Friday morning coffee thoughts.....Would you buy a 4x4 even if you plan to never use it????

[Ram1500OwnerMaybe]

I never thought about a 4x4 until I test drove a 2025 Rebel on a whim right after I tested a 2025 Laramie 4x4. It felt to me like Rebel actually rode better than the Laramie did. Also the option package requirements are a little different between the two and I was able to get a Rebel spec's more the way I wanted for the $. Alas, surround views is an additional option package on both unfortunately.

That is sort of my line of thinking.

 

[Ram1500OwnerMaybe]

Even if you're not going to offroad it, 4WD Auto is nice to have when driving in a rain storm.

The rainy season is getting close.
It can get some crazy rains.
Not uncommon for people to pull over on the hyway and wait under a bridge for it to pass.

 

[Av1]

It's nice to have 4x4 even if you rarely use it.

I remember leaving a campground years ago after it snowed overnight. 4 low helped me get my fifth wheel uphill out of the area I was parked when 2wd would have left me stuck. That was just a one-time event, but I prefer having 4x4.

 

[KINGFUROOK]

Living in Western NY, we received just shy of 70 inches of snow this season. Anything other than a 4x4 was a deal breaker for me. The truck is an absolute beast and handles it without issue.

 

[1923bob]

Sure will. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. I was back home in the area when snow decided to hit us in NW FL.. yep shut the town down for the week but I was able to still get around unlike most people so it didn’t really effect my day to day. Pulled a Scatpack up the hill that couldn’t catch traction. Folks thought I was crazy when truck shopping that I wouldn’t entertain buying a 2wd this was a reason why and other since I never know when or where the next job-site is gonna be, I’ve been up north and midwest plenty of times during the winter. You tend to get the difference back in resale value.


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Just looking at this picture makes me cold.

 

[Blackdog.Tx]

Just looking at this picture makes me cold.

Does this offset the cold?

 

[BowDown]

I have no use for 4x4 and the only reason I would consider buying it as an option is if I had a boat and engaged it on boat ramps.
One of the biggest hurdles for me on a 2025 tungsten is the required 4x4, ram boxes and 3.92 gears. I could actually live with the 4x4 and maybe the 3.92 but no to the ram boxes. Hoping that requirement gets changed in the future

 

[Willwork4truck]

Resale is a plus with 4x, even when it's not in an area needing 4x, they just sell quicker. Other advantage is when on a trip you are never quite sure of weather conditions. I made a trip across I-40 and a quick winter storm blew through. Instead of waiting it out at a motel, I pushed on through. Wouldn't have done that without 4x.
If the loss of mpg’s bothers you, probably don’t want a truck anyway. Yes its true that it reduces payload, if thats your big concern. If you tow, backing up on grass or gravel can be an issue unless you have some form of posi or limited slip.

 

[1791]

if you want it get it...i have a pavement princess and don't care about resale so i went with 2wd
i don't intend on going off road and in NC where i live the weather never gets bad enough to need 4wd. i grew up in the north east and never had any vehicle with 4wd an it did not slow us down. so needless to say i actually searched for a laramie without 4wd i can tell you finding a crew, pano roof with the 12.1 and no ET or 4wd was not as easy as you would think. i think 4wd production is a bit higher than 2wd unfortunately if you want a longhorn or a limited the only choice you have is 4wd.
in 750k+ miles OTR the most common vehicles i saw in ditches were 4wd maybe because they try to push through rather than play it safe or maybe they were overconfident. the second most thing that scares me is trailers it look's like the axles/bearings fail alot.

 

[1923bob]

Does this offset the cold?

It does offset the cold, it feels more like San Diego (thanks)

 

[ferraiolo1]

Yes


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[Willwork4truck]

if you want it get it...i have a pavement princess and don't care about resale so i went with 2wd
i don't intend on going off road and in NC where i live the weather never gets bad enough to need 4wd. i grew up in the north east and never had any vehicle with 4wd an it did not slow us down. so needless to say i actually searched for a laramie without 4wd i can tell you finding a crew, pano roof with the 12.1 and no ET or 4wd was not as easy as you would think. i think 4wd production is a bit higher than 2wd unfortunately if you want a longhorn or a limited the only choice you have is 4wd.
in 750k+ miles OTR the most common vehicles i saw in ditches were 4wd maybe because they try to push through rather than play it safe or maybe they were overconfident. the second most thing that scares me is trailers it look's like the axles/bearings fail alot.

Most 4w or awd drivers forget that physics and braking isn't the same as 4w traction... Gets em' every time as they exceed same speeds based on conditions.

 

[Chris3058]

Why bother with the 4x4?
Well, the RHO and Rebel both look some much nicer than the Laramie and Big Horn 4x2 models.
Even my wife when she sees one on the road and says its sharp, I tell here that is a 4x4 and she says too bad.
Plus, dents and scratches on the RHO and Rebel add character as opposed to the other models which hurts it looks.
Even the RHO and Rebel have the Surround View on the base model which is what I want and is only available with the Laramie and above on 4x2.

Pros:
Sharper looking vehicle.
Base models have Surround View cameras.

Cons:
4x4 not as smooth as a ride than 4x2 or have they made advancements over the years?
Additional maintenance for stuff not needed.
Ever so slightly less gas mileage.
More expensive tires and extra road noise.
No bench seat. This may be the item that kills this deal.

Just tossing a topic of the day out there to see what others think.

