I was "practicing" driving 4x2 in the snow...

[file014]

That was my excuse if the cops came while I was doing donuts just now. Seriously, I expected to get stuck at least once, but didnt. I have 350 lbs of sandbags in the bed. My truck has the base model open differential and original Bridgestone Dueler HT P245 tires with 8800 miles, unrotated. I fully stopped in about 6 inches of untouched but slushy snow, and so long as I didnt "break em loose," I got out pretty easily. Almost as if I wasnt in the snow. This was on flat parking lot though, not uphill. I really need to try it again with some fresh powder when its colder outside. Any got some 4x2 in the snow experiences to share?

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photo...hp/photo/13935

[v8Toilet]

It gets easier with the LSD!

[Johnny Law]

My experience with 4x2 action in the snow is that it sucks. 4X4 is much better. All it takes is for one wheel to start spinning in 4x2 and your pretty much toast. My Dodge was 4x2 and I swore my next truck was going to be 4X4. It hasn't let me down yet and has come in quite handy.

[DJ]

I have a 4WD, which makes it VERY easy to compare 4WD with 4WD. All I have to do is press a little button on the dash to swap between the two. My tests show a WORLD of difference. I test it almost daily from November to April. The high was 16 degrees today and we had another four inches of partly cloudy just yesterday.

A wheel slips on ice or snow if the torque applied to it puts a shear force at the tire patch that is greater than the ice or snow can withstand. It's a "threshhold effect" -- as the torque increases, the tire patch suddenly begins slipping when the torque exceeds the threshhold. Below that threshhold, the tire doesn't slip.

To accelerate at a given rate, other things being equal, requires half the torque at each wheel in 4WD that it does in 2WD. That makes it less likely that the threshhold torque will be exceeded in 4WD than in 2WD. That's why 4WD makes driving on slippery surfaces much easier.

A limited slip differential can help, but not as much as 4WD. Think about it. If one wheel slips, the LSD locks that wheel to the other. It still slips, and thus all the torque needed for acceleration has to be applied through only one wheel, which thus has applied to it FOUR TIMES as much torque as in 4WD. It can keep a slipping wheel from being a total disaster, but it cannot duplicate or exceed the acceleration of 4WD.

[file014]

No doubt 4x4 would be better, Im not denying that. But it goes back to the argument, do I need to spend $3000 extra to use it 3 times a year. I dont offroad, I dont tow, I have a tercel that can get through 6" of snow or more. I live in a town with crappy snow removal, but they do plow enough so the tercel wont get stuck. I just leave the truck home, and so far this was the first day in my 8 months of having it. Which is why I went out to practice. I do wish I had an LSD, especially for a $250 option or whatever it costs. We are supposed to get more snow and darn cold weather, so Ill try gettting the truck stuck in powder.

[DJ]

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I use it nearly every day from November to April. I lived in St. Louis for 26 years, during which I almost never needed it, so I didn't buy it.

[pagemaster]

Originally Posted by file014

No doubt 4x4 would be better, Im not denying that. But it goes back to the argument, do I need to spend $3000 extra to use it 3 times a year. I dont offroad, I dont tow, I have a tercel that can get through 6" of snow or more. I live in a town with crappy snow removal, but they do plow enough so the tercel wont get stuck. I just leave the truck home, and so far this was the first day in my 8 months of having it.

Well obviously you do not need 4WD.


I live in the country where is snows constantly in the winter and I really need 4WD plus I go off roading occasionally.

But if you only would need it 3 times a year and you have a great snow vehicle in the Tercel then it is obvious that you don't need 4Wd.

[file014]

http://www.mattracks.com/

Im thinking about some of these for the tercel though.

[drewbush]

01 tundra 4x2. sucks in the snow. I got stuck in the sierras for a few days during the big snow storm up here. I was parked slightly uphill on a turn with my tailgate almost against a wall. It took 2 hours to gdig it out and 10 minutes to get the chains on. It was still a chore trying to get it out.

[tundrabrad]

Snow??? What is snow???

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Brad

[Xfercase]

Originally Posted by file014

That was my excuse if the cops came while I was doing donuts just now. Seriously, I expected to get stuck at least once, but didnt. I have 350 lbs of sandbags in the bed. My truck has the base model open differential and original Bridgestone Dueler HT P245 tires with 8800 miles, unrotated. I fully stopped in about 6 inches of untouched but slushy snow, and so long as I didnt "break em loose," I got out pretty easily. Almost as if I wasnt in the snow. This was on flat parking lot though, not uphill. I really need to try it again with some fresh powder when its colder outside. Any got some 4x2 in the snow experiences to share?

