driving in 4wd

heres my other winter driving question.
i know that basicaly, we are driving full time all wheel drive vehicles,BUT, when the snow starts flyin, can we drive with the truck in 4wd, and the transmission in drive? is this how most winter driving is done?? or is locking the truck into 4wd for off road, low speeds only??
Man, i need an owners manual...:confused:
just want the best driving abilility, but dont want to tear anything up. ya know??

how do you guys drive around in the snow???

thanks in advance......the snow is on its way!!!!

david

i would probably just leave it 4w high for normal driving, the tod does a pretty good job of keeping the wheels from spinning, and if you were be driving on roads that were not plowed then got to plowed roads you would have to stop and change back and blablabla.. so id say unless youre driving through a blizzard normal driving of the vx would do fine in the snow (with proper precaution of course)

I wouldn't go over 35-40mph in 4-lo

It depends on how slippery it is and how bald your tires are. If it is really slippery out I use 4 low. I do not go any faster than what is says in the manual. But I cannot remember what that speed is right now. shawn

yea i stay in high 4 and i can barely slip a tire even if i try...just get some good snow tires if you want the best performance in the snow...i just got a set of bridgestone dueler winter tires and they are awesome...work better than any other tire ive ever had, and ive done blizzaks and all...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IndianaVX

how do you guys drive around in the snow???

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I get in, start the engine, buckle up, put her in gear and smash the peddle down. Just had a foot of snow at the house and both VX's worked well this way, always do!. The VX does real good in snow and gives you a false sense of security causing some to drive to fast for conditions. I see examples of this all the time with SUV rollovers and if their lucky just stuck in the median after a spinout.

Gary

Walked out the door this morning and had about 6 to 8 inches in Washington, MO. Got in put it in 2nd to start out and had no problems. Only have the people showed up to work today they couldn't get out of their driveways. I didn't even use four wheel drive! I love my VC!!!!! Can't wait until after work to take it out and see what she can do!

Brandi

I live here in the midwest were we got 5 inches on top of a layer of ice and the TOD worked like a champ. This is my first winter with the VX and I wouldn;t trade it for the world, unless it was a new VX? :rolleyes:
I do have the biggest 18" tires I could squeeze under it.
Just don't try to overdrive your your VX.

As we all know, the VX handles GREAT in snow, and about as good as could be expected on ice. We just had a pretty big snow storm up here in the PNW, leaving many roads completely covered in ice. Nobody in their right mind was driving over 35 MPH on any road, so for a couple of days I cruised around in only 4-LO. Once I started seeing stretches of dry road I went back to running in 4-HI, exercising caution and breaking early and light. So in a nutshell, I use my speed as an indicator. If I know the roads are slick enough that I won't be exceeding 35 MPH on my entire trip (or know there's a good place to stop and shift gears) I'll ride in 4-LO. Otherwise, 4-HI and some caution are usually sufficient.

One thing I do when the roads are slippery is switch off power mode. It makes a big difference in how much the tires spin. shawn

I am a long time 4 wheeler from Colorado and base these judgments on two of the cars that I have owned - 97 Jeep TJ and the VX:

The TJ was rear wheel drive and when the roads were slick enough (judgment call) I would put it into 4 wheel mode and drive around. Owners manual said not over 55 in 4x4 Hi. The only time I would go into 4x4 lo, is when I wanted to go 4 wheeling (off roading).

The VX has been great for me in al types of weather, and I don't have snow tires on. So, the only time I have put my VX in 4 weel drive, is when I want to go 4 wheeling (off roading).

In the end, the judgment on when and how to drive will come from you. For most of your driving, you probably won't need to engage the 4 wheel drive.