jmacavali
Fully Optimized
- Messages
- 4,867
Car guys...need some advice. I have a 2007 Dogde Dakota with shift on the fly 4x4. I live in Ohio and while we don't get alot of snow, some days we get enough for 4x4 to be necessary. Yesterday was one of those days, and it was also the first time I was able to use my 4 wheel drive. I was on an hour long road trip and ran into several different driving conditions and it raised questions about if I'm using it properly. Any advice on if I made the right choices? I don't want to end up ruining my transmission...LOL.
1. Unplowed, snow covered road: we had 3-4 inches of snowfall overnight and the back roads were completely snow covered. In this condition I know I'm able to use my 4 wheel drive and not worry about it.
2. Along the way I came to several main roads that intersected the back road I was driving on. These main roads were plowed and clear of all snow. Is it fine to cross these roads with the 4 wheel drive on?
3. Partially cleared road: Several spots along the way looked as if they had been plowed, leaving a very thin layer of compacted snow or had some de-icer spayed on them the night before, causing most of the snow to melt away. I wasn't sure what to do on these areas of the road. I turned the 4 wheel drive off and I was able to drive on them fine. The snow is not deep enough to need the 4 wheel drive, but I didn't know if it was necessary to turn it off, because I'd end up turning it back on again in a mile or so when the road become unplowed again.
4. Road that is partially cleared with tracks down each side. Anyone who's lived in a snowy area will know what I mean. The roads develop tire tracks where all the cars have driven. These spots are mostly down to the pavement, but if you get out of the tracks, the road is snow covered. This was the condition on my way home. I didn't use my 4 wheel drive for most of it since it was clear pavement.
5. The last bit of road I ran into was on my way home. It was much later in the afternoon and most of the roads were plowed and clear. However as I was driving I would run into sections of road (less than 1/2 mile long) that had drifted. They were drifted bad enough that you couldn't tell where the sides of the roads ended and the fields started. I used my 4 wheel drive until I was through them, but my question about this is can the shift on the fly be switched on/off/on/off/on/off/on/off... like I had to do to get through the drifted parts?
Don't think I'm an idiot though. I've never had 4 wheel drive on a vehicle and am not really a 'car guy'. The salesman gave me some general advice, but it sounded almost more like a scare tatic to keep me from using it and now I'm concered I'm going to do something wrong.
Thanks!
1. Unplowed, snow covered road: we had 3-4 inches of snowfall overnight and the back roads were completely snow covered. In this condition I know I'm able to use my 4 wheel drive and not worry about it.
2. Along the way I came to several main roads that intersected the back road I was driving on. These main roads were plowed and clear of all snow. Is it fine to cross these roads with the 4 wheel drive on?
3. Partially cleared road: Several spots along the way looked as if they had been plowed, leaving a very thin layer of compacted snow or had some de-icer spayed on them the night before, causing most of the snow to melt away. I wasn't sure what to do on these areas of the road. I turned the 4 wheel drive off and I was able to drive on them fine. The snow is not deep enough to need the 4 wheel drive, but I didn't know if it was necessary to turn it off, because I'd end up turning it back on again in a mile or so when the road become unplowed again.
4. Road that is partially cleared with tracks down each side. Anyone who's lived in a snowy area will know what I mean. The roads develop tire tracks where all the cars have driven. These spots are mostly down to the pavement, but if you get out of the tracks, the road is snow covered. This was the condition on my way home. I didn't use my 4 wheel drive for most of it since it was clear pavement.
5. The last bit of road I ran into was on my way home. It was much later in the afternoon and most of the roads were plowed and clear. However as I was driving I would run into sections of road (less than 1/2 mile long) that had drifted. They were drifted bad enough that you couldn't tell where the sides of the roads ended and the fields started. I used my 4 wheel drive until I was through them, but my question about this is can the shift on the fly be switched on/off/on/off/on/off/on/off... like I had to do to get through the drifted parts?
Don't think I'm an idiot though. I've never had 4 wheel drive on a vehicle and am not really a 'car guy'. The salesman gave me some general advice, but it sounded almost more like a scare tatic to keep me from using it and now I'm concered I'm going to do something wrong.
Thanks!