Ice. Snow. Mud.

Use 4WD daily all winter to go the last two miles to the house.

In regards to Santi Romo, I read your comment on the website you mentioned with your picture above it. You said.... "I bottom out and had to pay 100.00 for the dozer to come and pull me out. So now i am looking into buying a lift & winch."

So that just makes me curious, how would these help a 2WD? I'm being very honest, and I know it sounds stupid question, but I'm new to the off road scene.

I didn't think being in CA I'd need a 4x4, but I may be going to Alaska in the future, and it probably wouldn't be smart to trade in my month old 2WD for a 4WD one.

Also, stay tuned for more questions... from me about driving 2WDs in 'slippery conditions'.

The way that the winch would help out on a 2wd is that he will be able to recover himself if he got stuck like that again. Of course there has to be something that he can anchor off of within distance of the winch. He'll be spending a lot of money to get that. He's got to get a winch bumper then the winch, etc. You're looking at about $2k for that stuff. Then you have to include the amount that is needed for the lift kit then installation if he's not going to be able to do it himself. Over all with all of the money spent on it, it would be better to save the money needed to do a trade in and then have a 4wd truck. You'd also want to get better tires as well since the stock ones really suck.

2wd's will go pretty decent as long as you have good driver's skill and remember that momentum is your best friend. I wheeled my 2wd X with the 4 banger in it for two years before trading in for the new x so I know what it's like to only have 2wd. As far as slick surfaces you're not going to be able to go that far. The ABLS will help some but not take you as far as a truck with 4wd could. For snow and ice you're going to have a hard time especially if you have to go up a hill and have to come to a stop then start again.

If you're going to Alaska I would really take a hard look at the amount of negative equity that you have in the truck and getting that money together to do a trade in for something with 4wd. I wouldn't go up there with a truck that only has 2wd. You'd probably be stuck every couple of feet. Any other questions just ask. Hope that helped some.

i use 4WD a lot in the winter, however i still try and drive safely and responsibly

Well, you gotta think. Not everyone in snowy regions have 4WD, and they make it through fine. Like my dad drove his 1990 GMC Sierra 2WD to work everyday, and never got stuck... Hmmmmm....

Anyways, I'd like to keep the 2WD since it's sooo new. I've barely driven it... It's only got 1000 miles on it now.

So, what can I do to the 2WD to make it more capable in 'slippery situations'? If you have anything for this, please list the advantages of each. Thanks guys!

From another 4x2 converted to a 4x4, here's a few things you can do (other than those mentioned, above). Like you, I wasn't in a position to trade to a 4x4 when I wanted to, but eventually things swung my way. Until then, I used the following tactics to help off-road:

1. Buy really good all terrain (A/T) tires. Long Trails (assuming that's what your truck has) look a little rugged, somewhat luggy, etc., but they have a hard, long-wearing rubber compound. Trade up to some BFG A/T KO's or Bridgestone Dueler Revos. Avoid buying mud terrain (M/T) tires, even though they look like they'd do even better (they will, to some extent), because you'll just be tearing up the trail.

2. Buy a decent air compressor that will run off 12V. Carry it with you. Also, invest in a good tire gauge (see #3).

3. At the trailhead, air down to about 15 to 18 psi. That'll gain you some more traction than you would get at street pressure. You could optionally leave the fronts closer to street pressure (say, 28 to 32 psi), but the lower air pressure will let the fronts roll over sharper obstacles better. Lots of goopy mud would be a good reason to leave the pressure higher in the front. Sand is an excellent reason to lower them down.

4. Disconnect or remove your rear anti-sway bar when off road. OPtionally reconnect or reinstall it once back on pavement. The jury is still out on how much a disconnected or removed rear anti-sway bar affects the ride quality on road. Mine is permanently removed. If you have a lift, though, you will miss it more than if you are at stock height.

5. A winch bumper (such as Shrockworks) would help with front approach angles and, amazingly, to hold a winch. Never hurts to be able to pull yourself out. Plus a winch bumper looks much cooler than a brush guard and/or the stock plastic bumper.

6. Remove the mud flaps and step rails (temporarily or permanently - your choice). If permanently, you can get some good money for the step rails on Ebay. They're relatively cheap to ship, too.

