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Rear Axle Posi... Locked Differentials... Traction Controls... (pickups)
Hi All,
Just curious if a two wheel drive P/U will push thru 6 inches of snow?
Will it stay in a straight line when slowly accelerating on ice from a stop?
Is 4wd really necessary for winter driving?
It adds weight, stops the same as rear drive, and eats more fuel, besides better re-sale is there an advantage?
Thanks, Jack
Just curious if a two wheel drive P/U will push thru 6 inches of snow?
Will it stay in a straight line when slowly accelerating on ice from a stop?
Is 4wd really necessary for winter driving?
It adds weight, stops the same as rear drive, and eats more fuel, besides better re-sale is there an advantage?
Thanks, Jack
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Comments
My 2000 silverado 4x4 is totally different its hard to get the back to swing and fishtail when in 4 wheel and with a locker.
The last blizzard 2 yrs ago we had i had my S-10 stuck about a dozen times a few times going into my driveway. SO far i havent had the 4x4 stuck. We got 20 some inches of snow early december and it was great.
All i know after this winter so far i will never have a 2wd truck again as long as i live.
Ryan
ABS, traction control, etc....is NOT a panacea.
Having said that, a two wheel drive pickup truck probably benefits more than any other vehicle from having a limited slip differential on ice. Without it, when one wheel slips, the other pushes it around, making it all too easy to swap ends under light acceleration.
4wd necessary for winter driving? We've debated that here before. On my 4x4 pickup and suv in Colorado, I've only needed it 3-4 times in five years. No one NEEDS it for driving around in winter time. Everyone CAN benefit in a particular situation, i.e. stopped on a hill, off camber in a parking lot etc. Once you are moving, switch it OFF! If all vehicles require 4x4 to be engaged because of slippery conditions, like trying to make a steep hill, you're going to be stuck anyway, behind the vehicles that won't have it. Knowing when to avoid bad driving situations counts the most.
Hell...all cars used to be RWD...like trucks...and they all made it!
- Tim
Personally I think all trucks should be 4WD....but it's not a must..(figure that one out)
But, I think that a 2wd truck with a LSD, a good set of snow tires, and 250lbs of sand over the rear axle would be competent enough as a winter driver for 90% of people. Just don't try to tow anything during the winter or head out in a blizzard or something.
In deep snow (more than 6 inches) and in muddy weather the 4WD outpulls the 2WD.
In most other conditions (including ice) the 2WD with locker and T/A outpulls the 4WD. I credit this to the fact that the T/A detects potential wheelspin before I do and modulates the throttle accordingly.
For that matter, some cars with their normal front wheel drive do as well as rear wheel drive trucks, unless the snow is so deep that ground clearance starts making a difference..
Someone else said it best, it wasn't all that long ago when most vehicles were rear wheel drive, and everyone got along just fine..
All the above assumes we're talking about snow..
For travelling during/after ice storms (not snow), it doesn't matter if you have 2wd or 4wd.. The smart person keeps their vehicle in the garage or driveway.
Pickups are by nature light in the back and skitish on slick ssurfaces. 90 percent of most folks driving can be done safely in a 2WD pickup by adding a little weight in back and using common sense. It can be a little more hair raising in extremes but at this point in my life I take the attitude that if I can only get there with 4WD its too bad to go and I don't need to make the trip right now.
A couple of caveats for the uninitiated:
Ice is ice... doesn't make any difference how many wheels are spinning on it... there is NO traction on glare ice.
When a 2WD is stuck a little nudge or pull will often free it.
When you stick a 4 WD its STUCK! If you are the type to see if you can make it you better include a winch and a LONG cable.
I also have an electronically controlled auto transmission, put it in 2nd gear from a start and it will start in 2nd, reducing wheelspin when the road gets icy.
I put weight in the back of my old truck, didnt make a difference. The only weight I carry around is the snow that accumulates in the bed.
About a year ago, Arkansas saw one of the worst snowstorms in 12 years. Thinking ahead, I drove my old International Scout to work. That way, if I needed 4wd I'd have it, and if I had to put one in the ditch, I'd rather ditch my old hunting rig rather than my car.
I'd pulled over on the side of the interstate, kinda in a ditch, in a foot of snow, to clean the snow & ice off my windshield. I'd had it in 4wd "just-in-case". When I went to pull back out on the freeway, the front end kept digging in & going straight instead of turning up & out of the ditch like I "thought" it should! When I kicked it out of 4wd, it turned up & out like there wasn't any snow at all.
Just goes to show you that in SOME instances, 4wd isn't all its cracked up to be! Now, I did use 4wd that day. The way traffic was, I used it to keep from sliding sideways into other cars beside me. But it sure almost got me into a heap of trouble in that ditch! The ditch got really deep really quick! Had a big culvert in it, too!
Good Luck to you all, Jack
But when you need it, you NEED it. Last week I needed 4x4 in a big way. It was champagne powder, but drifted nearly waist deep in places. To get to this spot, I gunned the engine, blasted through drifts and ruts until it was safe to stop, get it turned around and pointed downhill as shown here.