There has been some discussion here lately about part-time 4x4's and whether or not it makes a quad quicker or better handling. Well, I just picked up a copy of this months ATV Action, and there's a couple of things in there that might shed some light on the issue.

Talking about the Scrambler 500 they say...
"On dirt roads, slip the machine into 2WD and you will have a blast steering with the back end...If you want to go a little faster, just click it into On-Demand 4WD and rail around the turns with confidence."

Elsewhere in the issue, they interview Mike Penland, who gives some tips on driving a 4x4. He says
"On machines with full-time 4WD, you can't slide the rear end like a 2WD, which changes the way you go around turns. You can use more throttle earlier without risking spinning out on four-bys."

As everyone knows, the more you are on the gas, the faster you are going to cover ground.

Again, elsewhere in the issue, when talking about the Kodiak;"The handling on the 4WD version is spectacular when in 4WD, but the 2WD has a squirrely back end."

This would seem to support the idea that with two identical quads, the one in 4WD will cover the same ground quicker. The main advantage that 2WD quads have is lighter weight, which is not an advantage shared by part-time 4WD quads running in 2WD.

The only advantage of selectable 2/4WD seems to be reduced steering effort in some cases, and the fun factor. The disadvantages include increased expense, complexity, weight and number of things that can go wrong.

 

That about sums it up. And I personally like having a switchable 4wd button. Put in 2wd for the power sliding, 4wd for the mudding and covering groud quickly.

I disagree about one thing in that article. I don't find the Kodiak to be Squirrely back end when in 2wd. I find that back end to do what I want it to do when in 2wd mode.

 

The high speed handling goes to the 2x4 by a long shot. However the 4x4 will out mud, and to a certain extent out climb a 2x4. Buying a full time 4x4 limits you on the handling side, and buying a 2x4 limits you on the traction side. So why not have the best of both worlds and buy a 4x4 quad with a 2x4 option?!

Rick

 

Power siding is not just fun but it gets you around tight corner better because you you are limited to you turning radius of the quad in 4wd mode.In 2wd if I need to turn a sharp right on a tight trail and there is not enough space to turn I just hit the gas hard and the back kicks out untill I,m facing the right direction.If Im on a small dirt road and want to turn around I may have to do a 3 point turn or go down in the side ditchs to get turned around in 4wd. In 2wd I just gas it and spin a donut right in the middle of the road and I,m off,try that move in 4wd and see what happens!No I just can not see the advantage of a full time 4wd machine.A good example of this was a comparison I read between a 2wd Rancher and 4wd Rancher,they said the 2wd model was much easier to ride at a fast pace through the trails.