RE: 2 Wheel vs. 4 wheel

[Starcraft Dad]

 
I know this has been addressed before, (I think in the old forums) but can t remember where.  DW was asking me and I couldn t think of why.  Anyway,
 
 Why is it better to tow with 2 wheel drive as opposed to 4 wheel drive?

[Gamecock Camper]

 Starcraft Dad
Right now I d say that one of the reasons is gas mileage.  You will get more miles per gallon in 2wd.

[Gone-Camping]

 Starcraft Dad
First of all, if you buy a 4x4, you d still be towing in 2 wheel drive, unless you get an ALL wheel drive or something like some of the Jeeps that has what they call  FULL TIME 4 wheel drive . But the vast majority of 4x4 s don t have that option, and therefore CANNOT be driven on pavement in 4 wheel drive. To do so would tear up the transfer case in very short order. Four wheel drive on a regular 4x4 is used only on loose gravel, soft sand, snow and other places where traction is a problem.
 
 So the short answer here is, no... you don t need 4x4 to tow a trailer, unless you re going to tow it through the snow or out onto the beach!
 
 (TRUE STORY FOLLOWS>>>) I work for a car dealer, and we sold a Jeep Cherokee to someone last month who thought they could use the 4 wheel drive whenever and where ever they wanted. They put that thing in 4x4 mode, and tried driving down the interstate with it, they got about 1 mile before the transfer case physically broke in several pieces. They didn t even own the Jeep for an hour! A new transfer case cost a little over a thousand dollars! We wound up taking the car back, and sold it at auction last week, charged the difference back to the customer. Very expensive lesson that guy got!

[Jeffrey]

 Starcraft Dad
I don t know the technical reasons.
 
 But when I bought my van, I was told towing with RWD  was best.
 So I found a great deal in a RWD Safari. I have been driving a RWD Pickups for a long time, so I didn t really think about it.
 
 It might be better for towing on the camping trips, but all winter long it stinks.
 I wish I would have bought an AWD and forgot about the towing thing.
 
 8 camping trips a year approx x2 = 16 days it s ideal,
 but the other 340 days, 1/3 of those on snow (in a good winter) it stinks.

[wynot]

 Starcraft Dad
2WD truck based vehicles usually have a higher tow rating, compared to 4WD usually because of the added weight of the transfer case and front axle drivetrain.
 
 I prefer to have the 4WD available, which on the Tahoe is actually able to be manually selected, or through the AutoTrac, because some campgrounds can be a little nasty with loose gravel and soft spots, especially if there are significant grades.
 
 

[MtnCamper]

 Starcraft Dad
I got 4 wheel drive, because it looks " neater" .
 
 No seriously, I got it for the winter commute, and I was tired of getting beat up at trade in time. " It s 2 wheel drive, nobody buys  em."  
 
 So I go out and buy a truck good for 500K miles, Now when is trade in time?

[bikolee]

 Gone-Camping

But the vast majority of 4x4 s don t have that option, and therefore CANNOT be driven on pavement in 4 wheel drive.

 Just one more of many reasons why I am looking at the Silverado X-cab Z71 LT. This truck has the Auto-Trac.  And Leather.................

[tlhdoc]

 Jeffrey

 

ORIGINAL:  Jeffrey
 
 I don t know the technical reasons.
 
 But when I bought my van, I was told towing with 2wd was best.
 

 
 Jeffrey are you sure you weren t told towing with a rear wheel drive, not 2 wheel drive is the best?

[whippetwrun]

 Starcraft Dad
Tracy,
 
 I was just going to ask about that - one of the many reasons I got my truck long before the popup was because I d hoped we d get one and I was told the rear wheel drive was the way to go.

[copcarguy]

 Starcraft Dad
Hey all!!  I drive about 37,000 miles a year and I will never buy a front wheel drive car.  Check out the " My Toys"  section on my webshots page - everything you see is rear (with limited-slip differential) or 4 wheel drive.  My work truck was the first 4x4 anything I have ever bought and the difference it makes in yucky situations prompted " copcargirl"  to get the Explorer...  What everyone else posted here is true, you re gonna tow in 2 wheel, unless you have a system designed to be used on dry pavement.  The reason I love rear or 4 wheel drive is that this is how cars were invented way back when, and all the bugs have been worked out by now.  Everything is heavier duty, and when you put a trailer into the picture, you re adding weight to the wheels that drive the vehicle...  On a front wheel drive, you re lifting weight off the drive wheels.  I ve seen several times where people have launched their boats and at the end of the day sit there spinning their front tires unable to pull it out of the water...  Well I have rambled enough here and it s really late (early??[&:])  All of this is of course IMHO and just my 2 cents.

