I am definately with the 4 wheel drive camp! I will NEVER own another truck without it.

There have been at least 2 times I know I would have been stuck pulling my Toyhauler, had it not been for the 4wd. What a pain that would have been, trying to get into the camping area and be spinning my tires in sand. I kicked it into 4wd and it saved the hassle. Idled right through it.

The negatives such as extra maintenance and worse fuel mileage are almost insignificant.

1. Whatever extra costs you incur buying the 4wd, your truck will always be worth that much more. Go price a used 4x4 vs. a 4x2 in the otherwise same truck. They are always worth that much more, imo. And easier to sell.

2. Have you ever just needed some extra grunt to move a REALLY REALLY heavy load? 4wd offers you LOW 4. 2wd doesn't.

3. Ever in a snow storm? Slippery conditions of any kind? Driving in heavy rain? 4wd is always there if you have it. 2wd...well it just isn't. Peace of mind is worth something.

4. Do you think you may ever race your truck? 4wd launches on the drag strip provide awesome traction. Same for sled pulls.

5. Ever had a need to go through a high water crossing? Would you rather sit up high and dry......or low and wet.? Winner...4wd.

6. And, finally......the biggest reason(imo)...THEY JUST PLAIN LOOK BETTER!!! THEY SIT UP TALL AND PROUD LIKE A CTD SHOULD!



on edit, I also wanted to add that our trucks are already very front heavy. My front axle weighs 5000lbs and my rear is 3000lbs. It is even easier to get our trucks stuck than a gasser because of the weight distribution front to back. CTDs need 4wd if you ever think you might find yourself in any kind of mud, snow, or wet grass.

 

I had two 4wds so far, and hardly every used them. To me it's just added expense and more maintenance. With the right tires and thinking ahead you should be fine with a 2wd.

MikeyB

 

I have never had a problem with getting stuck in a 2wd!! And im off road all the time. I would go with what ever you like best! Go drive both.

 

This could go on for EVER. It can go either way. I never owned a car or a 2wd vehicle until my current dodge. I have a junker of a farm truck to thrash and go beat up getting chores done, where I HAVE TO HAVE 4wd. I thought 4wd was the only way to go, but you have to look at several things. I haul horses, machinery all over and the savings of 2wd on the Highway add up: MPG and repairs, IMO. With 4wd, there are more parts to go bad, more parts=more $$. I believe 2wd drive smoother. Also, use your head, if there are 3ft snow drifts, don't go down that road with a 2wd. I live in Iowa, we have several seasons where 4wd is helpful: winter, spring thaw, summer showers that make lots of mud. Really I only wished I had 4wd about 4 days out of the year. With 2wd, i just play it a little safer. Basically, if $$$ isn't an issue for you, get it. Or save the $$$ and get a 2wd and use the extra for bombing. Hopefully you don't neeed 4wd to get thru all these posts. HA HA. Hope it helps.

 

I just wanted to put emphasis on one point TexasCTD made. These suckers are HEAVY up front, and I've seen the front ends sink on multiple occasions once you hit anything mushy. Same could be said about 2wd with a lot of weight on the rear end. Some weight is good. Too much weight and you're looking at dropping your pumpkin down, and even sometimes dropping so low the rear end is sitting in the garbage you're trying to maneuver in.

To each his own, though.

 

I have a two wheel drive. Never thought I would take a 13K 5er down a dirt or gravel road...wrong. Forget about backing up any incline on gravel or dirt. Wish I had gotten the 4wd. If you get an auto 2wd and try rocking to pull out of a hole the trans will not be able to handle the jerking. I spent 3 grand to upgrade my tranny with billet input just so I can tow with my buddies who just switch to 4wd low and pull right out.

BTW: now I will need A/T tires that can handle a little mud and some gravel.

