my first winter with 4 wheel drive, just wundering our roads have been snow & ice for 2 months now. Does it hurt my truck to be running in 4 wheel alot. Doing both town driving and highway?

 

If you are driving on snow/ice then it shouldn't hurt it but be careful-with 4X4 you can get going much faster than you should be going for those conditions! 4X4=better traction for forward motion, NOT better stopping ability!!! I see more 4X4's off the road (not on purpose! ) heading up to ski country than any other vehicle! Let's be careful out there!

 

If you can drive over 55 mph.....then you probably shouldn't be in 4wd.

Also turning in 4wd can be annoying unless the roads are slippery.

As long as there is snow, mud etc. it should be fine to be in 4wd.

 

I lived in Montana for 4 years so I kinda know what the winters are like where you are. We had the same conditions, snow and ice packed roads for weeks at a time.You will be fine driving in 4wd in those conditions.

Just be a little more observant of the highway conditions when the snow and ice start to melt away, and the highway starts showing again. Going from snow and ice to dry pavement patches can cause problems, especially if you are pulling out and spinning and your front wheels hit that pavement. You could damage something.

 

The way I drive my 4x4 on snow covered, icey roads is i just reach down and shift into 4x4 high when i can feel my rear wheels slipping, and then shift it back to 2 wheel when i think the road conditions look better, all doing this at the same speed, and i have run my truck much faster than 55 mph in 4x4. Im one of those jerks on the road that passes everybody up and drives like a mad man when the roads are bad. Around here on the 4 lane they have the right lane clear and plowed, but the left lane is slushly and snow covered, and i drive in that faster than on the plowed lane and pass everybody up. I bet the people going slow in the right lane think, "wow that guy is cool" brave" fearless" when I pass them up. My personal opinion is if ur driving a full size 4x4 truck, that its embarressing if ur driving slow and cautious in slippery road conditions. I mean you look like a chicken ship driving slow stuck with the other slow traffic when ur driving a full size 4x4 truck.

 

Hey the advantage of 4 wheel or all wheel drive is to get you home when the weather gets bad.I you drive like a fool like like alot of people do in bad weather then your not getting anywhere.One time I had to take my wifes all wheel drive olds for a 30 mile trip to work and it was nice,put I still had to watch out on turning and stopping.Other people were sliping all over the place in 2 wheel vels leaving stop signs and red lights.Like I was told when I got a 4 wheel drive,keep it out till you need it.If you get stuck in 4 wheel that's it for you.The bottom line is drive right and it's better to be slow, then in the ditch.

 

I seriously doubt that is what people are thinking!

When you drive like an idiot (see quote above) in inclimate weather conditions, your reaction time (if something happens) is basically none, therefore.....some day, you will be upside down in the ditch while those chicken chits are stopping to see if you are ok.

But hey, you are cool right?

 

Fixed.

 

OK OK Suppose one of ur friends sees you driving ur 4x4 slow and easy when the roads are bad? He is going to tell his other friends that ur afraid to drive ur 4x4, and ur reputation is ruined. I mean ur at the local bar, hitting on women, then ur friend tells her, "hey? i seen MotoF150 the other day driving like an old lady when the roads had 2 inches of snow on them" ha ha ha , he's a chicken chit, ha ha ha I can't allow that to happen.

 

Dude, you have a serious ego problem.

Slow down before you hurt someone else.

 

Thanks for your explanation, but that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. If my friends were to say crap like that about me, I would find new friends. Furthermore, if it takes risking your life and the life of others that drive on these public roads to impress a girl, then she isn't worth having.

It is one thing to go out in the boonies and thrash around in your truck risking your own life for the sake of fun, and maybe trying to impress someone, but to take it out and risk the lives of those driving the public roads is just ridiculous!!! especially for those reasons.

Don't think that I am trying to make fun of your, or put you down in any way...that is not my purpose. I am trying to get you to see how ridiculous these friends you have are! Risking somebodies life to "get the girl" isn't worth it. That is exactly what you are doing when you drive like that in inclimate weather.

 

Sounds like you should've hit the books a bit more rather than worry about how fast your (not ur) 4x4 can go in the snow.

If the day comes when my friends give me Hell for driving slow on the snow then I'd quickly remind them that the fee for me pulling them out of a ditch just tripled... and add an extra $50 if they are driving a 4x4.

 

Moto150 makes some good points. I am going to go out on a limb and say PA gets more snow than AR. So maybe he is more skilled at driving in unpleasant conditions. Four wheel is to keep you out of the ditch not to turn on after you slide into it. I have to disagree about four wheel drive not helping you stop faster. When you stop with a four drive all four wheels are linked and will decelerate at the same rate. This gives you more control as it is less likely that the vehicle will slide sideways during braking. Sort of a crude anti-lock system. However if you lock them all up doing 60mph you are just as screwed as a two wheeler.

 

Go back and read my first post. I have had my fair share of snow and ice. As far as comparing our skill level. Well...how many accidents and tickets have you and moto150 had? Me...0 on both accounts. I'm 29.

I agree...it is the fellow you are agreeing with, that you actually disagree with. While you are reading my first post skip down to his and see what he thinks about this.

 

Moto150 is just trying to get you guys stroked up. Don't sweat it.