2 wheel Dr vs 4 wheel drive

[Cable McMan]

Which do you prefer. Pro and Cons. Our plans are very limited if any snow camping 85 % camp grounds 15 % prim. Trailer = 31" outback Sidney 8000 lbs. Looking for a 2006 or 07 Chevy or GMC 2500hd Diesel. I will add airbags, Ram air and exhaust. no chip at first. We plan on being weekend campers with a occasion week or two site seeing trip.

[Flyguy]

2wd with limited slip diff does it for me, if I did alot of off roading then I might consider a 4x4, but I don't and don't want to pay for the extra complexity of a transfer case and the extra gas.

[Festus2]

I'm with Flyguy. We have an '05 GMC 4x4 Duramax but I chose to have the 4x4 for two reasons: 1) we get snow and; 2) I use it to haul my boat trailer in and out of the river. For those reasons, a 4x4 is pretty much of a necessity. Having said that, if almost all of your use is for on road, for pulling your RV or for sight-seeing......... I don't think spending more $$$$ for a 4x4 and for the extra fuel is worth it.

[antiqfreq]

We have a 4x4 and somestimes the grass is so wet in my backyard
that after we hook up the fiver if we didn't have the 4x4 we'd never
get out - even then - we tear up the grass half the time due to the
slipping.

At our property in Georgia (mostly woods) we always need the 4x4
to get in and out of there.

So for us it was a no-brainer - it was what we needed.

Also, we have had a few sites that we needed the 4x4 to get in
or out of!

Jo

[hankpage]

For towing I prefer 2wd .... less weight and less moving parts to maintain. My last truck did not have limited slip but we made do for ten years. Our present truck has a lsd and makes a world of difference in slippery conditions. For the one or two times that 4x4 would have been nice, it wasn't worth the $$$ in fuel, maintenance or original cost. JM$.02 Hank

Question ? ......... Why only Chevy??? The Cummins pulls like a mule and gives great mileage. Some of the Fords arn't too bad either.

[5er]

I’m going to let the 2 pics below speak for me…


Theses pics were taken in Vermont after we backed into our campsite. Why did I continue backing? I had gotten to a point of no return and according to the forecast things were supposed to be dry for the next few days. Well I guess Mother Nature had different plans as the night before we pulled out it poured and matters got even worse. When hooking up I had sank nearly 4 inches into the mud. The pics above were from backing into the site with much drier conditions. If I hadn’t had 4 wheel drive it would have cost me dearly to get a tow truck out to pull me out of this mess.
I also required 4WD in a campground in northern New York where the grass was wet from a heavy dew. In a Florida campground where the shoulders of the driveway were very sandy. Making the typical wide swing on the way out I got into this sand and again 4WD pulled me through. In a Virginia KOA at the foot of a mountain I needed 4WD just to back up an upgrade into the campsite.
You can also forget the extra weight of the 5er on the rear axle. When you get in the soft wet stuff more often than not you’ll wished you had a 4X4.
Having the Low Range that comes with a 4X4 is also a giant plus factor. Backing that 5er up the slightest upgrade is 100% easier when you drop the 4X4 into 4 Low. You can back at nearly an idle speed taking a lot of pressure AND HEAT off the tranny.
I could site other examples but I think you are getting the idea. For me, there is no way that I would not have a 4X4. Forget the extra weight, it’s negligible in comparison to the total package. Forget the ride comfort. I have ridden in 2X4s and 1 ton duallies that rode harsher. My GMC is a TRUCK for God’s sake not a Cadillac. If I wanted total ride comfort I’d sell the 5er, the GMC and buy a Caddy.

[antiqfreq]

Exactly what I was saying 5er,
we tear up our yard trying to get out sometimes.

Right NOW it is raining cats & dogs for about 1 hour,
my back yard is flooded - were we leaving now you
betcha it'd be in 4 wheel drive!

Jody

[Herb]

I agree with 5er about the 4x4. I have a F450 Super Duty 4x4 2008 DRW and i pull a 40 foot Keystone Raptor with no problems. My wife and I are full timers one year now and lovin it.

[Jim W]

I live in the northern part of IL and have always had 4wd. I have had a 4X4 since 1974, the only vehicle I ever own that was not. Was a 3/4 ton Chevy conversion van I bought new in 86. We used this to pull our Star Craft 8 pop up camper. There was a couple of times I could not back this camper in to a site, since we did not have 4x4 on the van.

I have had the need to use our 4X4 several times to pull the 5er out of a camp site after it has rained and the grass is wet.
Some like 4X4's and some people do not feel the need. I would drive both type of vehicles in a test drive and make a decision on how you like the vehicle.
I would also give Dodge a serious consideration. The 6.7L engine has been out since 2007.5 and has meet the 2010 emission rules since its introduction, with no Urea usage. The new 2011 Ford and Chevy diesel require this to meet the emission rules and is another expense.
Jim

[Stargazer]

If you're not sure if you need 4x4... then you probably don't need it.

I live on a mountain just above the snow line. I know I need 4x4 because our tow vehicle is also our daily driver. I had a vehicle with 2wd and limited-slip differential and winter tires and while it's OK, there were still times when it would get stuck, even on a flat driveway if there was a lot of snow or on a slight incline with a bit of ice. Our AWD vehicle had no problem at all.

I like 4x4 because you can turn it off if you don't need it. I like AWD because even in the rain you get good grip.

If you are going to camp anywhere where there might be slopes or you'll be driving on wet grass or gravel (or even a boat launch), then I would consider 4x4. If not, I would stick to 2wd because there is greater towing capacity and potential fuel savings.

[Jim Dow]

If you have ever tried to pull a 5er in sand, then you know that you need 4-wheel drive.