7. Carry plenty of recovery gear. Straps with loops, not metal hooks - buy from a 4x4 place, not Walmart. Have a recovery point front and rear (tow hook on the front frame, Class III hitch reciever in the rear works well). Take a shovel with you, too. Bring water, extra socks and shoes and invest in a set of rubber front floor mats with deep grooves to catch the junk and protect your carpet.

Hope that helps.

I drove just one bad winter with my 2 wheel drive Frontier and ended up trading it in for my 4 wheel drive Xterra the next year. I would never go back... save yourself the drama and just start out with the best to begin with!

Thanks alot Xorand! Plenty of info. If anyone else has some more info like this, please share it!

If I were to get a winch, would it mount onto a brush guard. I don't want to get a whole new bumper. I just want an add on component that would allow for a winch.

For all of you that say, start out with the best. It's hard for a 20 yr old with only 2 years of credit history to be able to buy a new 4x4 Xterra. Maybe in about 5 years or so, I'll be able to do something like that.

Anyway, its a step up from the '02 Ford Focus I had which was my first 'new' car. I got it at 18% APR, which was a rip off I know, but I was a first time buyer with the car in only my name, and no co signer.

Well I got the Xterra at 10% APR, which is so much better. So maybe in about 5 years, I'll be able to get a much better rate.

Anyways, that's a little off topic... so back on track!

You definitely need a winch bumper to mount a winch. Most brush guards fit too closely to the bumper to allow a winch to be mounted. Even so, most of the brush guards mount down low and a winch sitting up higher would torque the brush guard right off the mounts before it would pull your truck any measurable distance.

An alternative to a full-out winch is to buy a Hi-Lift jack and their off-road kit. This allows you to use the Hi-Lift as a come-along, hand winching yourself out of a stuck.

It's a bit more dangerous and much more tedious than letting a motor pull you out, but I've used that combo by myself to get my truck out of a situation where I high-centered the rear-end of the frame on dry ground with my wheels in deep, thick mud.

Took about 45 minutes of dedicated work on my part, but I finally got 'er loose. Using chain for one end of the pull is a necessity, so you'd need about 15' or more of good, heavy-duty trucker's chain, but you can pick up a bucket of that at Lowes.

Extra bonus - a Hi-Lift and Off-Road kit costs about $125.

Edited to add: Link to Hi-Lift jack and Off-Road kit .

Edited again: Instructions on using the Hi-Lift as a winch.

Thanks for the responce Dan. My comments about winch and lift are the quick answers to the problem i was faced with. I have to say that i spoke to my mechanic that knows where i go in mexico and he told me i wouldn't need 4x4. In the past i had a 4x4 and i never had problems i had the 4 wheel drive shaft removed to save gas. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong xterra. Once i told my buddy/mechanic that i got stuck, he said "why didn't you get a 4x4 xterra". I guess i called him after he drank a 12 pack. I did make it through some pretty intense terrain and the only changes i will make are tires.......any suggestions? plus i am going to actually buy the tow truck in a box product and see if it really works.............i just cant be spending money on trading for a 4x4 or lifts or winch.

2¢ worth - Just clarifying some of the LSD misconceptions posted earlier and not yet corrected...

The LSD does not transfer the power to the wheel with traction.

The open diff sends the torque to the fastest wheel, as that's typically the wheel on the outside of a turn, and you would want to push from that corner logically.

Off road, with an open diff, the fastest wheel is potentially in mid air, or slipping on mud, etc...and of no use propulsively.

An LSD keeps the two wheel turning at the same speed ALL THE TIME...unless (Unless) the difference in traction is high enough to BREAK FREE the LSD's lock, and allow the faster tire to get the torque.

So - you are driving straight on pavement, the LSD is locked...you turn sharply to the right for example, and the speed the right tire is trying to turn at is just TOO different from the speed that the left tire is turning at, and the LSD lets go, and the left tire (Outside tire), gets the go go juice...and the right tire (Inside tire) gets to coast along for the ride.

If the LSD was too tight for the turn, the two tires would continue to turn at the same speed, except the one tire would be anchoring, and the other dragging its partner along...skidding and chirping, etc.

Off road, the LSD will turn the tires the same way...at the same rotation speed, until break away torque was reached, and it lets go.

This means you get more traction than with an open diff, untill the slippage of one tire is too great, and THEN it lets go.

So - There's no transfer "from the one that slips to the one that grips", a la Subaru's ads, etc.

