you dont have all four wheels pulling unless your factory lsd sensing traction problems. if its just a 4x4 with out the ordered gm g80 rear lsd then you have an open diff front and rear. just bringing up a point really. dads Z71 has both front and rear lsds from factory and you call tell, uncles chevy 4x4 doesnt and you can tell. if those are your tires then you really dont have a wet weather all terrain tires. i have bfg allterrains on my dodge and they suck in wet weather, had em on 4runner also sucked wet weather. just my 2 cents.

[matewsq2]

i have a 99 chevy an never lock it in in the rain it has 245 70s on it.only time it does get locked in is to get it out of the hole i park in because its a pretty steap hill its parked on.its the first 4x4 ive owned an when i was in 2wds only time i had a problem going was when i had the 295 50s on them an like said before they are like skis.but they did look good

[matewsq2]

Please scan your bill when your trans goes out. Cause it's going to happen. And we will want to know what it cost you..2 grand easy!
buddy of mine had to put one in because of stupid driven an with the cut his cousin gave him it was 3000 plus labor.it was a 04 z71

[JDMiller]

Just to throw my two cents worth in.... every truck I've owned has been 4-wd.

My very first was a 77 Chevy Scotsdale ....full-time 4-wd. Nothing part time about it... if the truck was moving...front driveshaft was pulling. However it was limited slip front end and at no time was all 4 tires pulling. It... like most 4-wd's of that time & present...they were honestly 3-wd's but it would put power to the front tire with traction. They were hard on tires..& front universals especially the knuckle.... also had a fairly wide turning radius.

Everything else I've owned was either manual lock-in / lock -out Warns or automatic 4-wd. Had an 85 Silverado ....you put it in 4 wheel high ...automatically locked the hubs. To unlock...you had to back up about 30 ft or more. I had more issues with that one than any 4-wd I've owned. One side would unlock...the other would'nt. Had plastic disk / dogs that at times would'nt disengage. Ended up putting a set of Warns hubs on it...end of problem....except remembering to lock it in before you need it.

Unless things have changed on stock trucks.... including my 08 GMC 4-wd... you dont have a diferential lock on the front end. Its limited slip or you wouldnt be able to hardly steer it at all... which as bowhuntinslife life stated you can definitely tell the difference. Even then traction controls are necessary to engage only as needed or you would shuck something apart very easily.

With that said.... it needs to slip if your driving it in 4-wd on just wet pavement. Its making it real hard on all the components and ultimately...its not intended to be drove in 4-wd on hard surfaces. Mud..sand..snow..ice... where you can allow the slippage is what its intended for.

So... to the origional question... NO.... I never put it in 4-wd for just wet blacktop. When I was young & priorities were different.... I ran the biggest Wild Country tires I could stuff in the wheelwell. They were mudders... crap in the rain & would hydroplane in a heartbeat. Could'nt even talk in the cab without yelling because of the tires whine going down the road.:D

[AMR40509]

Just to throw my two cents worth in.... every truck I've owned has been 4-wd.

My very first was a 77 Chevy Scotsdale ....full-time 4-wd. Nothing part time about it... if the truck was moving...front driveshaft was pulling. However it was limited slip front end and at no time was all 4 tires pulling. It... like most 4-wd's of that time & present...they were honestly 3-wd's but it would put power to the front tire with traction. They were hard on tires..& front universals especially the knuckle.... also had a fairly wide turning radius.


Quick question on this -- I haven't had a 77 but my dad had a 79 that he drove for years, and still has as a farm truck. Didn't the shifter for the transfer chase have 5 modes?

1) LO LOCK
2) LO
3) N
4) HI
5) HI LOCK

I never took the t-case apart, but LO/HI acts more like AWD (I assume it has a spring/clutch pack in the t-case that allows the slippage), then when in LOCK the transfer case locked in and acted like a traditional part time 4WD with no slippage front/rear.

[AMR40509]

I think there is some confusion here about having a transfer case locked in, and having differential lock.

The transfer case is in the middle of the truck, and sends power front/rear. When it is locked in the drive shafts spin at the same speed on both sides.

These shafts go into a differential on each axle. Inside of this unit, gears are turned by the drive shaft at a certain speed. Atleast one axle shaft will be turned at this speed.

If you have an open differential there is a group of springs and clutches in the differential that allows one side to slip/not receive power. This is so you can go around turns, one tire is on the inside of the turn and one is on the outside of the turn, so they need to be able to go different speeds.

If you have a open diffs and are in 2wd, one rear has to be going the speed as it is being drive by the driveshaft, the other 3 can be moving at other speeds. This means that during a turn, where all 4 tires are moving over a different path, there is no stress.

If you have a open diffs and are in 4wd, one tire front, and one rear, have to be going the same speed at all times, the other front/rear can be moving at different speeds. This means that there is stress in a turn.

