 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Toyota / Toyota Trucks / December 20044x4 vs 4x2
Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many times... I'm getting rid of my 4x4 tacoma xcab and looking at Tundra's...I drive about 80 miles a day and have loved my 4x4 during New England winters coming home on highways. Several people have told me I'd be just as fine in a 4x2 with some weight in the back. Could anyone offer an opinion on this one? I don't need to haul anything nor do I do any off roading. Can extra weight really give me the same confidence as 4x4? Like many others, I'd love to save some $$$ and by a 4x2 Tundra.( also, v6 vs v8 doesn't bother me , my tacoma is 4 cyl) Thanks in advance for any replies Ken >Could anyone offer an opinion on this one? I don't need to haul >anything nor do I do any off roading. Can extra weight really give me >the same confidence as 4x4? No, nothing except a sandrail compares with 4 wheel drive. No you probably don't need 4 wheel drive for your commute so go with the two wheel drive , or even better yet, since you don't haul anything get a car, better mileage , handling , and they come with those ever so handy back seats ( babes) . MLM > No, nothing except a sandrail compares with 4 wheel drive. No you probably > don't need 4 wheel drive for your commute so go with the two wheel drive , or > even better yet, since you don't haul anything get a car, better mileage , > handling , and they come with those ever so handy back seats ( babes) . > MLM a car is out of the question - I love to work around my house ( wood, loam, woodchips etc etc, scuba gear) - I need and love my truck whats a sandrail? > > No, nothing except a sandrail compares with 4 wheel drive. No you probably > > don't need 4 wheel drive for your commute so go with the two wheel drive , [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > whats a sandrail? a sandrail is a frame and floor pan only vehicle used for tearing up the beaches and deserts, and so far from suitable for you that no analogy exists. Sand rails don't even have heaters. Hang on to what you have. If that's not an option, then it's 4wd for you. Weighing down the bed is great for getting unstuck, whether snow or florida sugar sand, but you are increasing rear wheel traction at the expense of front wheel traction, and since on 2wd the fronts only steer, you kinda give up too much control What has your experience been on bad winter days when you were in 4wd and rwd cars and trucks were in trouble?...when rwd cars and trucks were doing OK? Rwd with weight in the back, limited slip differential, and real winter tires on all four corners* is fair as you've probably seen, but nothing like 4wd when you really need it. *You need real winter tires in front for safest cornering and braking. Ken > Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many > times... [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Ken > Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many > times... [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Ken Had an 88 F150 2WD that did pretty well with a bed full of frozen snow and slush, but was pretty horrid otherwise. It'll take a lot of weight to make a difference with 2WD. Let me tell you about my experience with a 4x2 Tundra (2003 V6 SR5)... I bought my Tundra in South Carolina.. I got a 4x2 for the same reasons as you are talking about: occasionally hauling stuff, never really doing serious off road other than an unpaved road, etc... Well, a year later I moved to interior Alaska and take my beloved Tundra with me. Interior Alaska: FEET of snow, horrid ice in early and late winter and they barely know what a plow is and gravel is almost foreign a concept on these roads and salt has never even been heard of (of course at a long-term sustained -20 or more, salt doesnt do much good unless you get it down early before the temp drops). Due to a lack of money to trade up for the recommended 4x4 - something everyone up here thought I was absolutely INSANE to do - I kept my 4x2 truck and bought 4 studless Winter Dueler tires which I had mounted as winter '03-'04 hit and took off in the summer to return to the stock tires and back to winters about a month ago for '04-'05. Last winter, I went to Home Depot and bought 10 40lb sandbags for about $6 each and left them in the bed. With the tires and the sandbags over the rear axle, I had no problems. Sure, there was the occasionaly hill that I couldn't climb due to snow and ice, but 4x4 werent faring a lot better on those hills than me and my truck did. When all is said and done, if you know how to drive in snow and ice conditions (and being through more than a couple New England winters as well, I know what you are experiencing) you will be just fine. I say go for it and enjoy yourself. Someone else in this thread said something about a backseat for babes. Well let me assure you a backseat doesn't compare to a pick-up being able to have a double size mattress lay out flat to relax on :-) And remember, when all four tires are on ice or dense pack snow, a 4x4 truck becomes just as much of a ballistic weapon as any other vehicle out there. >> Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many >> times... [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > slush, but was pretty horrid otherwise. It'll take a lot of weight to > make a difference with 2WD. > Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many > times... [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Ken Ken, I realize the winters in the Denver Metro area aren't anything like what you have in New England, but I moved to the Denver area in 1989 with my 1988 4x2 Toyota pickup, and moved back to Southern California in 1996. In the six winters I lived there, I only missed one day of work because of snow (I probably could have gone in that day, but was too lazy). I had two sand tubes in the bed, in front of the wheel wells. With no shell, when it snowed, the snow built up in the bed giving me additional traction. As the streets cleared, the snow in the bed melted, so everything pretty-much evened out. I had standard mud & snow tires that I used year-round. As usual, YMMV...  SignatureTom - Vista, CA > Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many > times... [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Like many others, I'd love to save some $$$ and by a 4x2 Tundra.( > also, v6 vs v8 doesn't bother me , my tacoma is 4 cyl) Add weight in back and you add traction, but you also have the weight there when you don't want it. It will induce a lot of oversteer in many situations. IMO, a 2 WD w/snow tires front and back and w/o the weight is generally ok. It won't be the same as a 4x4 with good tires, tho. >Hi - 1st time here so sorry if this question has been played too many >times... [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >Ken I don't do any real off roading but I do drive on roads with mud, snow and ice, along with dirt roads. I tried weighting down the rear end of my 2000 Tundra in 2 wheel drive and it didn't compare very well with 4 wheel drive on sloppy roads. Skip |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.