[wynot]

 Starcraft Dad
To further clarify,  Traditional  - RWD is a simple, heavy duty system, that is used from Chevettes to Semi-tractors (big trucks).  Straight out of the rear of the transmission (on most cars) to the differential and then to the drive wheels.  Compared to a FWD, which usually has to come out of both sides of a transaxle, which is working as both a transmission and differential, then through smaller  halfshafts  via constant velocity joints, which allow the wheel to go up, down, left, right, and forward and back, or a combination of 3 of these at once.
 
 It can basically be made as strong as needed, without having to worry about also having to change directions (steer) as well.   That way, Rick can stomp on his blue Crown Vic and fly down the road, without taking out a CV joint.
 
 When you put a trailer in the picture, now you are adding additional downforce on the rear axle to the drivewheels.  When we towed with a FWD, it really didn t take too much power to get the front wheels to spin, especially if the road was wet.
 
 I like the 4WD option as I noted in an earlier post, because sometimes, it is really handy to have 4 powered wheels, especially on loose surfaces where the camper bogs down a bit.
 
 Now, we have a 4WD with AutoTrac, a Quattro (All Wheel Drive) with the best all wheel drive system on the market, and a RWD.  I would never say never another FWD, because we ve had good luck with them, but I will tell you, I don t like getting caught in the RWD in snow deeper than 2 inches (open differential and all season tires) - never gotten stuck, but driving  lightly  to avoid spinning the rear wheels makes for a very long drive in heavy snow.

[MesaMadness]

 Starcraft Dad
We tried to sell a 1994 Chevy C-1500 pickup truck (half-ton RWD) a few years ago and found that out of dozens of inquiries only about three or four were truly interested in the vehicle.  To induce sale of the vehicle, we had to provide steep financial incentives, meaning a significantly lowering the price.  The market is definitely skewed toward four-wheel drive vehicles.  We replaced the truck with a 2000 Olds Silhouette, which had a trailer tow package option.  We got interested in popup camping after we got the minivan.
 
 After the minivan was totaled by a tornado last spring we decided to replace it with a real truck for hauling our popup.  Market forces dictated that we get a four-wheel drive (something).  The four-wheel drive Chevy Trailblazer met our needs.  It seemed insignificant that four-wheel dive vehicles, in contrast to corresponding two-wheel drive vehicles, are more expensive, less fuel efficient, cost more to insure, have higher maintenance costs, and have lower towing capacity.
 
 By the way, the Chevy pickup truck had a limited slip differential and did fine in the snow as long as it the snow was no deeper than a half a foot.  The Trailblazer also has a limited slip differential, and again, does well in snow without the help of four-wheel drive (something), as long as the snow is not too deep.  However, in the bad snow storms we had this winter, the AWD feature had fantastic performance.  The Trailblazer has a Autotrac switch on the instrument panel that allows the driver to change between 2WD, AWD, 4WD High, and 4WD Low.  Since 4WD High and 4WD Low are kind of a mystery, we kept it in AWD while plowing through deep snow.
 
 Considering only the frequency of use, it is hard to justify getting a four-wheel drive (something) truck.  Taking into account resale value, getting a four-wheel drive (something) is almost a requirement.
 

[whitestar505]

 Starcraft Dad
Yes, you are right , this subject has been kicked around for awhile. Well let me see if I might get this right for you from what I know. Two wheel drive has the advanage because it has more weight in the rear. It will allow you to tow more, with less sway. The rear end ratio is better for towing also. You will also get better gas mileage. How about that?[]

[tlhdoc]

 whitestar505

 

ORIGINAL:  whitestar505
 
 Well let me see if I might get this right for you from what I know. Two wheel drive has the advanage because it has more weight in the rear.
 

 Rear wheel drive not two wheel drive.

[C. Hains]

 Starcraft Dad
I have a 2001 Olds Silhouette that I bought before I bought my popup -- a 2002 Coleman Westlake.  I am in the market for a better towing vehicle and have been thinking about a Nissan Pathfinder.  Is that a good towing vehicle?  Its towing capacity is 5000# -- my Coleman Westlake fully loaded would weigh around 3500 #.  And from what I am reading on this thread -- 4WD beats 2WD -- right?
 Help me out here and keep it simple -- as I said in my last posting -- I am old AND dumb!  Thanks!!