If you have locking diffs and are in 4wd, all four tires are moving the same speed all of the time. This makes it REALLY hard to turn, as you are binding up big time and fighting the turning motion. This is why in the Jeep world, the guys that have trail rigs almost never run a full time locker in the front (air lockers that can be locked/unlocked are pretty fantastic) - they have to be able to turn. Now the rock crawler guys are usually going more up/down, not tight trailers, so they lock everything up.

[Cornmonkey]

2x4 everywhere 4x4 only when needed. But if i,am driving off road 4 hi till i need something else.

[bowhunter08]

I NEVER put mine in 4wd unless needed. Only time I use it is snow, ice or mud. Other than that it is 2wd all the time, and most of the time I never use it in the snow unless it is a half to situation. But mine will get used tomorrow when I go hunting. Going to need it so I can just get in the farm after this monsoon we are having today!:D

[Art]

I only use 4wd in the snow, ice, and wet grass. I have a diesel, and it takes nothing to break traction when there's just a little ice or snow.

[coorsdrifter1]

4wd drv is handy to get started on snow and maybe ice,but it does nothing to help you STOP or Navigate on ice.Driving a semi,I cannot beging to count how may trks and suv's I see wrecked during the winter because people think they can drive 90mph with 4wd

[Scott7m]

I understand but no matter which way you look at it, you get better traction. I dont ride people or drive fast when in 4 wheel, as I have already mentioned. Four wheel drive engages all wheels to the power train. It gives much better grip on the surface. If you are likely to be driving on slippery surfaces or steep gradients, engage 4wd. Otherwise it can be switched out very simply when not needed.:rolleyes:

No sir you don't get better traction just because ur in 4x4, if your in a curve the front wheels still want to pull you straight. Why do you think that 4x4 would help at all when it comes to stopping or hydroplaning... I don't get it. And no one else seems to either

[Scott7m]

Sheww this just frustrates me... I've drove full size Chevys and other trucks as well. If you can't drive without spinning sliding in the rain then you can't drive.. If that's not the case then your driving to fast for road conditions. My 4x4 is only used a few times a year and that would be in deep snow, steep hills offroad, and slippery boat ramps.

[etownhunter]

its good to use your 4 wheel drive about once a month, even if its for a short distance....

[243win]

I'm not an engineer (I neither design cars, or drive trains) but here is my take on it. PLEASE let me know if I'm wrong, I could be.

A AWD system has a center differential that allows the transfer of power front to back. A part time 4x4 system has a transfer case that is more of an on/off switch and directly connects the front and rear drive train - making each drive shaft be powered at the same speed when it is locked into 4WD.

My wife's crossover style SUV for example is a full time AWD. It generally puts the majority of the power to the front wheels, and add power to the back as it experiences slippage.

My SUV is a part time 4wd. In 2wd, I spin the rear drive shaft - in 4WD I spin both the front and rear shafts at the same speed.

This means that on my part time system, the front and rear wheels have to move at the same speed all of the time (yes there is a differential front an rear that allows one side to be different than the other, but at least one tire front and rear will be moving the same speed as each other).

Now think of going around a corner, the front tires actually make a wider circle, the rear cuts the corner a little and travels a less distance. For the two ends to travel less distance there has to be a difference of speed -- which we know is mechanically not allowed.

This is why you are only supposed to used 4WD on loose/slippery surfaces - you want that difference in speed to be absorbed by the ground/slipping NOT by adding stress to the drive line components.

SO...that is my long way of saying that I don't use 4WD unless I'm off of the pavement, or there is enough ice or snow that the pavement is covered. Otherwise I'd be risking - at worst breaking a lot of high prices drive line components, at best, making the slippage happen at the expense of my tires.

thats what I was thinking .another thought Big ole tires
hydroplane faster than lil skinny tires. another thought Slow down in the rain it may save a life!:)

[AMR40509]

Oh and if anyone wanted to have a reason to use 4WD- they should have gone to the UK game last night. I park in the Orange Lot, which is a big grass field - WOW, talk about a rutted mess -- cars stuck everywhere! Sure was nice to slip it in 4WD and go right past all of the mess!

[grouser68]

Oh and if anyone wanted to have a reason to use 4WD- they should have gone to the UK game last night. I park in the Orange Lot, which is a big grass field - WOW, talk about a rutted mess -- cars stuck everywhere! Sure was nice to slip it in 4WD and go right past all of the mess!Are you sure it was rain water causing the problem..........or blue blood on the ground?:eek:

[matewsq2]

its good to use your 4 wheel drive about once a month, even if its for a short distance....
good point.with the new style locking systems if not locked in the switches willgo out an when you need it it not there

[killinmammals]

I only use 4wd if 2wd won't get me anywhere. Never in rain or ice.

[HUNTINGMAN]

Just when the snow and ice is to slick for 2 wheel drive,a nasty set of mud tires is usualy all I need.:D