 

i wish i would have bought a 4x4. I just mainly ran out of options. I was looking for one, but all the ones i was finding we're way out my price range for still being in High School at the time. the cheapest 4x4 cummins 24V in my area was $18,000 and it was gone before i even got the chance to fill out the loan ap. and most older 12V's are pretty rough with either rust damage or paint fade and chipping, which i wanted about as new as i could afford. Other than that it was closer to about $20-22,000 for a cummins around my area. Then i was able to pick up my 2000 2 wheel drive for $11,000 with just over 115,000 miles on it back in March 2006. Which they wanted $18k for it but i talked them down to $11k. Which i've only been stuck twice and one was because I was not thinking when i parked on very wet saturated ground and my truck sank clear almost to the axles, which 4 wheel drive wouldn't have made any difference. Then the second time was when it snowed out here in Colby Kansas almost 3 feet and I got stuck in a different persons rut that had gotten stuck before me. So there wasn't much i could have really done to avoid that one. I'll deffintely buy a 4 wheel drive when i upgrade to a 3rd gen in a couple years, but my 2 wheel drive is absolutely amazing as far a fuel milage and repairs goe compared to a 4 wheel drive. Which is great on a students budget.

 

Might as well chip in my $.02 here. I wouldn't go without 4wd anymore as I look at it like an insurance policy I might never need it but will be real happy the day I do and it is there. Also as mentioned a couple of times previously these trucks are so heavy on the front end when I was trying to back up a very slight incline on wet grass last night in 2wd the truck just sat there and spun the rear tires. Either way make the decision right for you and if that is 2wd realize it does have its limitations and just be sensible about living within those.

 

If you have the choice you might as well get the 4wd.

After all.. it is a truck and you never know when you will need it.

 

The insurance aspect is really what this is all about.

Like all other forms of insurance, it is based on a person's own personal calculation of risk vs cost.

If you are an Alaskan Fisherman and can get life insurance for $50/mo for a $500K policy, that's might be a really good price. But if you are a CEO on Wall Street, a $500K policy for $20/mo might be overpriced.

So it really boils down to the cost of 4wd purchase and maintenance vs the risk of not having 4wd.

If you know your limitation as a 2wd owner and can mitigate risk effectively (live in the South, etc), then the cost of 4wd probably isn't worthwhile to you.

Since the cost of purchasing and maintaining a 4wd is almost the same for everyone, then the RISK and your ability to MITIGATE it is really the ONLY way each person will make their own decisions about whether the 4wd is worth it.

For some, it's cheap insurance. For others, it's a waste of money.

JH

 

HOHN hit the nail on the head on what I was trying to say.

 

I can tell you from owning a 4x4 that most of the operating/maintenance expense goes directly to the front axle. Between tie rods, bearings, u joints, steering boxes, steering stabilizers and other stuff, it gets expensive. If you plan on putting a lot of miles on the truck and spending most all that time on road, I would get a 4x2. Chains will get you through the snow, stay out of the mud, and if you are in a campground and get stuck in the mud, its typically not too hard to find someone to pull you out of the mud. The IFS setup on a 4x2 is also a lot easier to drive as I believe someone else said. That is one thing I like about the GMC 4x4s is they have IFS and are easier to drive than a Ford or Dodge.

 

I have a 2WD and dont regret it. The fuel milage increase is worth every penny. People here are complaining about their 4wd getting 16mpg or so. I get 23-24mpg on the highway at 65 and about 18-20 in city. I tow a 10k trailer and have never got stuck in light mud or dirt. Alot of my friends say they dont need 4wd but its good to have it in case. I dont think its worth having it with a "just in case" reason. I just wont put my truck in that situation if it comes up. Also basicly if you dont have lockers, these 4wd's are really only 2wd. I just cant wait until they make a locker for our rear axles.

 

thanks for all the imput guys, sorry if I caused any trouble with the debate, but all your imput has been great. ( both sides)

 

Things must have changed since I lived out there. I got laughed at for my 2wd vehicles. My favorite saying for wet coast drivers was 4wd will put you in the ditch twice as fast as 2wd on black ice. I hope they changed the studded tires law. They are hard on the dry roads.

Now I'm back in the flat lands. Bentwings is on the south side of me (300 miles) and as he stated, rear weight for traction plus chains in the worst conditions will get you through a lot with 2wd. If you're not prepared, then 4wd is your better option.

BTW, all the plows around here are rwd. I cannot say 2wd as they are 10 wheelers.