Offroad-Express

When you refer to your 'truck' is it a '4x4' or a '4wd'??

I believe the term 4wd became popular once all these "soft" off-roaders came on the road. These are also called All Wheel Drives.

I drive the original and use the term 4x4.

I drive the original and use the term 4x4.

The jeep isn't the original 4x4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4x4#History

TJ wrote:I believe the term 4wd became popular once all these "soft" off-roaders came on the road. These are also called All Wheel Drives.

Am I right in saying though that a 4wd is not really the same as an Awd and visa-versa because of the technology used??, But I'm guessing you are refering to 'IFS', Invented For Shopping (love that term ), Urban 4wd's and the like, the wee beasts that mum's take the kids to school in??

TJ wrote:I drive the original and use the term 4x4.

Spoken like a true jeep owner

Jerry wrote:

I drive the original and use the term 4x4.

The jeep isn't the original 4x4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4x4#History

Details...

It wasn't till the Willys/Jeep started the trend that 4x4s became a main stay for civilian use. Let me correct it then, I drive the trendsetter and use the term 4x4.

Azza wrote:Am I right in saying though that a 4wd is not really the same as an Awd and visa-versa because of the technology used??, But I'm guessing you are refering to 'IFS', Invented For Shopping (love that term ), Urban 4wd's and the like, the wee beasts that mum's take the kids to school in??

Spoken like a true jeep owner

The likes of CRV and RAV4 normally have 4wd written on the sides. Subaru uses the term all wheel drive. Audi uses the term quattro. Non of these have low boxes, so I call them soft off-roader.

As for my comment, well I am a Jeepaholic through and through.

TJ wrote:The likes of CRV and RAV4 normally have 4wd written on the sides. Subaru uses the term all wheel drive. Audi uses the term quattro. Non of these have low boxes, so I call them soft off-roader.

So I guess that if you don't have Hi/Lo ratio in your truck then you have a 4wd

So what makes a 4x4?? (other than being a jeep! ) if I have Lo ratio does it mean I have a 4x4 and not a 4wd??

As long as you don't have a a full-time single-speed system designed to supply drive power to all four wheels (i.e. AWD or 4WD), you are driving a 4x4 in my book. On a CRV, you have no choice it just works on its own depending on wheel spin and load.

Most of here would have 4H and 4L available to us (most of the time), so these would all be 4x4s.

This is not questioning whether you have full-time or part-time system. Thats a whole different debate. For example, Wranglers have a part-time system and can shift into 4H on the fly, but I cannot drive on hard pavement in 4H or 4L without distroying my drivetrain. My transfer case is locked internally to supply power to both ends (front and back) when 4H or 4L is engaged. A Grand Cherokee has a full-time system that splits the torque based on slippage (viscous coupling) in the transfer. These are both 4x4 as they have 4H and 4L.

To me 4x4 is an American thing, and you need to say it properly... fourrrrrrrrbarfourrrrrrr (with rich southern roll of the rrrrrrrrr). Other then the uncouth bunch down the far south nobody else in NZ can say it properly.

As for the Hi/Lo bit... some Subaru Outbacks (or is it the Jap version - Grand Wagon or something) have Hi/Lo and they are just Awd. If it's got a centre diff and is always driving every wheel then it's Awd. Some Awd's can lock the centre diff which would then make it a 4wd.

Hahaha... how's that? Who the hell knows really. By coincidence (I looked this up after I typed the above) here's what Wikipedia says:

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four") is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously.

The term four-wheel drive describes truck-like vehicles that require the driver to manually switch between two-wheel drive mode for streets and four-wheel drive mode for low traction conditions such as ice, mud, snow, slippery surfaces, or loose gravel. All-wheel drive (AWD) is often used to describe a "full time" 4WD that may be used on dry pavement without destroying the drivetrain (It should be noted that "Full-Time" 4WD can be disengaged, and the center differential can be locked; essentially turning it into regular 4WD. Whereas AWD cannot be disengaged and the center differential cannot be locked.) [1][2], although the term may be abused when marketing a vehicle.

Oh... and it also says:

The Jeep Wrangler is a 4WD vehicle with a transfer case to select low range or high range 4WD.

TJ wrote:As long as you don't have a a full-time single-speed system designed to supply drive power to all four wheels (i.e. AWD or 4WD), you are driving a 4x4 in my book. On a CRV, you have no choice it just works on its own depending on wheel spin and load.

Most of here would have 4H and 4L available to us (most of the time), so these would all be 4x4s.

This is not questioning whether you have full-time or part-time system. Thats a whole different debate. For example, Wranglers have a part-time system and can shift into 4H on the fly, but I cannot drive on hard pavement in 4H or 4L without distroying my drivetrain. My transfer case is locked internally to supply power to both ends (front and back) when 4H or 4L is engaged. A Grand Cherokee has a full-time system that splits the torque based on slippage (viscous coupling) in the transfer. These are both 4x4 as they have 4H and 4L.

Well I have manual locking hubs with optional Hi/Lo 4wd, so I guess I have a 4x4

But.... what happens when I select 2wd?.. does my 4x4 get degraded to something else?? a 4x2? or a 2wd?

it's all about as clear as the mud that covers my truck

Mark wrote:Oh... and it also says:

The Jeep Wrangler is a 4WD vehicle with a transfer case to select low range or high range 4WD.

Well, that's just thown a huge spanner in the works! Now I don't know what to think!

Maybe I have a 4wd masquerading as a 4x4, masquerading as a 4wd.... sheesh!

Az

Well, without locking differentials all 4x4s are really 2 wheel drive anyway. So who really cares what you call them as long as the skiny pedal works and wheels spin when needed.

BTW, wikipedia is edited by just about anybody so always take that information with a grain of salt.

TJ wrote:Well, without locking differentials all 4x4s are really 2 wheel drive anyway.

WTF!!

Even without locking diffs, surely all 4 wheels are getting power from the engine, even though some are spinning wildly so... I guess I have a 4x4 except when I don't have full traction, in that case I in fact have a 4x2 or hopefully a 4x3 if conditions are good?

I know for sure, I probably have a 4wd cause I don't go shopping in it and I have Hi/Lo ratio must be a 4x4, in theory at least

But then again, after what Mark posted... perhaps it's really a 4wd and not a 4x4 at all

Yours in confusion, Az

In my book its just different ways of expressing similar things.

A 4x4 has four wheels, four of which can have drive to them.

A 2x4 has four wheels, two of which can have drive to them.

A 4wd has an undisclosed amount of wheels but at least four of them can have drive to them.

A 2wd has an undisclosed amount of wheels but at least two of them can have drive to them.

A Awd has an undisclosed amount of wheels but all of the wheels it does have can have drive to them.

It doesn't matter if they all have drive at the same time or not, its about potential about mechanical drive trains and diffs and axles.

My guess would be that the term Awd has been used for fulltime 4wd road cars to save confusion with what is become commonly knows as 4wd or 4x4 (interchangeably) which is off road vehicles.

4x4, fwd and awd are all patiented trademarks they are the same thing just someone painted the word grouping and charged the manufacturers or sold it to them the manufacturers now register every car badge name because of this, cant remember but I think it was a American that did it and sued for breach in the us settled out of court from memory this was when Subaru changed to AWD to avoid the conflict

What about the Australian-ism "Fourbee" (spelt phoenitically)

Does it all really matter?