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But where do we get the funding for the R&D and then to equip each and every High School driving class with a simulator?
Damn Good PR for the insurance companies!!!
Most states regulate the insurance industries, basically limiting them to a certain percentage of profit for each $ spent. Obviously the more they spent to fix you and your car the higher the absolute $ value of that % limit.
Counter-modivation....they WANT us to have more accidents.
Get the state's regulating agencies to allow a higher % of profit for each level that their, the insurance company's, actions reduce the automotive accident and death rate.
I grew up on a farm in Arkansas driving mules and then tractors and had no idea about foul weather driving. The first thing the USAF did was put me out on a vacant section of an icy ramp in NH to learn what driving in foul weather was all about.
GEICO bought LIDAR guns and gave them to the MD police. The police then wrote tickets, and GEICO raised the rates of their own policy holders, who suddenly became riskier drivers out of nowhere.
So they're definitely out for the money.
-juice
The Murano is intended for part-time use since it has no center differential (I'm almost certain about that), so do not leave it on all winter. It should be used on slippery surfaces only, so basically when there is snow on the ground, or while you are on gravel or sand, or other loose surfaces.
The rest of the time, it engages automatically, so don't worry in situations were traction varies. Use the button only when you are certain you can make use of 4-wheel traction to avoid binding.
The ML is totally different. It has 3 open differentials (front, center, and rear) and can handle full-time use. In fact it does send power to both axles full-time, so there is no button needed.
-juice
-mike
I'd say if you venture up to Tahoe in the snow season, and ski a lot, or just travel off the beaten path, then by all means, get snows.
-juice
Even here on the eastside of Seattle, and including the fact that I often travel over snow packed mountain passes in the wintertime, I stay with summer tires year-round. Quieter, more comfortable, and more sticktion, in the more predominant roadbed environment.
But I do keep a set of snowchains in the car for those times when true wintertime traction is desired.
-mike
All-seasons are a compromise, but they're more than adequate for most folks. Obviously anyone wanting to maximize traction one way or the other would pick the best tool for the job. All-season for cars and all-terrains for SUV/Trucks are the compromise tires. All-seasons on a SUV/Truck excell at on-road fair weather driving, and conversely is usually what most suv/trucks are sold with. My Jeep came with all-seasons and they pretty much did nothing well IMHO.
Example: I now run all-terrains on my Jeep because I do some off-roading and routinely see snow, but also do a lot of highway driving. All-terrains are the best compromise for what I do. If I wanted to maximize traction in all circumstances, I'd have a set of M/T's (mud terrains) for off-roading, set of snow tires for winter, and would likely go with all-seasons for on-road summer driving. So far the Michelin A/T's I'm running have done just fine in light off-roading, 20" of snow, and feel pretty good on the highway.
-mike
It seems likely to me that for most of us the need for all-season or winter tires is well below 1%, even in wintertime. If 99.99% of the time summer ties offer better sticktion then are we needlessly putting ourselves at greater risk with winter tires?
-mike
I think you would agree that summer tires definitely put more rubber to the road, now the question becomes what is the adhesion coefficient of the summer rubber compounds vs "winter".
Of course if you live in a warm climate it's not a big deal.
Heres a few links...
http://www.talontire.com/wintertips.html
http://tirerack.com/winter/tech/faqs.html
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cml/winter_tires.htm
-mike
-mike
Also, ALL of your referrals, and many others, openly disparage A/S tires since there is no agreed industry standard for just exactly what is required to use the label.
Is this the same wwest who in another thread was insisting that you never need to change your transmission fluid or coolant?
I spent a few winters in north central MT, and remember even using winter tires with embedded walnut shells to improve traction on icy surfaces.
But that was MT.
Here in the Seattle area that type of adverse weather is a real rarity, unless you choose to go to "it" in the nearby mountains that is. The information I get from the tire companies is that summer tires offer better grip on wet or dry pavement than do snowtires. Someone has argued that the rubber compound in snowtires make them grip better that summer tires at lower temperatures. The only confirmation I could find of that point was that it only applies at -15F and below. Certainly not a roadbed temperature most of us encounter very often, not even in MT.
To be fair to all, I have Michelin cross terrains on my RX, but only becuase I couldn't find a nice quiet, comfortable and smooth-running summer passenger tire in the correct size.
-mike
For driving just in the SF Bay Area, snow tires are not a good idea. Even if you happen to live about the 1000 ft. level that gets a dusting of snow maybe once a year, it's way overkill. The softer compounds on the snow tires will wear out quickly in our mild winters.
If you travel to Tahoe and pretty much go up I-80 or I-50 straight to the resorts and have AWD/4WD, then all-seasons will probably offer the best cost-performance. While dedicated winter tires will provide better traction in snow/ice, the major roads to Tahoe get cleared often enough that all-seasons won't be a problem. Also CHP is quite conservative and will shut down the passes before going to R-3 conditions. In this case, you would need chains regardless.
If you do go off the beaten path at Tahoe or any part of the Sierras, then dedicated winter tires may make sense. You'll still need to carry chains, however in case you come by a CHP chain control.
Ken
I have not seen specific complaints about the Explorer's system. You may want to ask Mountaineer owners, since more of those had that system.
-juice
tidester, host
thanks ateixeira
I have been very meticulous about the alignment and tire pressure. All is good there...all same size and wearing good. I will give the mountain folks a shot.
Is this true? I don;t care about the expense. I want to stick to the road.
1/2 season nice weahter, 1/2 bad.
N.E. USA
But when we start to compare all terrain tires with all season tires, the tread pattern can completely completely change that equation, particularly wet and snow traction.
