Pickup Trucks: 2wd vs 4wd

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: whip
From the mid 80's and back, most cars were RWD. I doubt snow tires were common, or as good as modern ones. I can't imagine snow removal was as good either. How did they manage to get around without 4WD?


Snow removal was pretty good, municipalities and states spent more $$ on it then. Fewer cars on the road made plowing easier.

And yeah, we had snow tires.

Finally, who said RWD was bad in the snow? You been drinking the FWD Kool-Aid?

What matters most isn't FWD or RWD, it's the weight distribution (what percentage of weight is over the driving wheels) and the feel of the car. An example: Burke Mountain Ski Area in the early 80s with my GF's family. They had a Plymouth Horizon (FWD) and a Volvo 240 Wagon (RWD). Similar tires.

Hands down that RWD Volvo was better. Better balance, better throttle response, more smooth, easier to drive in the snow. The Horizon was an evil little machine that wanted to spin its wheels and head for every snow bank.

But it was FWD...

My parent's '76 Impala wagon was simply awesome in the snow. Good snow tires, reasonably balanced weight in the rear, and a smooth, easy to modulate 400 CI V-8. A beast of a car that got me through several blizzards, including one where my college buddy totaled his car in a loss of control crash in the Berkshires. I drove through the same weather, on the same roads, and the beast never missed a step.

Of course, my buddy's car was a VW Rabbit...and it was FWD...

 

[spasm3]

I had a 78 plymouth fury III that was great on snow. 318 2bbl RWD. It had really soft springs for a good ride but it did well on snow. I guess the soft springs helped it , but it did well with good tires.
On ice, i have many many miles on fwd with 2 , i repeat 2 studded snow tires. That combo works really well about as good as w4d in the avalanche. I am going to get a pair next year for my saturn.

 

[asand1]

Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
is there a case to be made for 4wd over 2wd? 'm having a hard time justifying why I would want to pay to add 4wd.


Hiking, boat ramps, hunting, snow driving, ranching, farming, camping, occasional riverbar running (where legal), 4-wheeling trails, hauling toys to the dunes, contracting, hauling brush out of your yard, pulling a friend or neighbor out of a ditch, hauling a trailer on a dirt/gravel road, wood cutting.

In the case of pick-ups, they have very little weight over the driven tires, while the majority of the weight is over the front tires. without power to those front wheels they become anchors any time you meet an obstacle or incline. I had a 2WD '72 Chevy with a positrac Dana 60 and aggressive rear tires. It would get stuck on wet grass. 4WD will put power to the tires with the most traction (front) in an empty pick-up truck and keep you moving.

If I were buying a truck, it would have a full 8' bed, 4 doors, and 4WD. A truck should be able to do anything you ask of it, if not then its no better than a car.

If you don't ask much of your pick-up, and only need to haul some some stuff on pavement in decent weather then get a 2WD.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Quote:


This is odd. It means that, despite the greater difficulty of buying a good used 4WD (because there's more to go wrong/check, and because its more likely to have been abused on and off road, and the greater running costs (which would be expected to be more important to buyers of used vehicles), a 2WD depreciates proportionately faster, and is thus a better bet used.

So the market isn't rational.

Who knew?


Well, and, it's easier to buy a 10 year old kia sophia for 10% of MSRP than it is to buy a pickup truck with the same specs/ mileage/ wear. "Handy people" buy pickup trucks and they hold their value better.

The only exception is in a gas price crunch when the urban cowboys are fleeing them.

+1 Hopefully people searching for used vehicles know how to check them out. If they don't then they should pay someone to check them out. You'll know if they were abused or not. IMO 4 WD in any area where it snows is worth the extra cash, especially if you keep your vehicles for a long time.

 

[GaleHawkins]

Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
I've been looking at new trucks recently (mid-size: Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier), and it's interesting that all three offer 2wd and 4wd versions of their trucks, and quite a bit of money can be saved going the 2wd route.

My current pickup (a Ranger) has 2wd, and with rare exception, I've never needed 4wd. It seems to be an option that most people would use infrequently, if at all, in real world use.

Negating resale value... is there a case to be made for 4wd over 2wd? Seems maintenance and repairs would be cheaper with 2wd, and gas mileage would be better. I'm having a hard time justifying why I would want to pay to add 4wd.

 

[GaleHawkins]

We just went through this when picking a used PU truck for the daughter. With no need to go in mud and with little snow in West KY (this winter we have had a lot of snow/ice however) we just bought a 2007 Dakota 2WD with 62K miles.

In fact we do not own a four wheel drive or a FWD vehicle. The 2002 Blazer and 2003 Escalade were rare finds being 2WD vehicles.

We live at the top of a steep hill on a county road off the state route but I plow it with the tractor and grader blade but even with 4WD it would be easy to go off in deep ditches. Actually in most snows by 3 PM this hill will self clear with sunshine even with temps at/near freezing.

I can see more salt damage showing up 4WD vs 2WD vehicles.

With less than 6" of snow (4" was the max this winter with 1-2" being more the normal) our best snow vehicle is actually the 2000 Towncar. I had just put new tires on it back in Jan with the Trac Control feature that came out that year it goes really well because it powers the tire with the best traction. The Escalade has traction control too but it does not move unless the roads are clear. We have 6 tagged and running passenger vehicles.

A person that buys new and trades every 5 years or less 4WD should not be an maintenance issue. For those of us who often buy 10 year old/100K used machines and with no technical need for 4WD then searching out good 2WD trucks makes sense from my experience at age 64 living in the country.

