4x4 snow settings

So you guys who live in the snowier areas, what is your go to setting when there is snow on the road and you think you need to be in 4hi. We don't get that much snow here in SE PA. I have had several 4x4s before, but I turned on 4hi tonight going out in the wet sloppy slippery snow and it felt like sort of jerky and not sure footed. It was especially bad when going slow, like in the driveway and in a parking lot. Turning felt almost painful. I never had a 4x4 with traction control, perhaps that had something to do with it, but I was just wondering what you guys usually do.

 

Was there enough snow to allow slip. Almost sounds like you're binding.

For city driving I just use 4hi. Only if I'm winter wheeling do I go into 4lo.
Never had an issue. But I also have nokian winter tires which makes a huge difference on their own.

 

Same as above.

If your having a hard time turning or it feels jerky, it’s because you are not getting slip. This is also really bad for the transfer case in general.

4hi where needed, otherwise 2wd. Don’t use a locker either, you’ll be spinning in circles.

 

4hi is where you go when it's slick. Apparently it was not slick on your driveway or parking lot because what you were feeling while turning was too much traction. This will make the vehicle sluggish and jerky during slow sharp turns.

My typical driving in snow event will have me swithcing between 2 and 4wd quite a bit. For example, driving to the store. I will put it in 4wd if the roads are snow covered. When i get to the divided highway it might only be wet so i simply switch back to 2wd. Getting back on secondary roads that are snow covered and i will switch back to 4hi. Well, when turning into the parking lot of the grocery store i notice its plowed and just wet so i switch back to 2wd. I do the same going home.

In that simple scenario i switched between 2wd and 4wd eight times! Now, if it were really slick and everything was snow covered then i would have left it in 4hi for the whole trip. The above is the proper method for using part time 4wd, which we have. Subaru and others offer full time awd which means it controls everything automatically.

When you get the hang of it it becomes second nature. Hope this helps.

 

No tight turns in 4WD unless you’re on very slippery surfaces.

Tires are everything.

I use 4H on icy roads after freezing rain (it is raining in Montana as I type this). We will get snow on top of that tomorrow. So roads will be glass. That’s when 4H is useful.

Don’t put it into 4H if you don’t actually need it.

 

If you cant see the road, 4HI, don't worry about anything but your traction and safety.

Turning is hard on the truck at lower speeds, and higher speeds should be avoided in 4HI, but screw it, it has warranty and transfer case failures are rare.

 

I set my foot to go easy on the brakes. I reset my whole mindset, and drive much slower. Look further down the road. Leave plenty of room between U and the next vehicle.

 

That plus 4 hi and at times I turn off traction control as I find it is sometimes too sensitive and I can control the vehicle better without it.

 

There’s nothing wrong with driving fast in 4HI. It might not be the best depending on road conditions but it won’t harm the truck.

My truck stays in 4HI the entire winter (about 6 months) unless I’m making tighter turns in parking lots that have been plowed down to bare pavement, which is rare. If you can feel the truck jerking when turning you probably have too much traction and would be better off putting the truck back in 2wd for those situations.

 

4hi and 3 sec press on vsc switch

 

I live south of the OP but higher in the mountains. It's nothing to get 8" of snow at 20 degree temps tonight, then two days later be mid 50's and sunny. Our conditions really change quickly down here. For example tonight is high 20's and we got snow today. Tomorrow is supposed to be near 60. I cycle the 4wd quite often!

 

This is where a AWD center diff is vastly superior to a 4wd transfer case. When transitioning from snow to pavement the AWD system reacts by varying torque between the axles and in a 4wd system you just bind it up. If you shift from 2wd to 4wd hi make sure it's slick enough to let it a wheel slip when cornering.

 

As others have said above, the most important factors for winter safety are proper tires, proper weight distribution, slowing down, leaving more stopping distance, and being careful on the curves

Oh, the question...On packed snow and ice, I generally stay in 2wd unless I'm starting from a stop at a slippery intersection, in deep snow, or going up a slippery hill. I put it in 4 hi when there's a risk of loosing traction. 4wd is of no benefit for during braking or turning (although the traction control features are great). Lately in really deep snow I've been using 4lo with MTS/crawl mode and the locker. Works awesome!

 

For sure. I wasn’t trying to say to just toss the truck in 4HI and call it good, just making the point that it won’t hurt anything to remain in 4HI for as long as conditions require.

 

Also, don’t forget you can downshift on slippery slopes to assist with slowing down instead of just relying on brakes.

 

Being in 4WD will help with engine braking, by distributing that force between all four tires instead of just the two rears. Also being in 4WD gives you a better chance of recovery if you get into a slide.

 

Not anymore, IMO. Modern ABS and traction control features have pretty much taken over this realm. (edit), Yes, you're right that it's harder to slide out in 4wd, and another exception might be when using 4lo on really sketchy downhills.

 

Four wheels with the ability to have power delivered to them will always have better traction. There is no way for modern ABS and traction control to give you that ability in 2HI. I drive on ice roads everyday and if I did it in 2HI my truck would be in the ditch.

 

I drive on icy roads regularly too. Every day in the winter. I prefer 2wd in most situations. I agree that 4wd makes it less likely that you'll slide out, but I also like the feel of knowing when the rear wheels are loosing grip. Traction control keeps things from getting too wild. If I'm really loosing traction and can't safely maintain control, then I switch into 4wd.

 

You will always have better traction in 4WD. However, VSC will be much better at keeping you on the road than just 4WD. It can brake and cut the throttle much better than a human can. The advantage of being in 4WD is it will keep traction longer before vsc kicks in.