Can you drive 4wd all time

In poor driving conditions, four wheel drive 4WD can be critical to car safety. But many people are using 4WD wrong. Driving fast in 4WD, even shifted into 4Hi, wears the drivetrain even quicker. All wheel drive AWD drivetrains drive all four wheels, all the time.

In a four wheel drive 4WD drivetrain, the drive controls a transfer case selector lever. They can switch the vehicle into 4WD or 2WD. This is the primary difference between all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles. It is because engineers design AWD systems to be engaged all the time, while they design 4WD systems to only be engaged at low speed. The power passes through the transfer case and rotates the driveshaft. The answer is pretty simple, if somewhat harsh. Those injuries are preferable to the alternative — more serious injury or death.

Seatbelts also cause some injury, particularly if not worn properly. But here again, the alternate is unacceptable. An airbag deployment is a violent event. The bag has to be fully inflated before the face and body, catapulted forward by the forces of gravity, impact the wheel or instrument panel. The latest generation bags are much more sophisticated than earlier ones. They know where the person is sitting, their approximate weight and the force of the crash, deploying at appropriate speeds.

For example they have to deploy with more force, i. The heavy person will be propelled forward more quickly and the smaller one is closer to the danger area. When shifting into and out of four-wheel-drive low, however, you will likely need to come to a stop and wait for the indicator light to stop flashing. When shifting from two-wheel drive to automatic four-wheel drive or four-high, you can do so while continuing to travel at normal speeds.

When shifting into and out of a four-wheel-drive low, however, it is best practice to come to a stop and wait for the indicator light to stop flashing. Knowing when to use 4H or 4L is what causes the most confusion for 4WD vehicle owners, so here are some rules. The system automatically turns on every time you start your vehicle. When a 4WD system sits unused for months at a time, the linkage and hub components seize, the seals dry out, and the lube drains off gears.

The best way to keep all 4WD components lubricated and in good operating condition is to engage your 4WD at least once every few months on wet pavement preferably in a secluded parking lot while performing a few figure eights. And grease drive-shaft slip joints and U-joints where possible. The front, centre and rear differentials in 4WD vehicles are designed to compensate for short-term differences in wheel speeds encountered when turning a corner or changing lanes.

That constant operation creates excessive heat and causes premature wear that can cost thousands in unnecessary repair bills. Front tires wear faster than rear tires because they carry more weight, perform more braking and turn the vehicle. So rotating your tires every 5, to 7, miles is critical to spreading the wear evenly and minimizing differential operation. Finally, different tread brands, tread patterns and even different rubber compounds can result in different traction rates between the tires, and that stresses 4WD components.

So avoid mixing different brands or tread patterns on your 4WD vehicle. Be sure to set your truck or SUV to 4H four-wheel drive. This way, you can drive at normal speeds when on the road. Fixing all those parts would be very expensive so ideally, you want to avoid using them unless you actually need to. Moreover, driving in 4WD mode means your engine is using more gas. It needs this to create enough horsepower to rotate four wheels — not just two.

Generally speaking, 2WD has a better fuel economy. This is ideal for when you feel driving conditions are getting unsafe. This is when you want to use four-wheel drive to navigate and avoid getting stuck. Again, check the video I posted above — the guy tests traction control as well 4WD modes. Here are some ways you can stay safe and prolong the life of your truck or SUV when in four-wheel drive:.

Thanks a lot, very useful. Just an FYI if you did want a 4runner. Thanks for this article. One other question. I have a Tacoma, TRD off road, and new tires, but on slick roads in 2WD it feels like it has little traction and 4WD feels much better — but 55 can be very low mph on highway. Many articles say do not drive in 4WD over But that seems really low.

Please let me know what think -if you can. Thanks for the comment, Jan! There are differing opinions about whether or not going over 55mph with 4WD enabled will cause damage to the 4WD system.

If the roads are that bad, the majority of other motorists will likely reduce their speed as well. We hope this helps! The truth is, driving in the wrong mode at highway speeds absolutely could KILL you. The power of any 4 wheeled vehicle comes from one engine to two or more wheels.

Whenever the power needs to be split into two directions it needs to go through a differential to split the power into two separate drive shafts. There are three different basic types of differentials: locked, open, and limited-slip. As you might have guessed, a locked differential locks the two wheels together in simultaneous rotation, while a open differential allows them to rotate independently of each other, and a limited slip differential allows some difference in wheel speed, but limits the ability for one wheel to travel faster than the other.