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

 

[boogielander]

ill only buy a 4x2 if i'm doing a prerunner build, with long travel on 39s and caged.
or only buy a 4x2 as a dedicated tow pig or work truck. you know, give it to my workers to drive to job sites with all the tools and stuff.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Other thing to consider is that a 4x2 with a $600 ish option for locking rear differential or limited slip can do about the same job as an open diffs 4x.

Now if you have an e-lock and 4x, you have 3 wheels pulling (at least). That’s for under what, 25 mph on the e-lock? Faster than that get the limited slip option. All depends on what terrain/type of driving you anticipate mostly.

Me in SC who didnt play on the beach, I had the anti-spin “limited slip”. Bro’ in Colorado with a 2500 favors the e-locker.

Maintenance favors the e-lock, the “anti-spin” types with clutches can degrade over time.

Always liked the GM Eaton G80 locking rear differential found on many gm trucks. A poor mans 4x.

A good thread reply from the “other” ram forum said this: (Begin copied post)
“The anti-spin diff on 2013+ Ram 1500's is a conventional, clutch-and-cam limited slip differential that engages based upon torque feedback. Same as a "posi" from the 1960s except that the '13+ Ram 1500's don't have any spring preload built in.

The reason they don't have any spring preload built in, omitting that preload prevents the clutches from wearing over time just while driving down the road (example around every corner) and possibly saves a tiny bit of fuel over the life of the vehicle. Because of the traction control system preload is not necessary since traction control will provide the load when it's needed.

Your Silverado may have had a G80 which is an automatic locking differential, not a limited slip. It still uses clutches but it has a pawl that catches a ramp mechanism and it becomes a full lock under the right conditions.

So getting to the question you asked about what good anti-spin does: simply put it doubles the amount of torque you can deliver to the rear wheel with traction when the other rear wheel is slipping or not in contact with the ground. It also greatly extends the duration that you can continue using traction control before it overheats.

Assuming you know how a differential works, if you deliver engine torque to the pinion (input) of an open differential and both wheels are in the air then both wheels will turn at whatever speed the ring & pinion ratio dictates. If you stop one of the wheels by applying brakes to just one wheel, the free one will spin twice as fast but with half as much torque.

That's what happens when you have electronic traction control (it's called "BLD" in Ram/Jeep products) with an open differential. One wheel slips, traction control applies brakes to that wheel, the other wheel now tries to turn twice as fast but with half the torque.

On a conventional clutch-and-cam limited slip differential when one wheel is given the opportunity to spin faster than the other, preload springs on the clutches cause some drag which forces the spider gear shaft to wedge against cams that apply more pressure to the clutches and this little feedback loop attempts to fully lock the differential. Since the differential is now almost behaving like a spool (to the limits of the clutches) the spider gears are out of the equation and you get full torque to the wheel with traction.. as much as the clutches are willing to transmit.

The anti-spin on '13+ 1500's works exactly the same way except there are no springs pushing on the clutches. The clutches are effectively free and disengaged but the cam mechanism is still there. When one wheel spins faster than the other and it's above the threshold defined by the traction control system's programming, brakes are applied to the spinning wheel. This causes the spider gear shaft to wedge against cams and apply pressure to the clutches and the same feedback loop occurs but with added help from the traction control braking effort. Again this takes the spider gears out of the equation and you can effectively deliver full engine torque to the wheel with traction instead of losing half of it into the spider gears.

Something that may not be obvious; most or all of these traction control systems have a pretty good idea of your brake temperature. It doesn't measure the temperature itself but it has a software model of how much heat the brakes can dissipate and it knows what duty cycle it is applying to the brakes. If you rely entirely on traction control and you're crossing muddy terrain it's possible to overheat the brakes by continuous traction control engagement. Since the limited slip differential is acting in concert with the brake traction control, duty cycle is reduced and can remain in operation a lot longer on the same type of terrain before overheating.”
Last edited: Nov 18, 2021
(End of copied reply)

 

[Reverse]

Depends on whether you get the 4WD Auto transfer case, or a true 4WD (no auto function). For me, the 4WD auto comes in handy in rain and snow, on steep hills and when I need to pull out in a hurry. I don't have a use for true 4WD as the closest i come to off-roading a dirt and gravel roads.

 

[FastBlackRam]

What kind of SUVs? They were probably AWD which isn't so great in those situations, those "cars" are front wheel drive (open diff as well) until slip is detected and power is sent to the rear through witchcraft. A 4WD locks the front and rear together, hence the crow hopping when trying to steer on dry pavement as the transfer case is not a differential. Most places in the north east that permit beach driving require a 4WD with 2 speed transfer case

I wasnt paying that close attention but I think like Expedition, Tahoe type vehicles. Probably AWD like you said. They probably lied to the gate keeper but paid the price when they got stuck in the deeper sand.

 

[dajogejr]

Depends on whether you get the 4WD Auto transfer case, or a true 4WD (no auto function). For me, the 4WD auto comes in handy in rain and snow, on steep hills and when I need to pull out in a hurry. I don't have a use for true 4WD as the closest i come to off-roading a dirt and gravel roads.

This. With low profile 20 or 22 inch rims, flat…wide tires.. regardless if you have meaty all terrain tires or street mannered tires, there’s simply not much weight in the rear of the truck as is.
Auto 4WD is outstanding in the rain.

Now, if you’re the type that carries tools, gear, weight in the bed.. that may not apply.

In MI, it’s always going to be a 4WD truck. Even if it’s only used a couple times a year.

 

[bigdodge]

nope
don't want a pavement princess.

 

[6of36]

My truck has a more comfortable ride, than my 2001 Cadillac ElDorado, my second most comfortable riding vehicle i had, out of the 36.