What happens when you take a powerstroke and a duramax and put them behind a dodge...

[DaveN]

mcoleman maybe you had a bad proportioning valve before... . having a transfer case and a rotating front axles shouldn't affect braking.

 

[Cowboy Medic]

I know that if I am in 4wd and am downshifting or coasting I definitely can tell a difference in how it feels in my ability to slow down, but as for actually using the brakes I cannot notice anything different. One thing I do hate is the sorry excuse they call ABS on my truck. There are times you can barely tap the brakes and they are already releasing again, especially in slick conditions. SO I do have to say that when it is slick I am often in 4wd and using the manual transmission to control my speed much more than I rely on the brakes.

 

[mcoleman]

Then I must have a bad valve on every 4X4 I've owned for the last 20 years. Your front brakes will always apply stronger than the rear brakes on any vehicle. With the 4X4 engaged there is much less of a tendency for them to lock up and slide. Less chance of the engine pushing you through the light after you have stopped also. And you are tying your complete drivetrain together by engaging the front axle so instead of relying on 2 main braking wheels to slow you down you are slowing down the entire rotating drivetrain. I can barely tell the difference between dry pavement and ice when using 4X4 for stopping. I actually get more use out of my 4X4 for stopping than I do for traveling down the road. Well that and it's about 500 feet straight up the side of a hill with no shoulders to get to my farm. Most folks drive around the backside of the mountain and down the ridge instead of climbing the thing. For a 2wd it is impossible anyway. You can apply almost twice the pedal pressure with the 4X4 engaged without fear of locking the front end and sliding.

 

[Billy Diesel]

Hmmmmmm

6" of snow on the ground, and more falling,

4 Hi engaged,

the sun set 2 hours earlier,

towing the sled on a two-place trailer

a two-lane highway through the UP of MI

62mph in a 55,

with the cruise control on... ...



That lasted about 2 hours, until... ... . I got to where I was going



Disclaimer: I was (am) young and dumb and was not going that fast when any other cars were present. No sense in endagering the lives of innocent bystanders, right?!?



And it has been my experience that nomatter what I was driving (ie manual, auto, ABS, no ABS) that 4 wheel drive WILL slow you down better. It may not be a huge difference, and probably shouldn't be something to bet the farm on, but a wheel with a positive rotational force (axle shaft) will not lock up as easily as one without power being transmitted to it.

 

[banzaitoyota]

You folks have put WAAAAY too much thought in this Snow Business!! Just move South,































oops wait a minute, you couldn't figure that out on your own, please stay up north with your taxes!!! LOL J/K