Sold off my old truck a few weeks ago, and now I’m sitting here without a vehicle to use for ice fishing. Because of the family situation I’m looking at possibly trading the minivan for an SUV. The questions is this….does AWD perform the same in deep snow as 4WD? A lot of mid size SUV’s have the AWD, just wondering if I can get away with AWD or is 4WD better for deep snow and little off road hunting adventures?
Not sure exactly what SUVs you are looking at but I can tell you that my girl friends Cr-V with AWD can’t do much off a paved trail.
I always thought AWD meant that all 4 wheels were spinning… Didn’t know there was a difference.
I’ll put my AWD Grand Cherokee against any 4WD pickup off road. I am amazed what it will go thru! Like any off-road vehicle, tire choice is important. And AWD will cost you at the pump versus 4WD, since it drives all 4 all the time.
AWD was developed to be lighter than 4WD. AWD does not have low speed capabilities for pulling etc. Since the invention of ABS the wheels have speed sensors on them. This allows a computerized clutch system to shift power to any spinning wheel. When all wheels are traveling at the same speed, the system is off. My wifes AWD goes just about as well in snow as my 4wd. She just does not have the clearance and aggressive tires.
AWD was developed to be lighter than 4WD. AWD does not have low speed capabilities for pulling etc. Since the invention of ABS the wheels have speed sensors on them. This allows a computerized clutch system to shift power to any spinning wheel. When all wheels are traveling at the same speed, the system is off. My wifes AWD goes just about as well in snow as my 4wd. She just does not have the clearance and aggressive tires.
Then not all AWD is similar. The Quadra-Trac2 in my Jeep GC is All Time, not on demand. It supplies 48% to the front and 52% to the rear. It also has a 4Low option (which has never been needed). The quadratrac uses the Traction control to apply brakes to the spinning wheel, and thus transferring power to the wheel with grip. The quadradrive system used on the “Limited” model Grand Cherokees, uses an even more sophisticated system.
So you guys are saying an AWD astro van will have no trouble with Everts ramps all winter?
The Toyota Sienna is the only AWD van still being made.
There is nothing worse than the following 2 things…
1. not being able to lock the vehicle into 4wd, like I want to wait till my back tires lose traction for the front to take is sweet time to kick in.
2. Having the front WD kick in when you are counter steering in a slide because you can’t first off lock the vehicle into 4wd.
AWD (full time 4wd) vs 4 wd is a fuel and parts wearing debate. In a true AWD you are moving more parts to run the front end that will wear out and burn more fuel as you don’t need 4wd 90% of the time you are driving. Thats my opinion.
FWIW- I will never own another vehicle that you can not control the 4wd yourself. Quite honestly I think manual transfer cases and manual lock out hubs were and still the best feature any vehicle could ever have.
Any “smart track” that turns on 4wd is a joke.
After having 4 AWD vehicles (3 SUVs and an Audi Quattro) and multiple 4 WD, here are my observations.
AWD works great in snow with the added advantage of it being a “set it and forget it” option. You don’t have to push a button to make it work, so if you need it and you didn’t realize it, it’s already working. No need to back off and push a button.
Today’s AWD systems don’t take away much, if anything, as far as mileage. Certanly nothing like the huge mileage hit I used to take by leaving it locked in 4WD in the snow.
In deep snow, the key with AWD seems to be to stay on the gas and let the system do the work. IME tires are the key factor, if you want to take on deep snow, you better have some tires with some meat. Tires designed for fuel economy on dry roads are next to usless in snow.
What I miss from 4WD is the ability to have it locked in and all 4 wheels powered when I could see that I was going to need it. Something about having to wait until the wheels start spinning before the others take over has always bugged me. However, this may be purely a mental preception thing on my part. I’ve never been stuck wth AWD anywhere where I knew I’d have gotten through with 4 WD
Most AWD systems don’t allow the use of chains. Although you would have to do some reasearch on if this is a flat out don’t do it, or if it’s just recommended for some reason that you don’t.
Grouse
Unless you are doing serious off road driving, AWD should be more than fine. Many do have the ability to hit a button and lock it into AWD vs waiting for a slip. In AWD I have had a Ford Aerostar van, Mazda Tribute, and unless it was very deep snow, either of those would keep up to any of the 4WD trucks I have had on a lake.
In fact the Aerostar van was the best ice fishing rig I ever owned. 4 people 2 portables and all the gear fit comfortably and all inside. NOTE: I did not say it was the best vehicle I ever owned… But for ice fishing it was amazing.
My Trailblazer got stuck at the launch a while back. I always use AWD when loading but this time I was in a little deep and I couldn’t get it out until I put it into 4WD?
In most newer AWD vehicles, there really isn’t any “slip” to wait for. The ABS sensors are monitoring each wheel’s RPM and they apply power or braking to the wheels to keep them turning at the same rate. This adjustment happens at the rate of 2-10 times per second, such that it is not possible to even feel that a tire has started to slip.
My initial hesitation about buying AWD vs my old tried/true 4WD was that the tires would have to be spinning and I would be on the verge of being stuck before the system would “engage” the other wheels. In reality, you don’t notice because the system has detected the slippage way before you would have and already made the adjustment.
In just playing around on side streets and in icy-covered parking lots, you can’t even make the newer vehicles spin the tires. Between the traction control and the awd, they just move ahead in a straight line.
Grouse
Someone once told me that if your AWD vehicle breaks down and needed to be towed that it has to be a flatbed as it can’t be towed by a standard tow truck. For those of you that know, is there any truth to this?
Not sure what vehicles you are looking at Rushcreek but my Explorer was always great and that had the 4-Auto selection that would engage when necessary – never and issue with it. My tahoe has a 2-wd selection that I use 90% of the time and I can also select 4 high or low when needed.
Just make sure you can fit your flip-over into the vehicle you are looking at.
Good luck!
Dave
Having owned an AWD and now a 4WD…I’ll never go back to AWD.
Someone once told me that if your AWD vehicle breaks down and needed to be towed that it has to be a flatbed as it can’t be towed by a standard tow truck. For those of you that know, is there any truth to this?
Not sure what vehicles you are looking at Rushcreek but my Explorer was always great and that had the 4-Auto selection that would engage when necessary – never and issue with it. My tahoe has a 2-wd selection that I use 90% of the time and I can also select 4 high or low when needed.
Just make sure you can fit your flip-over into the vehicle you are looking at.
Good luck!
Dave
AWD vehicles need to be towed with a flatbed truck OR a tow truck that can dolly one end of the vehicles tires off the ground while the tow truck lifts the other end. This is also the recommended way to tow a 4wd vehicle.
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