2wd mode not so great!

Whole winter I was driving in auto 4wd mode and it was fine, then I finally switched to 2wd and while I do feel the great increase in power, handling on the other hand is much worse. There is that known wheel spin and cornering is not so great either...

so switch back to 4wd auto and enjoy reduced power or 2wd mode with more power with slightly better mpg, but not so great handling...

Doesn't 4wd use more gas?

if anything it may use 1/10 of a gallon more in either 4wd mode... very negligible.
 
I run 4wd auto or lock 99% of the time for the last few months.  I feel no reduction in power though.
 
I recommend keeping it in 4WD auto all the time, seeing as that is the recommended "normal" mode for the car by mitsubishi... and because the car is much more fun to drive.
 
Please elaborate on the increase in power in 2wd mode!  I havent noticed?  Could it be in your head because it is easy to spin the tires?

well, I am not always easy on the gas pedal and sometimes love to take off quickly from a stop light or onto freeway, so I noticed that difference recently.

Try it with 2wd and 4wd mode and you'll feel the difference that 2wd has better acceleration. The downside with 2wd is you'll get wheelspin, so you have to accelerate gradually from the stop, as opposed to 4wd drive mode where you can just floor it.

It might just be me but I run 2wd all the time unless its snowing out. I learned to drive it with out spinning the front wheels and have no problems. I dont feel the difference in corning between 2wd and 4wd drive either.

I only go 2WD now when I'm cruising, not when maneuvering city streets where I always stay on 4WD Auto.  4WD Lock only on slippery roads during rain, and while on a mud trail. Slush and ice, I always 4WD Auto.

Either 4 or 2WD, power felt the same, and it should be. But since in 2WD, all torque goes to the front, you can readily feel the power surge since you also steer the front wheels. Attributable partly to the fact that the Outlander has sports-tuned suspension, which is on the stiff side, so you get ample feedback on the steering wheel despite the power steering.

I feel the same. Have been driving for the last 4 months in mostly 4WD Auto and a little 4wd Lock. I switched to 2wd and I was like holy torque steer... Handling is MUCH MUCH better in the 4wd modes

after a week of 2wd drive torture I went back to auto 4wd mode and couldn't be happier. I am glad I didn't buy 2wd model. I don't drive like a maniac, but I don't drive like a grandma and 2wd was just horrible when making turns and accelerating.
 
I make the same right turn 5 times a week from a side street onto a average hill and if I am in 2wd even with slow acceleration I would get way much of torque steer. Unacceptable!

Not sure what you mean by 2WD=more power/less handling and viceversa. The power remains the same no matter what setting you have it on 2WD/4WD/Lock. Our engine load remains the same no matter wether it be in 2WD OR 4WD primarilly because all driveline components are spinning anyway, they are just not receiving torque on 2WD. It may seem that 2WD is more powerful because you get more tire slip and that gives you a false sense of power. I actually find it that Lock gives me the best launch with no slip, it just seems to take off.

There is definitely a difference in the feel of the steering and power delivery between 2WD and 4WD.  I try to use 2WD on the highway as much as possible, but i never feel quite as safe.  The steering and rearend feel so much looser in 2WD than in 4WD.
 
I haven't tested the mileage between the modes on long drives, but that just gives me more time to drive my Outtie. 

I've driven many different 2wd cars and I never had that "slippage" feeling that I get in Outlander. I guess I shouldn't expect same handling as a sedan. We just got a second car 2008 Sentra SL and handling is great for a "budget" car being 2wd.

If you don't run in lock all the time, you are simply wasting the vehicles capability.  After much personal trial and error combined with research, I can say that there is no discernable difference in fuel economy between 2wd/4wd auto/4wd lock, however, the handling is FAR FAR BETTER when in lock.  Mine will never leave this setting again. 
 
For anyone who is unfamiliar, its not really a 4WD "Lock" setting; it simply means that the automatic distribution of drive can swing up to 60% rear as required (such as it does for 4WD Audis/Subaru performance cars).  4WD Auto works similarly, but limits the amount of drive to the rear to a far lesser percentage - why????  No reason as far as I can see, completely pointless setting.  2WD = waste of time, as the fact is, your vehicle is equipped with the running gear for 4WD which carries extra weight and turns all the time anyway, so you'll not even get any better economy. 
 
The only better economy can be had from a 2WD only Outie, whereby you won't have this dilemma to begin with.

kwanger, I agree that the outtie performs the best it 4wd mode. Handling is so MUCH better than compared to just 2wd. I leave mine in 4wd auto for everyday driving.
 
