Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know rear 2WD are still being made but it was my impression that they were bought by people where the weather rarely gets cold. Now, I don't live anywhere near as brutal as Michigan, but there's no way I get up my hill in rear wheel drive even in a light snowstorm. Wife's caregiver with a rear-wheel pickup she bought when living in Los Angeles learned this lesson when she got stuck this morning. And on dry roads, I frequently "lay a patch" (as we said back in the 1960s), and not because I'm some young hot rodder (age 70).
Your impression is simply wrong. The majority of pickups sold are 2WD, not 4WD. Most electricians, plumbers, etc. that buy halt ton trucks buy 2WD. And here in Texas, where it seems 1/4 of the vehicles are pickups, most trucks are 2WD.
Today's half ton weighs 5000 lbs. Even if the rear is relatively light, there is more than enough weight for acceptable traction under normal conditions.
Your impression is simply wrong. The majority of pickups sold are 2WD, not 4WD. Most electricians, plumbers, etc. that buy halt ton trucks buy 2WD. And here in Texas, where it seems 1/4 of the vehicles are pickups, most trucks are 2WD.
Today's half ton weighs 5000 lbs. Even if the rear is relatively light, there is more than enough weight for acceptable traction under normal conditions.
------"here in Texas".....
I can guarantee you that is not the case where they get real winters.
A friend of mine was a salesman at a new car dealer in MN.
He said anyone trying to trade in a late model 2whd in winter gets warned that the trade in allowancee will be so low they might feel insulted.
He told me that summer toys ( boats, motorcycles, 2wd trucks ) are hard to sell in winter.
Here in Montana, you can hardly give away a 2 wheel drive pickup, due to everyone wants to use them in the winter and snow also. However, I had sold my 4x4 F150, when I moved here as it was getting old. I bought a 2 wheel drive from a Ford dealer. Beautiful condition. Low mileage and 5 years old. The owner traded it in on a 4X4. I bought it to take things to the dump, and when the roads are clear as they are most of the time, use it to go into Billings to shop for large things as they don't deliver them out here.
What attracted me to it, was the fact that I bought it for thousands of dollars under wholesale book price, as a 2 wheel drive is almost impossible to sell. As it is not the major vehicle and not driven in much snow, it is what we needed. Do have studded snow tires on it, so light snow O.K. for around town sometimes. Have a standing offer from a young man my daughter works with, to buy it for the price I paid, even after 5 years.
There is also a Blazer and a Ford Explorer with the best 4 wheel system available and all the extras in our garage. So we can go in any weather. There is a fiberglass topper on it, so it is heavy enough in the rear for traction even in light snow. The pickup has it's place, and works just fine. For everyday use, I would have insisted on a 4X4.
I lived my entire life on a farm in rural MN and always had old 2 wheel drive trucks.
In my mind, they are nearly worthless which is why you never see a new 2wd full sized pick up on a dealers lot.
I am retired now and moved to an area where a 2wd might be sufficient, but I definitely decided on a 4wd.
2wd isn't worthless. It all depends on where you live. I don't need a 4x4 to get to a jobsite or tow a generator or trailer. I have a 4x4 diesel and I use 4x maybe 3 times a year and that's because I go up on snow or camping. But for most of my driving I do not need 4x4
Search engine results pertaining to the history of 4-wheel drive are contradictory.
Can you elaborate, or maybe post a link to a search that illustrates this statement? Because I have absolutely no idea what you're saying.
Quote:
At any rate, with specific reference to pickup trucks, I wonder how these vehicles could have been useful with only rear wheel drive.
Believe it or not, there are some things that a truck is useful for that don't include driving off-road or in snow.
Quote:
Even on dry surfaces, the traction is not always the best.
If the dry surfaces are sand or pea gravel you may have a point, I guess. I've never had a problem with a rear-drive truck on dry pavement. Or wet pavement, for that matter.
Quote:
I guess no one here is old enough to have owned a pickup that had only rear wheel drive.
I'm not that old (46) and out of 11 trucks I've owned over the last 30 years only one was a 4-wheel-drive. And that was the only one that ever had any traction problems.
I will take my Toyota Camry ( nothing added) and challenge any 2wd pickup( nothing added ) to follow me .
I'll take you up on that. Destination will be Home Depot, and the winner has to not only get there, but also get back hauling 20 sheets of 4x8 plywood.
I'm too lazy to figure this out based on actual facts, but at a glance it looks like half the US seldom sees any winter weather beyond cold air. The other half sees winter weather 1/4 to 1/2 of the year. So for weather purposes 4WD is only a real benefit 1/16th of the time. Give or take a few 8ths.
With my username I may know a little about this? The Jeffery Quad was one of the first 4 wheel drives built in 1914 and was used in WW1.
A standard 4x4 today has only 2 drive wheels with one in back, and one in front unless it is ordered with positraction (clutch packs), or lockers. My 2 wheel drive F150 has positraction, so I have 2 drive wheels.
I'm sure we don't get much snow here at 5100' 40 miles from the 1960 Winter Olympics, but I drive my 2 wheel drive. I'll admit my little CJ with 4 drive wheels comes out if it's really deep, but I only turn in 1 front hub.
A new F150 4x4 option is $4500, or positraction for $350, and because I pay for trucks, and not how much a month is it I'll save the $4100 that you need a few times a year. Of course the county plows the main road near me, and I don't live down a dirts road with farm animals it makes it easier.
Nothing better than a pissing contest, because I've got 4x4 and wasted money I didn't need too. Oh yeah, I carry chains in the back in case I need to go over one of the passes. I-80 at Donner is low at 7200'. They cost $80.
Actually posi-traction is being replaced with electronic traction control in the new Fords. More electronics. Like you I also carry a set of chains, haven't had to use them yet.
Actually posi-traction is being replaced with electronic traction control in the new Fords. More electronics. Like you I also carry a set of chains, haven't had to use them yet.
I just built this (don't know if it'll work). 2014 Ford F-150: Build and Price | Ford[|Ford|F-150|2014|1|1.|101A.X1C.....SS6.64F.99F.RWD.X27.86D .535.SCAB.RETAIL.446.XLL.]
They have electronic locking axles, but I saw no traction control? Maybe, because I'm build a low end truck.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
