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.
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.