I have a question, the we have been talking about at my work. Some beleve one way some the other. I have a 2009 RAM 1500 4X4 I only drive from 5k-10k a day. I'm in New Brunswick. Where it is cold and ice on the ground I turn on the 4X4 (and drive carefully) but my work friends are saying that this runes the 4x4 because there is not snow on the ground. I can imagine this might have been a problem in the past but I can't imagine that this was not resolved in to days trucks... Like I use to hear some thing about how the front wheels spin faster then the back or something...

Quest is is that true? I'm a believer of safety first. and even if it is true I'll still be using my 4x4 on light snow and ice but I would like to know just that same.


Thanks!

 

From the owner's manual:

The 4WD LOCK and 4WD LOW positions are designed for loose, slippery road surfaces only. Driving in the 4WD LOCK and 4WD LOW positions on dry hard surfaced roads may cause increased tire wear and damage to the driveline components.

 

No it's not that bad for the truck, but my honest opinion I think it's safer to drive hwy speeds in 2wd because if you lose control in 4wd it will be much harder to stay in control. It's just like drifting. How do I know?. Well I rolled my truck like that 20 000$ later. 4x4 is nice in town for traction but hwy 2wd unless there's a foot of snow. I believe I wouldn't of rolled my truck 3 years ago if I had it in 2wd, just like drifting right. You live and learn they say.

 

No issue with driving your pickup in 4wd when its icy. Just make sure that you put it back in 2wd when you have good traction. A big key to four wheel drives is having tires that match front and rear because they do have to turn at the same speed.

 

Check your tire pressure as often as possible....!!!!
Rotate the tires often... keeps the tire wear more even.
Check the balance often... check the shocks often.

An old timer years ago, told me to set the front tires 5+psi higher than the rear tires due to frontend weight being heavier than it is at the rear of the vehicle. He told me it will help pull the (4x4) truck thru the snow and ice better. I tried it years ago, he was right... it does make a difference. He said it helps keep all the tires at the same height by adding more air to the heavier front end so it equals out the whole vehicle tire height a little better. Ok, let the bashing begin... i`m sure SOMEBODY will come in here and say its bullsh!t. But before you disagree, maybe you should wait it out and try it for yourself. To many people dont pay attention to their tires & pressures, and when they wear down their tires, or one is low on air, (due to neglect) it will cause the tires that are taller to fight amoungst the ones that are lower in height (due to wear and or tire pressures not being equal on all 4 corners of the vehicle) By neglecting the tires, the 4x4 componets WILL surely fail sooner, that is without a single dought.

End of rant...lol

 

And what does this have to so with the original question of using 4x4 on a dry road?

 

If its slick out use 4x4, won't hurt it. My buddy used to use it with just a little snow on the ground and he has had no probs to this day.

 

I rolled my 08 2 years ago on the highway with pure black ice. Wrote that truck off, I was only in 2wd. I was merging onto our 4 lane and as your merging it goes down a hill. Well you know that when your merging your supposed to match speeds of other cars, I was a little Leary cause they were driving much faster then what I wanted to start in, but I accelerated (slowly) anyways and merged. As I did the truck fishtailed I went into the meridian and bam! Truck gone. Im the exact opposite I believe if I was in 4wd the rear end never would have slipped out like it did.

Everyone says 4wd does not help you on ice, and yes its true, but I still still believe that 4wd will maintain better traction UNTIL you are sliding, then it does not matter 2wd or 4x4, your on ice and unless you have the weight its not going to matter!

Now back the to thread. This is why I like 4wd auto, and why I say to everyone who lives in a snowy country this can be your best friend. When I am on the highway were there is a ice patches but not enough for 4wd I put it in auto. This mode is going to cause much less wear then 4 lock, and not to mention if your doing 80km/h you can pop it in 4 lock without a hassle. Reason is because everything is engaged, but its only like an 80:20 power ratio vs 50:50. This way the front tires are not going to see to much wear.

to the OP...As far as you being in 4wd unless its icy 4wd "should" be off. You will see more wear on your front tires and possible drivetrain. But because you said your only driving 5-10K one way its not going to wear out that fast. If you were driving 100-200k on 4x4 everyday, ya I would look into different options. Also as a poster said, just make sure the tires are the same size and same pressure and your wear will be limited, it will still exist but at a very small amount. Hope this helps!

 

if you have the 4wd Auto feature use this instead of all the above.

 

I was wondering why no one mentioned "auto".
I use auto on light snow when I am going over 35-40mph.
4x4 high on the back roads when there is snow.
Lock if I a on a steep incline only, or pulling something out of the ground. Like a house!