4x4 vs. 4x2 in midwest??

[laketex]

Made the mistake of purchasing a truck that wasn't exactly what I wanted this summer. I opted out of the 4wd thing since I already have one 4x4 play truck, and this is Texas anyhow. But now it looks as if I may be moving to Illinois very soon for my first job out of college. We don't have a whole lot of bucks for a new 2003 after just buying this truck, but I don't want to be stuck in a snowpack all the time. My play truck (see link below) isn't very suited to winter travel either. . Just had no idea I'd be moving to the midwest.



So what are my options here? Is a 2wd acceptable up there for winter travel? What will I need to equip my truck with to make it do well? Or do I need to keep a sharp eye open for a 4x4 standard cab or something? I plan to take it up to wisconsin for snowboarding too... . Just wanted some opinions. I knew better than to settle for less that I really wanted, and now i'm feeling the full effect.



Bryan

 

[DiTrani]

If you really think about it, it's pretty rare that the roads are actually covered in enough snow to stop you. Only during bad storms, and then it's plowed away quickly.



From my experience over the last year (RWD, no LSD), if you put a lot of weight in the back (like well over 1000 #) and air down the rear tires it will track over snow covered roads amazingly well. You just have to be smart about not getting into situations you can't get out of, and use momentum going up hills and through drifts, etc. I bought a set of chains but haven't used them. I suspect with chains and 1500# in the bed this thing would be hard to stop.



Most of the big plow trucks here are rear drive, but they carry many tons of weight over the drive axle and they do fine. It makes all the difference in the world.



Of course this is all for on-road travel. Forget about off-road.

 

[laketex]

What have you been filling your bed with? let's see... metal is . 03 a pound scrap... . concrete is $4 an 80 lbs sack but could get messy with snow...

 

[DiTrani]

Last year I had 600 # of sand bags and I'd shovel snow in there when it snowed. This year I've got a big old cast iron radiator (loaded it up to drop off at the scrap yard and decided I'd leave it there 'till spring) in addition to the sand, and will shovel in snow if needed.



Using snow can be a drag if you need to use the bed for something else - it tends to melt/freeze and turn to ice, so you can't get rid of it. And if you park in a garage that's above freezing, yes, it will get messy.

 

[RustyJC]

I drove my 1996 3500 V-10 2WD with 3. 54 open rear axle (no limited slip) as a winter work truck in Mount Vernon, Ohio before we moved back to Texas. A few hundred pounds of sandbags biased toward the right rear, and I never managed to stick the thing.



Rusty

 

[JakeGMCHD]

LakeTex,

Where are you planning on moving to in IL? I live on the border of IL and WI. I can tell you that the toll way usually is clear but when we get hit good they are a little slow about cleaning it. Now central southern WI on the other hand they just wait for it to be driven off or the accidents to be too many before removal. You can ask most of the truckers that have to drive threw here, they hate central southern WI. I probably run my 40 mile commute locked in about 8-15 times a winter. You can make it around here most of the time in 2D. Most people add about 4-8 tubes of sand to their bed. This will help in aiding traction.

 

[Blakers]

It all depends where you're moving to and where you want to be able to go. If you stay around the cities and you only want to navigate well-maintained roads, you'll probably do fine with 2wd.



Here in NW Pa and NE Ohio we got a lot more snow than Illinois - often 2 or 3 feet at a shot. Sure we could get by with a 2wd, but we'd be so limited to when and where we could go. Many of the smaller roads around here get a packed coating of snow that lasts most of the winter and turns into ice whenever it thaws a little. Without 4wd some of these roads would be completely unpassable. And if you want to go into the more rugged areas, you'd better have 4wd.



If you stick with 2wd, I would highly recommend some studded tires on the rear.



Blake

 

[swexlin]

Well, seeing as how we got 8" of snow today, my PSD in 4WD on a flat road, staying in 2nd-3rd gear, and driving VERY(25 mph) carefully - my rear end STILL kicked around going around corners. My 97 Ram V10 4x4 was the same way, so it's not just the weight of the diesel engine. I can't even IMAGINE trying to drive one of these beasts in snow in RWD - but I know many of you do it - for the life of me, I don'w know how. I should add that I am an experienced cyclist and runner, and have done BOTH in the snow, so I do have some experience with traction.



It is VERY hilly here in SE PA - my girlfriend can't even get her FWD Neon up into the parking lot tonight - everything freezing up on the plow-packed road.



When I went to college in Oberlin, Ohio, I was driving a '76 Maverick (great car, by the way - sometimes I wish I still had it). I got around OK, but everything is FLAT in Ohio.



Bottom line - you can use your 2WD truck - but it ain't gonna be much fun!:{ :{

 

[laketex]

I'll be moving to Batavia, just west of Chicago. I really dont know the area that well so I'm not sure if the snow gets plowed regularly or not. I do have the LSD rear end, and use the truck to tow my K5 blazer rig back and forth to the trails, as well as commute to work 10 miles or so, mostly in town. Now I'm going to need some help with the terminology here. Studded tires are what??? and when do you use them?? Don't you guys run chains? Btw, I never understood chains very well, if you run them all winter or take them on and off all the time or what. Also, I guess i need to find my block heater and get a screen right? Yeah, I'm a friggin newbie to cold weather... it's sad.



