It's funny in the winter when we go snowboarding in the local mountains and when you get to the first steep bit of road and there's been snow falling there's car's and trucks just sitting in one place spinning there wheels lol. All the 4wd guys just cruize past them like nothing worng. Was so glad i had 4wd last time i went up there. I seems that LSD dont have any affect because neither wheel has any traction so it has zero affect.

 

Buy a HiLift jack and a tow strap and have some fun

 

Yup, just remember:

In bad conditions, it's not how fast you drive, it's how long it's going to take you to stop that matters.

4x4 is a godsend in the winter, but you still have to drive to the conditions. Don't mash on the brake pedal, it's worse than mashing on the gas!

 

First, objects are bigger or deeper than they appear. In my first 4WD, an 02 FX4, I was going downhill on a trail at less than 10MPH. I crossed over a large rock without realizing it was washed out below it. I realized this when the back of the nerf bar made contact with the lower part of the extended cab door. Fortunately it wasn't too much damage, but certainly made me sick. Play with the truck on flat ground and light mud the first time or two so you can get use to how it responds. Be sure you take a co-pilot with a camera.

Now hold my brew and watch this... ;-)

 

Now it has been said that you should not engage in 4 wheel when on dry pavement, especially for any length of time. In Winter there are instances when the roads appear dry for the most part, but due to a refreeze overnight or black ice situations where you are likely to encounter very slippery spots, how do you feel about using 4HI then?

 

Use your best judgement. You know your roads better than anyone here, so if you know of specific trouble spots that you know may be slippery that you feel you would be more comfortable using 4HI on, then use it. Personally, unless I know for a fact that a certain spot up ahead of me is going to be icy/slippery, I just use extreme caution and stay in 2wd. Don't drive fast, and don't slam on the brakes.

 

I really like this!

For me, I've always found 4WD to be more of a low to medium speed type of tool. 4 Lo for really slow crawling, yanking the boat out of the lake, etc., and 4 Hi for better traction while driving at slower speeds in deep snow, on ice, etc. My one golden rule is that if I'm driving highway speeds and I need 4WD for better traction, I just slow down. The way I look at it is that if I need 4WD to maintain highway speeds safely, it's simply too fast to be travelling for the conditions. If I can't run highway speeds in 2WD, I slow down. That might be a little conservative, but then again, I've never come close to ditching my truck or losing control. It's one thing to have to take evasive manouvers while you are clicking along at 30mph or something like that, but trying the same thing at 50 or 60 is a whole other matter.

Oh and the other golden rule is that 4WD isn't a replacement for good snow and winter tires if you live in a severe climate. Always have good tires and use 4WD when needed.

 

Good advice. Let me add it's a good idea to hang a heavy blanket over the strap (or chain). If it should break this will prevent it from going through the windshield or rear window.

 

Well...definitely don't go wheelin' (especially in mud) without a tow rope, shackles are a good idea too. Like the others said, you should engage your 4wheel drive once in a while.

 

Oh ...and don't be accelerating while shifting into 4wheel drive.