Is there any reason to NOT get 4 wheel drive?

[Lisa]

Hi All!
I have been searching for my dream Ram since May. I currently have a 2012 Big Horn and before that a Dakota, but neither were 4x4. It seems finding my perfect truck on the lot may not happen, so I may consider building one. The ones that are on the lots that are close to what I want are 4x4, and even if I order, I may want to order it all including etorque and 4x4. But, I live on the east coast of Florida, don’t go off roading or tow anything. However, we do get tropical storms and bad storms regularly where road conditions are atrocious with high speed winds. And I may move to TN are in the next few years. My real question is, is there a reason to not get 4 wheel drive. I may not need it use it, but does mean I should not have it? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Neurobit]

Hi All!
I have been searching for my dream Ram since May. I currently have a 2012 Big Horn and before that a Dakota, but neither were 4x4. It seems finding my perfect truck on the lot may not happen, so I may consider building one. The ones that are on the lots that are close to what I want are 4x4, and even if I order, I may want to order it all including etorque and 4x4. But, I live on the east coast of Florida, don’t go off roading or tow anything. However, we do get tropical storms and bad storms regularly where road conditions are atrocious with high speed winds. And I may move to TN are in the next few years. My real question is, is there a reason to not get 4 wheel drive. I may not need it use it, but does mean I should not have it? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Only you can answer that. I myself do not use it that often, but it's nice to have if I go with my son on scout campouts which are usually on trails, etc. So, for me, that 5% of the time I will use it is well worth it. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around. I also always use the 4WD Auto whenever I drive in inclement weather. Seems to help.

Cheers,

 

[Bhbdvm]

In your area with your description probably will not use it much if at all. However, 4x4 does give you confidence to go somewhere you may not have gone without it. When you need it, you need it. I live in western NC and plenty of times I have used it for weather or exploring but I am not a person that intentionally takes off road excursions. Cost would be the biggest but to me buying a truck without 4x4 has never occurred to me so I don't even know or care what the cost difference is. I guess if pulled a trailer all the time up and down the highway for a living then maybe I would want the 2wd for more towing capacity/payload and possibly uptick in gas mileage. Ultimately I would get a truck with 4wd no matter what.

 

[Lil Miss Always Wrong]

Well just my 2 cents and i'm no expert despite this 2019 being my 16th ram, all previous except my 2019 & one other were 4x4. Since you haven't purchased YET i would suggest the 3.92 gears IF you get the 4x4.

If down the road you want to put on bigger tires, even if you have no interest in that at THIS time, the 4x4 with the 3.92 gear is a must have in my opinion and drives better : ).

Reasons one might forego 4x4:

1. Cost (of course)
2. Availibilty of a model you love but isn't 4x4
3. A few extra hundred pounds (slightly, and i do mean "slightly" better MPG without it
4. More mechanical things to possibly go wrong
5. Never tow heavy loads
6. Never intend to put a lift on it
7. Don't need that "yeah!" feeling : )

Also, make sure (and this is from my morning rant- make sure you get NAV with ur Uconnect IF being able to remotely unlock/start etc from your phone with the ap if that matters to you....a lot of us assumed our Uconnect had that feature, but it was stripped from the 2019 systems without NAV unbeknownst to many previous Ram owners....

 

[Brady_SS]

At one point I remember reading that something like 60 or more percent of the trucks made are 4wd. I used to buy only 2wd trucks because I didn't "need" a 4x4 and didn't want to spend the extra money for it. My last 3 trucks have all been 4wd and I figure I get some of the money spent back when I trade it in. It is nice to have when you need it for sure.

 

[Gondul]

A bit of an older article, but this seems to indicate that overall there is not an increased cost.

And FWIW, I had a 2005 4x4 Dakota with 137K miles when I traded it in and never in all that time did I ever have an issue with the 4x4.

Are 4x4 Pickups Worth the Extra Cost?

 

[Billy James]

Reason not to get 4x4: you are buying a car. I never really understood the point of a 4x2 truck. I live on the East Coast of Florida as well and rarely use 4x4. However, when the dirt roads have turned to mud; I have it. When I decide to road trip up north; I have it. When I drive out to the beach and the sand gets soft and deep; I have it. When it rains like crazy and the roads get slick with deep water; I have it and throw it in 4WD auto.
Do you really need it? Probably not. But it is great to have when you do need it.

 

[Jordan2929]

Resale value alone will pay for the cost of 4x4. Not many people look for 4x2 trucks on the used market.

 

[lonestar_penta19]

I would never consider a 2wd truck. If you ever plan on getting a boat, it comes in handy at the boat ramp. I know you don't tow now but if you do get a boat, you will love 4x4. Trust me on this one. I regularly use 4wd at the beach, and anywhere else that extra traction may be needed. (local trails, fishing holes, etc) 4x4 auto would be great for sketchy weather like tropical storms or hurricanes but I wouldn't stick around for one personally.

 

[Electrical]

4x4... maybe not for your situation. 4auto... absolutely.

The ability of 4 tires to correct traction and stability instead of just 2 is huge.

 

[gliderpilot]

I would get it alone just for the resale value.