 

[Traction]

Not living in the country, or where hilly, I would take a 2WD anything with 4 winter tires over any 4WD on regular tires. Been driving safely on snow/ice for 45 years. Have had a few 4WD trucks, with 4 winter tires of course, and found I put it in 4WD very little. Bugged me paying all the extra just to have it, and not really need it, so I went back to a 2WD truck 5 years ago, and will never buy 4WD again. Had a hard time finding "real pickup", a regular cab, 8 foot box 2WD truck. Ended up with a 08 Chevy, and it is great in the snow. Sure 4WD would be great once in a while, but I believe they are overrated. I could buy a lot of winter tires for less than the extra costs of 4WD.

 

[zuluplus30]

Originally Posted By: Traction
Not living in the country, or where hilly, I would take a 2WD anything with 4 winter tires over any 4WD on regular tires. Been driving safely on snow/ice for 45 years. Have had a few 4WD trucks, with 4 winter tires of course, and found I put it in 4WD very little. Bugged me paying all the extra just to have it, and not really need it, so I went back to a 2WD truck 5 years ago, and will never buy 4WD again. Had a hard time finding "real pickup", a regular cab, 8 foot box 2WD truck. Ended up with a 08 Chevy, and it is great in the snow. Sure 4WD would be great once in a while, but I believe they are overrated. I could buy a lot of winter tires for less than the extra costs of 4WD.


A year ago I would have said no way, but having finally driven a 2wd Tacoma with snow tires in a foot of snow sold me.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: Traction
Not living in the country, or where hilly, ... 4WD would be great once in a while, but I believe they are overrated.

I shortened that up for you a bit.

I live in hilly country, the altitude above sea level may not be that high, but the slopes sure are steep.

We entertain. We have a steep driveway. After each party when it snows, we say goodbye to the 4WD/AWD owners and push the FWD/RWD vehicles off the grass and up the driveway one by one. This has happened more times then I can count.

If you hardly need it, then don't bother. But I don't call it "overrated".
Originally Posted By: Traction
I could buy a lot of winter tires for less than the extra costs of 4WD.

Winter tires are great on icy roads, I own a set for my FWD. That's all most people need. Don't forget the extra cost of the rims, and don't expect them to perform off-road.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: ragtoplvr
We call 2WD with limited slip the poor mans 4 wheel drive.

With a pavement base,good snow tires and some driving skills you can go where the 4X4 go. Break out the chains and you can go about anywhere.
I disagree. Chains may help on ice but a 2wd truck with a locked axle is still completely useless in sand with a trailer or steep hills with softball sized rocks. I'll put my 4x4 with open diffs up against a 2wd with lockers any day

I agree..without a load in the bed a dusting of snow will stop a 2 WD. Having had 2 4WD trucks...I would lock the hubs even in a snow dusting.

 

[hattaresguy]

Don't be cheap buy 4x4 unless you live in an area of the country that doesn't get snow.

The argument that 2wd is good with snow tires is [censored], you know whats good with snow tires? A 4x4!

Modern vehicles do even better. Last snow I was ridding with my buddy in his new big Lexus SUV whatever they call it, Landcruiser thing with studded snow tires. You know what going up a hill in 10in of fresh snow, pulling a double sled trailer with that thing was? A scenic day. A RWD anything can't touch that level of capability.

Most modern trucks have the 4wd auto feature which is very, very good. Modern computers are extremely capable.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: slowdime
Unless you do a lot of driving in the snow I'd save your money. Even then common sense and skill will serve you well. I drove a 2wd s10 for years in the snow and never had any problems. A few hundred pounds of sand bags in the bed is helpful in those situations.


+1.

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Living in Minnesota, I've owned both 2wd and 4wd trucks. Living in the cities, a 2wd truck is doable. Outside of town, its not as easy. At this point, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to 2wd.

If resale means anything, the 4x4 will carry better resale value, particularly in the more snow prone states. A local Ford dealership has over 250 F150's in stock. Guess how many are 2wd? None.


I too live in Minnesota. I had an old Toyota 2WD for years. I preferred it over the 4wd I once had due to the smoother ride. BTW, if the local dealer has so many 4wd and so few 2wd, wouldn't the 2WD command a good resale due to rarity?

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Most modern trucks have the 4wd auto feature which is very, very good. Modern computers are extremely capable.


What? You mean you don't have to get out of your truck, turn the little red dial on the front hubs, and then drive backwards and slam on your brakes no more?

 

[MetalSlug]

For truck you will alway had to have 4wd , that what make it a truck.

also 4wd add a value to a truck in long run.

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Most modern trucks have the 4wd auto feature which is very, very good. Modern computers are extremely capable.


What? You mean you don't have to get out of your truck, turn the little red dial on the front hubs, and then drive backwards and slam on your brakes no more?


lol no, just a button now , you remind me of my old jeep grand cherokee.

 

[supton]

I find if I turn traction and VSC off in my truck (necessary to do when going thro snow otherwise it cuts too much power) it becomes trivial to go sideways in RWD. Even with snow tires.

 

[philipp10]

why can't they build a decent front wheel drive truck and be done with it. I have no desire to have the complexity and extra weight of 4WD. I grew up in the 1960's and back then, 4WD was very rare. Somehow we all go around fine. Now everyone acts like 4WD is a necessity.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
why can't they build a decent front wheel drive truck and be done with it. I have no desire to have the complexity and extra weight of 4WD. I grew up in the 1960's and back then, 4WD was very rare. Somehow we all go around fine. Now everyone acts like 4WD is a necessity.


Ridgeline and perhaps Baja in automatic are close to that. VW Caddy was FWD, as was Dodge Challenger.

Ive found my fwd eventually hit their limits, and only after a few inches. I don't like using momentum to "fix" traction problems.

 

[Claud]

4WD will help you to keep going on icy roads, but they won't help tou stop any better.
When we do get iced roads over here recovery trucks are kept busy pulling 4WD's out of ditches because the drivers overestimated their abilities.

Claud.