2WD TRD vs. 4WD

I got a 4x4 for the zombie apocalypse. To run the zombies over with ease. Also why I upgraded to 265/70r17 a/t revo2 tires. Taller tires to climb over the dead zombies.

 

Alright thanks for the replies. I think I'm gonna have to side with the old saying, "Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it." Especially since I will be driving in some snowy conditions, it's not worth it to wreck because I was cheap. Thanks again guys. I'm gonna do some browsing around here for some good tires now If someone could point me in the right direction. I'm gonna need one set for driving the freeway in the rain (it'll be in Washington state) and then one set for driving in the winter in Wisconsin. Maybe just one set of All-terrain tires?

 

My good year wrangler rt/s are good all around tires. Nothing beats adding a couple buckets or bags of sand for rainy or snowy driving conditions.

 

One of the biggest reasons 4wd is superior to a locked 2wd is because if you need 4wd you are already in a low traction situation and the bulk of the weight of the vehicle is on the front tires which gives them more traction most of the time. Another plus to 4wd, is that usually if one of your rear tires loses traction likely the other one is in the same condition as the one that is spinning where as your front tires may be on a better surface or have a better chance of being on a better surface due to being farther from the spinning tire. (A simpler explanation: say you are crossing a muddy creek, your front tires get through but your back ones are stuck in it spinning, a locked rear end won't help much, but having 4wd will allow the front tires that aren't in mud to pull the rear tires out.)

Also, to the comments about using more speed, I prefer less speed. You just break shit hauling ass through things. At the Tacoma Moab meet in May, the unlocked guys would have to build up speed on some of the obstacles and would bounce through them, where as I just locked the rear end and crept through the same obstacles without damaging anything. One of the guys down there was using speed to get through some of the obstacles and bend both spindles and broke a cv axle...

I don't like that comment right there^^^ 4wd is good for getting you unstuck/keeping you from getting stuck. It doesn't mean you can drive faster down the freeway because you are in 4wd. Once you are moving 4wd does very little for you over 2wd at high speeds (over like 10 mph). Granted rear wheel drives are prone to fishtailing on icy roads compared to front wheel drives. Sorry if you know this already. It just bugs me when people think they are invincible on the icy interstate because they are in 4wd...

 

Just get the 4x4. People with 4x4 look down on people with Prerunners

 

Lol this ^^^ just ordered my skid plate too...

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/ < Wheel and Tire section of this forum. Tons of great tire info. Based on your location, I would recommend the Michelin LTX M/S2.

 

Lol...
Ah! Skid plate!!! Needs one of those!!!

 

No, pretentious pricks with 4x4s look down on the people with PreRunners.



OP, go for the 4x4.

 

After we got our Michelin LTX m/s2 mounted,it seemed like the truck felt different. Like a little more drag. Seems like I lose speed way faster during a downhill coast compared tto the stock.l dunlop at20.

same downhill coast location BTW as its a daily route.

 

I was going to post the same thing. Always a good thing to remember, 4 wheel drive helps get you moving, but it won't help you stop.

Spending the extra money on a 4 wheel drive probably won't save you from a wreck, but it may definitely save you from being stuck.

For what it's worth, the Tacoma 4x4 does great in snow. Several years ago when the mid-atlantic region got nailed with several feet I didn't miss a beat. Most of my friends were calling me to come pick them up and take them places because they couldn't get their cars out.

 

Thanks for repeating that advice. Driving too fast in bad weather is a mistake made by far too many 4x4 owners. 4WD is designed to help you go (not get stuck, etc), but does absolutely nothing to help you stop. The larger tires on most 4x4's might help a bit, but not really all that much on ice, compressed snow, standing water, and similar. Despite that, it's fairly common to see 4x4 owners speeding down the roads and freeways in such conditions, routinely passing other, more cautious, drivers in the process. It's also fairly common to see such vehicles in accidents during those same weather conditions.

Actually, it's kinda sad that so many Prerunner owners think that. I saw a Prerunner at a gas station recently and stopped to compliment him on his truck (since it was the same color as my TRD Off-Road). He immediately went into a long dialog about how mine is better. Since that (competition) was not at all on my mind, I didn't know how to respond. Instead, I blurted out something (don't even remember what) and made a hastily exit.

 

Snow packed slippery roads in Wisconsin say it ain't so.
JK I was born & raised in Milwaukee where the snow just keeps getting deeper until it starts melting in the spring.
So glad I'm living in the Reno/Sparks area now where snow usually only visits for a day to a week. We do get some freak storms from time to time like in '05 when it snowed for a week straight and dumped 6.5' on the east side of town & 7.5' on the west side (yes I said feet). These pics are from a break in the snow & unfortunately the battery on the camera died and I didn't get more when it was done. Main streets & freeways got plowed but by the time they got to the side streets after it stopped snowing it was 9" to 12" of packed ice from being driven on and stayed ice for over a month because an inversion layer formed blocking the sun & trapping the moisture in. We got pogo-nip (an Indian that term means "white death" because if they saw it they knew a lot of the tribe would not survive the winter) which is freezing fog that forms ice crystals on trees.
Yes I was able to drive the '95 2WD Pretaco (under the snow in the driveway) with cables & extra weight in the back, but it was not fun at all. I've only engaged 4WD twice on the street so far to drive in snow but glad I had it.








Not to mention how much more fun & more places you can go with a 4x4.
Buy it you'll like it.

 

^^^^^ Reminds me of where I grew up in Michigan.

No kidding, I did not know that.

 

4x4, soon as you drive off the lot you will regret not having it. Maybe you live in a southern state, but what if you had to travel up north for something during the winter time? The MPG difference isn't hardly noticeable unless you are actually using 4x4. I get about 19mpg in 4 wheel drive.

 

I'd go with 4WD. You still need good tread on your tires in 4WD if you're traveling in snow, ice, slush, mud, packed snow.

4WD isn't worth a lot if your tires don't have much tread on them, that's where most people fuck up trying to be badass in extreme conditions. They have worn out tires. A set of BFG A/T KO's siped brand new can get you through most anything. Once they get down toward the wear marks, they won't perform the same in extreme conditions be it starting, stopping, cornering. Siping helps quite a bit stopping on icy roads.