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photo...hp/photo/13935

then don't bother getting 4wd. However, I find it indespensable living in CT where we get our fair share of snow. Also because my vintage 1993 XTRACAB has no limited slip it is worthless in heavy rain, let alone snow, when in 2wd. The other point made somewhere here is that you really don't pay extra for the 4wd because you definitly get it back when you sell the truck. Unless you live in a area where snow/off roading is not available 4x4 trucks hold their value much more than 2wd. Its just one more desirable option that people expect today just like an auto trannsmission. This is not to say 2wd trucks do not have their place as they definitly have advantages. The ride, handling is generally better with 2wd trucks and loading/unloading is better because of their typical lower height. I suppose a case can be made that there is less maintainence on a 2wd truck, as even if the 4wd system is trouble free, doing a brake job, replacing wheel bearings is more of a project on a 4wd truck. All told, having owned both 2wd and 4wd trucks the latter offers many bennefits that far outweigh the few, infrequent disadvantages.

[tpgn00]

I thought I might share my experience with both 4x2 tundra and 4x4 . I bought a brand new 03 4x2 tundra with lsd last year when i lived in SoCal. Having asked the question about 4x4 vs 4x2, most people on this site said that if you get a 4x2 you will wish that you had a 4x4. I didn't take that advice and bought 4x2 simply because 4x4 was too expensive. In september I moved here to Colorado. I thought I would be fine with my lsd. What was I thinking. After the first snow I realized I needed 4x4. So I traded in my 4x2 and got the exact truck down to the color and options with 4x4. This past Sunday it snowed 5 inches and I couldn't be happier that I had a 4x4. Granted the roads were clear the next day but even if I never use 4x4 again this year, ( which I don't think will happen) it was well worth it.

Just my $.02

-tpgn00

[Wstar425]

I practice driving in the snow in 4x2 everyday from November to April also. Then I push the little button and practice driving in the snow in 4x4 for the rest of the way. Actually, I sort of get moving in 4x4 and then switch to 4x2 as long as I can keep moving. We get like 60 inches of snow a year, 300 inches just north in the Lake Superior snow belt. I think there might be two or three 4x2 trucks in the town of 7500 where everybody has a truck, or SUV. You couldn't give one away here.

I think in Indy I would go with the 4x2 and call in sick the four days it was bad! Cough, Cough! Why get the Tercel all salted up anyway?

Happy Hauling,

Doug

[file014]

Originally Posted by Xfercase

then don't bother getting 4wd. However, I find it indespensable living in CT where we get our fair share of snow. Also because my vintage 1993 XTRACAB has no limited slip it is worthless in heavy rain, let alone snow, when in 2wd. The other point made somewhere here is that you really don't pay extra for the 4wd because you definitly get it back when you sell the truck. Unless you live in a area where snow/off roading is not available 4x4 trucks hold their value much more than 2wd. Its just one more desirable option that people expect today just like an auto trannsmission. This is not to say 2wd trucks do not have their place as they definitly have advantages. The ride, handling is generally better with 2wd trucks and loading/unloading is better because of their typical lower height. I suppose a case can be made that there is less maintainence on a 2wd truck, as even if the 4wd system is trouble free, doing a brake job, replacing wheel bearings is more of a project on a 4wd truck. All told, having owned both 2wd and 4wd trucks the latter offers many bennefits that far outweigh the few, infrequent disadvantages.

Trucks in general hold their value well. Yeah you could sell a 4x4 for more, but I would guess its pretty proportional to original price paid. I have no problem driving in rain, maybe the old pickups were light in the rear. I do understand your support for 4WD, but do not overlook the fact that for what I need in a truck, this 4x2 can do anything a 4x4 can for about 355+ days a year. Its like that for many people. Not everyone expects a truck to be 4x4. And cost is a factor too. Not everyone who wants a Tundra can afford payments of $500 a month. But they do want the utility, safety, and reliability of a big Tundra for the majority of the year. And besides Im gonna move to Florida in a few years There A/C is like gold! And I have that!

[dupont24]

Anything you can do on road in a 4X4 you can do in a 4X2, if you know how to drive.