But to say that there is no economical differences between 4wd and 2wd I would have to strongly dissagree. I dont know what your findings are. But mine, and most on this board, have found that like mitsu says 2wd gets better mpg's than either of the 4wd modes. I'd have to say thats plainly a fact, hands down.
 
Like I said before, Im sticking with the 4wd auto setting unless on a highway drive I'll use 2wd, and in slick conditions (snow, rain, ice) use 4wd lock.

Where is there documentation that a 4wd outie, in 2wd mode, gets better milage?  There are fuel ratings for 2wd(only), and 4wd vehicles, but not info on a 4wd in 2wd mode.
 
all moving parts of the drivetrain are in motion on the 4wd vehicle, in 2wd mode.  The clutch just doesn't engage the rear wheels with engine torque.  It really shouldn't make any difference.  Haven't done any testing myself, but fuel milage should be the same.

I cant find any actual numbers at the moment either, but from this news release from Mitsubishi, they say that the "Benefit" of 2wd mode is "Best fuel economy".
 
http://media.mitsubishicars.com/detail?mid=MIT2006083040260&mime=ASC
 
All torque is sent to the front wheels in 2wd mode. Making it a FWD vehicle in that mode. FWD vehicles usually get better mpg's than RWD, AWD, or 4WD vehicles.

quote:

ORIGINAL: tcp

Where is there documentation that a 4wd outie, in 2wd mode, gets better milage?  There are fuel ratings for 2wd(only), and 4wd vehicles, but not info on a 4wd in 2wd mode.

all moving parts of the drivetrain are in motion on the 4wd vehicle, in 2wd mode.  The clutch just doesn't engage the rear wheels with engine torque.  It really shouldn't make any difference.  Haven't done any testing myself, but fuel milage should be the same.

This is what I'm working on.  I've also personally done several long trips, one way in 4WD lock, the return in 2WD.  The difference is next to nothing, and I'm inclined to think the tiny variable has more to do with wind/atmospheric/traffic conditions changing the way you drive/other conditions than in does whether its in lock or not.  The times I've run in 4WD Auto, same thing applies.  I've had better economy in 4WD Lock; other times in 2WD, others in 4WD Auto.  Inconclusive results, in other words, that economy is better in any mode.

Also in my book, Lock isn't just for poor weather conditions.  To quote your same link, tdford:

"In dry conditions, 4WD Lock mode places priority on performance. More torque is directed to the rear wheels than in 4WD Auto mode to provide greater power off the line, better control when accelerating on snowy or loose surfaces, and enhanced stability at high speeds. Rear wheel torque transfer is increased by 50 percent over the amounts in 4WD Auto mode - meaning up to 60 percent of available torque is sent to the rear wheels under full-throttle acceleration on dry pavement. When in 4WD Lock mode, torque at the rear wheels is reduced by a smaller degree through corners than with 4WD Auto mode"

All of the above stuff is blatantly noticable when driving.  Floor it off the line - Lock is the one where there is no chirp whatsover, you are just off at a high rate of knots.  Take your Outie on a disused airstrip or similar and throw in some tight turns to the limit of control (in fact, try and purposely lose control at low ish speeds for a good demo) - in 4WD Lock its virtually impossible to slip anything.  Hence my comment that driving it in anything other than Lock = a compromise of your vehicles capabilities.

I used to own a Subaru WRX Sti, and its all credit to Mitsu for making an SUV handle very similarly (when in Lock).

I take your point about best fuel economy in 2WD mode - but I'm just not seeing it to any degree.  As you say, what is VERY noticable is the handling difference.  I want full capability to handle unexpected situations, at all times (sticky situations have a haabit of coming up quick and unexpectedly -certainly no time to change a dial) hence why my outie will forever stay in Lock.  4WD Auto setting is just a compromise of the full thing, I just don't see the point of it at all.  Its like a handicap setting, or something.

The only bad thing about using Lock all the time is that and I quote mitsu, while driving on lock for long/high speeds like in a highway going 70+ you  will overheat the slipper clutch at the rear diff, which may lead to damage. Lock is great for below 60 mph dailly driving, but if you want to go above 60 for a long period of time 2WD or even 4WD auto will be the better option since theres no constant friction on the slipper clutch.

