Why is 4x4's preferred? This is going to end up as a long topic. But I am serious.

1. You have the ability to get out of certain "stuck" situations than with a 4x2.

2. You have 4x2 and 4x4 all in one.

3. They are alot of fun.

4. Having 4x4 is like Insurance...you glad you got it when you really need it.

5. You get to make fun of people with 4x2 Xterra's.

6. Resale is better than a 4x2.

7. FUN...FUN...FUN !!!!

On a more serious note, is 4x4 only used when 'having fun' or when you're stuck? Or is it used all the time?

What about for the guys that live in the snowy regions? When do you guys/gals use it?

I suppose its like asking why get an Xterra.

There are other vehicals that get better mpg, hold more people or cargo, can go faster, etc...

A 2wd SUV is kind of like a cramped minivan...and has none of the suv advantages.

The primary reason to get an Xterra should be to go places you wouldn't otherwise be able to go...its small enought to fit on Jeep trails, yet large enough to carry enough equipment and supplies, etc.

I liken the concept to buying a corvette with chevette running gear...it looks like it can go fast and handle well, but its a fiberglass chevette, not a sports car.

Buying a 2wd SUV is the same concept...it LOOKS capable, but its just a minivan.

If you want a minivan, a Honda Odessy for example is a better minivan than a 2wd Xterra.



If you want a minivan that LOOKS like an Xterra, then a 2wd Xterra is the way to go.

If you can go where you want , and do what you want to do with your minivan, you don't NEED 4wd...



If you need to be able to go more places and do more things than the minivan can handle due to a lack of traction, THEN you need 4wd to help you get there.

As for when you USE the 4wd....its whenever you want more traction in slippery conditions...there are no rules except the slippery part.

If its not slippery, the 4wd binds from too much traction on turns.

The 4wd also has a low range that the 2wd doesn't. This gives you a lower gear set for power pulling, and or slow speed maneuvering, etc. w/o stalling...and, the ability to let the engine brake all 4 tires on the way down a steep hill.

So - you can drive in 2wd until you are stuck, or better, until you see conditions that would stop a 2wd...so you don't GET stuck.



In short - except for wanting your minivan to look like an Xterra, there's really no point in getting a 2wd Xterra...and, if you Need 4wd, then a minivan's a bad choice....

And

You can use 4wd any time you want as long as its slippery.

Personally I love having the 4x4 for the long treacherous trips up north here in BC. The highways get slippery, and any more traction the better. Heading down to Whistler Mountain in confidence is also a plus.

To me, getting a 4x2 suv is like getting a mercedes benz without the leather interior...it's not right. Now if you just like the look of the xterra, by all means, no one will fault you for that, its an awesome looking truck...or 'pseudo' minivan if that's your flavour.

No words necessary:

What about on a day to day basis? Does anyone use 4WD more than a couple times a week, for daily driving.

I very rarely need it non-recreationally in Texas... but it comes up from time to time.

I use it almost everyday...as I have to go through some sloppy areas for work, mud, snow, etc.

The average day on pavement is all 2wd, just like my wife's mini cooper.

I only shift into 4wd when its slippery...if you live where its slippery more, you use it more, etc.

By slippery, I don't mean its raining...I mean its muddy, icy, snowy, etc.

In summer, on pavement, I'm pretty much always in 2wd...you don't need 4wd on pavement, or all the 2wd cars wouldn't make it, would they?

In short, if you are looking to justify keeping the 2wd, or geting the 4wd...you are asking the wrong question...as how often others use it means nothing, they don't live where you live, work where you work, fish where you fish, etc.

You need to determine if the 2wd has been limiting you...if not, you are fine with 2wd.

If yes, then getting 4wd to overcome those limitations is reasonable.

Because you can't do this with 2wd.



In case you are wondering that is PonyBoy's rig.

4X4 comes in very handy when the roads and passes get snow covered here in CO. I love being able to shift in and out of 4X4 as conditions dictate.

I had a 2wd "truck" and it was one type of stuck after another in the winter. Driving 2wd makes you apreciate when un-stuck is some times as simple as shifting a lever, as opposed to getting the shovel out. If I didnt go off-road, I probably wouldn't care as much, but then I would be driving a car.

here is a great example of why you need 4x4. check out the photos on the www.4x4parts.com under xterra and just scroll down untill you see a photo of a bulldozer and a black xterra 4x2 stuck deep in mexico. I am man enough to admit that is me...........and thank god a bulldozer was near by to pull me out.. other wise i would have been bandido meat....

