So people really even consider buying a 2WD SUV? WTF?

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: Ornery

I wouldn't doubt it. God knows you need a fvckin' sport's car suspension on a damn truck... :roll:

It looks like that setup uses simple $15.00 U-Joints, though.

It's still alot of weight and complexity. The Navigator isn't any more simple than my 240sx. With all the luxury gear, probably a lot more complex.

Oh please. Having the tranny crammed in the engine compartment is absurd. Coil over cheap shocks VS expensive struts. Cheap U-joints VS big buck CV joints. A cheap belt driven fan VS expensive motor driven one.

Cramming that sideways mounted engine and tranny under the hood is the reason we're stuck with these retarded side mount battery terminals, that are such a pain in the ass. The same pothole that would cause a puny, FWD unibody to require an alignment, would be a slight jar to the full framed SUV.

I don't doubt bells & whistles would add to complexity, but it's a wash if the car has the same options. I have a feeling it will be easier to access the parts in the larger vehicle, if & when they do break.

 

[zephyrprime]

A suv is just a modern day minivan so that's why there are 2wd suvs.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

2 wheel drive = better gas mileage?

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: HybridSquirrel
2 wheel drive = better gas mileage?

2WD vehicles don't have a transfer case like 4WD one's do, so there's less parasitic power loss in the drivetrain. Also, 2WD vehicles are usually lighter than 4WD ones since there's no transfer case and front differential.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
because everyone needs to go four wheeling and mudbogging every weekend or rock climbing or drive through 4 feet of snow 365 days a year.

:roll:

4WD or AWD is not necessary for about 90% of drivers.

4WD or AWD is *NEVER* necessary for about 80% of drivers.

So, what's your point, OP? People should be spending more money, have more maintenance costs, decreased gas mileage, just for the sake of having 4WD which they will never use? For what it's worth, the ability to go off-road, drive through rough terrain, etc. is obviously not the reason people choose SUV's. Also, for what it's worth, our grand caravan handles better on snow covered roads with 2WD than our Pathfinder did in 4WD. (western NY; driving through snow is a frequent occurence. It was still snowing today here.)

 

[Colt45]

Originally posted by: Ornery
I hope to hell I can find a 2WD Navigator when the time comes to buy one. There's a certain principle that applies here. One that I adhere to tenaciously. I don't want a GD FWD minivan for this very reason. I want a nice rugged body on frame, with V8 torque, driving the rear wheels as God intended. No CV joints, no transfer case, no expensive drive train components that aren't completely necessary. No sideways mounted engine, with a tranny crammed under the hood as well. I work on my own cars and that shlt's got no place in my stable!

you'd love my car then.

10 CV joints
front diff + center diff + transmission all in one unit
mechanical fuel injection
electronic ignition
turbocharger
etc

and german at that.


It's not that hard to work on, you just cant be a cowboy that grew up working on 50's ford trucks.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
because everyone needs to go four wheeling and mudbogging every weekend or rock climbing or drive through 4 feet of snow 365 days a year.

:roll:

4WD or AWD is not necessary for about 90% of drivers.

4WD or AWD is *NEVER* necessary for about 80% of drivers.

So, what's your point, OP? People should be spending more money, have more maintenance costs, decreased gas mileage, just for the sake of having 4WD which they will never use? For what it's worth, the ability to go off-road, drive through rough terrain, etc. is obviously not the reason people choose SUV's. Also, for what it's worth, our grand caravan handles better on snow covered roads with 2WD than our Pathfinder did in 4WD. (western NY; driving through snow is a frequent occurence. It was still snowing today here.)

Buy a flipping minivan then Then you get all the cargo space, a much lower centre of gravity, reduced wind resistance, better fuel consumption...

If i was going to buy an SUV but didn't really need it, i'd still want at least the benefits of AWD...

And i call utter shens to a 2WD car doing better than a 4WD in snow It's a simple matter of traction, four wheels driving is always going to be better than two, assuming the wheels are roughly the same...

