using 4x4 in the rain?

[nicochip69]

It was raining the road was slick everytime i came to a stop i was spinning my back wheels. I threw the truck in 4wd mode it was not slipping anymore. Am I damaging the 4x4 using it on the wet road i feel safer in the 4x4 mode.

[vw1972bugs]

not really, dont take to many turns in 4x4 on pavement and keep the speed low (-50mph)

[Batman229]

dont jump on the gas and your tires wont spin

[nicochip69]

i didn't jump on the gas it kept spinning out until i threw into 4wd drive and i got great traction. I just dont want to damage the 4wd system

[Ape0r]

As long as you keep the steering dead on it isn't a problem. Do not go around corners on pavement with 4x4 engaged. Go easier on the gas. In general in my truck (albeit a Chevy and not a Titan, but then, they're all equally crappy in rain), I can keep traction during 95% of wet starts. The last time I went out for a drive in the rain, the only time I lost traction out back was when I was starting from a red light uphill. My automatic locker takes care of that for me, but I still try to go easy.

The only real solution is to go easier on it.

Again, do not use 4x4 on pavement, wet or not.

[OnebadSE]

Part time 4WD shouldn't be used on DRY pavement. It's fine for any surface that is somewhat slippery...including wet pavement. I've used 4WD in the rain for 20 years for just the reason mentioned....traction from a stop. Your owners manual as well as anyone driving 4X4s for a long time will tell you the same.
Now dry pavement use can wear out the tires and put undo stress on the entire 4WD system but, the tires being the parts with the most give, will be the parts that suffer most.

[skycruiser]

If you guys are seriously spinning your tires when you're not trying to, then it would seem to me that there is something seriously wrong with your truck. Not once in my life has this happened to me. But then again, I don't treat every red light like a dragstrip. Now an icy road, that's another story, but a wet road?

[drags1998]

If your telling US that you cant take off from a stop,without spinning your wheels, Then YOU MUST RUSH TO YOUR DEALER TOMORROW!!!!!! DONT DRIVE ANY MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!THE PROBLEM IS ONE OF TWO THINGS!!!!!!!! 1. YOUR FRONT BRAKES ARE LOCKED-UP!!!!!(withall of the brake problems, thats possible) or 2. YOUR TRUCK HAS WAY TO MUCH POWER FOR YOU TO HANDLE!!!(only known fix is to trade it!!!!!) G.M.A.F.BREAK,And dont forget to take it out of 4wd when you do go to the DEALER!!!!!!!!!

[vatrpr]

Originally Posted by drags1998

If your telling US that you cant take off from a stop,without spinning your wheels, Then YOU MUST RUSH TO YOUR DEALER TOMORROW!!!!!! DONT DRIVE ANY MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!THE PROBLEM IS ONE OF TWO THINGS!!!!!!!! 1. YOUR FRONT BRAKES ARE LOCKED-UP!!!!!(withall of the brake problems, thats possible) or 2. YOUR TRUCK HAS WAY TO MUCH POWER FOR YOU TO HANDLE!!!(only known fix is to trade it!!!!!) G.M.A.F.BREAK,And dont forget to take it out of 4wd when you do go to the DEALER!!!!!!!!!

That's pretty funny and I would have to agree. If you cannot control the gas good enough that you are spinning that frequently, then you have some serious driving issues or your truck is like none that I have ever driven in my lifetime.

[Ape0r]

LMAO@drags1998 #2. Yeah. I wanted to say it too.

[gstlouis]

Shouldn't the ABLS kick in to stop the spinning tire? Don't all Titans have ABLS?

I was driving today in lightly snow covered roads with out any problems, I slid slightly making a turn from dead stop in 2wd, but it would have been alot worse in my old truck.

Greg

[OnebadSE]

The ABLS does seem to help the problem for the Titan, and no, not all Titans have it. Other trucks, my Frontier 4X4 SC for instance, needed to be thrown into 4WD in the rain if either pulling out of a side road briskly or from a light....sometimes.

If you've NEVER had your rear wheels spin in a light-arsed pick-up in the rain while quickly pulling out of a side road, or pulling away from a light on a hill, you're OLD!....lol

I'm sure he didn't mean ALL THE TIME, but in some situations where you need to pull out rather quickly for safety reasons, in the wet, your wheels can spin, slowing you way down. A quick switch to 4WD takes care of this.
I do have to say I haven't had this problem so far in the Titan, probably because it's much heavier but, I still throw it in anyhow at times to be sure.

[cali-titan]

Yo may want to check your tires, it is not normal to spin the wheels when not trying, but in the other hand, "Better to be safe than sorry" so throw it in 4x4 until you find what is wrong, who knows maybe the rain brought the oil to the surface and made the conditions difficult for you... hope everything is ok with your truck.
Good luck.

[Finnattic]

skycruiser
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Member Number: 5928
Posts: 8 If you guys are seriously spinning your tires when you're not trying to, then it would seem to me that there is something seriously wrong with your truck. Not once in my life has this happened to me. But then again, I don't treat every red light like a dragstrip. Now an icy road, that's another story, but a wet road?

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Today, 09:00 PM #8
drags1998
Registered User


Join Date: Aug 2004
Member Number: 4668
Location: Minot,Maine
Posts: 127 If your telling US that you cant take off from a stop,without spinning your wheels, Then YOU MUST RUSH TO YOUR DEALER TOMORROW!!!!!! DONT DRIVE ANY MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!THE PROBLEM IS ONE OF TWO THINGS!!!!!!!! 1. YOUR FRONT BRAKES ARE LOCKED-UP!!!!!(withall of the brake problems, thats possible) or 2. YOUR TRUCK HAS WAY TO MUCH POWER FOR YOU TO HANDLE!!!(only known fix is to trade it!!!!!) G.M.A.F.BREAK,And dont forget to take it out of 4wd when you do go to the DEALER!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Batman229

dont jump on the gas and your tires wont spin

quote skycruiser

"If you guys are seriously spinning your tires when you're not trying to, then it would seem to me that there is something seriously wrong with your truck. Not once in my life has this happened to me. But then again, I don't treat every red light like a dragstrip. Now an icy road, that's another story, but a wet road"?



With over 400 foot pounds torque dyno proven I spin when I'm not even trying on dry pavement let alone in the rain especially without true limited slip. For me the ABLS doesn't satisfy. It doesn't matter, say if your distracted and you look up to see the light has changed green, tap the gas and bark the tires...I did it in front of two cops at the light not even meaning too. Lucked out and they drove off.
..
I'm saying in the rain with out true limited slip it spins too much for me...

On dry pavement sure, it's not like I spin out every time by accident. Just once in a while...

[K-MU]

Get better tires and you will see a world of difference... for my TOYO Open Country tires work awsome in the RAIN, also mud, sand, dry pavement, highway, anything...