You mean this one right here?

yes that one, it was 5 pm and after they pulled us out the bulldozer got stuck blocking the easy way out. we had to speed through 30 feet of mud and water in 3 different places, by the time we hit the highway it was 9pm. i know that if i had 4x4 it wouldn't have been a scary situation.

Kaiser,

Where is your third picture taken from. That picture is AWSOME!

A picture says a 1000 words...



A friend busted a mud puddle on the side on the road in his 2WD. He's stuck. Had to be yanked out. If he had 4WD...

:p

A few thoughts.

- Too many people use 4WD to compensate for poor driving. Can't count the number of knuckleheads I've seen driving way too fast in icy or slick conditions because "by God, I got me the four-wheel-drive and them anti-lock brakes." Next stop, inverted in a road-side ditch. There's an overlap where a well-driven 4x2 can equal or exceed the capabilities of a poorly driven 4x4, on-road or off-.

- Don't let the hardcore 4x4 types who use their big bad 4x4 to compensate for their own personal shortcomings influence your thinking. There are plenty around and they say stuff like "2WD Xterras are nothing but "grocery-getters," "mall crawlers," soccer taxis," etc.

- Take the emotion out of the decision. I personally would like to have a 4x4, but the fact is that I don't need one living in a large urban area with a schedule that does not allow getting out in the woods as much as I'd like. So why drag around the extra cost, weight, and complexity of 4x4? For the (maybe) 5 times a year I get to use it on trails or in poor local weather? That's one thing about this subject that makes me - the people who bash 4x2's while their own 4WD handle hasn't been touched three times since they drove off the dealer lot. Talk about posers.

Example of objective decision-making: I recently bought tires and narrowed the choice to Toyo's Open Country model, either the all-terrain A/T or the H/T highway model. Loved the A/T's but it just didn't make sense for 98% of my driving, so I bought the H/T's and am very happy with them.

At the end of the day, if your Xterra takes you where you want to go, you made the right choice. My 2WD does that. If tomorrow I get a job in Colorado or Oregon, well, I'll be trading for a 4x4 because I know the opportunities to use it will be far greater in those places than in North Georgia.

Make the choice that's right for you. Good luck!

Just curious, did he have LSD?

Also curious to know whether 4WD is truly that. A 2WD vehicle without a limited-slip diff is actually a 1WD, right, because power is only delivered to one wheel? Does 4WD actually deliver power to all 4 wheels or is it a similar deal where you're really only getting power to 2 wheels, front and rear?

1WD, hardly. As long as both wheels have traction they both get equal power, but if one breaks loose, it get's all the power.

SCCX just went on a run which we wound up going through a canyon with rocks. Every one was 4x4 except for the 4x2 tacoma, he even had lockers and I will say he did awsome. However there are some situations where a 4x2 hasn't a prayer. Soft/deep sand, a stock 4x4 with open difs had absolutely no problem, toyota got stuck if he didn't have momentum and wasn't on a hard surface. Also with a 4x4 the power to the front wheels will actually lift the front of the truck on top of the obstacle, and without momentum a 4x2 won't be able to get up something that is too tall, regardless of travel.

I'm sure you can tell that I'm talking about recreation here, There is 0 need for a 4x4 here in Santa Barbara, CA but I still wheel at least once a month, but I was in Big Bear, CA and I was sure glad to have a 4x4 there, yes a 4x2 would have worked, I just would have needed to be more carefull.

But the short answer: If you're asking the question then the answer is no, you don't need a 4x4, you would know if you did. But if you wanted to go offroading then yes I would highly recomend getting a 4x4.

All 3 pics are from a trip I took last August to Ouray, Colorado and the surrounding area. The last two are on Black Bear trail/pass, leading down into Telluride, CO. The one you asked about is near the bottom of the trail (after the hard part, anyway). It is called Bridal Veil Falls.

More pics from that trip HERE

I need to wheel in Ouray. This is my normal view of Bridal Veil Falls:

Is that correct? Seems to me that the wheel that breaks loose (spins) is not the one you want getting power. The LSD should distribute power to the wheel with traction.

And maybe it's only true for passenger cars with no LSD, but I'm pretty sure only one wheel gets power.

Of course, this may be one of those subjects where I know just enough to be dangerous.

Sure, of course you don't want the spinning wheel to get all the power, but you don't get to choose, unless you have a decent LSD (Not OEM) or a Locker as in the '05 up OR's. The point is that an open Diff, or OEM LSD, isn't the best for offroad where articulation and traction count.

As a matter of fact, there was this one place that I had tried multiple attempts with my '03 SE S/C, couldn't do it with any line I took, however, locked in my '05, walked right up with out issue, to show off, I stopped halfway and reversed back up it. No Problem! I LOVE my locker! The added HP was a bonus!