Limited slip diffs are usually fairly loose. They need to slip during turns (outside wheel turns faster than the inside), so they can only apply a limited amount of power. I don't know if his has LSD, but it really didn't matter. His rear diff was sitting on a high spot. He was done at that point. Both front wheels were on solid enough ground to have pulled him out if he had 4WD.

You are correct about 4WD not really being 4WD. Even if he had 4WD and only put the tires on one side of the truck into a rut or loose mud, he would have been stuck. It wouldn't matter that the tires on the opposite side could have been on dry ground. Had a friend get his Jeep stuck like that. Rather embarrassing!

His was an earlier version. However, the new Xterras have ABLS (Active Brake Limited Slip) on the front AND rear axles. The brake is automatically pulsed on a spinning wheel(s) to transfer power to the other wheel. This keeps power to the wheels that have traction. Not a true locker front and rear, but mimics it, at no extra cost. I'm very impressed with ABLS so far.

In his case, only having 2WD and being high centered on the rear diff, ABLS wouldn't have helped. He needed to be dragged off the high spot, either with a 4WD front axle (if he had one), or by a buddy.

OK my turn! I am also 2WD and although I hit myself for not getting 4WD I have opted to make my 2WD as capable as possible. I also live in sunny SoCal so there is not much need for a 4WD in a daily basis. The wheeling I like to do is also ocassional and recreational, therefore, I dont do it much...perhaps once a month if that. I opted to do the following because 1) I love my Fronty and its looks. 2)I have invested too much time and sometimes money (when I dont get hooked up... ...it pays to work for an aftermarket company!)and 3)I would be on the negative if I trade it. Oh yeah and 4)My wife would divorce me...she's a keeper! (both the Fronty and the wife).

I have lifted my truck via a PML (poor man's lift), rear Calmini shackles, downsized to 16" wheels from stock 17" and added 32" BFG AT KO's, Bilstein shocks, GFX (Grand Forks Xterra) donated his Hi-Lift to me (Thanks bud!) I just need a handle for it (anyone know where I can get one?), just recently added an ARB air locker, I am waiting on a set of Shrockworks sliders and waiting on recovery kit from ARB (straps, hooks, etc.) and a steering stabilizer kit. I am also looking into getting a 12V air compressor to air up my tires after airing them out when needed, and of course my handy dandy shovel, leather gloves and first aid kit. . Thanks to all the info from here and TUNFS I was able to outfit my 2WD to its most mechanical capabilities, now I just need to be a wise wheeler and know my limitations of my Fronty so that I dont end up loosing it. What do you guys think? Is my 2WD Fronty pretty much trail ready (at least as much as I can)?

Thanks, 2manytoyz, you explained that well and I appreciate it.

Yes Very true, Perhaps you can correct this, I have heard a limit slip can also porportion the power to the wheels when slipping. So that when one of the wheels slips it doesn't get 100% of the power it gets, say, 80% of the power and the wheel with traction gets 20%. Can you confirm this?

chiefkeith,

you might also look into getting an aftermarket locker for the rear differential. I'm not sure if one is available for the 05 yet, but if you can find one, and it's not too expensive, it will definitely help off-road.

BTW, I've driven quite a few 2x4 vehicles in ice and snow; and I have to tell you that, if I had to choose a 2x4 to drive on a slick road, I would choose a Honda Accord (read: front-wheel drive car) over the Xterra every time. The Xterra is rear wheel drive and you'll spin out really easily. Whenever there is a big snowstorm here in Ohio (only twice so far this winter ) we add 240 lbs of sandbags in the trunk of my wife's Mustang. With my old fwd Oldmobile I didn't have this problem at all.

Rear wheel drive in snow/ice SUCKS! Period. If you must drive a rwd vehicle in snow/ice, try to coast SLOWLY around corners without touching your gas pedal at all. Step on the gas after you've straightened out again.

Good Luck!

Nah, it's just waaay too much fun, especially if there's no one the street and you're playing 'rally' in your truck! Provided you be reasonable...

I'd have to disagree with you on this. Front wheel drive cars have no advantage over rear wheel drive cars in snow or otherwise and are approprietly also knows as "wRong Wheel Drive".

The whole "You'll get more grip on snow with fwd" statement is a myth proven by simple physics.

Also I'd much rather have to deal with oversteer than understeer any day of the year.

