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Awd Vs. 4wd - What Is More Practical?

leepounds

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leepounds Enthusiast

leepounds

Posted
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I searched a bunch of posts and couldn't find this particular question. If I'm wrong, please accept my apologies and point me to a post that has already covered this.

 

I'm new to the Forum, and already have an 08 Dodge Mega-cab Long bed Diesel, but am looking at replacing my "run-around" vehicle with a Sierra, due to the ride, safety of a pickup, and versatility. I've always liked GM vehicles, despite the fact that I purchased a Dodge pickup. :idiot: In the past, I've owned a 95 Saturn SW1, and 1989 Chevy Corsica.

 

I'm looking at either buying a Loaded Sierra or a Sierra Denali. One of the biggest differences is that the Denali comes with All-wheel-drive, and the regular Sierras come with 4-wheel-drive - which apparently has an "Auto 4WD" setting as well. So, I live in a climate that is hot during the summer and icy & snowy during the winter. I know the basic differences between the two systems -- i.e. AWD lets the computer manage which wheels spin, and 4wd should generally not be left engaged on dry pavement.

 

Here's why I ask: I also have a 2006 Honda CRV SE, with All-wheel-drive. During a snow-storm, my father-in-law hit some deep snow in his accord, and ran off of the road. I pulled my CRV slightly off of the highway to get out of traffic and pick him up until a tow-truck could arrive. When I tried to get back onto the highway, the computer-managed AWD in my CRV wouldn't let all of the wheels spin, as it spent most of its time trying to figure out which wheel was slipping the most, applying brake pressure to that wheel, and then actually limiting the amount of power (i.e. via engine RPMs) that went to the rest of the wheel. I did try and disable the VSC, to no avail. Short story long, it took me several minutes of playing with the car to try and get it out of a not-very-bad situation. In a 4WD truck, I could have simply engaged the 4WD and been out of there in a jiffy.

 

So, in the Denali's, how much does the engine try and manage the power that is sent to each of the 4 wheels? Would it actually allow all 4 wheels to spin simultaneously, or would it try and "outsmart" the driver and independently brake each wheel and function the same way as my CRV (by applying brakes and limiting the amount of throttle a person could apply)? In a 4WD truck, does the computer have any involvement in the function of the 4WD, or is it possible for all 4 wheels to spin simultaneously as well? How well does the "Auto 4WD" function? Lastly, Which system is better, and why?

Griffin86 Enthusiast

Griffin86

Posted
Posted

IMO Denali's are very nice looking but I would rather not have AWD. As for the Auto 4wd, I don't like it because it is hard on parts. If you on a snowy road going at a good speed and slip a little, it will kick in. Also the Denali should get less mpg, I checked the website to see how much it got and it said 19 hwy. That 19 hwy is in 2wd though. As for the other questions, I don't that many miles on my truck to answer. There is also Stabilitrak on Vortecmax models, not sure how good it works because I have it disabled. If you are looking at a new body style 07-08 here is a cool video.

 

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=PZz3xly3HUA

Zembonez Senior Enthusiast

Zembonez

Posted
Posted

I like 4WD that you manually control. Much of that may come from my Jeep background but it seems that every time there is a "system" that does it for you, it only works about half as well as if you did it yourself. We are a society of automatic sliding van doors and power hatches though. Hell we can't even open a door with a key anymore. (me included)

leepounds Enthusiast

leepounds

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Justin - thanks for the link. I had found that video, and it made me wonder if that chevy had the G8 differential (?) on it. It's a great test. The inability of the Toyota is exactly what I did NOT want to end up with. I often wonder what a Denali would do on the same test. I'm curious to hear from some Denali owners if they have ever gotten frustrated with AWD in a limited traction situation.

mljenkins Enthusiast

mljenkins

Posted
Posted

After reading this post and thinking about it until now, I'd vote for 4WD. If you were buying a 1/2 ton, I'd say it wouldn't matter as much. But given you are getting a bigger truck, my guess is you want the 4WD or AWD for added traction while off road (otherwise why just not get 2WD, unless of course you are concerned with winter driving).

 

In my experience with other vehicles with AWD they are great on the highway, but off road the AWD tends to not deliver the torque when needed. My personal preference is manual 4WD with the auto locking hubs as my current '06 has, but if I had auto 4WD I wouldn't mind. I just like knowing when I am and am not in 4WD. However, sometimes when you just want to drive the truck you really don't want to worry about those things. If my wife drove my truck, it would be much better for me to have auto 4WD or even AWD, especially in the winter.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Wires Enthusiast

Wires

Posted
Posted
I searched a bunch of posts and couldn't find this particular question. If I'm wrong, please accept my apologies and point me to a post that has already covered this.

 

I'm new to the Forum, and already have an 08 Dodge Mega-cab Long bed Diesel, but am looking at replacing my "run-around" vehicle with a Sierra, due to the ride, safety of a pickup, and versatility. I've always liked GM vehicles, despite the fact that I purchased a Dodge pickup. :( In the past, I've owned a 95 Saturn SW1, and 1989 Chevy Corsica.

 

I'm looking at either buying a Loaded Sierra or a Sierra Denali. One of the biggest differences is that the Denali comes with All-wheel-drive, and the regular Sierras come with 4-wheel-drive - which apparently has an "Auto 4WD" setting as well. So, I live in a climate that is hot during the summer and icy & snowy during the winter. I know the basic differences between the two systems -- i.e. AWD lets the computer manage which wheels spin, and 4wd should generally not be left engaged on dry pavement.

 

Here's why I ask: I also have a 2006 Honda CRV SE, with All-wheel-drive. During a snow-storm, my father-in-law hit some deep snow in his accord, and ran off of the road. I pulled my CRV slightly off of the highway to get out of traffic and pick him up until a tow-truck could arrive. When I tried to get back onto the highway, the computer-managed AWD in my CRV wouldn't let all of the wheels spin, as it spent most of its time trying to figure out which wheel was slipping the most, applying brake pressure to that wheel, and then actually limiting the amount of power (i.e. via engine RPMs) that went to the rest of the wheel. I did try and disable the VSC, to no avail. Short story long, it took me several minutes of playing with the car to try and get it out of a not-very-bad situation. In a 4WD truck, I could have simply engaged the 4WD and been out of there in a jiffy.

 

So, in the Denali's, how much does the engine try and manage the power that is sent to each of the 4 wheels? Would it actually allow all 4 wheels to spin simultaneously, or would it try and "outsmart" the driver and independently brake each wheel and function the same way as my CRV (by applying brakes and limiting the amount of throttle a person could apply)? In a 4WD truck, does the computer have any involvement in the function of the 4WD, or is it possible for all 4 wheels to spin simultaneously as well? How well does the "Auto 4WD" function? Lastly, Which system is better, and why?

 

My last truck was a z71 with auto 4wd. I installed a supercharger on it, and it worked greta in auto mode (drove around all the time with it engaged). If you hammer the gas, you didn't spin the tires, the front end kicked in and you just went. Only issue with the "auto" mode is it engages the front diff, so slow speed turns (parking lots for example) would cause the chattering as the wheels slipped.

 

I have an '08 Denali with the AWD. Around town, much better, you can do tight turns with no issues from the front diff. If you leave the traction control on, it will brake wheels (like your CRV) to get traction. I never tried it with traction control off, but I'd assume that it would do nothing to minimize wheel spin.

 

Nice thing about the AWD is the way they couple power. You don't get any driveline noise when tires start to wear unevenly.

 

Personally, if you're just highway driving or around town, go AWD, if you like to play offroad (booting around backroads, etc), go 4wd.

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