4x4 or Front wheel drive?

When I first moved here to the hills I was sure that without a 4x4 truck I would be stuck. Now that I have a couple years of real mountain experience I find that my minivan with front wheel drive, ABS, and studded snow tires goes just as good as a 4x4 pickup, maybe better. My GF's Camry, also with FWD and studded snows also does very well. I was wondering if 4 wheel drive is really necessary or just a sales gimmick. I had a '93 K2500 4x4 pickup and I liked it, but I didn't like the gas mileage penalty. It went good in the snow no doubt, but no better than FWD. The only place I think I really needed 4x4 was when I took the kids mud bogging, 99% of the time it stayed in 2wd. The reason I ask is I'm going to be buying a truck pretty soon, and the 2wd model can hold more cargo and costs less both in gas and price, but my manhood says "ugh four wheel drive tough truck ugh" I already have an ATV for farm use in the fields.

It's no gimmick when the snow gets deep. a 2wheel drive truck is possibly the worse thing you can drive in the snow. Especially if you have a empty bed.

If you plan on driving the truck in the snow I would get the 4x4. A 2wd pickup is just about useless in the snow unless you haul 5 or6 hundred pounds in the bed all of the time and there goes your fuel mileage.

gambler wrote:If you plan on driving the truck in the snow I would get the 4x4. A 2wd pickup is just about useless in the snow unless you haul 5 or6 hundred pounds in the bed all of the time and there goes your fuel mileage.

Exactly. My pick up with an empty bed is completely useless in the snow.

A truck in the snow without four wheel...Ha... haaaaa ha haaaa

Ill Take my taurus and a shot to the nuts before I put my kid in another 2 wheel drive pickup durring a snowstorm. Thats like having an adult film star with no girly parts. Jim

why don't they make a front wheel drive P/U?

Probably ecomnomics, front wheel drive costs more and is also more costly to maintain and repair. Don't have any numbers but I'd imagine most of the pick-up trucks sold are sold as work trucks which are rarely going to need front or 4 wheel drive.

I drove a two wheel drive ford ranger around wyoming valley for 3 years when I moved up from GA. Now I have a 01 dodge ram 4x4 and an 01 superduty 4x4. The ram in better in 2wd than the superduty in 4wd. So I think it all depends on the vehicle. Plus how often do you plan on driving on the roads after a snowstorm? The roads around here are usually clean within 12 hours of the storm, and when I cross the border into ny (12 mile drive) the roads are clear and dry withing 6 hours of the storm. I think you can get along fine with a 2wd myself w/ snowtires and wieght in the bed.

A 2wd pickup can get stuck on wet grass.. The weight of the engine and heavy cab sink the front tires into the ground, the rear tires with an empty pickup bed above, and wet grass below... you're stuck.. when that happened to me, I vowed to never have a 2wd pickup again.

The dodge diesels get only 2mpg poorer fuel mileage in the 4wd version, I wouldn't own a 2wd north of the Mason-Dixon line.

The reason there have been few front wheel drive pickups is that pickups are work vehicles. The front wheel drive transaxles are just too light-duty to do the work that a pick is often called upon to do. And when you ask a pickup to really work, the bed is full of weight, which makes the traction less in a front wheel drive, but better in a rear wheel drive.

The front wheel drive minivans, when used as a light duty work vehicle have major issues with their transaxles.. Only a good front engine, rear wheel drive drivetrain is strong enough to work hard and last any reasonable number of miles.

Greg L

I have an F150 and I am glad it's 4x4, I have only used it a few times, but I would have been stuck without it.
My wifes Escape is FWD/4x4, it is normally front wheel drive and the rear wheels kick in when needed OR you can lock it in 4x4. Works great.

decide on what kind of driving you currently are doing and then what you want to do.

"HEY the snow is deep and hasn't been plowed...I'm going for a drive!!!" Well...I'd have to say 4x4

If the driving will be done on cleared streets and roads only....I'd save the $$$$ and go with 2wd.

OR if you decide to go with 2wd and still want to drive in the snow.....I'd have to say go get a load of coal with your pickup and use that for weight!!!!!

Great Idea Bugsy........I use that method already.

Each fall I get about 400-500 lbs of rice in bags.......Put it in the back of the truck.....works great and if I get stuck on any ice - just open a bag and you have traction material handy.........In the spring I just empty the bags in the bin.

If I need to haul anything, the bags make it easy to unload and reload the truck bed.....And it's a lot safer than putting cement blocks in the bed which can be propelled forward in a collision.

You only have to get stuck once at the WRONG time to make the 4 X 4 worth your while.

coaledsweat wrote:You only have to get stuck once at the WRONG time to make the 4 X 4 worth your while.

But! ... If you get a 4x4 "stuck", you're STUCK! If you have a 2 wheel drive, you try not to go where you don't belong. If it does get stuck, it's still on the surface, usually, rather than buried to the windows.