^ My worry from above is that my truck is rear wheel drive when its not in 4hi so I don't want to risk spinning it out and recking or dying in it because of black ice or something, so I want to know what is the danger of driving as asked above.^

 

The reason you don't want to run 4wd on pavement that is dry. is because things will start to bind up.

 

Our trucks have a locked transfercase. Thus once placed in 4wd the front and rear differentials needs to turn at the same speed. Your tires wear at different rates, so even a small size difference between your front and rear tires can be a problem..

I can't remember the math, but I remember someone calculated how much of a difference like 1/10" of an inch could make at speed..

In anycase, this will cause driveline binding and usually the t-case is the weak spot.. Or the front diff

so, don't use 4wd unless your tires can slip to make up the difference.

 

also, what help is 4wd gonna with black ice??? your toast anyways...

 

I use 4HI on the highway when the plows just compact it at about 60.

 

Never coast down a steep hill in 4-lo, 1st gear, with the clutch pushed in. Clutches fly apart & break bellhousings, imagine how many RPMs your input shaft on your tranny is spinning at 25 mph in 4-lo 1st gear. This happened to a jeeper, broke a bunch of stuff, had some other related problems.

Anyways, i`d say 88 mph in 4hi would be probably be ok only if you are running a flux capacitor.

 

The three years I was driving in High school (10th, 11th, and 12th grades) in the winter, I would usually drive 65-70 in 4hi when it was snowy and or icy. Of course this isn't recommended, but when you're a teenager, anything is possible. Also, I had studded tires on. You'll be okay if you're only driving 25mph and its snowy or icy. The fastest I've been in 4hi on an icy road was 80mph, so basically any speed, but your gas mileage drops off, and you may run into some deathly situations doing 80mph on snowy and icy roads.

 

Space junk, I'm worried about my rear wheels breaking loose on a corner or something. 4 wheel drive keeps you going where your front wheels are pointed by pulling the back wheels strait when they start to slide or spin. ^ so my original question still stands I guess.

 

okay, so heres my thing, ive gone up to tahoe in the winter, ive gone snowboarding in the winter, and ive hit black ice... WITH MY TRUCK IN 4hi... doesnt help... even if the ass end is the only thing that gets loose, the front usually wont correct that fast... and keep in mind that i was doing 30mph, not 60...

but then again, its your truck, you do what you gotta do...

 

You need a flux capacitor space junk, really it`s a worthwhile bolt-on.

http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Back-To-...plica___311677

http://www.instructables.com/id/Flux-Capacitor/

Looks like it is much more cost-effective to build your own capacitor though...

I don`t like going much more than 40-45 in 4-hi, if it is that slippery out I am worried about being able to stop.

However, if Libyans are chasing you in a VW bus with an RPG, that capacitor would allow you to run at 88mph in 4hi...



ok, time for more coffee & injector fun

 

In 4wd your front and rear wheels turn at the same speed. Going around a corner all four wheels turn at a different speed, which is why you get a chirping sound with a locked rear end. The locker keeps the differential from allowing one wheel to travel faster than the other so one wheel literally breaks loose, or the axle or diff breaks. The same goes for the front vs. the rear. There is no center differential to allow the front to travel faster or slower than the rear, so any difference will put strain on the axles, differentials, drive shafts, transfer case, and transmission. As others have said the weak points are the front differential and the transfer case. If you use 4wd in dirt or other slippery stuff you won't notice a thing because whichever end needs to relieve the tension will just take it out on the dirt. If you drive on dry pavement it is much harder for a wheel to slip, so you might break one of the above mentioned parts. Go here to learn more.

 

I dont reccomend this but have done it...My buddy argued with me that i could not beat his rig in a race I was on 32 in street tires at the time stock shocks so forth...I lined up in 4 low and launched off the rev limiter (3.0 5 spped 4 lo here come the flames) I pulled the frt wheels 2 feet in the air and grabbed second(at the time new to 4x4's got lucky did not break anything) still carrying the frt wheel at like 8 miles per hour I shifted into 3 when the wheels came down then shifted to 4 and 5 once i pegged 5th i shifted to 4 hi and grabbed second it was acutally quite smooth with no real problems i dont recommend doing this but i have never had any problems in a straight line is when you turn and start binding things. so use the information at your own discretions and if you feel binding or have to turn slow down and disengage the 4wd otherwise you should be fine

 

Ah, you beat him through the intersection huh!

I actually started laughing when i read that story.

 

i have one problem with your story... its impossible to into or out of 4lo without being under 5mph...

 

BS. I can take my transfercase out of 4-lo into 4-hi way above 5mph. But not the other way around!

Shift on the fly!

 

aaahh... ok, i figured that if you have to be below 5mph to get it in, then you gotta be below to get it out too...

 

yup what 904 runner said

 

Is it just me or is there something wrong with that?!?!?! That is the type of driving that can kill. Just because the 4wd lets you go fast it won't help you stop!!! Last winter I was driving 200 miles a day over a mountain pass and more times then not when I got passed on the icy roads I almost always passed them again when they were in the ditch!

But keep it up I'm sure you are that good!

 

I've been up to 90 mpg in 5th gear, 4w HI, on wet pavement. I DO NOT recommend driving in 4x4 on dry pavement for any length of time....

 

where i live in town, we maybe get 12" of snow on the road max. So snow isn't an issue really, i throw it in 4-lo and thats as fast as i go.

All the people up here, that don't know how to drive in the snow, figure "my suv has 4wd, i can drive just like i do when its dry". And yes we do pass these people in the ditch. Ive helped pull a few people out, but it gets old, Quick.

Don't drive faster than the weather permits.