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4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
Professional
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
From: Triangle VA
RE: 4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
ORIGINAL: Socha_62
Thats not true at all unless your shafts and u joints are made of plastic...
You can turn while in 4wd on any surface, although it does cause binding in the front the more traction you have. So on dry pavement it causes a good amount ot binding in the u-joints, but thats it. I really doubt you'd break one unless you had it at full lock and floored it.
People wheel Dana 44's with 37" tires which is huge forces on the shaft and joint and generally don't have a problem, except in extreme conditions.
Its a common myth for (no offence red9535) uneducated people to think they're going to screw up the diff or transfer case by taking a sharp turn on something like dry pavement. Its not really good for it, but the binding is caused at the axle u-joint.
The computer doesn;t control anything in teh differential either. Whether your in 2wd, 4hi or 4lo your diffs are totally seperate. The front is an open carrier, meaning the tire with the least resistance gets the power. So if one tires on pavement, and the others on ice, the one on ice will spin all day long and the one on pavement won't help at all.
The rear however usually has Limited Slip in the rear, which uses clutches to try to give both wheels power, but in severe differences in traction, like on wheel on tghe ground, one in the air, the clutches don't have enough stregnth to lock together, so the one on the air will spin and the one of the ground will hardly do anything.
A locked differential completely locks both sides together, no matter what. One can be in the air, one in a mud pit and both wheels will spin the same speed. There are full time lockers and selectable lockers which can be turned off, and when they're off they act like an open diff.
Anyways, going in reverse it totally fine. Also your diffs don't change in 2wd, 4hi, or 4lo.
ORIGINAL: red9535
just remember you cant turn very much, if at all, while your in 4 wheel drive, without risking serious damage.. so it probably wouldnt be a good idea.
just remember you cant turn very much, if at all, while your in 4 wheel drive, without risking serious damage.. so it probably wouldnt be a good idea.
You can turn while in 4wd on any surface, although it does cause binding in the front the more traction you have. So on dry pavement it causes a good amount ot binding in the u-joints, but thats it. I really doubt you'd break one unless you had it at full lock and floored it.
People wheel Dana 44's with 37" tires which is huge forces on the shaft and joint and generally don't have a problem, except in extreme conditions.
Its a common myth for (no offence red9535) uneducated people to think they're going to screw up the diff or transfer case by taking a sharp turn on something like dry pavement. Its not really good for it, but the binding is caused at the axle u-joint.
The computer doesn;t control anything in teh differential either. Whether your in 2wd, 4hi or 4lo your diffs are totally seperate. The front is an open carrier, meaning the tire with the least resistance gets the power. So if one tires on pavement, and the others on ice, the one on ice will spin all day long and the one on pavement won't help at all.
The rear however usually has Limited Slip in the rear, which uses clutches to try to give both wheels power, but in severe differences in traction, like on wheel on tghe ground, one in the air, the clutches don't have enough stregnth to lock together, so the one on the air will spin and the one of the ground will hardly do anything.
A locked differential completely locks both sides together, no matter what. One can be in the air, one in a mud pit and both wheels will spin the same speed. There are full time lockers and selectable lockers which can be turned off, and when they're off they act like an open diff.
Anyways, going in reverse it totally fine. Also your diffs don't change in 2wd, 4hi, or 4lo.
Professional
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
From:
RE: 4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
Interesting. I had a basic understanding of it, but thanks for clearing up a lot of my confusion. Learn something new every day, right? I definitely dont claim to be an expert on everything when it comes to my truck 
However, one thing I am going to have to disagree on is that regardless of if you are on wet or dry pavement.. Either surface has MORE then enough traction to easily do damage if your not careful when driving in 4x4. I'd definitely still warn the OP against driving around in 4 wheel drive, because of the cripple it puts on your turning abilities. Reverse is fine, though.. It all comes down to being careful.
However, one thing I am going to have to disagree on is that regardless of if you are on wet or dry pavement.. Either surface has MORE then enough traction to easily do damage if your not careful when driving in 4x4. I'd definitely still warn the OP against driving around in 4 wheel drive, because of the cripple it puts on your turning abilities. Reverse is fine, though.. It all comes down to being careful.
Record Breaker
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,456
Likes: 0
From: Gaylord, MI
RE: 4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
I can damage stuff but like I said all its gonna be in the u joint or shaft, which would still suck.
I don't ever drive on dry pavement in 4, but really the worst case senario is that you'd break a u-joint or a shaft. And that'd be hard to do without trying to do it.
Glad you learned something, I thought the same things you did years ago. Learn something every day!
I don't ever drive on dry pavement in 4, but really the worst case senario is that you'd break a u-joint or a shaft. And that'd be hard to do without trying to do it.
Glad you learned something, I thought the same things you did years ago. Learn something every day!
Professional
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
From:
RE: 4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
Well sure you CAN.. but that doesnt make it a good idea. CAN you throw your truck into neutral, rev the engine up to 6000 RPMs and then drop it into 1st? Sure.. but its obviously not a good idea and if it could possilby do serious damage to your truck.. why would you risk it?
Record Breaker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,400
Likes: 1
From: Warren, NJ
RE: 4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
There is no difference between reverse and forward while in 4by. I've seen guys back up a hill when they couldn't do it going forward. More weight over the (now) "rear" wheels for better traction.
Man ... who thinks this stuff up??
Man ... who thinks this stuff up??
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,204
Likes: 10
From: Gainesville, Ga.
RE: 4- Wheel Drive In Reverse
i think your 'guy at work' was just jerking your chain....he's probably still laughing.
when a friend of mine's daughter was about 6 or so she wanted a cat. frank told her they couldn't have a cat because they had electric heat. she said 'oh ok' and believed it for years.
when a friend of mine's daughter was about 6 or so she wanted a cat. frank told her they couldn't have a cat because they had electric heat. she said 'oh ok' and believed it for years.