Great tires 2WD vs crummy tires on 4WD truck

[ledslinger]

I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado 4WD that I use often for towing boats. It has base model [censored] tires on it, Goodyear Wrangler STs. Probably some of the worst tires put on a pickup in the last 10 years. They don't have very good traction, and I often must use 4WD to pull a boat up a ramp, or in some strange parking situations where a tire just spins.

My neighbor asked me to help him pull his boat out, and his truck is like mine except 2WD and his has a V6. Knowing the boat ramp well I thought I would have trouble if the ramp was wet. His truck has Michelin LTX tires on it and it pulled the boat up without any tire spin. I doubt he has limited slip. I suspect his Michelin's can provide nearly double the traction force than the Goodyears on my truck. That means his stopping distance is much shorter too.

I think a 2WD truck with good tires and a limited slip diff would have sufficed for almost all of the situations I have needed 4WD in the 9 years I have had my truck. My truck has 25K miles on it I have just concluded I have been driving with tires that have so little traction that they verge on being dangerous.

 

[Shannow]

Yep, my Nissan had Bridgestone Dueler HT on it.

Truck is 4WD, with a really good LSD on the back, and I've nearly gotten stuck in 2WD on pea gravel at the side of the road, after pulling over to do a U turn.

Maxxis 752s are a dozen times better.

 

[NHHEMI]

The Wrangler ST's are some horrible tires. Typical Goodyear OE issue garbage. They came on my 2005 Silverado and they were removed right away for some real tires.

2WD w/ LS is ok but it is not great in all conditions. It won't do much at all in slippery conditions if the bed is empty.

 

[Boomer]

I lived with 2 WD back through the 60s and 70s. We all learned that you put weight over the rear wheels and put on tires with good tread in the back. An we kept a bag of sand for those special times when more traction was needed. And surprisingly, we did pretty well in the winter and on slippery surfaces. It will never outdo 4 WD but if you are careful, it will get you a lot of places. And remember, 4WD vehicles have to carry around signigicant extra weight all the time with the transfer case , front diff and front axles. Also, 2 WD is a lot cheaper in the first place.

 

[Jim_Beverlin]

I have a 4wd Ford Explorer Sport Trac and use Nokian Hakkapelitta 1 winter tires (in the winter only) plus the vehicle also has Ford's traction lok rear diff. This combo reduces the use of 4wd by about 50 - 70%. If I lived in town vs. the rural location where my residence is I would own 2wd. Still, for rough conditions such as the unimproved gravel road I live on plus the rough winters we can have in MI 4wd is still necessary. I have had Michelin LTX tires and while an excellent tire I would not run them where I live w/o 4wd. To sum it up, you need to carefully evaluate where you live and where you drive to determine if you need 4wd. In my opinion a lot of people have 4wd who really do not need it

 

[musicmanbass]

Michelin LTX tires are the hot poop in my book.

 

[Chris142]

My Jeep came with Goodyear GSA's when it was new. Taking off from a stop sign on wet pavement would make the tires spin. Going to BFG TA's fixed that isue.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: musicmanbass
Michelin LTX tires are the hot poop in my book.

I'd agree but then again TN gets alot less snow than the north coast.

I never used snow tires on my 4wd but If I bought a truck again I'd certainly consider it.
Lake effect snow belt is very unpredictable and I dont have the option of calling off.

note: I just purchased 4 xice xi2's for my subaru.. because in the end snow tires are very cheap compared to sliding into anything..

 

[crw]

A few years ago Car and Driver did a very detailed test which showed that good snow tires on a two-wheel drive car were "better" and "cheaper" than a 4WD car with regular tires. Of course, these were cars. I don't think they tested trucks. But my vote would be for great tires on a 2WD truck, vs. average or poor tires on a 4WD truck.

 

[ridgerunner]

I've driven 2WD manual shift trucks a lot yrs ago (until I got smart and got a 4X4). I'll tell U one thing, it teaches U how to drive in slippery situations! Not getting stuck with a manual shift 2WD truck with a light rear end is tricky at best. If it has traction control U R screwed. Gotta keep up the momentum and think ahead or else U will be walking home. Once U stop in the slop, U are done. Tire choice is very important, get the biggest, knarliest tires U can find for the rear. Dropping the air pressure helps too if U intend to run mud, sand or even deep snow.

 

[Donald]

But then there are the true (in my book) 4WD vehicles with a real transfer case and 4WD High and Low along with 2WD. My SelecTrac goes a step further with 4WD PT (part time). That locks up all the wheels for use on snow, mud, etc, but not dry payment. If 4WD PT does not get you there, you don't need to go.

I would go 4WD PT with bald times against any tire on a 2WD vehicle. And normal 2WD gives power to the tire that can spin.

 

[sciphi]

I remember my friend's mom spinning all 4 wheels on their Suzuki Grand Vitara in an inch of snow. That's a body-on-frame part-time 4WD SUV with a low range. A few years later, my friend borrowed the truck and did some insane donuts in a parking lot. In the same conditions my Buick on snow tires mildly understeered around...

4WD only ensures the power gets to the wheels. The proper tires ensure the power gets to the ground.

 

[4x4chevydude]

Ive only used my 4x4 a handfull of times in the 7 years ive owned my truck, its always had BFG tires once an MT and now an AT. Its nice to know you have it though just in case.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Have experienced this myself.

