2WD vs 4WD

[Jon Foster]

I had a 4WD bout never had the need to use it.
This I do know.
Things break.
Suppose in your two wheel drive, your universal joint fails or something happens to the drive shaft? You can disconnect the drive shaft, put the truck in 4WD (using the front wheels) and go home. Slowly, but going…

We've been able to get out of the woods and rivers using the front end only several times. Rocks and trees are murder on those long rear drive shafts and u-joints.

Jon.

 

[deermanok]

My Nissan Frontier has 4 wheel drive. When I lived in Connecticut, it came in handy driving to and from the hospital where I worked during snow storms. Being an essential employee, I was obligated to get to work.
Now that I'm retired and in Oklahoma, never needed it once.

 

[ronlaughlin]

Used 4wd today, this morning. Highway was snow covered so drove from home out to the hills in 4wd. Fella flagged me down just before my destination. He said his car was dead, and he needed a jump start. Said he had spent the night in the car running the propane heater. He said he is homeless. Looking at the thermometer it was seen to be -14°. Needed 4wd to get up the dirt trail to his 4wd. His car started right up. Fella thanked me profusely; asked for a match for a smoke. Gave him a lighter; refused $1.

Went a little further up the highway, and turned off onto dirt trail; driving to a place to shoot. It was -16° so the shooting was done from inside the truck.

 

[rusticbob]

Same here! Drove home last night in a snow squall in 4x4. Very good snow tires and 4 Wheel drive just make me more comfortable!

 

[Barn]

I used to own a 1958 VW Microbus and helped out a lot of 4WDs for years. I think it was the VW had great ground clearance and about 60% of weight in the rear drive wheels. Wish I still had that old VW it's now worth about $13K.

I've still got and love driving my '71 bus, and it is great on flatland snow and ice, what little we see here in Fort Worth.

 

[Barn]

Have owned 4WD vehicles for over 50 years. Presently own a 2011 Toyota Tacoma 4WD. That truck is helpless compared to my 1994 Toyota pickup bought in1996.

1994 4 banger pickup with:

Two Lock Right lockers
Tweaked engine control module
Headers and cat back exhaust
Line X bed liner
Demountable 8,000 pound winch

You're saying your '94 is more capable than the newer model?

 

[raysucato]

Years ago we had a bear hunt to go to after work on Friday. The weather was looking grim but we were prepared with 4X4 and winch. Just so happened the sports section of the paper ran an article about some guy that caught a huge small mouth bass in a river where we were hunting. Then a downpour. We couldn’t get back to our spot due to the nuts on and off the muddy trail blocking our path. It was pitiful. We pulled some out of the way so we could continue, disappointing others as they begged for help

 

[Okie Hog]

You're saying your '94 is more capable than the newer model?

Much more capable. The so called limited slip differential in the Tacoma don't work in 4WD. The old truck has two locking differentials and is much lighter.

i recently chained the rear hitch on that old Toyota to a tree and winched out a badly stuck F250

 

[mnoland30]

My friend drives an unmodified 2WD Ford Ranger with his ATV in the back. He takes it places I'm afraid to take my F250 Superduty. It goes places I wouldn't have believed it could.

I drive 4WD vehicles. My Jeep Liberty has been stuck twice in 16 years, both time when pulling my small utility trailer. It has a limited slip differential. The new Fords have GOAT modes that give you the right traction for different conditions. They are pretty impressive. My next vehicle is a Bronco Sport.

 

[Dwayne]

Have owned 4WD vehicles for over 50 years. Presently own a 2011 Toyota Tacoma 4WD. That truck is helpless compared to my 1994 Toyota pickup bought in1996.

1994 4 banger pickup with:

Two Lock Right lockers
Tweaked engine control module
Headers and cat back exhaust
Line X bed liner
Demountable 8,000 pound winch

You're saying your '94 is more capable than the newer model?

Not only yes, but HELL yes. . .. I have the exact same Toyota 4x4, 1995. Mine is an extended
cab. I also have a 2016 toyota Tacoma crew cab 4x4.

All of that crap the 2016 has for "Crawl", "rocks", "Mud", "terrain", is basically useless. Lock in
the 4x4, and it has that stupid "Anti-slip" crap that amounts to nothing but a waste of money.
I do like the ability to lock into 4x4 high or low while inside the truck, but in reality, the truck
does not do near as good in stuck situations because of the antislip junk.

My 1995 Toyota. .Yeah, you gotta get outside and lock in the hubs, but when they are locked
in, they are LOCKED in permanently without that anti-slip crap. And you will spin all tires at
the same time, which has helped me more than once getting out of a mess hole.. I pulled a
friend of mines GMC 4x4 out of an high centered embankment with my 95 toyota.

If I could have a choice at all. . I would far rather have a 4x4 like my 95 toyota, than any of
the new stuff that comes out on the vehicles today. It is THAT big of a difference.

By the way Okie, I swear if you added the extended cab on that truck of yours, it would be
almost impossible to tell our trucks apart.

I also love those 22RE engines.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I had an '81 Toyota 4x4 hilux pickup, 31" tires and a 22r out of a celica gt. That truck was the ugliest pos but never ever could get it stuck in anything once the hubs were locked. Not enough power to spin the tires and not enough weight to sink in. Rusting out just made it even lighter. It would crawl over anything and got 20+ mpg. Like having an ugly girlfriend, it would do anything i asked but i hated being seen with it.

 

[Bear88]

4wd Toyota or square body Chevy I wouldn't trust my life to anything else. Sure you can make do with a 2wd but it's not worth it.

 

[rusticbob]

I love my 2010 Avalanche, push rod 5.3 liter engine is bullet proof!

 

[RobRed]

I love having 4x4 with a locker in back and limited slip out front, 1 ton axles and a diesel. Not much I can’t get through even at stock ride height.

 

[Outdoornut1]

I wasn't aware they made anything other than diesel 4wd trucks!

 

[Hatchet Jack]

Get into trouble in 2wheel drive, get out in 4WD.
Can’t say it’s comparing apples and apples due to more mountainous terrain but North Maine Woods is 3.5 million acres of unpaved roads, some maintained, many not so much. Lots of hunting, fishing, canoeing and 4WD’s wearing 10 ply tires.
Driving in Maine's North Woods - What You Need to Know

Reminds me of where I hunt and fish up in Portage, Maine.
Love the Big Woods.

 

[Bear88]

I love my 2010 Avalanche, push rod 5.3 liter engine is bullet proof!

yea those 5.3s are starting to earn the same reputation as the small block 350s

 

[Bear88]

I love having 4x4 with a locker in back and limited slip out front, 1 ton axles and a diesel. Not much I can’t get through even at stock ride height.

I'm regretting selling my 87 k30 cab and chassis. That thing just went, not fast but it got ya there just the same.

 

[Outdoornut1]

My wife's Rubicon has buttons on the dash to lock the front or back lockers or both at the same time. Never been stuck in any hole I put it in.Ive only stuck a one of my diesels once since I bought the first one in 2004 and it was sitting on the front bumper. It was all a skidder with giant all wheel 4wd to pull that heavy bastard out. he dug 4 holes over a foot deep before he even moved it.

 

[idahoron]

I had a 88 xtracab for 30 years and my 20 SR5 with an ARB front locker and a high output compressor. The 2020 SR5 is by far a better 4WD than the Xtracab. That front locker is amazing.
That said, if the xtracab had air conditioning I doubt I would have bought the 2020.
That old 88 never let me down.