4 whl drv in snow

[snowboarder4lif]

this is my first 4x4, and i was wondering if it was alright to use 4wheel drive at regular speeds, in the winter. may sound like a dumb question, but i don't want to wear it out. or anything....

[87yotaGOD]

From what ive heard, its ok to use 4wd up to about 55 mph. Using 4wd lowers your gas mileage alot, at least for me it does, so I would only use it when its really needed. But, for snow and ice, 4wd is good for extra traction, just dont get to overconfident with it, still treat it like you are driving a car with front wheel drive or something, will keep you safer. The 4wd shouldnt wear out from lots of use, its just as tough as the rear axles which are always used, someone correct me if im wrong about this please, save me some money too. Its actually good to use your 4wd once a month or so to keep the grease in the joints and such moving around and to see if it works, so that if you get into a spot where you need it, it's not dead.
Good luck, hope that long winded thing helped.

[Bakemono]

As long as you dont drive in 4x4 on dry pavement, you will be just fine.
Check your owner's manual, but I believe in those years they didnt want you to excessed 55 mph in 4x4 (as 87yotagod said), but if the roads are bad enough to need 4x4, you probably shouldnt be driving that fast anyways.

[Geius Maniacal]

4WD can help a ton in the snow. but really only in acceleration. stopping is a different story, 4WD does not help u at all in stopping.
You will be fine driving in 4WD for longer periods of time and nothin should go wrong. in my yota usually i would have the hubs always locked so i could put it in 4 anytime i needed. you never really know what ur gonna get on the next corner here so u have to be prepared. but dont worry about drivin around, it will be fine. i would suggest researching about the 55mph estimate. im not sure, it sounds good but still not sure.
Cam

[Damon123]

yeah hitting the brakes in snow is a bad idea, you will just slide in the direction you were going and lose any ability to steer; the basic thing to stay out of trouble with snow is point the vehicle in the direction you want to go and give it very judicious amounts of gas, 4x4 or not.
whats scary is seeing southern Californians try to drive in snow, they're bad enough in the rain.

[texasjava]

When I drive in snowy and/or icy roads in 4, (and it's most days between november and april) I always make sure I'm in gear as much time as possible when I brake. that is I downshift like it's in style (for example nearing an intersection). So when you talk about braking in 4, keep your foot off the clutch as much as possible, cuz you can use the engine to retain that maximum traction to slow you down as well. This is purely just my experience, but it's kept me accident free in the winter. -Josh

[87yotaGOD]

texasjava hit it on the mark, use your engine to brake if you can, it will keep your traction.

[Geius Maniacal]

basically u really just wanna keep ur wheels in motion. going the speed of the vehicle. but as texasjava showed, it is fine to drive in 4WD on a regular basis.