Thoughts on 4WD vehicles and winter weather...

[Tractorman]

It's always been said that in most cases a 4wd is no better than 2wd in the snow or ice because all it does is help you accelerate faster, but doesn't help you turn or stop.

For the longest time I agreed.

However, that has changed for me. Although its true that it doesn't help you turn, I feel it does help stopping. No, the net gain of stopping power doesn't increase from all the tires being locked together. Rather, I think the help comes from the fact that stopping improves because the braking force is evenly distributed among all 4 tires.

Factory braking systems place a lot of bias towards the front wheels, which works fine for dry conditions and weight transfer, ect. However, in slick conditions, there is much less weight transfer, and the fronts will lock up rather easily, kicking in the ABS when it shouldn't have to have been working. The slick conditions require a much closer balanced braking system when compared to dry, and by switching to 4wd it effectively makes it 50/50.

Thoughts and criticisms welcome.

 

[UnorthodoxCreat]

How does being 2WD vs 4WD change the brake bias?

I dont know why someone would say 4WD is no better in the snow than 2WD. Sure they both brake equally well but if you can't even get going(2WD) than braking doesnt even matter. My Probe did quite well in the snow as long as it had all season tires but my Explorer and pretty much any 4WD is leaps and bounds better in the snow.

 

[Root1022]

Who the hell says 4WD isnt any better than 2WD is snow? That makes no sense at all!

 

[venmos1]

an awd will handle better in the snow than a 2wd all day. once you lose control in an awd or 4wd its pretty much over. with 2wd you have a chance to correct yourself (like coming around sideways in a pickup).

 

[Wynn]

an awd will handle better in the snow than a 2wd all day. once you lose control in an awd or 4wd its pretty much over. with 2wd you have a chance to correct yourself (like coming around sideways in a pickup).

I think you worded it wrong, but i get what you're saying. I have no trouble with my 2wd, but others hate driving a 2wd in the snow. I dont like how you cant steer a fwd or 4x4 when the front tires break loose, and that it's really hard to correct a 4x4 if things get bad. However, 4x4s are MUCH easier to drive through deep snow and in hilly areas. I would take a 4x4 over a 2wd any day, but I've never had problems getting around in a 2wd.

To the OP, how does the transfer case affect braking?

 

[hoamskilet]

anybody that says 4wd is no better than 2wd in snow is retarded

 

[wjk]

I vote ban

 

[OhIIICobra]

anybody that says 4wd is no better than 2wd in snow is retarded

Yep, pretty much.

 

[NiteMareGT]

It's always been said that in most cases a 4wd is no better than 2wd in the snow or ice... Thoughts and criticisms welcome.

 

[Tractorman]

4wd shifts the brake bias because the front brakes that do most of the stopping are now stopping the rear at the same time, since the 4wd ties them together.

4wd doesn't handle any better in the snow. If it did, I wouldn't see more trucks and SUV's in the ditch compared to cars. 4wd is good for getting retards going too fast for conditions. When you hit ice, it doesn't matter if you have 4wd or 2, physics will over ride it all.

For those drinking hatorade: http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/safe.html Or search the interweb on your own.

 

[hoamskilet]

4wd is good for getting retards going too fast for conditions. When you hit ice, it doesn't matter if you have 4wd or 2, physics will over ride it all.

This is it right here. It's not that 4wd vehicles aren't better in snow. It's that some dumb shit soccer mom that thinks because her Escalade has 4wd she can ride everyone's ass and drive like she normally does. It makes people that don't know any better over confident

 

[SNCBOOM]

When it snows down here it renders all cars [2wd, 4wd, and AWD] useless :lol1:

 

[astrocreep96]

4wd shifts the brake bias because the front brakes that do most of the stopping are now stopping the rear at the same time, since the 4wd ties them together.

4wd doesn't handle any better in the snow. If it did, I wouldn't see more trucks and SUV's in the ditch compared to cars. 4wd is good for getting retards going too fast for conditions. When you hit ice, it doesn't matter if you have 4wd or 2, physics will over ride it all.

For those drinking hatorade: http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/safe.html Or search the interweb on your own.

ABS braking systems should tailor the force distribution to tires which have the greatest traction (i.e. detecting the lowest degree of lockup). A 4WD system should have no effect on this.

