I am sure you guys up north will know this and I probably should too, but I didn't get 4 wheel drive until this truck. When it rains here the roads get very slick, similar to ice or packed snow up north. I was wondering if I could drive home in 4-high. It is about 40 total miles with about 30 miles of highway were I normally cruise about 73-75 mph. Other than reduced fuel economy any bad effects on the drivetrain?

 

you should be fine, that's what it's there for.


just don't try it in 4low

 

I was fooling around in the dirt one day in 4wd, then must have drove 10-15 miles on the dry freeway (75 mph) before noticing I forgot to put it back in 2wd. Didn't hurt a thing.

 

You'll be fine as long as the pavement is wet. Never drive 4x4 on dry pavement for long.

Use 4x4 low anytime you are off road. That is what it is there for, much easier on the TC.

 

Since the front hubs don't unlock, there's not much difference between driving in 2wd or 4wd...unless you turn sharp!

 

Yeah I hear you there. What is that noise anyway? Scared me, I thought I broke something. Felt like the front end was all wobbly at low speed turns too. I only feel it in 4 wd though so I assume it is just a function of it.

 

Only use 4WD in low traction conditions, not as a full time system. When turning there has to be some slipping because of the different distance the front and rear axles travel. On hard surfaces it feels like binding or jumping.

If you are on rain soaked streets or highways it's OK. Ice or snow, even better. Or dirt roads. But the worst is dry pavement around town with sharp turns.

Dry conditions won't break anything but it does cause an unfair load on the drivetrain and a lot of tire wear. And in dry conditions there is no traction advantage unless you are drag racing and bombed.

Wetspirit

 

other than no differentiation between your front and rear axle, no difference at all

 

Thanks guys. Made pulling out in heavy traffic a lot easier tonight plus it gave me a little peace of mind. I told the wife to use it in the rain too since she seems to have a heavier foot than mine! She has had it sideways twice now. Go figure, she loves my truck almost as much as I do.

 

Ya know, my wife has the same problem.
I finally bought her an awd car because she would complain about how lousy her tires were when the streets were wet. First time she pulled out in traffic in my truck, she did a big smokey 30' burnout, got sideways and about got t-boned. She said, "My Volvo doesn't do that!" I reminded her it was AWD. lol

 

The front axle binds up a bit on sharp turns. Its normal and nothing to worry about. But that is the main reason they tell you not to drive around in 4x4 all the time

 

In the rain, I'll pop mine in 4H for pulling out in traffic. Once I get up to speed I let off the accel a little and take it out (unless the roads are snowpacked, black ice, etc of course, then I leave it in all the way home).

 

BTW, My experience has been that 4wd doesn't effect the economy that much, since everything is always turning regardless.

In fact, one of my highest MPG trips was 200 miles of mountain passes in 4wd during a pretty bad snowstorm. Got 25mpg on that one! Had to keep the speed around 35-45 mph 'cause of the snow.

 

Every time we get a good rain, I pop it into 4HI. I figure it may lubricate some of the parts. It also feels much more solid on the wet roads.

 

4HI is ALWAYS a good idea even when it's just raining because these trucks (especially bombed ones) have so much torque and NO traction control that breaking the rear tires loose (be they 2 or 4 of them) is sooooo easy! I can't tell you how many times I have merged in 4th or 5th gear and right about 1800 RPM, there goes the back end a little!

Something to remember. I believe the manual states do NOT engage or disengage 4WD ABOVE 55 MPH. Not sure why, but probably puts a lot more stress on parts having to engage or disengage at such high revolutions.