 

[toekramp]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
because they live life in "D"


Real men drive sabertoothed tigers with stickshifts and crankshafts made of rusted steel pulled from the titanic's wreckage and a driveshaft made of the bones of the survivors, gaskets made of Haggis leftovers and cylinders made of hollowed out tomahawk missles, engines made of tungsten and a radiator the size of Rhode Island to cool the beast, and finally, a stereo with 42 jiggawatts of POWA!...

and of course...a limited slip diff made from the remnants of the heart of Stalin to make sure power IS DELIVERED TO ALL FOUR WHEELS WHEN THEY NEED IT







It jsut came out

edit: edited for mr. killjoy

tis poetry

 

[Svnla]

I used to drive a sports coupe, now I am driving a 2wd SUV because:

More space, higher view, decent gas milage <over 20 mpg>, don't need 4wd and the added weight and cost,

I would never drive a mini van, even if I get married and have kids.

 

[Ryan]

THe majority of SUVs sold in the Western World hardly ever see non-paved streets.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Originally posted by: dug777
Why? It's like buying a 747 instead of a cessna, then filling the inside with FOAM so it only seats 4 people

Most proper 'traditional' SUVs (like the Pajero, and every 4WD utility like the MAzda Bravo/Toyota Hilux/Ford Courier/Toyota Landcruiser 78) have a 2WD option (with hubs/auto hubs so you aren't dragging the front wheels as well in 2WD (although hubs in/2WD is much more stable & grippier on gravel than 2WD/hubs out) anywho.

And of course, 'real' modern 4WDs only go back to AWD (like the prado/landcruiser), which is a godsend in slippy conditions and on the gravel...

Not everybody needs AWD. But some people want or need a big car.

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: Svnla
I used to drive a sports coupe, now I am driving a 2wd SUV because:

More space, higher view, decent gas milage <over 20 mpg>, don't need 4wd and the added weight and cost,

I would never drive a mini van, even if I get married and have kids.

Too cool for a minivan, eh?

"Coolness" stops mattering when you get married and have kids. Something about hauling around a diaper bag ...

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: Ornery
I work on my own cars and that shlt's got no place in my stable!

It's not that hard to work on, you just cant be a cowboy that grew up working on 50's ford trucks.

<Channeling Ornery>The world acheived perfection in 1957, whippersnap, now git off my lawn!</end channel>

 

[Kelemvor]

Because lots of women get SUVs to go to the grocery store. And if they live somewhere that doesn't get snow in the winter or anything, then they have no use for 4WD.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: Ornery

I wouldn't doubt it. God knows you need a fvckin' sport's car suspension on a damn truck... :roll:

It looks like that setup uses simple $15.00 U-Joints, though.

It's still alot of weight and complexity. The Navigator isn't any more simple than my 240sx. With all the luxury gear, probably a lot more complex.

Oh please. Having the tranny crammed in the engine compartment is absurd. Coil over cheap shocks VS expensive struts. Cheap U-joints VS big buck CV joints. A cheap belt driven fan VS expensive motor driven one.

Cramming that sideways mounted engine and tranny under the hood is the reason we're stuck with these retarded side mount battery terminals, that are such a pain in the ass. The same pothole that would cause a puny, FWD unibody to require an alignment, would be a slight jar to the full framed SUV.

I don't doubt bells & whistles would add to complexity, but it's a wash if the car has the same options. I have a feeling it will be easier to access the parts in the larger vehicle, if & when they do break.

GM came up with those before they started transverse mounting engines. There was some typical GM 70's corporate mumbo jumbo behind it but I forget what it was. It had nothing to do with the transverse mounted engines.

 

[Sundog]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: DrPizza
4WD or AWD is *NEVER* necessary for about 80% of drivers.

So, what's your point, OP? People should be spending more money, have more maintenance costs, decreased gas mileage, just for the sake of having 4WD which they will never use? For what it's worth, the ability to go off-road, drive through rough terrain, etc. is obviously not the reason people choose SUV's. Also, for what it's worth, our grand caravan handles better on snow covered roads with 2WD than our Pathfinder did in 4WD. (western NY; driving through snow is a frequent occurence. It was still snowing today here.)

Buy a flipping minivan then Then you get all the cargo space, a much lower centre of gravity, reduced wind resistance, better fuel consumption...

