4wd in the rain?

i have the stock rugged fails still (havent had enough money to upgrade yet) and they are at less than 25% tread left. is it bad to run my truck in 4WD HI in the rain to keep me from hydroplaning?

 

Well it won't keep you from hydroplaning. Slowing down is the only thing that will keep you from doing that. 4WD might help though. It's okay on wet roads I think.

 

ok sounds good, it just really sucks driving 30 on the fwy when everyone else is driving normal. so just confirming in water on a regular road 4wd wont help with traction on the front tires?

 

4wd don't help with traction on wet pavement, it probably makes it worse.

 

Huh?

Nothing wrong with using 4WD in the rain. I'm pretty sure even the owners manual says to do so when it's heavy. Just make sure the ground is wet enough that your tires will actually have slippage.

 

i use 4wd in the rain, as for making it worse... wtf, really, meth maybe, dont know why you would say that. it wont hurt, you wanna use 4wd in heavy rain go for it. i do and no issues. many people do, and it does help with traction, people who say different prob dont have exp, go into a parking lot in heavt rain in 2wd and 4 wd, see which one get you around better 4wd, enjoy buddy

 

I was mainly thinking about the puddles we have down here on the interstate. The more drag the worse it is. Sorry if it's not the same where you are at.

 

yeah, throughpuddles hydro plain will happen with 2 or 4 or 6 or 8 wheel drive, speed vs water depth vs whatever formula = hydro plain. no hard feelings...no worries bro

 

X2

Why do you think AWD is so good in cars in bad weather? AWD is 4WD with a middle differential for use on dry pavement, too.

 

Yes it will help. If you half the torque to the rear wheels you'll have less likely hood of spinning out. Second your rear is more likely to break out than the front on these trucks cause the end is so light. I've used 4wd on wet pavement and it helped tremendously.

How does that work? Drag is caused via friction. Whether you have power going to the back or the back and the front, you still have 4 wheels on the ground. While trying to be tactful, I'm not entirely sure you know what you're talking about, or else you're wording what you want to say very wrongly.

 

I'm wording what I want to say very wrongly.

 

Then what are you trying to say exactly?

And before you respond trying to tell me that I committed the same faux pas you did...I didn't.

 

I don't know what your problem is, I admitted that I said it wrong, that should be good enough.

 

I've read some drive in 4wd in the rain, but I wouldn't take the chance in my truck. It doesn't take much to bind up while turning... if you go through an area with minimal slippage your asking for trouble. I've read a few posts here where guys drive in 4wd in the rain and wonder why their truck acts like it's got alot of resistance while turning and makes grinding noises.

 

Completely not worth it use 4wd on wet pavement. What purpose is it serving? Just like snow, the only thing 4wd is going to do is help you accelerate. Hydroplaning, as stated above, is based on your vehicle speed and your tread depth. 4wd is not going to help with either of those.

Also, you're relying on your tires ability to slip on wet pavement. Not only when turning, but driving straight. If your differentials are even slightly off or your tires are different sizes slightly, then you'll have one going faster than the other and create binding which is going to wear down your truck.

The best thing to do is drive slower. Let off the accelerator if you hit standing water.

 

I'm an ass, could be source of the problem. I just wanted to nip it in the bud if you thought I used incorrect spelling. I don't have an issue with you.

With 4wd you're halving the power to the rear wheels. So if you do hydro plane it decreases the likely hood that the rear end will break loose. Additionally with engine braking it also serves to use all 4 wheels to slow the vehicle.

 

When you're hydroplaning you don't have contact with the pavement. You go in the direction that you were going when you hit standing water. Halving the power to your rear wheels would have nothing to do if you hydroplane or not.

If you want to rapidly accelerate through a turn, then you're better off in 4wd, but not just driving down the highway. If you need full time 4wd on wet pavement, you're doing it wrong.

Don't waste the gas, just drive smart. If you want AWD get a Subaru.

 

i dont get how people say 4wd in adverse driving conditions is the same or worse than 2wd. it "may" not be the best for the mechanics behind the truck, or it may not be wrong at all, but come on, be freakin real here, 4wd is always better than 2wd as far as control goes....if not, why the hell are more and more auto manufacturers making awd models...its becuase w wheels turning is better than 2, esp when the 2 only is the rear. we should not act as if when hydroplaning, its a 1-2 min affair. its a brief moment, but in the brief moment, with 2wd, the end can slip out, but with 4wd if it does slip out, the front is still pulling and helping to keep direction. light reain, wet pavement, no idont see why its needed, but heavy downpours where highway speeds are needed, and lots of puddles exist, 4wd is fine. and prob expected

 

Heavy rains/downpours with highway speeds just slow down. Agree to disagree I guess.

A lot of manufacturers AWD is really a front wheel drive that will send power to the rear wheels when the front slips. Most people don't know the difference or don't care.

 

might as well sell my 4 wheel drive for a 2 wheel drive. dumbasses.