Weird sound when turning slightly sharply in 4wd mode?

[97GoldXLT]

Is this normal? haha

in this case, probably not... any possible hints/thoughts/suggestions?

 

[ExploringNC]

When turning in 4wd you will hear alot more strange sounds as well as a jerking/lerching feeling. Thats just the nature of a 4x4 wanting to bind up, the harder the surface your on the more it will want to bind. Not sure how new you are to 4x4 but never engage 4wd on a hard surface!

anycase better description of sound would be helpfull?

 

[Donner]

New... 4wLo is noisy.

It sounds like the wheels are trying to come off the axle when you turn (mine was only in snow covered dirt). This is my first automatic and first 4x...

 

[Charlie]

I agree, it is just the normal noise of using 4x4 on dry pavement.

 

[Donner]

In your states during Winter

You need 4hi on the road, right? What's the diff between 4hi on 2gen vs 3gen? Because the manual says not for use on dry pavement...

 

[Charlie]

It should not be used on pavement in 4hi or 4low. I do not know for sure that 3rd gens are that way, I can only assume that.

As for winter, yes I have to use 4hi on the road, because it is very slippery in snow and ice storms

It is bad to leave it in 4hi all the time in the winter. Only when you are actually having troubles with traction. I have had plenty of that in the winter too, because I live at the top of a hill.

 

[Blee1099]

Never use 4wd on dry pavement.. Dry pavement there is no give in the drivetrain compared to snow/mud/etc. When turning one wheel will go faster than the other cause of the distance covered between the inside & outside wheels.

 

[Donner]

Got it...

There have been a ton of posts about using 4wd because it's Winter (almost). We don't use it here in So Cal (outside of certain areas). So I'm wondering how many people just hit 4hi because it's cold vs because they need to. I'm guilt, I did try one or twice just to see what would happen, but only for a few seconds - that was not recently :shifty_ey (no one saw me do it)

 

[ExploringNC]

There are alot of different conditions for using 4wd but just because its snowing out is not a good reason to use it. If your on a highway at a steady speed then there is no need to use it, even if the ground is covered. You see so many grocery getters that think because they have a big 4x4 that they can drive at normal speeds and everybody should get out of there way snow does not affect them. Fact is that a light front wheel drive car is better in light to medium-light snow than a heavy 4x4 is. 4wd does absolutly nothing for stopping and only helps steering if your accelerating. So unless your going up an incline or threw deep snow and you need the extra traction you should not need 4wd for winter driving.

 

[Donner]

Road salts

And don't they salt(?) the roads where you all are so that you have additional traction? I'm asking because because cold here is 58 degrees vs 32 to -0 in your areas (Some of CA is like Alaska at times too). So most of the use of 4wd outside of these conditions is not necessary. It's basically destroying the vehicle's components? So most of us would be better off with AWD if we really need the traction for road use, correct?

(So when people tear up the 4wd, they can read your posts here and know why.)

Blue Canyon, Truckee, Lake Tahoe, Big Bear, Antelope Valley (cold)... For those that don't know, these areas are like any part of the snow belt during Winter - AV gets cold, not much snow.

 

[Charlie]

We get salted and dirt-ed. I personally prefer when they dump salt. That actually helps. They usually claim though, that salt is too expensive so they just dump a dirt/sand mix. That doesn't help melt or really help with traction, but it does make the roads look disgusting, and also gets in your yard from the snow plowing. Then once the snow melts, its a big mess on the street. They really should just dump salt. Besides, if you wash your car it isn't like it is that big of a deal.

Sorry about my little rant

 

[JDraper]

I

Hate

Roadsalt!!

I'd rather they just plowed it and left it alone. They use salt and cinders here, and it royally can mess up your car (corrosion, dings in the paint, etc.) not to mention that salt doesn't work below roughly 15°-20° F on the roads, so many times it melts the snow during the day, and it just re-freezes at night to a nice slick ice patch...

 

[Donner]

So it's agreed... When buying for the average daily driver

4wd auto, awd, or 2wd are best for most drivers?

 

[briwayjones]

Fact is that a light front wheel drive car is better in light to medium-light snow than a heavy 4x4 is. 4wd does absolutly nothing for stopping and only helps steering if your accelerating. So unless your going up an incline or threw deep snow and you need the extra traction you should not need 4wd for winter driving.

A front wheel drive car will only be better in stopping because they are lighter. As far as going a front wheel drive car going/moving they will not be as good a a 4wd. You can be on level pavement and be in slick conditions and need 4wd. It's not just for going up an incline or just deep snow.

 

[JDraper]

4wd auto, awd, or 2wd are best for most drivers?

On dry pavement, 2WD..wet pavement or dirt roads, AWD...slippery conditions 4WDAuto.

 

[Charlie]

4wd auto, awd, or 2wd are best for most drivers?

Agreed

I

Hate

Roadsalt!!

I'd rather they just plowed it and left it alone. They use salt and cinders here, and it royally can mess up your car (corrosion, dings in the paint, etc.) not to mention that salt doesn't work below roughly 15°-20° F on the roads, so many times it melts the snow during the day, and it just re-freezes at night to a nice slick ice patch...

Well, yeah. But I would rather have salt than the dirt.

 

[briwayjones]

4wd auto, awd, or 2wd are best for most drivers?

IMO if you know how to properly use 4wd then overall a 4wd is best. But for most people since they don't know what they're doing then Awd.

 

[Donner]

These are things not shared on the news...

I

Hate

Roadsalt!!

I'd rather they just plowed it and left it alone. They use salt and cinders here, and it royally can mess up your car (corrosion, dings in the paint, etc.) not to mention that salt doesn't work below roughly 15°-20° F on the roads, so many times it melts the snow during the day, and it just re-freezes at night to a nice slick ice patch...

Wow! Things we don't know around here... In No Cal, by the time we get to the snow, the roads are cleared. So we rarely see any of this... And I hear they don't close the roads there like they do here... They say the snow here is heavier?

 

[ExploringNC]

A front wheel drive car will only be better in stopping because they are lighter. As far as going a front wheel drive car going/moving they will not be as good a a 4wd. You can be on level pavement and be in slick conditions and need 4wd. It's not just for going up an incline or just deep snow.

I agree a 4wd is better in most cases but a front wheel drive will do quit well in snow. You are pulling the vehicle instead of pushing it. You can get on the gas alot harder and it won't want to spin around, even in 4wd the rear tends to want to come around on you. I drove a front wheel drive in MI for years and had few problems, I passed allot of 4x4's that had spun and in the ditch they go.

 

[briwayjones]

I agree a 4wd is better in most cases but a front wheel drive will do quit well in snow. You are pulling the vehicle instead of pushing it. You can get on the gas alot harder and it won't want to spin around, even in 4wd the rear tends to want to come around on you. I drove a front wheel drive in MI for years and had few problems, I passed allot of 4x4's that had spun and in the ditch they go.

I'll have to disagree with you there. I don't have any trouble with the rear wanting to come out when in 4wd. I've seen plenty of FWD cars that can't get up hills and I just go on by. The 4x4s you've seen in the ditch is because the people can't drive. FWD cars these days are just too light even with the engine in the front to get terribly good traction. Plus you have to remember with a FWD car when you go and are moving the weight shifts off of the front wheels to the back making them even lighter in the front.

A rear wheel drive vehicle with enough weight in the back can do just fine in the snow also. I can get around better in my Explorer in 2wd-rear wheel than a lot of people can in a FWD car.