Technical ISH Q about the 4 wheel system on frontys

[pacman11]

Just arsing around and came across this [linkurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw&feature=related]youtube link[/linkurl] displaying different manufacturers 4 wheel drive systems, simulating driving on ice, driving up an incline of rollers ect...

I know fronteras are old and cannot be compared really (or can they?) to these new modern vehicles, but how would the frontera cope in this test as shown in the link.

I have seen the carwash videos of fronties wading through rivers and going places the green oval brigade think is theirs and theirs alone! but how exactly does the 4x4 work on a fronty.. I have zilch knowledge about this side and would love to understand.. You know like why its not full time or why cant it be engaged on tarmac and all that stuff..

Take the recent weather over the past few days, not full blown snow but enough to make cars spin/slide ect, is it ok to use the 4x4 on normal roads when there is a bit of sleet/slush or would it break it?

(no sniggering at the newb please!)

[gregster]

Have a read through this mate...should answer a lot of your questions
http://www.fronteraowners.co.uk/wiki/index.php/4WD_FAQ/Guide

Bascially though, you frontera is rwd, but the front end can be locked to the rear to give 4wd...this means there is no centre differential unlike a landy that is designed to be permanent 4wd, so wheel speed difference from front to rear is not an option. This is fine on surfaces where traction is limited, but wind up will occur when on a grippy surface as the tyres cant slip to loose the difference when turning corners.
So if the surface is slippy then you are fine using your 4wd, but when you hit the dry gripy stuff shift your transfer case into 2wd...

[woodwizzard]

I wonder how accurate that youtube test is, seeing as its a scooby advert If the honda and yota can't/won't transmit power to the rear wheels when the fronts slip, then what is the point of them and would those two top manufacturers really release cars that don't work I have a pal with one of those honda thingys and the system works fine on wet grass slopes. Respect to the scoob though

[jmc]

Some thoughts on 4 wheel drive which has baffled me until last year in the snow.
Firstly Do not use on tarmac wet or dry.
Idiot (me) guide to 4 wheel drive.
STOP the fronty.
Change into 4 wheel drive.this engages the front hubs.
Drive off in 4 wheel drive on slush or snow. When you get to a bare bit of tarmac change back into 2 wheel drive while still on the move.This was a revelation to me as I thought that you had to stop to do this
When you get back to slush or snow change back into 4 wheel drive.
When the road was patchy with alternate bare tarmac and packed snow or slush I found that it was ok to drive in 4 wheel drive as long as one front wheel was on slush or snow ,usually the nearside one, even if the other one was on bare but wet tarmac.
I was so pleased to find out that it was ok to change from 2 to 4 wheel drive while going along. Somebody on here told me it was ok.
Its also ok to leave the front hubs looked while using 2 wheel drive but I tended to unlock them by going in reverse for 10 feet as,the fronty felt slightly different with them engaged and I was worried about this its possible they need a bit of greasing.
I wont be using mine this winter until .I find he fault on mine which is off the road at the moment.
Please do check with others about this I think its ok what I've posted
Hope this helps.

[gazza1591]

I never knew you could change from 4x4 to 2wd while on the move in a A series ?

[Big Dav]

Yep Gazza, so long as your hubs are "locked" prior to making the change.

[meooo]

You can at very low speed, and if you can double de-clutch

[gregster]

Is 70mph low enough...

Seriously though...dont try that...get used to it slow then maybe a bit quicker...Only loons do 70 in the snow

Works fine, just dip the clutch so you dont have wheel spin at all, or dragslip from engine breaking...

[pacman11]

Cheers for the link, and thanks jmc thats what I was after. So would say a 300tdi disco need to be driven the same way or can you run em in 4 wheel drive anywhere?

(I did wonder about that video as well, a tad biased but still worth a watch)

[Big Dav]

If running on the original transmissions, the Disco' will always be in 4wd - it has a centre differential to allow for the different axles speeds between the front and rear axles to prevent wind-up. The Disco would have a "diff-lock" switch which makes the centre diff solid which in effect, makes a Disco more Frontera-like when in 4wd.