what is better 2WD or 4WD?

[iLuBSkylines]

recently its snowing and raining alot and my friend says that 4WD is just so bad to use anytime anywhere....what are the pros and cons of 4WD?

[Moppie]

Better for what?

As a general rule 4WD gives you more traction when acclerating, although it does depend a lot on the vechile and the conditions its being used under.

But as an example; if you take a late 80s Subaru with selectable 2WD/4WD and drive it in the snow it will perform better in 4WD than it will in 2WD.

[iLuBSkylines]

alright i got a 1989 jeep grand wagoneer and it weighs 6000 pounds...its gonna snow hella hard here soon...so should i use 4WD for that?

and say, if i were to take a REALLY sharp turn...4WD would be better no?

[ales]

Thread moved.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by iLuBSkylines

alright i got a 1989 jeep grand wagoneer and it weighs 6000 pounds...its gonna snow hella hard here soon...so should i use 4WD for that?

and say, if i were to take a REALLY sharp turn...4WD would be better no?

Your Jeep does NOT weigh 6000 lbs. You are looking at the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) which is the combined weight of the vehicle and the maximum allowable cargo and passengers. Your Jeep really weighs about 4100 lbs.
You probably have the Selec-Trac full time 4wd, so theoretically you can use 4wd all the time.
Its best to use 2wd unless there is snow, ice, mud, or loose dirt and gravel. You get better fuel mileage and slightly faster acceleration in 2wd when the traction is good.

As for flying around corners........4wd will give better performance only if you are accelerating around a corner and only if your car has enough power to cause the tires in 2wd to slip.........and a big heavy tall Jeep is not intended for this kind of cornering.