I think to overheat it significantly, you'd have to be doing some serious off road bordering on abuse.  Also, as far as I am aware, explained in the operating manual is that a warning light will occur if this is the case, and it will automatically kick into 2WD mode till the heat dissipates.  Here where I live in Florida, its obviously very hot in summer, and as stated I drive everywhere on Lock, long runs, high speed runs, quick driving around the backroads, light offroading - never seen that light yet.

Using 4WD lock is not likely to cause any problems, however I have not noticed a significant enough change in handling to make me go from 4WD auto (my default setting) to 4WD Lock.
 
I have noticed that on snow, Auto lock tends to fishtail a bit more when you give it gas at the start of a turn, this would be consistent with the principal of the rear wheel wanting to turn at the same speed as the front wheels.  I know that the system is not physically locked but, but by attempting to maintain 50/50 torque the system does induce a front to back wheel speed parity.  I imagine that on dry pavement this would result in increased tire ware.

think about it guys, what's the point of putting a knob that allows switching to 2wd mode if it didn't offer any benefits? Those benefits seem to be better gas mileage and faster acceleration, at least I noticed that it did offer faster acceleration, I haven't done any tests as far as gas mileage.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kwanger

 Here where I live in Florida, its obviously very hot in summer, and as stated I drive everywhere on Lock, long runs, high speed runs, quick driving around the backroads, light offroading - never seen that light yet.

 
Nice...    I think it will take some heavy abuse to have it overheat.

Since there's been a lot of talk about the mileage differences between 2wd and 4wd I did a test last night for myself on 2wd vs 4wd-Auto mode.  I have a 60 mile round trip drive on the highway to pick up my kids so i figured let's see how the 4wd setting does.  The comparison is based on nearly identical situtations and conditions except for brands of fuel and traffic volume.  I traveled the same route and distance on a full tank of 87 octane fuel with cruise set at same speed of 77mph; there was a negligible weight differential of about 15 lbs (stroller in back).
 
Now I usually drive in 2wd on the highway and have done the trip several times after filling the tank and get 21.5 - 23.6 @ 67pmh avg.  (The range is based on each legs average.)  I had just filled the tank and hopped on the highway in 4wd-Auto and i averaged 20.1 - 21.5 @ 64mph.  The speed averages include about 12 miles of city driving to get to the school. 
 
So it seemed to show about a 1.4 to 2.1 mpg difference.  Of course these figures can be skewed depending on your driving style or how many times you make hard passes/lane changes.  I did hit some traffic on the drive home so my avg speed was slightly lower.  So in my estimation the fuel consumption in 4wd-Auto is noticeable, but very minimal.
 
One thing i did note was that the Outtie shifted differently in 4wd-Auto mode.  It downshifted quicker when going up the mountain hills and seemed to hold the gear longer than when in 2wd mode.  When in 2wd the tranny seems to upshift too soon and then has to downshift to compensate.  This was noticed using cruise control and not my lead foot, so this could also be a factor for the difference in mileage estimates.
 
Take if for what it's worth.

My city driving mileage varies day to day using the same mode by more than what you have noticed, it really depends on traffic, lights, accelaration,..  but I think that you have proven that if there is a difference it's less than 5%.

quote:

ORIGINAL: klas

think about it guys, what's the point of putting a knob that allows switching to 2wd mode if it didn't offer any benefits? Those benefits seem to be better gas mileage and faster acceleration, at least I noticed that it did offer faster acceleration, I haven't done any tests as far as gas mileage.

 
To be perfectly honest, I think the main purpose of it is as a marketing gimmick.  It can then be touted as giving this high level of choice and control to the user.  To the people who are not entusiasts like those of us on this forum, they will simply blindly accept the adage "2WD for economy, 4WD Auto as a balance, and 4WD Lock when off-roadin' or in snow".
 
They won't cross analyse it, dig up Mitsu documents, test things out, etc - they'll merely accept it.  So for the majority, it serves that marketing purpose.
 
In a similar vein, I'm inclined to think the paddle shifters are similar.  While it can be fun to use them on occasion, in all honesty, within a few minutes I soon get tired of them and go back to auto.  But I still like them being there - why?  Because people like options, and the car manufacturers know this.

Kwanger i agree that the paddles were a big draw at first, but now i find myself hardly using them.  At first I was going to just get the LS model but after test driving and XLS i liked the idea of the paddles.  Now i'm mostly glad i have the MMCS, Nav, heated seats and 3rd row seats and the paddles hardly get any use.
 
The paddles do work well, but also affect mileage...mostly because i end up taking the tach to its limits .