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Old 09-01-2014, 01:00 PM   #41
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Originally Posted by Vermilye View Post
My biggest complaint about the RAV4 as a tow vehicle for the 17 is the size of the gas tank - 15 gallons. Although I do OK at an 15MPG average, headwinds can knock that down to under 10, which makes some of the drives between stations out west interesting.
That would certainly reward good planning. Our van and 17' trailer have about a 500 kilometre (300 mile) mountain highway range, which is just enough for me... I wouldn't want to be more constrained in stopping locations than that. We get better fuel economy, but we also have an 80 litre (21 USgal) tank.

My previous car (a Ford Focus) had about a 500 km range (not towing) which I would consider reasonable with a trailer, but seemed unnecessarily restrictive when trying to hit lower-cost refueling points.
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Old 09-01-2014, 06:50 PM   #42
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
That would be nice, and one might hope that after jacking up the price for the Denali trim level you could get functional improvements, but GM offers the same owners manual for all version of GMC Sierra 1500, and it contains this typical part-time-only 4WD warning:

Also, it warns of the other no-centre-differential issue:


A Yukon Denali (or Cadillac equivalent) is the corresponding SUV, and would presumably have a proper AWD system.

The uselessness of truck 4WD systems for highway use is one of the reasons that as I drive my two-wheel-drive car on winter highways, I see 4WD pickups in the ditch almost as much as any other type of vehicle... although the "winner" is the SUVs driven by incompetents who think they are invulnerable.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with diesels... except that if you buy a pickup just to get a diesel, you get a pickup.
I also remember being told that if you have 4WD, if you don't use it, you should put it in 4WD every so often to get the parts moving. Kinda like 4WD exercise.

Myself, as I get older ... er ... more experienced (:) I prefer AWD. Let the car/truck/SUV decide when it needs all 4 wheels, or any combination thereof to be gripping.

I drove a new, top-of-the-line "High Country" $54K Silverado which had a rotary dial drive select system that had "auto" as one of the selections. Didn't read the manual, but I'm sure it have some words of wisdom regarding the drive train in there somewhere.

I remember before I bought my first 4WD truck way back when, I asked my brother how do I know if the 4WD is working properly. He told me to simply engage 4W and make a tight turn on dry pavement. If it's working as it should, you should feel the front end hop because the inside wheel on the front end is turning more than the outside wheel. When the strain becomes great enough, the outside wheel will hop, or spin slightly to compensate. Ah, fun memories.
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Old 09-01-2014, 07:57 PM   #43
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Originally Posted by MarksAlot View Post
I remember before I bought my first 4WD truck way back when, I asked my brother how do I know if the 4WD is working properly. He told me to simply engage 4W and make a tight turn on dry pavement. If it's working as it should, you should feel the front end hop because the inside wheel on the front end is turning more than the outside wheel. When the strain becomes great enough, the outside wheel will hop, or spin slightly to compensate.
Close. The two front wheels don't fight each other, because there's a differential between them (in any streetable vehicle). The fight is between the front wheels and the rear... the fronts need to go faster in a turn.
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Old 09-01-2014, 08:06 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by MarksAlot View Post
I drove a new, top-of-the-line "High Country" $54K Silverado which had a rotary dial drive select system that had "auto" as one of the selections. Didn't read the manual, but I'm sure it have some words of wisdom regarding the drive train in there somewhere.
Ah, there it is... the "Automatic Four-Wheel Drive" mode of the automatic (not just regular electronic) transfer case. The warnings at the beginning of the Drive System section were about the other 4WD modes, not "automatic". This does appear to be a full-time 4WD mode... so if you pay enough, you can get ordinary SUV capability in a pickup truck.
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Old 09-02-2014, 12:44 PM   #45
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I was amazed that you can spend as much on a pickup as a nicely appointed BMW 5 series. Pricy! Worth it? You may need a 5'er.
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Old 09-02-2014, 12:52 PM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
That would be nice, and one might hope that after jacking up the price for the Denali trim level you could get functional improvements, but GM offers the same owners manual for all version of GMC Sierra 1500, and it contains this typical part-time-only 4WD warning:

Also, it warns of the other no-centre-differential issue:


A Yukon Denali (or Cadillac equivalent) is the corresponding SUV, and would presumably have a proper AWD system.

The uselessness of truck 4WD systems for highway use is one of the reasons that as I drive my two-wheel-drive car on winter highways, I see 4WD pickups in the ditch almost as much as any other type of vehicle... although the "winner" is the SUVs driven by incompetents who think they are invulnerable.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with diesels... except that if you buy a pickup just to get a diesel, you get a pickup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Close. The two front wheels don't fight each other, because there's a differential between them (in any streetable vehicle). The fight is between the front wheels and the rear... the fronts need to go faster in a turn.
Either way, your hoppin.
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Old 09-02-2014, 03:35 PM   #47
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Had a Subaru wagon, manual transmission, 4WD.
I had to engage 4x4 to get up the boat ramp, but at the top was a stop sign and main road ( paved ). Had to turn right or left. No other choice.
But, the Subaru didn't have the power to go around a corner on pavement in 4x4. Engine died, every time I tried.
So, went back to front-wheel-drive and burned rubber. Wheels were doing 50 kph, but the Subaru was only doing 3 kph.
I should have twigged then that the Subaru was not a tow vehicle.
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Old 09-02-2014, 04:30 PM   #48
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Ah, 'should have twigged' as in 'should have known' or 'should have figured out'. That's a new one on me. Is that a Canadian phrase?
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Old 09-02-2014, 05:31 PM   #49
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Ah, 'should have twigged' as in 'should have known' or 'should have figured out'. That's a new one on me. Is that a Canadian phrase?
I don't know. Grew up in too many places to figure it out.
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Old 09-02-2014, 10:43 PM   #50
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Ah, 'should have twigged' as in 'should have known' or 'should have figured out'. That's a new one on me. Is that a Canadian phrase?
twig - Wiktionary: From Irish and Scottish Gaelic tuig (“to understand”).
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