The $1000 or so 4X4 costs is cheap insurance. If I get forced off the road into the mud (everything that's not paved down here is mud) one time and get out on my own, instead of walking or waiting for a couple of hours, and I'll feel like its paid for.

It floods down here quite a bit too, and sometimes its hard to find the paved spots when they are under water (see previous note about mud everywhere its not paved).

In the long run, when you sell the truck, you'll probably get your $1k back.

Heck, you can double your fun and keep the cost they same by getting 4x4 with a manual tranny

The best reason to get 4x4? You can't really add it later (not cost effectively anyway!) - and when you need it, nothing else will do quite as well.

Well, if you drive smart and slow then you won't have to deal with either.

Also, you are mistaken. It's easier to pull (fwd) than push (rwd) a car through snow.

Also, fwd has the ability to dig out the snow underneath them when more gas is applied instead of just piling it front of them as in case of the rwd.

It's strange that you say that, as you would have felt the difference if you drove a rwd and a then fwd in snow.

Um, you will get better grip with a FWD than a rear wheel drive
On top of what AHTOXA posts -
The tires need more downward force to help them grip the road when there is snow on it compared to no snow. In this regard, FWD are much better than RWD.
You get better traction because the bulk of the weight in the vehicle is over the front tires. That's why 2wd Pickup trucks put weights over their rear axle in their beds to help with traction when driving on snowy roads, otherwise the rear instead of moving forward wants to move sideways.

The only time you may get a slight advantage is when you are stationary and you're trying to accelerate on a slippery surface (in a straight line only). That is when the weight helps you out.

The moment you are in motion and taking a corner you are accelerating with the same tires you are steering with therefore you're actually making it lose traction quicker. Not to even mention if you happen to be breaking... very easy to overload the front tires and lose all control.

Most cars these days (excluding pickup trucks) have a pretty balanced weight distribution and so steering with one set of tires and accelerating with the other is an advantage.

I'd draw a few free body diagrams for you guys but I don't have a way of scanning them.

Actually in California you DESPERATELY need 4x4. Where else can you wheel in isolated country from lake, to lake, to lake...for weeks on end.....?

4x4 is for 2 reasons, Need and recreation. More of us have it for recreation then need. Modern traction control systems mean incredible highway performance in the snow. I would not even consider living in a snowy area without it. NEW systems DO ALOW for higher speeds.(I know that will generate flaming) And if you work in construction, live in the sticks, ect you might need it.

Recreation wise I use it for fourwheeling primarily, but many outdoor hobbies require 4x4 to safely get to a location. Fourwheeling cannot be done without 4x4. Yes, you might make it through other hobbies if you dont mind an occasional stuck.

If you are one of those " Why heck, my bad A$$ 4x2 can go anywhere your 4x4 can" you are sadly mistaken. You wont get far on even a basic 4x4 trail applying full, violent throttle. I have experimented around some,(even with a rear locker on in 2wd) and without that front wheel pulling, youll go nowhere. Even open diffs provide little capability.

The Mexico story, is an interesting, common one. I went to Mexico at Christmas in our new 05. Not only did I not worry about the hundreds of miles of easy to moderate roads, but I crossed the hardest trail, and one of the most beautiful locations in Baja off the to do list, stock except for sliders. 2wd? Try a 24 mile BACK PACKING trip. And, even a simple trail in Mexico has silt pits that had me frantically grabbing for the 4x4 dial to keep from getting stuck. You can see the Baja 1000 vehicles plow into them. Buy a SUV or Off-Road truck and get 4x4, otherwise get a mini-van

See, you didn't clarify your post. From what you posted it seemed as if you were implying that it doesn't matter which wheels drive under any circumstance, as long as it's snow.

As for cornering in snow and the rear wheel drive vs. front wheel drive argument... Take your foot off the gas and you will turn just fine in either one, however... At slow speeds during an understeer you can pull the car out with front wheel drive easier than with rear wheel drive.

Bottom line is that if I had to pick either front or rear wheel drive in snow (no 4x4) I would sure go front wheel drive, just because I've driven a Maxima (and before a Sentra) in Chicago winters for many years.

At times when it snows here I keep my truck in rear wheel drive and don't even bother with 4x4, however it's a lot less forgiving, even with skilled and more precise driving. That doesn't mean that it can't be done.