are all pick-up trucks 4x4 nowadays?

Since going to sealed hub bearings as used on front wheel drive cars I have to agree there, unless the drive train gets dunked fording.

Before that, the work involved in tearing down the front end to repack wheel bearings, inspect and lube or replace the spindle bearings made for a real chore.

Whitelightning

My 2000 2wd s10 required the wheel bearings to be repacked ever 15k IIRC so it actually took more maintenance than my 88 4x4.

A part time 4x4 still has a transfer case. Todays 4x4's lack unlocking hubs either manual or automatic. EPA almost always shows 4x4 (not awd) models with lower mpg figures.

The EPA difference for my truck 2wd to 4x4 is listed at 1mpg. Real world I find it to be about .5 which I don't consider to be any significant difference. AWD and other forms of non part time 4x4 really kill the mpg. My full size v8 truck gets better milage than the AWD V6 minivan we made the mistake of buying.

the companies make just as many 4X4 as they do 2 WD and they are both just as popular ,I myself have a 2001 S-10 and i really dont have that much problem in the snow but if it starts to really come down here in PA I do have sand in my bed ,A neat trick here to do is go buy a couple of those 5 gallon buckets with lids and fill them with sand when winter is over you can easily out them almost anywhere either stack them or put a couple planks across the top and you just got some more storage space or a neat bench to sit on in the garage or basement ,I have 2 in my bed and thats enough along with my cable chains and 3.70 gears in the rear to get thru the snow . Now to reply to the gentlemen who said you shouldn't put anything in the bed cause it'is too dangerous really doesn't know what he is talking about, I have seen numerous trucks in accidents and I have never seen a bed carrying a normal load ever go thru the back of the cab have seen some stupid people put stuff higher than the bed rails in fact back in the seventies one gentlemen had his head taken off because he didnt want to make 2 trips to the lumber yard and had put several sheets of plywood over the rails of his bed ,long story short he was going along someone pulled in front of him he hit and the plywood came thru the rear window and out the front that was that, the only real damage to the vehicle was the the front and the glass the bed was just fine if he had the plywood lower or had a headache rack on he would've most likely lived ,but having sand in the back all it would really do is slide directly forward from where it is at unless you have a jump ramp installed in the bed ,the only problem I really have in driving in the snow is the stupid ABS kicking on I have had a couple vehicles with out ABS and I stopped quicker in snow and other times without ABS then I ever have with ABS ,and I have been in close calls because of them and have been hearing other people at different times with the same complaint they dont let you stop as quick as you should in the snow especially going down a hill or slight slant

also wanted to add to always carry a shovel with you in case you get stuck and another thing about carrying sand is if get stuck on an icy patch you can pop open the 5 gallon bucket put some sand down and close it back up with no worry about getting sand all over your bed and the shovel is to help remove any snow and ice in front or back of the tire depending which direction your going and the best shovel I have seen to carry with you is one of those folding camp shovels they do a nice job and take up very little space and my one friend has in his truck a

2"X6"X4 foot long board with that anti slip material on it the whole length and a piece of angle iron bolted in the middle of it sideways to keep it from slipping on the ground so the truck can get on it easier its also good for in the mud or soft dirt later

I still put a few bags of "tube sand" in the back of my 4WD and I really never get stuck, even when "out in the Meadows" with quite a bit of snowfall on the ground.

But I think the real winter traction power are the snow tires. I put Cooper Discoverers on a couple years ago and they've been great!

Not certain what proportion of trucks sold in the US are 4WD versus 2WD. I wouldn't be surprised if it is close to 50%. Around here (western MA), seems almost all of the newer ones are 4WD.

No front wheel drive pickups AFAIK (???).

SMH

I have a RWD old chevy (car tho) and I put bags in the truck to control weight distribution. Even in the summer if you hammer it on a loose surface, you could break traction. Nothing wrong with fixing what the manufacturer got wrong. ...thehick

snipped-for-privacy@canada.com writes in article dated 25 Dec 2005

04:43:40 -0800:

Except that you're increasing the total weight of the vehicle and therefore reducing your city mileage.

