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4wd Top Speed

brandon_guzzo

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brandon_guzzo Enthusiast

brandon_guzzo

Posted
Posted

I wanted to know what is the top speed i can travel at in 4 high. The truck is a 2000 silverado with the manual t case. I live on the highway and in the winter wanted to know if it is safe to drive at 55 miles per hour without hurting the 4 by 4 system or transfer case. Thanks in advanced

 

Brandon

androgelrx Enthusiast

androgelrx

Posted
Posted

I did 40 mph on the beach at outerbanks, NC. This truck was a beast in 4wd. I tried it in 2wd on the way back and it was doing great. I didn't get stuck until I got to really deep sand. Had to put in 4wd again.

AJE Enthusiast

AJE

Posted
Posted

I don't see why the 4WD being engaged would stop you from going any faster than top speed in 2WD, however, if you need 4WD engaged for the snow, you probably shouldn't be going that fast to start with.

HawkeyeOC Senior Enthusiast

HawkeyeOC

Posted
Posted
I don't see why the 4WD being engaged would stop you from going any faster than top speed in 2WD, however, if you need 4WD engaged for the snow, you probably shouldn't be going that fast to start with.

 

It won't stop you from going pretty fast. I had my '06 in 4Hi at over 70 trying to diagnose if a vibration problem was transfer case related. I can't tell you how many times family members have forgotten to take it out of 4wd in different GM trucks going down the freeway for a bit.

AJE Enthusiast

AJE

Posted
Posted
I don't see why the 4WD being engaged would stop you from going any faster than top speed in 2WD, however, if you need 4WD engaged for the snow, you probably shouldn't be going that fast to start with.

 

It won't stop you from going pretty fast. I had my '06 in 4Hi at over 70 trying to diagnose if a vibration problem was transfer case related. I can't tell you how many times family members have forgotten to take it out of 4wd in different GM trucks going down the freeway for a bit.

 

 

I didn't mean it that way (although reading it again I should have worded it differently)... I meant "I don't know why it would hurt the truck to go fast in 4WD as opposed to 2WD".

brandon_guzzo Enthusiast

brandon_guzzo

Posted
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alright thanks everyone. i was not sure because when i asked the dealer they said not go past 40 miles an hor and i was like wtf usually most street speeds are faster than that. Thanks again

 

Brandon

rodram Enthusiast

rodram

Posted
Posted

... just to confuse everything, there are different 4WD systems out there

 

... what I might call conventional system, you have 2High, 4High, and 4Low ... in everyday driving in 2High, the front and rear drive axles are not linked and all the power is directed to the rear wheels only.... and in 4High and 4Low the transfer case is driving the front and back simultaneously... this is where the caution for driving in 4H or 4L comes from because of the stress you cause on the drive train system when driving (particularly around corners) when in 4H or 4L on dry pavement ... on dry pavement you will feel the tires skipping on a corner while the powertrain is trying to drive the front wheels and back wheels at the same speed... and you will wear out your front bearings and hubs very quickly

 

... now there is AllWheelDrive or Full-Time4WD, where the drive train is trying to drive all wheels at the same time, and you have a differential between the front and rear and between the left and the right so that everything can rotate/drive at different speeds for cornering....

 

... and there is Auto4WD which will operate like conventional 2wd except where the front wheels will kick in when the system senses loss of traction on the rear wheels...

 

So your question is likely related to the first type that I described..... locking your conventional 4WD in 4High on the highway is not the same as having AllWheelDrive (like a Denali) or having Auto4WD like I have seen on some newer models.

Pilot12 Enthusiast

Pilot12

Posted
Posted
I wanted to know what is the top speed i can travel at in 4 high. The truck is a 2000 silverado with the manual t case. I live on the highway and in the winter wanted to know if it is safe to drive at 55 miles per hour without hurting the 4 by 4 system or transfer case. Thanks in advanced

 

No speed limitation on that system in 4HI. There are a lot of gravel roads where I go that everybody drives 60-70 MPH and use 4HI for the extra traction so they don't fishtail so easily around the curves and over the washboards. Just remember, you don't stop any quicker.

ColoradoSkiCountry Senior Enthusiast

ColoradoSkiCountry

Posted
Posted
I wanted to know what is the top speed i can travel at in 4 high. The truck is a 2000 silverado with the manual t case. I live on the highway and in the winter wanted to know if it is safe to drive at 55 miles per hour without hurting the 4 by 4 system or transfer case. Thanks in advanced

 

No speed limitation on that system in 4HI. There are a lot of gravel roads where I go that everybody drives 60-70 MPH and use 4HI for the extra traction so they don't fishtail so easily around the curves and over the washboards. Just remember, you don't stop any quicker.

 

 

 

YOu mean accelerating out of a turn. 4WD/AWD will not keep you from doing a slide off of the road if you take the turn too fast. You'll slide off just like everyone else.

Pilot12 Enthusiast

Pilot12

Posted
Posted
I wanted to know what is the top speed i can travel at in 4 high. The truck is a 2000 silverado with the manual t case. I live on the highway and in the winter wanted to know if it is safe to drive at 55 miles per hour without hurting the 4 by 4 system or transfer case. Thanks in advanced

 

No speed limitation on that system in 4HI. There are a lot of gravel roads where I go that everybody drives 60-70 MPH and use 4HI for the extra traction so they don't fishtail so easily around the curves and over the washboards. Just remember, you don't stop any quicker.

 

 

 

YOu mean accelerating out of a turn. 4WD/AWD will not keep you from doing a slide off of the road if you take the turn too fast. You'll slide off just like everyone else.

 

 

Yeah, I guess I should have said that when you keep your foot on the gas, the back end doesn't break loose so easy if the fronts are pulling too. Never meant to imply you could defeat the laws of physics....sorry if I mislead anybody. It's easier to maintain control on slippery roads at any speed if you're in 4 wheel drive. But gravity and centrifugal force rule.

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