Thanks for the reinforcement on the 2wd thing, it's going to be pretty economically tight for me to do anything about that right now. Although my wife has been wanting a jeep or 4runner, and we might buy an older one of those to replace her '00 Chevy Prism... I hate that car!

 

[Doc Tinker]

If you don't know what it's like to drive in snow with 4wd, you won't know what you're missing, so 2wd will be OK. It just takes a little skill and a lot of common sense. Driving in 6"+ of fresh snow is almost impossible though, with a 2wd diesel. And it's no fun if you slip out of the ruts. That's where the common sense comes in to play Stay home



Doc

 

[Blakers]

Originally posted by swexlin

but everything is FLAT in Ohio.

Now this is certainly NOT true! About half of Ohio is flat. Some of the other parts will give Pennsylvania a run for its money.



Blake

 

[Blakers]

2wd in snow

I've driven my share of driving in snow with a 2wd truck. Weight on the back is usually the key, and the more underpowered your truck is, the better.



I inherited my Gramp's 78 F-150 with a gutless 302 and it would go through snow very well. I drove from Pa to Chardon, Ohio with snow on all the main roads over the truck's front bumper. As long as I kept moving I was ok.



The bad part of snow and 2wds is you have no margin of error - you can't afford to make a mistake as you won't be able to back out of that ditch you ended up in. With a 4wd you probably could.



Some snow gives you good traction and some is slippery. It all depends. And if the highway department put salt down before the snow fell, then it makes slush underneith. That stuff is terrible to drive in. Nice pure snow is nice.



My old 77 Bronco was balanced enough that with 35" tires it would ride on the snow. I've driven in snow about 4 feet deep and it would sink in about 12" ride on the rest. Lots of fun!



Blake

 

[Pit Bull]

When it snows I use my wifes Landcruiser until they clean all of the snow off the roads or it melts. I know I can drive my truck in the snow but her Landcruiser with BFG AT/KO's and locking diff's is way better than a 4WD dually Get the wife that Toyota Forerunner and when the roads are bad ride together.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I use my 4 wheel drive more to get around my property then on the winter roads. Anymore, if your in a populated area, there is so much traffic, you don't move anyway. I would have bagged it today but don't have any vacation days so it would have been non paid and money is tight. I have a big hill to negotiate and half the time it gets blocked, then I either have to go way out of my way on even worse roads or go home. That was almost the case today, I was behind a car that was barely making it and we came onto an 18 wheeler blocking the road. The cops had a hook helping him out and soon enough we got moving so I got over the hill. The car bailed out and went back down the hill.



Growing up, two wheel drive and chains were the norm. I used to do road work and would make it to the truck yard with a 66 chevy van.



Buy good tires and add some weight. Get out to some big open lot in the snow and practice manuvers. If the job works out and you still feel the urge, move up to a 4x4.

 

[illflem]

You'll do fine if you put some weight in the back, stay on maintained roads and most importantly get your tires siped http://www.discounttire.com/dtc/brochure/tire/tireSiping.jsp



Found this article on siping tires yourself, too much work for me but very interesting http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/sipe/



I mainly use my 4wd to get unstuck rather than to keep from getting stuck. You know what they say, with 4wd you just get stuck worse.



BTW, I consider everything east of the Rockies flat

 

[Excessive Force]

YOU'LL BE FINE

Don't worry about sticking out like a sore thumb there are people who have lived here all there lives,and still can't drive when the roads get bad ! Just follow all of the previously posted advice,and you'll be fine. JakeGMCHD is correct about the ROCK CO. road mainenance (or lack of) !

Blakers,My favorite road to travel on is when it's snowing,and you hit the back roads,and find the roads without a track on them. Lots of fun! Oo. laketex,When you come up to WI snowboarding don't worry if you put it in the "RHUBARB" there are plenty of "CHEESEHEADS" who would just love to pull a "FLATLANDER" out !! :-laf

 

[Pit Bull]

You need to look at cost and safety. I would want the 4x4 just from a safety stand point and you would be happier in the Chicago area with a 2500QC SWB 4x4. You need to trade before you get up north because that 4x2 will not be worth the same up north as it is in Texas. So now you can either get your wife a 4x4 and share a ride when the weather is bad or take your chances with your truck or get a 4x4. Let us know what you decide and how it works out. Good luck

 

[kevincook]

Up in Michigan UP they average over 24 feet of snow a year, lot of locals us 2wd, just play it safe, use some type of weight, and don't get off of the road! Good Luck!



KC

 

[DiTrani]

BTW, last winter I managed to get my truck up my father-in-law's steep, snowy driveway, and my wife couldn't do the same in our front-drive, traction-control'ed minivan (of course I could after she gave up). Point being that the proverbial Nut Behind the Wheel is always the most importand part of the vehicle.

 

[nhincher]

I spent 5 winters in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (over 300" of snow/year) with a 2wd F-150, 300 I6, manual w/2. 73's, that thing flew... or something like that... . once the snow fell you wouldn't see pavement for the next 6 months...



anyway use good tires (bfgoodrich AT's kick a#$ on packed road snow)and weight in the back and you'll get around just fine, especially in IL, you'll probably have 2-3 days during the winter that the roads will be troublesome.



I'm now in south eastern Mi, with an 01 4x4 QC, love the 4x4 as I still make a lot of trips up north in the winter, I use it around here priamrily for pulling out of parking lots, side roads etc. but barely ever use it running down the road.



FWIW