Also when you try to compare different brands of tires, this "softness" equation probably works within a brand and may not between brands. The reason is that every manufacturer has its own way of compounding and curing the rubber, and those differences translate into differences in hardness.
Also it is generally true, that all terrain tires are compounded with harder tread compounds to resist chipping and chunking that you get on unimproved road surfaces.
But be careful - Folks will use the terms "all terrain" and "touring" rather freely and it is difficult to make statements that are universally true - generalizations, at best.
Hope this helps.
Is it on-road?
Is it off-road?
Is it Snow covered? if yes, what kind of snow?
Is it Ice?
Is it Rain?
Is it rock crawling?
Is it Highway?
Is it Dry?
Etc. etc.
What vehicle?
-mike
If you want 4WD, look at a 4Runner. Those can lock the center differential and have a low range.
-juice
It's not - it's car based and the system is AWD by just about everyone's definition.
-juice
on the net, I am ready to ask some questions
about my wife's future vehicle
1. Is it true you cannot drive on 4H mode
on dry road?
Local dealers(not only ford, but toyota-sequoia
and nissan-armada) all claim it is OK to drive
their vehicle in 4H mode. But after reading all
this, I think it is not true.
Please someone conform for Expy.
2. Is there any speed limit for 4H ?
3. When the A4WD mode activates 4x4, is it 4H, 4L
or something different, say AWD?
4. How big is the difference between A4WD mode,
and full time AWD cars(there are no AWD trucks!
I guess).
I understand different cars have different 4x4
systems, but I will be more interested about Ford
Expedition 2003 (or 2004).
Thanks
Generally you can shift to 4Hi up to ~60mph and there is no limit on how fast you can go in 4-hi once it's engaged.
The systems on the Sequoia and Armada allow 4-hi to be active on dry pavements as it is a system similar to the auto4wd or is an AWD system.
IMHO a system that puts *some* torque to both axles is far better than an "auto-engaging" system because it PREVENTS slippage rather than engaging 4wd AFTER slippage has occurred.
-mike
Now back to 4x4 mode for the sake of this forum.
So, in A4WD mode when it detects a wheel spinning, then it will engage 4H, and after that it will continue until there is no spinning, and then it will go back to RWD mode. Now, when turning on dry pavement, I guess there is some spinning, i.e. not all wheels have same spinning. In this case A4WD must activate 4H. But this is contradiction.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
To me, it seems 4H being as AWD is better choice.
If you are moving, then you can do it in AWD mode.
If you are stuck, then you can use 4L to get
unstuck. Then why locked 4H is needed at all.
I know, I am just new to 4x4s, but anyhow I am
trying to understand as much as possible.
-haro
On my Trooper with AWD/4wd, if you have it in AWD mode, it will do an initial torque split of 15/85 and then vary it up to 50/50 depending on slippage. Then I can lock it in 50/50-Low Range if I am in the real nasty stuff. Some of the other more hard core off-roaders like 4-hi locked at 50/50 but I've done some difficult trails and never gotten stuck with my TOD system. The only place I'd want locked 4-Hi, is on the beach in loose sand. That's where you want some momentum (4-hi) and locked at 50/50.
-mike
That time period appears to be "very fast", however you'd like to measure that:) I did some testing on my Tahoe this last winter between "auto" mode (which sounds similar to the "A4wd" mode you were discussing above), the "4-hi" mode and "2wd" mode. My test was pulling out of my driveway which is a gradual up-hill climb. From sitting idle at the end of my drive, I found the only noticable difference between the settings was if I was really hammering the gas. Starting and stopping with normal accelerator input provided no noticable spinning. The only way I could truely get ahead of the "auto" system was to accelerate normally into the road and half-way through the turn floor the pedal. Doing this caused my tail to swing a couple feet before the front dug-in enough to straighten me out. In 2wd I could get going (I've got the limited slip diff) fairly well although you had to really watch the throttle input. Flooring the pedal through the turn would kick the truck sideways and I let off before doing a 180.
Another test I did was up an extremely steep packed snow road. I drove up the hill in 4wd with no problems and did my testing on the way down just to be safe. Half-way down I crawled to an ABS assisted stop. Put the truck in reverse (still in "4-hi"), and slowly backed up the hill with no noticable slipping. Did this again with a heavy throttle and spun the tires but climbed straight up again. Next was "auto" mode which with normal throttle backed straight up the same as "4-hi". Flooring the pedal spun the tires and the rear kicked out very slightly but then went straight up again. In "2wd" I basically just spun and the rear slowly slid sideways regardless of how easy I throttled it. With heavy throttle it tried to climb and kicked back and forth but was moving. It would have been a long trip to the top.
Last week we were in Maine during heavy rains. I put the truck in "Auto" as we drove around town and I could feel the front axles engaging as we pulled into sharp parking spots and pulled out onto the narrow roads. I don't think it takes much slippage for the center diff to engage.
I like the option of disengaging the 4wd systems and running in 2wd. While I think the AWD system might have some advantages, the real-world difference is likely minimal. You get a lot of wear and tear and drive-line drag running both axles constantly when it's essentially not needed. Running the 900 mile trip in 2wd we averaged 20mpg on the way up with five passengers and way too much luggage. Coming back I was pullng a trailer but still got 15mpg. I'm sure an AWD system would zap my mileage at least a couple mpg.
This is my opinion as far as a vehicle used for multiple situations. Obviously heavy off-roading would require a different set-up, but for all around use I like the option of running various way, most importantly in 2wd the majority of the time. For off-road I'll take a standard 4x4 system with lockers on both ends.
-mike
Can someone out there tell me what to do at this point, if anything?
Thanks.
Make sure the fluids get done at the next 30k/60k/90k interval, too.
-juice
Definitely get the fluids changed though.
-mike