I don't want to re-write it depends, but there is no other answer. It depends on the weather, the time of the year, and whether or not you try to get through the muddiest part of the trail or want the challenge of getting through the worst in 4wd. I admit, 4wd really does make a big difference in the snow though. However, sport quads would do so much better if they didn't insist on manufacturing them with 20" tires, with chain drives that use up a lot of clearance. Imagine this, a 700 Raptor with the added clearance associated with a shaft drive and 23" tires similar to what's on a Wolverine. 9 out of 10 time a Raptor or any other sport quad gets stuck largely do to the lack of rear ground clearance. The reason most people who have 4wd don't need to use 4wd because they have at least 25" tires or better that provide 8 or more inches of clearance compared to the 3 1/2 under the rear sprocket normally found in the rear of a sport quad. Granted there are extreme circumstances that will require 4wd, but for the most part it wouldn't be needed as long as there is good rear ground clearance. I hardly ever need to use 4wd on my Wolverine because the ground clearance is never less than 8" (suspension loading doesn't use clearance compared to an IRS) thanks to the small shaft drive and the 23" tires. The result, it never gets hung up causing it so get stuck. I would love to see a sport quad with 25" tires in the rear, good splash protection and at least a minimum of 10" of rear ground clearance. For some reason, some idiots in the research and marketing department insist sport quads need 20" tires for better handling. Imagine how versatile a stock Raptor would be if you were to put the 23" Maxxis from a Wolverine on it. No doubt it would get stuck much less due to the additional couple inches of clearance. Not to mention the lighter weight of a sport quad would be much easier to hold it's own in 2wd without the additional weight 4wds have to push. Kawasaki seemed to grasp this idea somewhat with their V force by outfitting it with 22" tires.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: STRAIGHTUPDAHILL

a 350 lb quad hurts enough when it land on you..these big monsters they got now would kill ya</end quote></div>

Dude u r supposed to ride ontop of quad. if u have quads landing on u id take some lessons or something. When it lands on u! whats wrong with u?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: jetmotoracer

if you know how to ride and have aknough power then 2wd is fine i hate my moms forman its a tank and it has no power.... as far as hitting the throttle and the front comeing up... but i dont relly ride it but when i do every time i go around a turn in a trail, it wants to flip... i would never think of climbing or pit riding it....</end quote></div>

Knowing how to ride huh. Thats kinda funny seeing u dont go anywhere that u need it huh. next time u go out to a puddle or something stop in the middle and start going again let me see your all knowing 2wd get out with u on it.
Hey u 2wd guys,Let me see u put a front wheel on a tree and climb your quad straight up it and park. I can on mine. let me see u guys try and get over some fallen trees or climb up some rocks in 2wd. Ive got a couple washes here in the mountains that say your 2wd better stick to the groomed trails. U guys would have no chance to follow us 4wd guys much farther then that. but I guess when u have 2wd quads landing on u you r kinda busy thinking damn should have gotten a 4 wd huh

 

Sorry i just noticed yamaha on this thread. thats your problem.go get a polaris 4wd that u can switch in and out of 4wd with. My 800 sportsman can ride wheelies all day long and yup shes heavy but I dont have to worry about lifting her out of anything cause its got 4wd. I can run 70 miles per hour for miles and pull those little yamahas behind me. our military use these same quads. i dont see em useing no yamahas. u will know when u get into some stuff that a 2wd is crap unless u stay on roads and ride like my grandma. yamaha thats funny

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>I would love to see a sport quad with 25" tires in the rear, good splash protection and at least a minimum of 10" of rear ground clearance. For some reason, some idiots in the research and marketing department insist sport quads need 20" tires for better handling. Imagine how versatile a stock Raptor would be if you were to put the 23" Maxxis from a Wolverine on it.</end quote></div>

Can,t a person just put on larger tires on any ATV if they want? My friend put on 24" Swamp Witch tires from his stock 22" tires on a 2wd 300 Lakota and its much better at getting through stuff that once stopped him.

