TripleAnt’s question about Jeeps got me to thinking about a claim made by many of the owners of 4x4’s I know. It’s been raining quite a bit aroung here lately, and a lot of these people claim that their vehicles are better on rain slicked freeways than passenger cars. Now wait a minute. The two major problems in rain are stopping and hydroplaning, just what the average 4x4 is notorious for. Am I wrong? (Possible)
Peace,
mangeorge
I don’t have any experience in heavy rain, but I know that on ice, once a 4x4 has lost it, it is in just as much trouble as any other car; when you slide you slide.
The only adavantage alot of 4x4’s have is that they have those big knobby tires or tires with wide grooves. The disperse the water
better. You can get the same effect by using an all weather tire.
Depends on who you ask. If you ask the owner of a 4x4 they will tell you this vehicle can go though anything…only thing it can’t do yet is go the speed of light. If you ask a normal car owner they’ll tell you by observation that a 4x4 can go a few places a normal car can’t, but certainly not as many as they claim. When we had our huge snow storm a few weeks back the 4x4 is about the only way you could travel, but skill is involved also cause I did see a few in the ditch with the rest of the cars.
“Do or do not, there is no try” - Yoda
Senior Intern to
El Presidente
Self-Righteous Clique *
Well depends on the 4x4. I currently own a 1999 Chevy Silverado 4x4 and a 1993 Dodge Dakota 4x4 and in the past have owned smaller trucks and cars. I’ll agree that the tires are better at getting rid of water but I think weight also plays a part in it. The lighter the vehicle the more problem with I’ve had in the rain and slush. I’ll agree that ice is bad with any car or truck. Now as for smaller 4x4’s my neighbor lost control of his Wrangler after hitting some slush and ended up in the ditch, only thing hurt was his pride. He wasn’t going very fast but with a light, short wheelbase water and slush can play havoc with control at the wrong speed.
I thought that 4WD was designed for use off-road and had little utility on the pavement; but I know that when it’s dry, full-time 4WD provides better traction and handling and is used on Subarus, some Porsches and other cars. But what about when it’s on-road and wet? Here’s a question from another thread:
4wd are for steep dry terrain or sand. You’d still want to put snow chains on them if you are going in snow.
4wd are for steep dry terrain or sand. You’d still want to put snow chains on them if you are going in snow.
4wd are for steep dry terrain or sand. You’d still want to put snow chains on them if you are going in snow.
“Men are like parking spaces, the available ones are handicapped.”
I guess my question was unclear, as usual. I agree that 4wd is superior in mud and snow, etc. But what about in more common driving situations?
To be more specific;
Which is safer on the freeway, in the rain, at 70 mph. An Acura with all weather tires or a Blazer with mud and snow tires.
Peace,
mangeorge
Oddly enough, I was just reading the owner’s manual for my mother’s Nissan Pathfinder (on loan to me at the moment while the car’s in the shop) especially in regards to the 4WD.
It states that 4WD is good for mud, snow, slush, sand and that’s about it. On pavement, unless the pavement is covered with 3" of snow, you should be using 2WD for best results. It also had the “don’t use 4WD on non-slippery pavement” rule, but nothing in the manual led me to believe that 4WD would help on wet but otherwise clean pavement.
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
The one which slows down to 55mph like a sensible driver should 
Otherwise, I’d guess the Acura since it has a lower center of gravity and would probably prove easier to control while sliding (at least in my experience of Altima vs. Pathfinder).
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
If they are so poor on the road then why are 4x4’s so beloved of highway patrols the world over? I didn’t think a high centre of gravity and big off road tyres were exactly what you wanted in a high speed chase that may lead onto curvy back roads.
My guess is greater comfort, more room in the back for storing whatever it is highway patrols need to store (emergency equipment?), and a better view as opposed to being in a car and staring at the giant SUV in front of you. For a high speed chase, I’m sure they could call in more traditional squad cars to do the light footwork (tirework?)
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
When I was doing fieldwork and using the university’s Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, I was told to keep them in 2WD mode at all times on pavement so as to get better mileage and not wear out the transmission (i.e., the vehicle would be working harder than necessary to roll over a paved road).
The only places where I’ve seen cops in SUV’s were jurisdictions with rather hilly terrain and/or where the snow plows might be a long time coming through, usually well out in the 'burbs. BTW, the New York State troopers have a few souped-up Camaros (or similar cars) that they presumably use for high-speed pursuits.
I haven’t put chains on for snow my entire driving life (with the exception of tractor chains) and I live where snow in the winter is the norm.
Chevy Tahoes are big with NY State Troopers right now. The special package includes a lower and stiffer suspension and the perkier engine, which can pretty much handle the same cars as the Ford Crown Vics. For the really hot chases they have Camaros, I believe.
IIRC it’s Camaros and new tires the second the old one show wear - that makes a good cop car. The Crown Vics all gone, now that was a tank.
Oh, I’m gonna keep using these #%@&* codes 'til I get 'em right.
‘Which is safer on the freeway, in the rain, at 70 mph. An
Acura with all weather tires or a Blazer with mud and snow
tires…’
An Acura by far. Because they are designed for that. A Blazer would fall over on a turn very easily.
“Men are like parking spaces, the available ones are handicapped.”
An Acura by far. Because they are designed for that. A Blazer would fall over on a turn very easily
—handy
That’s what I think too, handy. Also, I don’t think that all terrain or mud/snow tires would be very good on wet pavement.
Peace,
mangeorge
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- Actung!
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- Four-wheel -drive cars and trucks use different systems that produce different results:
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- Cars usually use systems that allow for more slip beween the front and real axles; in particular, cars (that is, GOOD 4WD cars) are set up so that if you accellerate hard, they allow the rear tires to break loose a moment before the fronts do.
- Off-road specific vehicles (and this sadly doesn’t include many current products) tend to allow less slip between the front and rear axles; in fact, some types allow them to be locked completely front-to-rear and left-to-right. (You have to build them to do this; it isn’t a factory option) This setup is pretty useless on pavement; whenever you round a corner the inside tires tend to “chatter” and lose traction, and they wear out faster besides.
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- Nowadays though it’s more and more difficult to tell; many auto makers use “halfway” systems that are neither here nor there. Usually a car’s 4WD system isn’t strong enough to put under a truck, but most people who buy SUV’s almost never take them off-road; so a “real” off-road 4WD system that works great off-road but poorly on pavement isn’t what the customers want either. Nowadays many people buy them mainly for the interior space.
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- Something that a lot of suburbanite SUV don’t understand is that most all SUV’s come factory equipped with on-road tires, that tend to slip-n-slide in the muck. I’ve seen more than a couple get stuck because the drivers didn’t know this. The catch is that if you buy real, actual off-road tires such as Mud Boggers, if you still want to be able to listen your radio you will have to install a 150 watt amp, minimum. Off-road tires are LOUD rollin’ down the highway. I always bought all-terrains, myself - they still work pretty good, and are much quieter. - MC
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