Yep, a lot of people think that a 4 wheel drive means you can drive at any speed. Unfortunately, the reality is that, when you start sliding, the braking is the same equipment.

Thus, the 4 wheel drive will in most cases give you a bit of assurance, but there is a threshold to this assurance. Thus most people loosing control in a 4 wheel drive, will loose control at a higher speed than in a two wheel drive.

Good post He spoke and very true indeed. Generally speaking, I almost never use 4WD other than in lower speed situations such as pulling the boat of the lake, driving through really deep snow, navigating steep inclines, going down a really sloppy dirt road, etc.

I always took the view that if the roads were bad enough that I needed to engage 4WD, it also likely meant that the posted speed limit ws probably not reasonable in the circumstances.

Actually, once you start sliding, the brakes are the wrong way to go. I do think people have gotten overconfident due to AWD and winter tires. I see folks speed past me all the time on icey roads. It s the same old same old. We all managed on bias ply tires in the winter, nowadays they want to mandate winter tires because all seasons 'just dont cut it'. Bull. I have yet to go off the roads on my bias plies or my all seasons. Learn to drive witht he conditions, or even better, just learn to drive. That way we will al be safer and poor folks and kids will still be able to afford that first car (my first car cost less than new tires would have, never mind a new winter set and the cost of switching them around).

Exactly caranmacil. I think the furor around how everyone 'must' ran winter tires is more about people's inability to drive and reluctance to drive to the conditions.

I have also run all-seasons forever and have never had an issue... but then again, I drive to the conditions. People think that winter tires are the ultimate solution, but it's really more about how you drive rather than the rubber under your car.

C'mon guys, you know that everything has to be idiot proof, don't you?
Don't lets force people to learn a skill, just institute more laws and rules to save their sill asses when they screw up. Mandating winter tires may seem like a brilliant solution to some, but I'll wager that they aren't proficient winter drivers.
metalman.

Yep. It's amazing that even with the roads in as bad shape as they are, I get regularly passed by people doing 10 - 20 km/h over the limit in town.

Winter tires do not make bad drivers good. They just increase the chances of helping you get out of a jam that you shouldn't have gotten yourself into to begin with.

Why do people that have 4 wheel drive trucks not put them in 4 wheel drive when they are spinning out at intersections? Are they that cheap that they can't afford the gas? Perhaps buying a 4 wheel drive was a waste of money if they are not going to use it???

"Why do people that have 4 wheel drive trucks not put them in 4 wheel drive when they are spinning out at intersections?"

Because they want to do two things at least:

1. remove any aggregate that may have been put there by the City crews, and

2. create more ice for the next guy.

"Why do people that have 4 wheel drive trucks not put them in 4 wheel drive when they are spinning out at intersections? Are they that cheap that they can't afford the gas? Perhaps buying a 4 wheel drive was a waste of money if they are not going to use it"

It could partly be because 4WD vehicles are designed primarily for use in offroad situations where you are going through soft or slick surfaces like snow, mud, etc. Using certain 4WD systems on surfaces such as dry pavement can actually cause lots of damage to the differentials and transfer case because there is no slippage. This isn't a huge issue on ice, but it can be a problem when you go from the ice of a slicked up intersection to the dry road immediately afterward, especially if you are turning. When turning on such a surface with 4WD engaged, you can actually feel the gears and everything in the driveline binding up and if you do that too often, you can shred stuff, resulting in great repair bills.

There aren't too many intersections out there that you can't get going in 2WD if you know how to handle your vehicle. You can start in a lower gear, you can be careful with the gas pedal, you can invest in good quality winter tires, etc.

Besides, spinning out isn't strictly for trucks. I see front wheel drive cars do it every single day on Victoria Steet. I saw one guy last year actually cause his tires to smoke because he was on the gas so hard. There are loads of people who haven't a clue how to drive in winter and they own cars, trucks and SUV's :)

Thanks NMG but I still think some people are too cheap or lazy. You can flip from 4 to 2 easily because I do it myself. I have driven 4 wheel drive vehicles for over 30 years and when it is icy I always use 4 wheel. I figure if I have it I might as well use it.

If you have 4WD "USE IT" As the saying goes "The life you save may be your own"
In 2WD when you go up a slight grade and you compensate by depressing the throttle a slight bit your back end is likely to kick out and you will shoot across the road quicker than most people can react. If you are lucky you will possibly end up in the ditch on your passengers side. Unlucky you are going to ruin someones day coming the opposite way. Head on's are not fun for anybody. I know of three in the past 2 weeks on hyw 16 west. I run a F350 diesel and I lock the hubs in in the fall when the snow starts flying and take them out in the spring and use the 4wd lever to switch between 2wd and 4wd. Most of the time it stays in 4WD unless it is straight dry road or I have to make a tight turn in a parking lot or something. Been running like that for the past 30 years with no problems.

Another tip for folks who just don't know any better maybe because they have never been taught properly. DO NOT USE CRUISE CONTROL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE WINTER MONTHS. If you talks to the rescue folks they will tell you that people using cruise control in the winter is one of the major causes of accidents on winter roads.

Very good suggestions Quaddin, especially about the cruise control. Bridge decks can also be very slick, even when the roads aren't.

I own a 4x4 as well and if the roads are really slick, I certainly will use it. I won't use it all the time though, because to be quite honest, it isn't necessary. And no, I'm not one of those people who will pin their way through an intersection from a dead stop, LOL :)

I meant to add, that people should really take the time to learn how their vehicle responds in all conditions. It should go without saying, but people also need to remember that while 4WD is great for traction and getting going, it does absolutely nothing to aid with stopping.

People really should take the time to read their owners manuals and educate themselves about the way that their vehicle is designed, its' capabilities, its' limitations, etc.