awd performance vs. 4wd performance..

[ridex4xlife]

ok well heres the deal... i have had 4x4's before (rodeo, cherokee) and loved them.. and soon will be getting a 98 ford explorer limited 5.0 AWD. it's mainly for the snow/winter b/c my civic wont handle more then 2 inches...now my question is how will the awd perform in the snow. will it perform similar to how my cherokees 4wd did?..

also i have heard alot of conflicting views about the awd. and how it wont be good for off roading mudding/even on the beach...i will be using the truck as a daily driver but know that in the future the truck will be on some trails just like i did with the cherokee..
any info will be appreciated..

thanks
bobby

 

[Turdle]

For the ice and snow--you will love the AWD. If it doesn't perform to your offroading needs-you can always swap in a 4406 transfer case and have selectable 2wd-4wd

Welcome to the forum!

 

[manaen]

yeah, for on road driving in snow and rain etc the AWD is really the ticket. For offroad 4x4 is still better since it is a true 50/50 split with power from front to back.

But you will love the feel of AWD for onroad and even light offroad type of stuff.

And your getting a stronger transmission too.

 

[Four0Sport]

For on road driving and handling in rain and light snow situatations the awd is great. This winter though, when the snow is bad and i hafta drive 30 miles to work im driving my 93 4wd. I've had a few scares on the interstate with the awd, just wasnt as sure footed as the 4wd. just my opinion though.

 

[reserved50]

what they said , but i liked the AWD because of the fact that it doesnt always "lock" the diff causing 4 wheel slides, I also didnt rebuild the clutches in the rear limited slip just because of that, I'd rather have a tire spin instead of sliding around

 

[jagarundi]

IMO, you can't go wrong with the AWD. When we get hit with some serious snow up here in NYC, I can park on snow mounds and plow through snow drifts with ease.