Pickup Trucks- 2wd vs 4wd
- Thread starter Zee09
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Depends on where you live. If you live on a country road that is plowed last, you may need 4WD. Probably not needed as much in town.
I personally don't want to be held down by bad weather. Either way, it's the other drivers you need to watch out for. Definitely best to stay in if you can.
I personally don't want to be held down by bad weather. Either way, it's the other drivers you need to watch out for. Definitely best to stay in if you can.
Originally Posted By: Zee09
That is my concern.
I have had nothing but 4wd and will I regret it later?
That is the question.
There is only one person that can answer that question - you.
If you go back in time and analyze when you needed it what was it worth to you at that time?
What would it have cost to get out of or through the situation when it saved your hide?
UD
That is my concern.
I have had nothing but 4wd and will I regret it later?
That is the question.
There is only one person that can answer that question - you.
If you go back in time and analyze when you needed it what was it worth to you at that time?
What would it have cost to get out of or through the situation when it saved your hide?
UD
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My 1999 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton could not get out of its own way in anything slippery. 2WD with limited slip. Mud & snow tires. Fiberglass cap over the bed. But it was diesel, so front heavy.
Around here no one wants to buy a used 2WD pickup. Regardless of snow.
Around here no one wants to buy a used 2WD pickup. Regardless of snow.
Never owned a 4WD truck, always 2WD, and never got stuck anywhere that required me getting out of the vehicle to get un-stuck. And I feared no road or lack of road, mud, ploughed fields, snow covered highways and lakes, whatever.
A lot depends on the tires you choose. A 4x4 with poor tire choice isn't all that useful, when it comes to going places off-road or in weather, and I see many 4WD trucks with tires chosen for appearance over performance.
A lot depends on the tires you choose. A 4x4 with poor tire choice isn't all that useful, when it comes to going places off-road or in weather, and I see many 4WD trucks with tires chosen for appearance over performance.
Originally Posted By: khittner
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
If your daughter’s boyfriend shows up in a two wheel drive pickup, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, she has a girlfriend.
This marketing-driven attitude, not real need for 4WD capabilities, is what sells most 4WD/AWD vehicles. Manufacturers and bankers are happy to separate willing egos from their cash.
I can't disagree enough with this attitude. I live in Chicago where it can snow a lot, you sometimes have to park on the street, and those streets don't get plowed. Having driven trucks with snow tires and RWD cars with snows I call bs on this attitude. Nothing better than being in a RWD truck with an open differential (limited is better but not fool proof). (doesn't matter what kind of tires) that can't get traction to start. I have better ways of spending an hour trying to get out of that spot on a slight decline towards the curb (probably some ice underneath). Meanwhile that car with AWD just pulls right away in 5 seconds or less. I've seen it a millions times here and frankly those few extra bucks a month is worth it, so I'm not wasting my time in the cold to get out of that spot.
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
If your daughter’s boyfriend shows up in a two wheel drive pickup, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, she has a girlfriend.
This marketing-driven attitude, not real need for 4WD capabilities, is what sells most 4WD/AWD vehicles. Manufacturers and bankers are happy to separate willing egos from their cash.
I can't disagree enough with this attitude. I live in Chicago where it can snow a lot, you sometimes have to park on the street, and those streets don't get plowed. Having driven trucks with snow tires and RWD cars with snows I call bs on this attitude. Nothing better than being in a RWD truck with an open differential (limited is better but not fool proof). (doesn't matter what kind of tires) that can't get traction to start. I have better ways of spending an hour trying to get out of that spot on a slight decline towards the curb (probably some ice underneath). Meanwhile that car with AWD just pulls right away in 5 seconds or less. I've seen it a millions times here and frankly those few extra bucks a month is worth it, so I'm not wasting my time in the cold to get out of that spot.
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For me part of owning a truck or SUV is the capability of the vehicle. I've had a couple sports cars and while snow tires are amazing especially in FWD application, once the snow gets deep its still game over. I'm on the east coast as well. I know what you mean about not using the 4x4 all the time. I use mine at least twice a month on some trails to get to hiking or biking trails. And in the winter its used fairly often. I notice around me its not always the issue of the day it snows, but the days after where you get snow drifts and things melting/freezing.
Like others have said, not much in the way of an MPG penalty, the initial cost is not much more, and resale is better (which offsets the initial higher cost). I also live around a bunch of hills so RWD would be brutal climbing them. During a snowstorm last year I had to come to a complete stop on a fairly decent hill as someone in a FWD SUV struggled to crest the hill. Once they were moving again I just nudged the gas pedal and started moving. No way I would have had that confidence with RWD.
