Need suggestions for when to use 4wd in winter on winding asphalt road

The road to a local ski area is 16 miles very winding and lots of hairpins. while it is well maintained and sanded, the upper 3 or 4 miles tends to have icy spots from prior day snow melt. Speed limit is 30 and when there is ice most folks drive under that. The problem I have is if I use 4wd I would be putting it in and out maybe 20 times or more because I know I dont want 4wd on a dry section in a sharp curve. That disengaging it out without a clunk requires slowing down to undr 5mph, putting it in neutral for a couple seconds, putting it back in drive then switching it off while going straight. Well, I cannot do that with a line of cars behind me. There are occasional pullouts, but not many. So what I am doing now is to not use 4wd at all and just keep my speed way down. That pisses off the folks behind me, but not as much as if I had to go through the disengage process. I have has a couple minor skids, but at slow speed have been able to handle it. I have Cooper AT3 tires with good tread; they are not studded and not sure if that would help much. Another thing to mention is my pop up camper is on full time and weighs about 1000 lbs[have extra leaf springs and 10 ply tires]

 

put it in hi4, drive an appropriate speed, and dont worry about it

if youre taking turns at an appropriate speed, youre not going to hurt the truck. Sliding into a ditch is a different story

 

You can switch in and out of 4hi as long as you are under 60mph without stopping or putting it in N.

 

The weight and those tires are a bonus. Just drive it like the rest of the people.

 

I've never worried about running in 4wd in changing winter conditions that included turns that were pretty dry. While you can blow stuff up, I've seen plenty of youtube that tells me that 4wd system isn't that fragile.

 

But is it OK to be in 4Hi on dry pavement on a tight curve? I thought that causes damage to the 4WD components.

 

I've driven 40 miles to work before in changing conditions between dry spots and icy never had a issue and kept it in 4hi the whole time. When you hit icy spots it will unbind if it's in a bind.

 

It’s not like you have locked diffs, you have one wheel powered per axle

 

Why are you slowing to 5mph and in neutral to engage/disengage?

 

That is the only way I have found to avoid a heavy clunk; there is at least one thread on that issue with many reporting the clunk when disengaging. The clunk tells me something is getting overly stressed which doesnt seem good to me.

 

Didnt know that. It explains the tendency to spin out when rear tires run over ice. So what determines which wheel has power? Does it work like limited slip?

 

What year and model do you have?

 

I never get a clunk going in or out of 4H at any speed as long as I'm off the throttle while switching.

 

2008 TRD offroad v6 towing package

 

I can tell you from real world experience that you won't hurt it by running in 4hi on dry patches. Around here some people run in 4hi for months at a time. Your concerns are valid, but if ever you were causing any kind of stress, you would feel the binding in the form of extra steering effort, I believe.

Also, I've found that if I let off the throttle when shifting back to 2hi, it minimizes the clunk.

 

You have to take your foot off the throttle when switching in and out of 4hi.
Changing under load will give you a clunk every time.

 

My commute is about half highway, driving 50-65 depending on conditions. I leave it in 4hi all winter with the exception pulling into parking spots in tight lots and the occasional U-turn.

Test it in an empty parking lot at low speeds and get a feel for the turning radius limitations. You're not going to cause damage unless you're constantly pushing against that resistance you feel on tight turns. And I mean tight, like an intersection U-turn.

Edit: I should clarify that highways are rarely dry pavement here, always a thin layer of ice/snow buildup.

 

Leave it in 4HI, living in Maine and driving all over the place with many different 4wd... never hurt anything doing normal driving. The clunk sounds awful, but it's normal, just let off the gas and let it do its thing.

 

I don't leave mine in 4hi that much, but I do the same thing if I am in 4hi. When I'm pulling into a parking lot I flip back to 2wd to make it easier to park and slot into tighter spots. Or, you know, turn the traction control off, 2wd, so I can slam the gas and whip the back end around on the snow to make a U-turn that I would normally need to have to make a 2 point turn. haha.

 

2014 Limited DCLB and never have had a “clunk” when shifting into 4HI.. smooth as glass