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I know there are a lot of threads concerning trucks and such, so here is another one. I want my next vehicle to have either AWD or 4WD due to snow and light off roading to go camping and such. I've heard of issues with trucks and snow due to how light the bed is.
Has anybody had any issues with this? I know I do see a lot of 4x4 trucks out here in Colorado, but I've been unsure. Thoughts?
The rear of a truck is light by nature. That can be "fixed" with bags of sand/rock/water what ever. The thing that matters most in the snow, is the right tire. A Civic with snow tires, will do better then a truck with A/T.
The rear of a truck is light by nature. That can be "fixed" with bags of sand/rock/water what ever. The thing that matters most in the snow, is the right tire. A FWD civic snow snow tires, will do better then a rear wheel drive truck with A/T
I completely agree about the tire. I currently drive a Jetta and with the right tires, I had no problems in the snow, but the way a truck handles is completely different. That's why I was asking.
Are you talking a pickup with a 8' , 6' or less length bed? I drive a crew cab 4x4 F150 with a shorty bed and it does OK in the snow. The longer beds do make for a lighter rear end but as another mentioned you can add weight to it just make sure to secure that weight so it doesn't slide all over the place. Years ago I had big van RWD of course and that thing was terrible in snow. With a 4x4 truck at least you can get traction under the weight of the engine but the rear can still fish tale.
We have a 02 JeeP wrangler and stock it came with skinny little tires and boy could that cut through anything. When we went to a nice rim with wider tires it started to skid more.
Tires make a huge difference in handling in the snow. Big wide truck tires look cool but they tend to ride on top of snow vs cutting through it.
AWD is nice for around town but those systems usually work as a part time when the main drive wheels slip a bit. True 4x4 is the way to go if you plan on going off road often. Having a 4 Low option is nice if you need to crawl out of a situation.
A 4x4 option is also nice in the Summer if you have a boat to haul up a slippery ramp.
The rear of a truck is light by nature. That can be "fixed" with bags of sand/rock/water what ever. The thing that matters most in the snow, is the right tire. A Civic with snow tires, will do better then a truck with A/T.
Agreed 100%. My 4x4 pickup truck has all season tires and I cannot get out of my very slightly inclined driveway in 2 inches of snow. Meanwhile my daily driver with snow tires powers through it like it's nothing.
Get good tires on it and put some sandbags in the bed.
It is amazing what good tires and weight does for traction. Now, my pickup has 4 wheel drive and a locking rear differential. I like having some weight in the box. An aggressive tread is also dandy. Worst case, there are always tire chains.
If you have 4x4 don't worry about weight in the bed. My Dakota came with Goodyear street tires but with the 4x4 engaged it could plow through 3 feet of snow. Never , ever got stuck. I have offroad tires on it now and it is even better. Oh, I did find out one thing. 4x4 is not what you think, i.e. not all 4 tires turn. On the Dakota at least, only one in front and one in the back engages, which is pretty odd I thought.
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I have a Ranger 4x4, with Destination AT Tires and I have to keep 200 lbs of sand bags in the back in winter. With that I have had no trouble making it up the many steep hills in our area. Going down, I use 4WH and 1st or 2nd and lay off the brakes, or if really steep and iced, 4WL and have to step on the gas to move at all. I have rolled through a few stop signs at the bottom of hills but it does much better than my 90 Bronco or 96 Cherokee did in snow.
If you have 4x4 don't worry about weight in the bed. My Dakota came with Goodyear street tires but with the 4x4 engaged it could plow through 3 feet of snow. Never , ever got stuck. I have offroad tires on it now and it is even better. Oh, I did find out one thing. 4x4 is not what you think, i.e. not all 4 tires turn. On the Dakota at least, only one in front and one in the back engages, which is pretty odd I thought.
That's the differentials. Standard diffs are "open" so in simple terms what happens is the wheel with the least traction (such as one on an ice sheet and the other on pavement) gets the power so it will just spin and the other wheel won't do anything.
If it has a limited slip the differential will have clutches that should transfer some power to the other wheel to get you moving.
If it has an aftermarket "locker" installed the 2 wheels will turn together, but allow for one to "disconnect" while making a turn.
A standard 4 wheel drive with "open" diffs allows you to have an extra wheel pulling in the front as well as the standard one pushing in the back. For "most" situations that is good enough but a limited slip can provide extra traction when needed at times. Lockers are usually installed on hard core trail rigs such as rock crawlers.
Just a simple explanation as to why only one wheel on each axle may turn. All three options have their advantages/disadvantages as well.
I know there are a lot of threads concerning trucks and such, so here is another one. I want my next vehicle to have either AWD or 4WD due to snow and light off roading to go camping and such. I've heard of issues with trucks and snow due to how light the bed is.
Has anybody had any issues with this? I know I do see a lot of 4x4 trucks out here in Colorado, but I've been unsure. Thoughts?
Honda AWD system took me through ANY harsh condition here in the country. Thunderstorms, 6 inch ice, snow storms. Same goes for Toyota AWD system. Wife's Rxx300 has snow mode.
For what you describe, you'd be better off with a decent AWD SUV, not pickup truck. If you want it big, get a Sequoia, if you want it smaller but go everywhere, get a Landcruiser or 4Runner, though those are 4WD systems.
Landcruiser is almost a staple for an excellent go off road comfortable car.Why do you think it's so popular amongst the so called "terrorists"?
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