Really Stupid!
05-21-2009 | 08:55 AM
#31
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 400
Likes: 0
From: Stuttgart, Germany
Okay, now I'm starting to get confused by all the comments on here.
Bottom line is, no, you are not going to do any "damage" by running it occasionally in 4wd on the highway.
Binding on wheels on one axle will only come from the diff on that axle being locked. Put your lockers on and try to turn. The vehicle will buck and resist the turn.
You may notice that it is a bit more difficult to turn in 4wd with open diffs. This happens because the wheel with the least resistance (outside wheel when turning) on each axle will get the power, split front to rear in the rate that the t-case splits it. That means the outside two wheels will be getting power, but if you ever looked at the tracks you leave behind when you go around a turn, you will notice that the front and rear wheels do not follow exactly the same path. Or for those who stay on pavement, you sometimes clip the curb with the rear tire when turning but not the front one. So, they are both getting power but are not traveling the same distance, hence the bucking sensation.
So, as far as damage goes, perhaps some premature tire wear, and maybe a minor bit of stress on drive train and steering components from the resistance caused by the tires on pavement. Why should you drive slowly with 4wd on? Biggest reason is safety. If you have to maneuver suddenly, it is harder in 4wd, and the risk of losing control is higher because one tire may begin to skid when turning. Off road you drive slower anyway, and the loose ground beneath you makes the difficulty turning less obvious. If you need 4wd you probably shouldn't be going that fast anyway. For those of us that forget to move the selector back to 2wd, no biggie, but there is no sense in risking the excess wear in tires and components, so unless you like to spend money on things you don't need, put it back in 2wd for the road.
As far as the full time 4wd/AWD vehicles like Rovers and Subaru, someone here I think already mentioned it, they have a center diff of some sort that compensates for the wheel speed issue. We don't have that.
Hope that doesn't make it more confusing for others.
Bottom line is, no, you are not going to do any "damage" by running it occasionally in 4wd on the highway.
Binding on wheels on one axle will only come from the diff on that axle being locked. Put your lockers on and try to turn. The vehicle will buck and resist the turn.
You may notice that it is a bit more difficult to turn in 4wd with open diffs. This happens because the wheel with the least resistance (outside wheel when turning) on each axle will get the power, split front to rear in the rate that the t-case splits it. That means the outside two wheels will be getting power, but if you ever looked at the tracks you leave behind when you go around a turn, you will notice that the front and rear wheels do not follow exactly the same path. Or for those who stay on pavement, you sometimes clip the curb with the rear tire when turning but not the front one. So, they are both getting power but are not traveling the same distance, hence the bucking sensation.
So, as far as damage goes, perhaps some premature tire wear, and maybe a minor bit of stress on drive train and steering components from the resistance caused by the tires on pavement. Why should you drive slowly with 4wd on? Biggest reason is safety. If you have to maneuver suddenly, it is harder in 4wd, and the risk of losing control is higher because one tire may begin to skid when turning. Off road you drive slower anyway, and the loose ground beneath you makes the difficulty turning less obvious. If you need 4wd you probably shouldn't be going that fast anyway. For those of us that forget to move the selector back to 2wd, no biggie, but there is no sense in risking the excess wear in tires and components, so unless you like to spend money on things you don't need, put it back in 2wd for the road.
As far as the full time 4wd/AWD vehicles like Rovers and Subaru, someone here I think already mentioned it, they have a center diff of some sort that compensates for the wheel speed issue. We don't have that.
Hope that doesn't make it more confusing for others.
05-26-2009 | 11:17 AM
#32
JK Newbie
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Palmdale, CA
Okay, now I'm starting to get confused by all the comments on here.
Bottom line is, no, you are not going to do any "damage" by running it occasionally in 4wd on the highway.
Binding on wheels on one axle will only come from the diff on that axle being locked. Put your lockers on and try to turn. The vehicle will buck and resist the turn.
You may notice that it is a bit more difficult to turn in 4wd with open diffs. This happens because the wheel with the least resistance (outside wheel when turning) on each axle will get the power, split front to rear in the rate that the t-case splits it. That means the outside two wheels will be getting power, but if you ever looked at the tracks you leave behind when you go around a turn, you will notice that the front and rear wheels do not follow exactly the same path. Or for those who stay on pavement, you sometimes clip the curb with the rear tire when turning but not the front one. So, they are both getting power but are not traveling the same distance, hence the bucking sensation.
So, as far as damage goes, perhaps some premature tire wear, and maybe a minor bit of stress on drive train and steering components from the resistance caused by the tires on pavement. Why should you drive slowly with 4wd on? Biggest reason is safety. If you have to maneuver suddenly, it is harder in 4wd, and the risk of losing control is higher because one tire may begin to skid when turning. Off road you drive slower anyway, and the loose ground beneath you makes the difficulty turning less obvious. If you need 4wd you probably shouldn't be going that fast anyway. For those of us that forget to move the selector back to 2wd, no biggie, but there is no sense in risking the excess wear in tires and components, so unless you like to spend money on things you don't need, put it back in 2wd for the road.
As far as the full time 4wd/AWD vehicles like Rovers and Subaru, someone here I think already mentioned it, they have a center diff of some sort that compensates for the wheel speed issue. We don't have that.
Hope that doesn't make it more confusing for others.
Bottom line is, no, you are not going to do any "damage" by running it occasionally in 4wd on the highway.
Binding on wheels on one axle will only come from the diff on that axle being locked. Put your lockers on and try to turn. The vehicle will buck and resist the turn.
You may notice that it is a bit more difficult to turn in 4wd with open diffs. This happens because the wheel with the least resistance (outside wheel when turning) on each axle will get the power, split front to rear in the rate that the t-case splits it. That means the outside two wheels will be getting power, but if you ever looked at the tracks you leave behind when you go around a turn, you will notice that the front and rear wheels do not follow exactly the same path. Or for those who stay on pavement, you sometimes clip the curb with the rear tire when turning but not the front one. So, they are both getting power but are not traveling the same distance, hence the bucking sensation.
So, as far as damage goes, perhaps some premature tire wear, and maybe a minor bit of stress on drive train and steering components from the resistance caused by the tires on pavement. Why should you drive slowly with 4wd on? Biggest reason is safety. If you have to maneuver suddenly, it is harder in 4wd, and the risk of losing control is higher because one tire may begin to skid when turning. Off road you drive slower anyway, and the loose ground beneath you makes the difficulty turning less obvious. If you need 4wd you probably shouldn't be going that fast anyway. For those of us that forget to move the selector back to 2wd, no biggie, but there is no sense in risking the excess wear in tires and components, so unless you like to spend money on things you don't need, put it back in 2wd for the road.
As far as the full time 4wd/AWD vehicles like Rovers and Subaru, someone here I think already mentioned it, they have a center diff of some sort that compensates for the wheel speed issue. We don't have that.
Hope that doesn't make it more confusing for others.
Just so my small mind can comprehend this. The worry is not with the right and left tires unless you are locked. The worry is with the front and rear tires since they are essentially “locked” together when in 4 wheel drive.
06-02-2009 | 01:45 AM
#39
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 400
Likes: 0
From: Stuttgart, Germany
Ummm... Yeah, I guess that about sums it up. Well, that and there really won't be any damage.
07-12-2009 | 01:22 PM
#40
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 387
Likes: 0
From: Douglaston NY (Queens)
everytime it snowed this past winter I was running in 4hi...on the streets and on the highway....the only thing I had to do on the streets was when I was approaching a turn at a traffic light or whatever...I'd slide the t-case to 2hi until I was out of the turn and moving str8 again then back to 4hi.