Like others have said, not much in the way of an MPG penalty, the initial cost is not much more, and resale is better (which offsets the initial higher cost). I also live around a bunch of hills so RWD would be brutal climbing them. During a snowstorm last year I had to come to a complete stop on a fairly decent hill as someone in a FWD SUV struggled to crest the hill. Once they were moving again I just nudged the gas pedal and started moving. No way I would have had that confidence with RWD.
My GMC C3500 6.2 in my sig should be the poster child for bad in snow-2WD + no posi should = no go-but it's amazing what a set of fairly narrow studded snow tires & 500 pounds of sand or dirt bags over the axle will do for it! Although the XJ & Ram are more fun to drive in snow (bigger A/Ts), 4WD can make them a major handful in an ice storm.
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Being in PA you would know
I agree. As you said I as well have cars that are great in snow.
But once it gets high, you need ground clearance more than anything especially just trying to get on the road.
Most likely I will get a 4wd. It's what I know. And I don't have people to help me get unstuck.
Some vehicles are just great in snow- others not so much.
Also as one gent said a 4wd can be useless in snow if you have the wrong tires.
My f350 was until I upgraded them at like $1100.
I agree. As you said I as well have cars that are great in snow.
But once it gets high, you need ground clearance more than anything especially just trying to get on the road.
Most likely I will get a 4wd. It's what I know. And I don't have people to help me get unstuck.
Some vehicles are just great in snow- others not so much.
Also as one gent said a 4wd can be useless in snow if you have the wrong tires.
My f350 was until I upgraded them at like $1100.
I was raised on 2wd trucks and vans. No limited slips/lockers either. My father never skimped on tires but I can tell you that learning to drive the grid roads, fields and highways made you an excellent driver. An older brother used his hand me down 2wd Dodge trucks for years in the Yukon and NWT. He got really good at vehicle recovery. He taught me and I taught others. It can be done.
If the vehicle is for you and you are confident on your driving/recovery abilities then have at it. I have a 2wd rez truck for my work commutes. I pay attention to the roads and drive accordingly. My good vehicles are 4wd, have lockers/LSD and good tires as they are family vehicles and I rather spend the extra money than risk stranding my family.
I also have dug out many 4wd vehicles. I think experience and ability are what matter most, not how many driven wheels you have, which irks me, many 4wd vehicles don't have lockers/LSD so you really just bought a 2wd.
A couple years ago my father just bought his first 4wd truck and he is in his mid 70's and grew up with a model T on the farm. He was so excited to tell me how you turn this dial and all of a sudden you can drive through snow drifts. Mind blown.
If the vehicle is for you and you are confident on your driving/recovery abilities then have at it. I have a 2wd rez truck for my work commutes. I pay attention to the roads and drive accordingly. My good vehicles are 4wd, have lockers/LSD and good tires as they are family vehicles and I rather spend the extra money than risk stranding my family.
I also have dug out many 4wd vehicles. I think experience and ability are what matter most, not how many driven wheels you have, which irks me, many 4wd vehicles don't have lockers/LSD so you really just bought a 2wd.
A couple years ago my father just bought his first 4wd truck and he is in his mid 70's and grew up with a model T on the farm. He was so excited to tell me how you turn this dial and all of a sudden you can drive through snow drifts. Mind blown.
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
1979 to 2018 so far …
The heavier the truck and the longer the wheelbase, the more prone it is to being stuck. Main enemies down here are slippery boat ramps, sand (we have that super soft sugar sand. Look it up. Awful), and mud.
It does not take a lot to get a 3/4 or 1 ton with a long wheelbase stuck. 4WD has paid in dividends for me just for the amount of times I could flip a switch and get out, rather than have to get out a shovel and get the help of a bunch of people to shove my trucks out.
Would I ever buy such a truck in 2WD? Never.
Combine the advantage of 4WD with the advantage of having a low range, and it only gets better.
It does not take a lot to get a 3/4 or 1 ton with a long wheelbase stuck. 4WD has paid in dividends for me just for the amount of times I could flip a switch and get out, rather than have to get out a shovel and get the help of a bunch of people to shove my trucks out.
Would I ever buy such a truck in 2WD? Never.
Combine the advantage of 4WD with the advantage of having a low range, and it only gets better.
A 2wd truck would be useless to me.
I used to be of the mindset that a truck had to be 4x4. But even living here in NY , I'm not sure that's necessary. Sure, if we get like 5' of snow or something, it would be useful.
But when my truck was new (and my dad's) he found that studded snow tires on it did a lot more for it than 4x4. It's just sprung so heavy that with the factory style tire, it wouldn't move in the snow in 4x4. With studded snow tires or, as I have on it now, agressive all terrains, I never even need to use 4x4 in it.