If i was going to buy an SUV but didn't really need it, i'd still want at least the benefits of AWD...

Ahh... I have a minivan, and it does not do everything. Am about to remove some parts from my SUV to make it into a 2WD. Why would anyone want a 2WD SUV...easy...the minivan can not handle towing heavy trailers, the SUV transmission can.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Because 99% of people who buy SUVs never take them offroad?

85% of them don't even know whether their vehicle is 2WD or 4WD anyway.

With the coming of my second kid I'm now entering my "minivan years" and I must confess that the Jeep Cherokee is starting to look sorta good to me. It's a cliche, sure, but it'd beat spending the next 10 years driving a damn rolling womb.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Because 99% of people who buy SUVs never take them offroad?

85% of them don't even know whether their vehicle is 2WD or 4WD anyway.

With the coming of my second kid I'm now entering my "minivan years" and I must confess that the Jeep Cherokee is starting to look sorta good to me. It's a cliche, sure, but it'd beat spending the next 10 years driving a damn rolling womb.

To quote my wife...

"There's no way to look cool in a minivan"

Which is why we have a Durango. But whenever we have a second kid, we'll probably have to change phiolophies.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Because 99% of people who buy SUVs never take them offroad?

85% of them don't even know whether their vehicle is 2WD or 4WD anyway.

With the coming of my second kid I'm now entering my "minivan years" and I must confess that the Jeep Cherokee is starting to look sorta good to me. It's a cliche, sure, but it'd beat spending the next 10 years driving a damn rolling womb.

To quote my wife...

"There's no way to look cool in a minivan"

Which is why we have a Durango. But whenever we have a second kid, we'll probably have to change phiolophies.

I could deal with a Dodge Magnum or Forester XT.

 

[Strk]

Why pay extra for 4WD or AWD if you have no use for it?

 

[dug777]

Meh, i guess we actually use 4WD all the time, and AWD is such a godsend on gravel. I guess i forget you don't live in Aus

 

[Schadenfroh]

The 4WD version of the Excursion was too tall to fit thru my garage door by a few inches, the 2WD barely made it.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: Ornery

I wouldn't doubt it. God knows you need a fvckin' sport's car suspension on a damn truck... :roll:

It looks like that setup uses simple $15.00 U-Joints, though.

It's still alot of weight and complexity. The Navigator isn't any more simple than my 240sx. With all the luxury gear, probably a lot more complex.

Oh please. Having the tranny crammed in the engine compartment is absurd. Coil over cheap shocks VS expensive struts. Cheap U-joints VS big buck CV joints. A cheap belt driven fan VS expensive motor driven one.

Cramming that sideways mounted engine and tranny under the hood is the reason we're stuck with these retarded side mount battery terminals, that are such a pain in the ass. The same pothole that would cause a puny, FWD unibody to require an alignment, would be a slight jar to the full framed SUV.

I don't doubt bells & whistles would add to complexity, but it's a wash if the car has the same options. I have a feeling it will be easier to access the parts in the larger vehicle, if & when they do break.

My engine is longitudonally mounted and my transmission is right under the shifter. 240sx = RWD

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: Linflas

GM came up with those before they started transverse mounting engines. There was some typical GM 70's corporate mumbo jumbo behind it but I forget what it was. It had nothing to do with the transverse mounted engines.

You're exactly right. It was to save space for the ultra low profile hoods, which of course look so much better than the ungainly high decks of RWD, V8 machines. Yeah, they look awesome with all the chipped paint, or required bra or windscreen.

Either way, it was a space saving measure for the insanely cramped FWD configurations.

 

[Svnla]

Originally posted by: EatSpam

Originally posted by: Svnla
I used to drive a sports coupe, now I am driving a 2wd SUV because:

More space, higher view, decent gas milage <over 20 mpg>, don't need 4wd and the added weight and cost,

I would never drive a mini van, even if I get married and have kids.

Too cool for a minivan, eh?

"Coolness" stops mattering when you get married and have kids. Something about hauling around a diaper bag ...

Say it ain't so about marriage and minivan. Now I know why I am no hurry to get hook up.

I just don't like minivan, not about the "cool" factor. Just don't like them is all.