4x4 Options?

Question

I want a detailed explanation please so I can award the best answer properally, whoever gives the best argument and convinces me gets the gold :)

I'm looking at getting a 4x4 for the winter, I want to know whats better and why: Automatic Trans or Manual Trans

Some people have said one or the other and said its better, even people who are die hard manual drivers have said AUTO TRANS FOR 4x4

Thank you :)

This is for a 91 4Runner V6 :)

And to the guy who said AWD, what are you smoking, I asked TRANSMISSION Options not RWD/FWD/AWD :/

Answer 1

Ok so this question makes me ask a few... have you ever driven a manual transmission? are you any good at it? what are you going to be doing with this 4x4? where do you live (i.e. what are the road conditions going to be like in the winter)?
I personally am a die-hard manual fan. I think they are awesome and have always served my purposes well. I used to haul horses and livestock for rodeos all the time and since I grew up in Southern Colorado I had to drive mountain passes to get anywhere. When you are hauling a trailer I prefer being able to slow down using the gears instead of burning out your brakes. But that's not what you asked. If snow conditions are present and the roads are icy, manuals are a better bet. You can downshift and slowly slow down- if you have an automatic you have to use the brakes and you are more likely to go into a skid (trust me, I have done that even when i just tapped the brakes). It is true that automatics have a smoother ride, but I personally hate having the car do everything for me. If someone is truly good at driving a manual then you should barely be able to tell that it is a manual versus and automatic. If you are going to be majorly going off road then I would recommend an automatic. The last thing you would want to do is be out in the middle of nowhere and stall, and since forward momentum is no longer there you are gonna get stuck. I have been four wheeling for a long time, and that seems to be a transmission of choice in rock crawling and actual four wheeling. So I guess it just depends on what your purpose is going to be, but I don't think that just because it is a 4x4 means that it should have a different transmission. i think that it all depends on the driver and how much interaction they want to have with their vehicle and the road around them.

Answer 2

Auto trans for certain...with a manual if you have to go up hill you have to worry about using the clutch and in some cases you need you foot on the break and gas pedals at the same time you cant do that with a manual trans its almost imposible I have been in situations where if I didnt have my foot on the gas and the break at the same time I would have gone over the side of a hill and not on my wheels either

Answer 3

i have driven both and an automatic is easier to negotiate during the winter months. it has less slippage and allows for easier driving. now the manual has its advantages as well. you can put it in a higher gear to allow for less slippage and more torque but harder to drive with snow on your feet. i own a full time 4x4 jeep with an automatic and i am very happy with it. i do have the 5.9L in mine so winter or summer i have all the power i need. now i know we are talking transmissions here but you should also look at the locking hubs. some of the auto locking hubs arent very reliable and manual hubs require you to get out but some of them are bullet proof

Answer 4

If you've never driven a 4X4 before then go Automatic.
I wonder though if you have overlooked what's really important, & that is that not all 4X4's are created equal, & require a bit of research between makes & models to find out what 4X4 configuration suites you best. The differences are in the different function selections of the drive.

Answer 5

The automatic is better because the trans does the work of being smooth and steady when required. If you try to use the clutch and gas you will not be as smooth as the automatic. They have them in buses and in transport trucks now. So the engineers have figured it out

Answer 6

my self i like the auto trans but the manual trans is good to because if your starter goes out you can push start it the auto you can't the best for the snow i would say is the manual trans

Answer 7

Detailed answer? Get a manual trans if that's what you prefer, get an automatic if that's what you prefer, simple as that. 4x4 is 4x4.

Answer 8

having owned ajeep with manual 4 8 years & a saturn vue 4 last 3 years with all wheel drive i believe all wheel drive best option . my wife drives this to work every morning @ 6am most times before snow plows clear up city streets .we live in snow belt east canada .all wheel drive completely seamless & goof proof.

Answer 9

2wd is for street section time is for snowing street once ur decrease back wheels spin a touch this is going to kick in it to shop gas and 4low in if you're mudding and stuff locks it in for perfect traction and the motor nevertheless a astonishing motor

Answer 10

Gold? Since when have they started awarding gold?

Auto.... dispenses torque more evenly, if you can wrap your mind around that.