[audio1der]

For us, 4x4 is like fire insurance. Most of the time you don't need it but the odd time you do, it makes it all worth it.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by audio1der

For us, 4x4 is like fire insurance. Most of the time you don't need it but the odd time you do, it makes it all worth it.

More or less covers it! We four season camp in the NW, you never know when you face snow on the Coast Range! Having 4X4 adds an extra margin of safety and control used wisely.

[Hansel]

If I was smarter when buying my F-250 13 years ago I should have just payed the extra few bucks a month payment and got a 4X4, but I was living in Florida never went off roading and didn't have a camper at the time. Well my first day home with my camper was the day before I think it was hurricane (Wilma) hit, and I had parked the camper in the front yard area next too the road, well after a houor or so of heavy rain, my truck got stuck in the FRONT yard I needed my nieghbor with his Dodge and a tow rope too pull me and my camper out of the front yard. Well now I live in Georgia, and have gotten back into bowhutning, and could really use a 4X4 truck every now and then. The grass and the darn "georgia" orange dirt are some slick arsh stuff

Get a 4X4 and save yourself the pain like I'm going through.

[jsmith948]

I would also give Dodge a serious consideration. The 6.7L engine has been out since 2007.5 and has meet the 2010 emission rules since its introduction, with no Urea usage. The new 2011 Ford and Chevy diesel require this to meet the emission rules and is another expense. Jim[/QUOTE]

Just as an aside - the cost of the urea (DEF) is minimal. Our truck uses a little less than 5 gals in 7500 miles. At a cost of $5.19 per gallon - that works out to $ 0.00346 (.346 cents) per mile. I don't care what brand of truck you buy - just wanted you to have all the facts. By the way, the DEF helps on your engine's overall fuel cosumption (no regeneration unlesss you idle/city drive a lot). Plus, cleaner air to breath - all good. JMHO - FWIW

[Hansel]

Originally Posted by jsmith948

I would also give Dodge a serious consideration. The 6.7L engine has been out since 2007.5 and has meet the 2010 emission rules since its introduction, with no Urea usage. The new 2011 Ford and Chevy diesel require this to meet the emission rules and is another expense. Jim

Just as an aside - the cost of the urea (DEF) is minimal. Our truck uses a little less than 5 gals in 7500 miles. At a cost of $5.19 per gallon - that works out to $ 0.00346 (.346 cents) per mile. I don't care what brand of truck you buy - just wanted you to have all the facts. By the way, the DEF helps on your engine's overall fuel cosumption (no regeneration unlesss you idle/city drive a lot). Plus, cleaner air to breath - all good. JMHO - FWIW[/QUOTE]



So the Dodge truck don't use the additive for the exhaust? That is really good info, I have seen some Dodge trucks on car haulers heading too the dealership and I am amazed at the exhaust system

[jsmith948]

Hansel,
Sorry for the confusion - I was quoting a previous poster - My post was meant to clarify his comment regarding the cost of DEF. I don't know about the new Dodges, but, my DB has a 2009 6.7 Dodge and he does not use DEF. His truck has a particulate filter that has a regeneration mode for cleaning. By the way, since this is a thread about 4WD pros & cons, both of our trucks are 4WD (sorry Festus2!)

[JRTJH]

Our 93 F250 was 2WD. I can't even start to count the number of times I walked out of the woods after a "slight mist." Louisiana's "gumbo" mud isn't too friendly to a heavy diesel engine mounted in front of a super light rear end on a long bed pickup. The reason for buying our 99 superduty was one particular quail hunt that ended with me, the dog and shotgun walking about 7 or 8 miles to the nearest paved road with any amount of traffic. After that hunt, the first stop (after washing the red clay off the truck) was the Ford dealership..... Since then, if it has wheels, it has 4WD.... Even my DW's Escape is 4WD.

[Ken / Claudia]

4x4, I am a 4 season hunter, camper, fisher and traveler. Got 1st 4x4 at 18 and have had 11 since , no 4x2s for me. 5 work trucks all 4x4s. Had 2 with front ujoints replaced and one with hubs replaced. No other 4x4 problems. Cons would be they will use more fuel and sit higher. Cost difference is not a con, they resell for more.

[webslave]

4x4 for us. In PA, we're in the snow belt. I need 4 wheel drive to get out of the driveway with the 5er in the summer. We've stayed at numerous CGs that we'd have been stuck in without it. I've even resorted to having to use it in parking lots. We were in a sand dunes area at a the Visiting Center. Only place to park had some sand on it...didn't even give it a thought. Went to leave, put in reverse and got nothing but wheel spin, even with a limited slip differential. Turns out that the diesel (heavier by far than a gasser) weighed enough that while we were in the visitor center it settled quite nicely in a couple of inches of sand. Could I have dug it out? Sure, but, a quick turn of the 4x switch on the dashboard and I just backed out.

The only cost I've ever had with a 4x4 system has been the initial purchase price. I've never had a repair cost incurred by having the 4x4 system installed. I recoup the purchase price (the same with the diesel) when I resell or trade. Nobody in my area would buy a 2x truck and most that want to "work" their trucks want diesels, so, I've never "lost money" by owning one. It does have a mpg cost, after all I'm carrying around the weight, but, as a percentage, I don't even know that it is measurable.

Will I tow without a 4x4... No. I haven't found, in my personal use, any reasons or drawbacks in towing with it and I've, personally encountered many reasons and places that it has come in handy. The wild horse herd that we saw by going out a "4 Wheel Drive Only" road was worth every penny I paid for it. Besides getting my "bacon out of the fire" occasionally, it has given us access to a lot of "off the beaten path" sights as well.