I do think 4WD (or AWD) is superior in the snow and ice for other reasons. You can use the engine to slow the automobile instead of relying on the brakes. You also have a much greater ability to start and maintain speed, depending on road condition. I've driven my Subaru in some decently shitty conditions where FWD/RWD cars were not able to continue.

 

[tdschst]

Driving my Jeep is 10x better in the snow than my Mustang

 

[xtremeskime21]

4wd is way better than 2wd. It tromps through the snow way easier. FWD cars are decent in the snow but 4wd is still waayyyy better.

I do agree people with 4wd drive like the conditions won't phase their car....lot's of trucks and suv's in ditches around here.

 

[mustangvsix]

Driving my Jeep is 10x better in the snow than my Mustang

agreed my wrangler is 1000x better than the cobra. But I do agree every jackass & soccer mom and such who thinks 4wd/awd means you can't slide on ice gives 4wd a bad name.

end of the day though 4wd will outperform a 2wd in inclement weather conditions.

as for those who drive their mustangs and such in the snow, probably aren't doing so in much more than 6''. Last year there was multiple days and storms where the snow was to the headlights of the cobra or beyond, no chance in hell it would get traction or push through that. The need for something with ground clearance and 4wd was a guarantee almost.

 

[Cobra Jet 429]

never had 4wd or Awd.
Had fwd for awhile, but rwd seems no less able.
It's just about knowing what you are doing really.
4wd helps, but as others have said, once it's gone, hang the hell on.
Rwd you can usually wrangle it back in.
Never had a problem myself.
Just gotta know what your dealing with and drive accordingly.

 

[fiveohhhstang]

4WD/AWD is most definitely safer than 2WD in the winter. It's the morons who think it helps with every aspect of the car that get themselves into trouble. They think that just because the vehicle acts mostly normal while accelerating on ice and snow, it will act mostly normal when turning and braking. It's this carelessness that puts people in the ditch or on the sidewalk 4WD is more stable when accelerating, and more stable when maintaining speed, and that's it.

4WD has absolutely NO bearing on brake bias. How exactly do you think it affects brake bias? Do you think when the transfer case/center diff is activated, that some module or solenoid is told to determine how much fluid is sent to the front and rear brakes? That's not the case at all. 4WD systems simply determine how much driving power is sent to the wheels and when, which is why it's called 4 wheel drive.

Also, ABS does not give or distribute force to whatever wheel has the most traction, it simply takes away and gives back the force quickly. It does this by comparing a wheel's speed to the other 3 wheels (or other wheel in front only ABS systems) and if the speeds are too far apart, the ABS module will kick in, which simply pulses the brakes (either individual brakes or both on that axle) to whatever wheel is locked. This allows you to keep steering while braking, not stop in a shorter distance.

Also, Tractor, the link you provided states the following:

Since snow and ice provide only marginal traction (so marginal that you need 4WD to start moving) not enough traction is available for safely stopping the car. Neither ABS nor 4WD helps you to stop the car. 4WD is not involved in the braking part of driving at all and ABS only keeps the tires from locking up. Locking or not locking has almost no influence on the stopping distance.

This disproves your point that 4WD affects brake bias.

-ford_racer

 

[Jroc]

4WD is defanently better in the snow than 2WD, but AWD is better than 4WD for bad weather conditions. This is because a AWD system is made to be driven on pavement where as a 4WD system is designed to provide better off-road capabilities, and shouldn't be used in situation where wheel slip isn't available. Of course in bad conditions its usually pretty easy to make the wheels slip, but its not good to run 4WD on pavement unless you are pointed straight because both wheels always turn at the same speed, and that can damage the 4WD system if the tires can't slip.

 

[OhIIICobra]

4wd shifts the brake bias because the front brakes that do most of the stopping are now stopping the rear at the same time, since the 4wd ties them together.

4wd doesn't handle any better in the snow. If it did, I wouldn't see more trucks and SUV's in the ditch compared to cars. 4wd is good for getting retards going too fast for conditions. When you hit ice, it doesn't matter if you have 4wd or 2, physics will over ride it all.

For those drinking hatorade: http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/safe.html Or search the interweb on your own.

LOL. :lol1:

What?

Yeah people can get over confident in any vehicle / any weather.

4WD offers ~25% to 50% more traction over RWD in snow and on ice depending what type of differentials you have.

I have experienced both in numerous makes/models of vehicles in snow/ice conditions and there is no comparison.