Do you want to drive in "4 Hi" when it is wet or snowing out? I heard this is bad for you truck and 4 wheel drive should only be used on sand or dirt.

Asking cuz of snow driving. If it is snowing out is it ok to have it in "4 Hi"????

 

I use 4HI in wet and snowy conditions quite frequently. As long as the pavement is slick enough to scrub off the differences in speed between the front and rear axles you shouldn't have any problems. I will turn off the 4wd when making a sharp turn, as there is usually some binding if you leave it on. I would say just use the 4wd and enjoy it. It really comes in handy when you want to launch off the line in a hurry when it is raining. Then you can disengage it once you get moving.

 

The gist is that when in 4hi one front wheel and one rear will spin at the same speed. Going straight this isn't too bad, in a tight turn it's real bad, you can feel the driveline bind up before it slips.

If going in a straight line, say a highway trip, and it's slippery, 4HI is OK. All four wheels are pretty much turning at the same rate anyways, they are all following the same path, what minor differences there are are easily "slipped" away in the rain/snow. If making a lot of tight turns, even in the snow, if you don't NEED the traction, 2HI is the way to go.

Anywhere inbetween use your best judgement.

Snow? For me, unless I'm in a parking lot making a tight turn, HECK YES it's in 4HI. Even in the explorer with it's "automatic" mode, it takes a 1/2 second of wheelspin before it engages. Just enough time in a turn to start the rear end sideways. Why bother.

 

When my truck was brandy new I tried to use 4wd in sleet/ice conditions. I experienced something I was told is called "crow hopping" on tight turns. There was some disagreement about what this would do to the drivetrain, but in general people called me uninformed to it. Once I understood the mechanics of winding up the drivetrain and hopping like this, I was not too eager to use 4wd with good traction. I do like the idea of shifting in/out if the tracrion is iffy. I have not used 4wd much this year though.

 

Myself I almost never use 4 Hi if it's just wet, but if snow is starting to stick to the road or ice is present I will. I always have my foot off the accelerator when engaging and disengaging 4 wheel drive to give the driveline some slack to do it's thing. Don't be afraid to go into and out of it as needed. I also only engage and disengage while moving in a straight line.

My rule of thumb is that if you had to panic stop and you would be sliding out of control somewhat, it's slick enough to use 4 wheel drive.

 

Interesting posts...Like Berak, I never use 4wd in wet or rain conditions. AWD is meant for those conditions, not 4wd. If you are experiencing traction issues in the rain, then odds are its is either a tire issue or speed issue (or combo of both). 4wd is not an excuse to run a little harder in any bad road condition. If it is a dry snow and minor accumalation, say 1/2 inch or less, I stay in 2wd. If it is a wet snow and icing, 4 wd goes on. I have never had the "crow" hopping problem mentioned above. The main thing to remember is 4wd is not a "magic" pill. Many a soul, including this one has found themself stuck in the roadside ditch with 4wd fully engaged and a very red face

 

Anybody thought that after your warranty runs out to change out the front axle, and put in another 1 so you can have locking hubs?
Dana 60 or 80 with a LOCKER. so you have a true 4-wheel drive.
Just a thought

 

Everyone's definition of "snow or lots of snow" is different. If on a developed roadway, I keep mine in 2wd until I start slipping too much, then I put it in 4wd. Then I'll shift out when it clears - but I could be in 4wd for many miles too. But no, I don't normally go into 4wd merely because its snowing out.

A word of caution: If you're not used to driving in the snow in 4wd, don't forget that even though you can go better than most others on the road, your ability to stop isn't any better than anyone elses. You may find out the hard way that it is easy to get lulled into driving faster than the prevailing conditions can handle.

 

There's a difference between number of driven wheels and tire/rubber traction, and I hope that the lesson won't be a hard one for those who don't appreciate the difference. Anyone remember seeing some of the documentaries from the Battle of the Bulge, where Sherman tanks were sliding across ice covered roads ?

Worst case conditions will probably be 'soft ice' close to the freezing point, as a water film tends to develop on the ice. I ran across a survey on studded tires that the state of Washington recently completed, where one reference was a study that was done in the early 90's in Alaska comparing all season, studded, and the new Bridgestone Blizzak tires. In snow there wasn't much of a difference, and at low temperatures the Blizzaks did as well and in some tests better than the studded tires, but on ice close to freezing the Blizzaks had only an 8% better stopping distance than the all season tires, compared to the 25% better distances with the studded tires.

The above comparison agrees with what I've seen. During the last ice storm I saw a Jeep with Goodrich TAs, tires that have a severe snow rating, stall and start sliding backwards on the fairly steep street in front of our house. He'd done fine all thru the storm until it started warming up. Our old Honda Civic with Goodyear studded snow tires did fine on ice that you couldn't walk on, although it did leave claw marks on our steep driveway once in awhile, while the Michelin LTX A/S tires on my truck will break loose when there is frost on the road, much less on ice.

 

If you're not used to driving in the snow in 4wd, don't forget that even though you can go better than most others on the road, your ability to stop isn't any better than anyone elses.

Agreed. The other tip that I've seen help people is to stay on the gas a bit in corners. The front wheels help pull you throught, where letting off the throttle engine brakes the front as well as the rear and you often understeer/slide.