 

You would think that but when I tried it on my 660, 22" tires rubbed on the wheel wells. I'm thinking a 2wd sport quad with tires no less than 23"; but with good sport characteristics using a sport profile and stiff sidewalls to prevent them from under roll when sliding sideways under power. I'm not just talking about just putting a more aggressive tire on it, a sport tire but in at least a 23" size or better.

 

There is no 2wd sport quad that could fulfill all the demands I place on my 4wd utility quad. That said, count me among the users of 4wd quads who ride in 2wd most of the time. On the one hand it's a work machine where I use 4wd to get wood, winching logs and pulling a trailer loaded with firewood, on the other hand I've actually put more time on it riding trails, mostly in 2wd mode. One exception is riding on deep soft sand. When we hit the dunes and sand trails in the Oregon Dunes Nat. Rec. Area (Map & photos on My Rancher 420 Page below) engaging 4wd really makes it more fun; the machine just rips around more eagerly on sand in 4wd. While light-weight 2wd sport quads with paddle tires are in their element on sand, my heavier 4wd utility quad does just fine in this environment, thank you very much [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

It's the versatility that I need which makes a 4wd utility the best choice for me. A 2wd sport quad would be the right choice for another type of user. I see that many who have the luxury of keeping multiple quads often have a mix of these two types, which suggests each type is effective for it's intended purpose.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: dosceola

Sorry i just noticed yamaha on this thread. thats your problem.go get a polaris 4wd that u can switch in and out of 4wd with. My 800 sportsman can ride wheelies all day long and yup shes heavy but I dont have to worry about lifting her out of anything cause its got 4wd. I can run 70 miles per hour for miles and pull those little yamahas behind me. our military use these same quads. i dont see em useing no yamahas. u will know when u get into some stuff that a 2wd is crap unless u stay on roads and ride like my grandma. yamaha thats funny</end quote></div>


NOONE ASKED FOR ANY BRAND BASHING HERE. So go back to the Honda channel. There are a lot of other people who ride other brands that have responded and noone made fun of any brand till you got here. HMMM whats that about?

If you cant get that little 800 sportsman stuck you got problems come to arkansas and you can bury that thing here. My yamaha will go anywhere (sanely) I need to go and a lot of places that I dont need to go.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ctateusa1

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: dosceola



Sorry i just noticed yamaha on this thread. thats your problem.go get a polaris 4wd that u can switch in and out of 4wd with. My 800 sportsman can ride wheelies all day long and yup shes heavy but I dont have to worry about lifting her out of anything cause its got 4wd. I can run 70 miles per hour for miles and pull those little yamahas behind me. our military use these same quads. i dont see em useing no yamahas. u will know when u get into some stuff that a 2wd is crap unless u stay on roads and ride like my grandma. yamaha thats funny</end quote></div>






NOONE ASKED FOR ANY BRAND BASHING HERE. So go back to the Honda channel. There are a lot of other people who ride other brands that have responded and noone made fun of any brand till you got here. HMMM whats that about?



If you cant get that little 800 sportsman stuck you got problems come to arkansas and you can bury that thing here. My yamaha will go anywhere (sanely) I need to go and a lot of places that I dont need to go.</end quote></div>





Isn't that how it starts, someone has to pick out a brand and start knocking it. I wouldn't say 2wd's are useless at all, and there is definitely a place on the trails for them, but when it comes to not getting hung up on a rut or rock in any amount of mud, that's when the 2wd's suck. Most of the time, you can find an alternate route around those problem spots anyway but when you can't, that 3% of the time you need it, you'll wish you had it, even if it's only once in a while necessisty. All I was saying is that 2wd's would be far, FAR more versatile in the real world if they had more ground clearance even if it's increased by using larger stock tire sizes that still retain 20" sport tire characteristics.

 

It is plain to me that nobody should buy a 4x2-only ATV, although some people can get by with them if they drive them as if they were a golf cart on ground not too wet or too steep. 4x2 is good for roads and firm, dry ground. The ATV seems to turn tighter in 4x2. But there are places where I need 4x4, or I should have 4x4 engaged so I have it when I need it. And there are places where I need Lock.