declaring ignorance- awd vs 4wd.

[l8vceagle]

Sorry Guys, 1st off, Congrats to all who are holding up those monsters in the previous post.

I tried to do a search on this subject, but really came up with nothing. I think I have to get rid of my 96 Jeep Gr. Cherokee, and I am looking at getting a newer model. My old Jeep has part time 4 wd. The only off roading I do is to SLOWLY drive down the beach in Assateague to fish. The vehicle I am looking at is has a quadrotrac AWD. Not a part time 4wd, so I don't control when it is in 4wd, it is always in 4wd.

My question is, will AWD be what I want it to be? Will it get me safely down the beach a couple miles to pull in some fish, and get me off the beach without busting out my shovel and boards??

Any opinions? Sorry for the non fishing talk. Thanks for the help, I am missing my old Jeep already.

[ffemtreed]

As long as you have good clearance and air down you should be fine.

[l8vceagle]

thanks Jim, that does make me feel better. The AWD doesn't give me the control of putting it into 4wd, it just does it by itself. I've been driving on Assagteague for 3 yrs now and never had a problem. (of course I drive rather gingerly and enjoy my ride down the beach.) I can't see myself getting into that much trouble with AWD. thanks for replying.

[ffemtreed]

just don't so anything stupid and you'll be fine. If you are just driving on AI you will be good. The 4X4 comes in real handy when you need to go up an incline something like that. AI is pretty flat with relatively no incline.

[Steve]

You are correct in stating that you won't have control of the gears.
I have heard that the AWD wear out faster because everything is turning all the time. On the flip side, I've heard that the AWD kept 'em from getting stuck 'cuz they didn't realize they were getting into a situation that called for all the wheels to pull. Also heard that AWD uses more fuel. Heck, if they were so bad, would there still be a market for them?
I personally prefer 4x4, but hey, that's just me.
There is good and bad in everything.
Pick a reliable model, READ the reviews on a site like edmunds.com and exercise your fiscal responsibilities.

[Dave]

the only problem I have with awd is the fact that if you do start to dig for some unforseen reason, you have no backup, I like the feeling of knowing I have 4lo and 4hi if needed. Another problem you may want to think about is , if you are (not saying you are) one of those people that think a tire is a tire and mix and match brands or sizes you can destroy you transfer case that way due to the different loads on each of the axle halves. The differentials are also different than what you would have on a typical selectable 4wd. The diffs on an awd for the most part are more of a true locking diff, which gives you more grab that limited slip but that can also hurt (say just helping you dig deeper). If you do get the awd, just be sure to air down and take it easy, if you start to spin ease off try reverse and if that still doesnt work, stick some boards under your tires for some added grip. Either way you should be just fine.