Another "fix" I've heard of is to install the battery in the very back of the vehicle. Other than the long cables, it's weight-neutral and really helps shift the center of gravity to the back.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

I load concrete blocks in the back of my S-10 pickup truck and it goes through snow better than a 4 wheel drive truck.

Obviously Tom has never driven a 4 wheel drive truck!

I've seen some people with a 4x4 and cheap tires get stuck where my little

2wd s10 would drive right through. A skilled driver in a 2wd can easily match an unskilled driver in a 4x4.

True, but pull the driver out of the 2wd and stick him in a 4wd with the same tires and see where he can go.

Probably far enough to need winched out :)

But that has nothing to do with a the absolute advantages of a 4x4 over a

2x4 that are dictated by the laws of physics...

And that still has nothing what-so-ever to do with a the absolute advantages of a 4x4 over a 2x4 these advantages are governed by the laws of physics...

I've been seeing alot of responses on this subject and I'm proud to say everyone is giving some respectable answers ,now I have this to say when you do drive a 4 wheel drive drive it like it is a 2WD for all the 4WD do is give you extra traction on extra 2 wheels ,if you take it easy you will get going to where you need to be and I hope that is safe at home if you get caught in a bad snow ,For so many times I have seen people drive a 4WD vehicle and they drive the speed limit not understanding that their traction has been reduced by at least 50% because you have no real friction against the tires for snow is either slushy or it packs tight into a smooth surface still not good and the faster you go the less help that 4WD is going to be I've seen to many people wreck 4WD when the 2WD vehicles keep moving ,always remember too that there are probably other people out there and you need to help them by keeping a safe distance in case they get in trouble and that you can stop easily and keep in mind that ABS sometimes will kick in on snowy roads and can keep you from stopping too ,and another thing to do is either get some cable chains for your tires and know how to put them on or just save the hassle of putting them on by buying snow tires it is recommended to buy 4 tire for a 2WD but I have had good luck with just 2 tires and 4WD definitely buy 4 tires and if you can try to get a narrower tire than what you run in warm weather it is funny but snow tires seem to go thru better on narrower tires and if you want to save the cost and chance of pulling the tires 2 times a year buy a set of extra rims my suggestion would be to get a set of the old style wagon wheels for your truck or suv they are cheap they are avaible from several different manufacturers (including American Racing and keystone)and you can get them in chrome ,powdercoat or paint and they are steel and it is alot more affordable to replace than your factory aluminum rims since the factory can run at 200+ to replace one new or trying to find a replacement in a junkyard if your lucky compared to 50-70 bucks for the steelies and once you get the tires on all you have to pay for or do it yourself is just flip the rims around without having to replace or pay for remounting the tires and when you are done with the snow tires always wash them real good on both sides and put a good quality conditioner on the sidewalls or else they will dry out and you will only get 2 years out of them instead of the normal

4-5 years depending on how traveling you do . well anything else that may be of help I suggest post it I just want to make sure when you are on the road I can feel safe when I am on the road , If your planning to keep your vehicle for awhile and your getting some brake work done check to see how your brakelines are if they are kind of rough spend the money and get stainless lines ,that is money well spent in the long run and adds to the trade in value a lil bit too good luck and drive safe

Folks with 4x4 pickups have serious problems on my very-steep gravel 'n dirt hill; if the pickup is too light in the rear, they get stuck. Adding a couple hundred pounds to a pickup usually helps. Few 2WD cars or minivans, front- or rear-wheel drive, can make it up to my place.

I have a 2500 Ram Van, 2WD, that has no problems, because I had a limited-slip differential installed, and I run the rear tire pressure well on the low side.

I don't bother with sand anymore. I carry a shovel and fill the bed of the truck up with snow. When I don't need it anymore, hey, it goes away on its own!