 

[Lisa]

Thank you for your thoughts! Way back when, it seems like I remember that you had to engage the 4 wheel drive every few weeks or it would lock up, and the need to have the drive rebuilt was frequent. In this thread a few mentioned having no issues, so I’m sure the tech has improved. And I want the etorque, which may also have unforeseen problems. And, to be honest, I am checking myself because imaging a 4x4 does give that “oh yeah, this is my truck” feeling and I want to at least have good sense reasons to have it .

 

[ajosephngs]

To each his own but I've owned a 2wd drive truck and just don't like them. They are too light in the a$$ and too easy to get stuck for me. If you are NEVER going off pavement and don't plan drive in the winter conditions north of you you'd be fine. But I got my old 2wd f150 stuck in grass that had dew on it. Felt totally helpless and had to wait for the sun to dry out the grass before I could move again. I'll never own anything but a 4x4, especially in a truck. That said I do take my truck off pavement now and then and the extra money is worth it for me. I can totally understand why someone who stays on the road and lives in Florida would save some coin.

 

[lonestar_penta19]

I just noticed in the new member introductions forum, under the what type of trucks do we have?, 84% of us bought a 4x4. (as of today) I am sure 4 out of 5 of us have 4x4's for various good reasons.

 

[Cannonball]

@Lisa

The 2 reason for you not to go 4x4 for YOUR NEEDS are
1. Electronic stability control
2. Traction control
The bad weather that concerns you will be mitigated by these features.

Traction Control System (TCS)
This system monitors the amount of wheel spin of each of the driven wheels. If wheel spin is detected, the TCS may apply brake pressure to the spinning wheel(s) and/or. reduce engine power to provide enhanced acceleration and stability. A feature of the TCS, Brake Limited Differential (BLD), functions similar to a limited slip differential and controls the wheel spin across a driven axle. If one wheel on a driven axle is spinning faster than the other, the system will apply the brake of the spinning wheel. This will allow more engine torque to be applied to the wheel that is not spinning. BLD may remain enabled even if TCS and ESC are in a reduced mode.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
This system enhances directional control and stability of the vehicle under various driving conditions. ESC corrects for oversteering or understeering of the vehicle by applying the brake of the appropriate wheel(s) to assist in counteracting the oversteer or understeer condition. Engine power may also be reduced to help the vehicle maintain the desired path.
ESC uses sensors in the vehicle to determine the vehicle path intended by the driver and compares it to the actual path of the vehicle. When the actual path does not match the intended path, ESC applies the brake of the appropriate wheel to assist in counteracting the oversteer or understeer condition

2WD will save you $3,500 and cover you with more than what you'll need to get through a Florida storm. I would say add on the elocker though just for that potentially snowy hill or driveway in TN.

 

[Cygnus A]

Kind of in the same boat. There are tons of 4X2s on the lots near me I like. I have never needed to turn my 4x4 on in my current truck..

 

[Lisa]

Thank you. The extra cost up front isn’t a decider for me, and I would imagine that driving through several inches of flood water would be a reasonable use of 4x4. But would there be problems with the drive if I don’t put it in 4x4 mode? Or would putting it in 4auto occasionally be good enough?

 

[Smashy71]

Better to not need it and have it than not have it and need it.

 

[Billy James]

Thank you. The extra cost up front isn’t a decider for me, and I would imagine that driving through several inches of flood water would be a reasonable use of 4x4. But would there be problems with the drive if I don’t put it in 4x4 mode? Or would putting it in 4auto occasionally be good enough?

I don't think there is any need to worry about not putting it in 4WD enough. I had a 2003 RAM 4x4 that maybe saw 4WD once a year at best (and then not for long) and 4WD still works perfectly. My 2012 Wrangler sat for a year while I was overseas and never had a problem. Whether you use 4WD or not; the components are still lubricated and protected. I have owned many 4x4's over the years and never worried about it. When I didn't need 4x4 I didn't use it and I never cared about whether I was exercised it or not. When I needed it I would just lock it in (or in these days turn it on). If you are really concerned about it; there is no harm in putting it in 4WD Auto on those Florida days where it rains like crazy and the roads are wet and slick.
If you really need help making a decision, just start searching for used trucks. You can buy used 2WD trucks dirt cheap. Used 4x4 trucks demand a premium. In the case of older trucks (like my 2003 RAM 4x4) a 4WD can sell for nearly double the price of a similarly equipped 2WD.

 

[Bleda2002]

When I lived up north, they only sold 4x4 as there was no guarantee things would be plowed and so I had a 4x4.

When i moved back to Florida (west coast), I bought a 4x2 with eLocker (and now LSD on the new ram). I would never buy a truck with a straight open diff on the rear end as I've seen plenty of people get stuck on wet grass that chews up to mud as they spin the tires. With the e-locker or LSD that basically was all I ever really needed even in the snow up north unless it started to get in the 8-10 inch range or was ice.

Now as for your question, is there a reason not to get 4x4? MPG and upfront cost are the only 2 real reasons. You will not recoup 3500 bucks on trade in, you will get some of it for sure, but like all options, you'll maybe get about 33% of what it cost you. Not sure where you live, but you may want to expand your search a little, or go to a local dealer, tell them exactly what you want, and they can dealer locate. To get what I wanted they had to bring my truck in from another deal in Orlando versus what was on the lots in Tampa.

P.S. If the water is deep enough that you need 4x4, dont try to cross it. For the most part if you cant cross it in 2wd mode, you wont cross it in 4wd mode either since the issue is usually water getting in to something thats not supposed to flood versus loss of traction.