Which is good, because one of the locking hubs is bad and 4x4 only works in reverse.
I got a good laugh last year - went to an off roading event and the parking area was super muddy. There were only 2 trucks that didn't get stuck in the parking lot. A 2wd F150-7700 and my F-350 without working 4x4.
However, the one thing I would miss is 2Lo. I use 2LO when maneuvering all the time, especially with a trailer. Or at the dump. The line moves at just the right speed if I let it idle in 2lo, I never have to stop or give it throttle.
But when my truck was new (and my dad's) he found that studded snow tires on it did a lot more for it than 4x4. It's just sprung so heavy that with the factory style tire, it wouldn't move in the snow in 4x4. With studded snow tires or, as I have on it now, agressive all terrains, I never even need to use 4x4 in it.
Which is good, because one of the locking hubs is bad and 4x4 only works in reverse.
I got a good laugh last year - went to an off roading event and the parking area was super muddy. There were only 2 trucks that didn't get stuck in the parking lot. A 2wd F150-7700 and my F-350 without working 4x4.
However, the one thing I would miss is 2Lo. I use 2LO when maneuvering all the time, especially with a trailer. Or at the dump. The line moves at just the right speed if I let it idle in 2lo, I never have to stop or give it throttle.
Originally Posted By: jcartwright99
Originally Posted By: khittner
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
If your daughter’s boyfriend shows up in a two wheel drive pickup, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, she has a girlfriend.
This marketing-driven attitude, not real need for 4WD capabilities, is what sells most 4WD/AWD vehicles. Manufacturers and bankers are happy to separate willing egos from their cash.
I can't disagree enough with this attitude. I live in Chicago where it can snow a lot, you sometimes have to park on the street, and those streets don't get plowed. Having driven trucks with snow tires and RWD cars with snows I call bs on this attitude. Nothing better than being in a RWD truck with an open differential (limited is better but not fool proof). (doesn't matter what kind of tires) that can't get traction to start. I have better ways of spending an hour trying to get out of that spot on a slight decline towards the curb (probably some ice underneath). Meanwhile that car with AWD just pulls right away in 5 seconds or less. I've seen it a millions times here and frankly those few extra bucks a month is worth it, so I'm not wasting my time in the cold to get out of that spot.
Yeah, jeez, life is only for tough, efficient, 4WD guys in Chicago. I just don’t know how the aptly-named “Windy City” got built without every steel monkey and gandy dancer in a 4WD . . . But, as we know, love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru.
Originally Posted By: khittner
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
If your daughter’s boyfriend shows up in a two wheel drive pickup, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, she has a girlfriend.
This marketing-driven attitude, not real need for 4WD capabilities, is what sells most 4WD/AWD vehicles. Manufacturers and bankers are happy to separate willing egos from their cash.
I can't disagree enough with this attitude. I live in Chicago where it can snow a lot, you sometimes have to park on the street, and those streets don't get plowed. Having driven trucks with snow tires and RWD cars with snows I call bs on this attitude. Nothing better than being in a RWD truck with an open differential (limited is better but not fool proof). (doesn't matter what kind of tires) that can't get traction to start. I have better ways of spending an hour trying to get out of that spot on a slight decline towards the curb (probably some ice underneath). Meanwhile that car with AWD just pulls right away in 5 seconds or less. I've seen it a millions times here and frankly those few extra bucks a month is worth it, so I'm not wasting my time in the cold to get out of that spot.
Yeah, jeez, life is only for tough, efficient, 4WD guys in Chicago. I just don’t know how the aptly-named “Windy City” got built without every steel monkey and gandy dancer in a 4WD . . . But, as we know, love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
A 2wd truck would be useless to me.
Same here.
I grew up with rwd cars driving in heavy snow through winter. I know how to drive in snow, and in sand, dirt, etc. I also know the limitations a 2wd version of my truck would present. For my use, 4wd with low-range, has proven essential numerous times.
But if 2wd works for others, more power to them.
A 2wd truck would be useless to me.
Same here.
I grew up with rwd cars driving in heavy snow through winter. I know how to drive in snow, and in sand, dirt, etc. I also know the limitations a 2wd version of my truck would present. For my use, 4wd with low-range, has proven essential numerous times.
But if 2wd works for others, more power to them.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2026
2WD drive trucks work fine for me as all I do is tow with it in the summer, plus we get like a day of snow where I am at.
I got through the worst winter in sixty years with a short-wheelbase, high-torue 2WD pickup. (V8 Dakota with snow tires) I had HD 4x4s for years, and actually used the 4WD-I plowed, and lived at the end of a half-mile gravel road that was not plowed unless I did it myself. I would say that approximately 98% of 4x4 truck owners would be fine with a 2WD truck.
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