4x2 vs. 4x4 towing

[eks]

Due to the low water on lake Mead this summer we needed 4WD every time we pulled the boat out. The concrete ended so NPS put down some slick steel over the mud to keep the ramp open.
It would have been a real drag not to have 4WD last season.
My point is you don't always know when you might need it but it sure is nice to have when you do.

I've being praying for snow and rain every day this winter....

Lakes here in Utah are considerably low as well.

[Jason B]

Think resale! You'll have an easier time selling it years down the road.

I use 4x4 every time. I'm too cheap to buy new tires

If you can afford it get it and you'll have it when you want it, cause when you NEED it and you don't have it........you'll be angry and maybe sorry.

[TeamAllen]

I'm a 4X4 believer too.

I was told once that the transmissions on a 4X4 are beefier to handle the transfer case. Just something I heard, from my mechanic, related to Toyota Tundras. I don't know if it relates to other vehicles as well, but made sense.

[Ruune]

Same here. I wouldnt doubt it regarding the transfer case, but if you pay the negligible price diff for the 4x4 and use it once, it pays for itself. As for me, our lake level varies and many times I'm sometimes launching w/o pavement.
Another thing to consider is road traction in the rain. I typically set my sierra to automagic 4wd when its raining. That coupled with traction control and stability control help out tremendously when the roads are slippery.

[chpthril]

I'm a 4X4 believer too.

I was told once that the transmissions on a 4X4 are beefier to handle the transfer case. Just something I heard, from my mechanic, related to Toyota Tundras. I don't know if it relates to other vehicles as well, but made sense.

GM does use 1 additional clutch disk per clutch pack in the 4wd version of the 4L60E (1/2 ton and non HD 3/4 ton)

[maximus2003]

Lunchbox - At the boat ramp it is extra piece of mind to have 4X4. We use ours everytime we pull the boat out as I don't want any chance of spinning the tires on the gravel and throwing rocks at the front of the boat. You also need to think about your non-lake activities. I have to put it in 4HI to get way back in the dunes at Dumont or Amargosa. My vote would be to definitely get 4x4.

This is the exact reason I put mine in 4x4 when I pull the boat out of the water. All it takes is one little slip and your 50+K baby is hit with a shot gun blast of rocks. All of a sudden that minor price difference between the 4x4 and 4x2 doesn't look so bad, as you're discussing how to fix the hull of your boat with the gel coat guy.

[ragboy]

First, I luv my 4x4s, I have a GMC sierra 1500 2002, 4x4 with 6 inch lift, and a 2001 GMC Yukon XL 2500 4x4 with 8.1L and autoride.

But you do pay for them more than just the sticker. They get worse mpg, which you pay over time, and they are more expensive to care for and fix. Fixing/Repairing the electronic transfer case can be very expensive.

Its the same with the 8.1 in the yukon, I pay for that when I am not towing. However, I can tow just about anything with that beast. That 8.1 is an amazing motor for towing.

[turbonine]

This is the exact reason I put mine in 4x4 when I pull the boat out of the water. All it takes is one little slip and your 50+K baby is hit with a shot gun blast of rocks. All of a sudden that minor price difference between the 4x4 and 4x2 doesn't look so bad, as you're discussing how to fix the hull of your boat with the gel coat guy.

Shotgun blast of rocks??? I have 700+ ft/lbs of torque and a full float diff and haven't ever spun the wheels. Give it the right balance of brake and gas and your golden. Yes..this is one of the only scenarios to be a two footer.

[maximus2003]

Shotgun blast of rocks??? I have 700+ ft/lbs of torque and a full float diff and haven't ever spun the wheels. Give it the right balance of brake and gas and your golden. Yes..this is one of the only scenarios to be a two footer.

Some of our ramps here are very steep and in the spring can be coated in a thick layer of slimey moss crap. and you know how it goes: Sometimes S#$t happens! HAHHAHA.

[eks]

Some of our ramps here are very steep and in the spring can be coated in a thick layer of slimey moss crap. and you know how it goes: Sometimes S#$t happens! HAHHAHA.

Not kitting, I wish I had a 4X4 on my shoes, I felt last year trying to walk on the slimey moss.

[gcalkins]

Ever had to pull the boat out of a low lake or river and have the boat trailer roll over the end of the concrete boat ramp? 4x4.

Maybe a little more up front and some milage, but I never even think about weather I should put in or what it is going to be like to extract.

And.........with the Tahoe, when I drop it into granny lo, the truck just about idles out: 22V full of people, regardless of the ramp angle.

[CP3]

I had a 2 wheel drive and got stuck on the ramp one time because it was so slick. If I had a 4 wheel drive I would have just pulled right out. that is why I have a 4wd now

[Lunchbox]

I'm going to look at a used '07 Nissan Armada 4x4 with 12k miles this weekend... We'll see what happens...

[Timmy!]

Do you homework on the Armada - I love those things but they don't rate very well on the reliability ratings. It's weird because you read the autorags and they make it sound like a big old POS and then you read from owners that they seem to be just fine.

[Domsz06]

Shotgun blast of rocks??? I have 700+ ft/lbs of torque and a full float diff and haven't ever spun the wheels. Give it the right balance of brake and gas and your golden. Yes..this is one of the only scenarios to be a two footer.

I don't always have get to pull my boat out of the water, and at times people give it too much go go juice and the tire slips. I preeceed to tell them to STOP!!

But it's also why I have HUGE mud flaps on my truck. Best purchase ever!

I have 4x4 and I will always have it. Never fails seeing someone slip and slid and burn out the whole way up the ramp to try and get their boat out, if they had 4x4 they would not have that problem.

This being said I have only used my 4x4 once but when I did I sure was glad!