In fact, I've had the benefit of owning two exact vehicles, only difference...one is a 4x2, the other a 4x4

In all honesty, the 4x2 has always had the benefit of getting the slightly better A/T tires, and with that in play, there hasn't been anything the 4x4 did that the 4x2 couldn't do.

Reason one, I grew up in 4x4 country driving 4x2's, and learning how to *drive* before ever getting the luxury of a 4x4.

Truth be told, I bought the 4x2 7yrs after already owning the 4x4, turns out all these years later, the 4x2 has been a lot cheaper to own and I've only once got stuck.

We live in the mountains of Colorado

 

[PeteTheFarmer]

My brother has a small boat, I've never seen him put it in 4WD on the ramp when we take it in and out. I would think being the tires are the interface with the ground, that would be most important.

 

[kdgrayson]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
My Jeep came with Goodyear GSA's when it was new. Taking off from a stop sign on wet pavement would make the tires spin. Going to BFG TA's fixed that isue.


Goodyear GSA = "Get Stuck Anywhere"

 

[antonmnster]

4WD just gets you to a dangerous speed faster.

Even in MN, 4wd is nice, but good tires are superior. It's nice being able to stop and steer.

 

[meep]

Originally Posted By: Ramblin Fever
Have experienced this myself.

In fact, I've had the benefit of owning two exact vehicles, only difference...one is a 4x2, the other a 4x4

In all honesty, the 4x2 has always had the benefit of getting the slightly better A/T tires, and with that in play, there hasn't been anything the 4x4 did that the 4x2 couldn't do.

Reason one, I grew up in 4x4 country driving 4x2's, and learning how to *drive* before ever getting the luxury of a 4x4.

Truth be told, I bought the 4x2 7yrs after already owning the 4x4, turns out all these years later, the 4x2 has been a lot cheaper to own and I've only once got stuck.

We live in the mountains of Colorado


I love this post.

I grew up in TN mountains. We'd get 2-3 snowfalls a year 3-8 inches. it just takes 1/2" to make a sloped road very difficult. We had to learn to drive, install CHAINS, and sometimes walk. Dad kept a set of winter tires for his rabbit and could claw his way up our steep hill and driveway, but even then needed momentum. Since the muffler was always shot, the neighbors would hear us coming and often step outside and watch to see how far up the hill he could make it. He was a physician, and could have afforded a 4wd, but he preferred this stripped-down, rust-bucket, VW.

The rabbit seldom made it all the way once he gave up on hassling with winter tires, but it put up a good fight, made it far enough to just have to walk the final 100 yards, and was fun as get-out to sit shotgun.

The VW van with all-seasons made it 3/4 of the way.

The toyota corona wagon, with my mom driving it, never made it past 10 feet, unless it had chains... in which case it parked at our front door without hassle.

I eventually ended up with a PT 4x4 subaru (GL) and yes the 4x4 on that small car with narrow tires was extremely sure-footed. It was like driving a cat, or at least a tired cat.

I've since owned a few AWD, one more 4wd, and now a 2wd Jeep (which makes me feel dirty).

In DC-- I discovered it didn't matter if you had 4x4 or not. it was just a feel-good badge. The guy in front of you wasn't moving, or the 6000 people in front of him, so neither were you. I then learned with another vehicle, an 01 T&C, that if I dropped the front wheels to 15psi, I could plow through anything that we typically encountered up there. It was *almost* as good as the AWD legacy I'd traded for it.

My opinion- 4WD definitely can make it easier for anyone to avoid getting stuck, and some folks do need it. If I lived in the rockies, I'd definitely consider it, or in the snowbelt, maybe, if the conditions are bad enough, but for most folks in 75% of the US, it's a crutch, a feel-good, or a badge. And I saw it year after year.... giving the false impression that it would improve braking. I hated seeing the latest shiny SUV's on the DC beltway-- doing 40 in the snow and slamming into something when they couldn't stop. happened day after day. I pulled a lady and an infant out of a montero hanging off a bridge rail the last winter I lived up there. She was screaming and screaming that 4wd was supposed to prevent that. Most folks just don't understand what 4wd does, and does not, do.

NOW-- 2wd jeep chero. the oem tires were LAME in snow. Better tires totally changed that. I'm good. But my wife isn't-- she wasn't raised in snow. she never learned how to drive in it. She has a used MDX-- but frankly her solution is to stay home or hand me the keys.

Nothing teaches better than experience.

Not knocking 4wd. some folks really need it. I enjoyed it as a hobby, getting off in trails and mud, but truly, as a DD, I've only NEEDED in 5-10 times, and all of those situations could have been avoided with some type of planning. Where we live.... and most places I've lived.... it can avoid some inconveniences. But as important as folks make it... nope.

 

[PopPop]

Only real reason for 4x4 is the "low" gear when you need it. No better with traction and stopping.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: PopPop
Only real reason for 4x4 is the "low" gear when you need it. No better with traction and stopping.

Low gear. I have owned 4x4s for 20 years and I have never put the transfer case into low. Never.
So I guess your theory is incorrect. Here in Saskatchewan we get 4 foot dumps of snow overnight,highways get closed,but I keep on trucking. Gotta get to work. No excuses