4WD SUV for Austin's slippery roads? (Cedar Park, Lakeway: buy, storage, safe)

[SickOfCalifornia]

Right now I'm driving a big rear-wheel drive Chevy truck. Out here in NW Austin/Lakeway area -- the roads get crazy slick with a rain. I find my truck fishtailing on street corners or coming out of a stop on a hill as the car looks for grip. I recently spun the car 120 degrees going into a turn at 12 mph in Cedar Park. I've had my tires checked and they are all-weather and not due for replacement.

My question: Would a 4WD version of the same SUV/truck make a difference? I know 4WD is usually reserved for ice storms or that once-a-decade Austin snow... but do you think a 4WD truck would be more stable on the slippery Austin roads? I see 4WD everywhere and just assumed it was a Texas macho thing more than a real necessity, but as winter approaches I'm wondering if it's just me or if the four-wheelers know something I don't.

[Austin97]

You need more weight in the bed. I switched to a crewmax model and that shifted the center of gravity enough to stop fishtailing. Also put a heavy bed cover on the bed. If you have to you can put sandbags in. I did that with my old truck

4wd wont really help the fishtailing

[Trainwreck20]

My dad had two big plastic totes of of sand he put in the bed of the truck for rainy days. Probably about 100 lbs by each rear wheel. Worked wonders.

[TexasRedneck]

As noted, it's the light weight of the truck rear end. I used to use lead "saddles" on the rear end itself - 75 lbs of weight over each side - to add weight without adding load to the bed itself (or to get in the way of the things I might carry. Worked well.

Ultimately, I went to a Crew Cab 3/4 ton truck and most of the problem is now gone. a 4x4 WOULD help - but only because of the additional weight of the running gear. Just add the ballast (unless you're looking for an excuse for another truck...lol).

[CarnivalGal]

Yes, 4WD will make a big difference. You can weigh down the bed as the others suggested, which will help. But if you leave the weight in all the time, your gas mileage will suffer quite a bit. It's also a pain in the rear to take the weight off/out and put it back on over and over again. And in the summer we can get pop up rain showers, so it's hard to plan ahead sometimes.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

Yes, 4WD will make a big difference. You can weigh down the bed as the others suggested, which will help. But if you leave the weight in all the time, your gas mileage will suffer quite a bit. It's also a pain in the rear to take the weight off/out and put it back on over and over again. And in the summer we can get pop up rain showers, so it's hard to plan ahead sometimes.

This isnt quite right.

The sliding and fishtailing issue is completely due to not enough weight on the rear wheels. The weight of a 4wd system can be as much as 400 lbs. And the weight isnt all centered over the rear wheels. The weight of a 4wd system can never be removed. It would be better to add a hard tonneau cover @ about 50 pounds and over the wheel storage bins filled with useful tools.

You cannot leave 4wd engaged all the time because it will destroy your truck/tires.

The one area where a 4wd system might help is if you are at a stop sign on a steep wet hill and your rwd cannot get you up a hill.

There was one particular stop on a hill I had to avoid if it was wet in my old truck, but my crewmax tundra can easily go up without being in 4wd.

Try putting the weight in the back first.

[RoamingTX]

It also has a lot to do with driving habits/torque bands. I've had a series of GMC Sierras over the past 20 years, and the recent ones are a little more prone to kicking the rear end out on a turn, as they're a little torquier than past models. Took a couple of weeks, but I learned how to accelerate into and out of turns in it.

Nothing was every as bad as my 89 5.0 Mustang though. Good grief that thing would spin donuts if you goosed it even a little.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Austin97

This isnt quite right.

The sliding and fishtailing issue is completely due to not enough weight on the rear wheels. The weight of a 4wd system can be as much as 400 lbs. And the weight isnt all centered over the rear wheels. The weight of a 4wd system can never be removed. It would be better to add a hard tonneau cover @ about 50 pounds and over the wheel storage bins filled with useful tools.

You cannot leave 4wd engaged all the time because it will destroy your truck/tires.

The one area where a 4wd system might help is if you are at a stop sign on a steep wet hill and your rwd cannot get you up a hill.

There was one particular stop on a hill I had to avoid if it was wet in my old truck, but my crewmax tundra can easily go up without being in 4wd.

Try putting the weight in the back first.

Depends on the 4WD system. I had one on my last car that was a "smart" 4WD system. I could engage it like a traditional 4WD system, but when it was off, it would still automatically engage if it sense a wheel start slipping. I think a lot of them work that way now.

And the mileage on newer 4WD trucks is pretty much the same as 2WD. Here's the MPG ratings for the F150, for example:

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymo...0_Pickup.shtml

[pop251808]

Honda Civic or Ford Focus.

[earthisle]

There is a thread on this topic in the automotive section. Unless you get a rare truck with a full time AWD system, it's not safe for wet roads. In the typical truck 4WD system, the front and rear axles are locked together so they can't turn at different speeds. On a road surface the drivetrain will bind, or one set of tires will break loose to spin and you will lose traction and crash

You could buy a vehicle with full time AWD.