I have a general question about 4WD.

On my machine (and I assume on others), the on demand 4WD button is on the right side of the handlebars. You have to let off the throttle before engaging/disengaging 4WD.

Just say (Hyperthetically) I moved my 4WD button to the left side of the bars and was able to to engage 4WD while I was accellerating half throttle up a hill.


Is there any harm that can occur by engaging 4WD while you are into the throttle?

I have a general question about 4WD.

On my machine (and I assume on others), the on demand 4WD button is on the right side of the handlebars. You have to let off the throttle before engaging/disengaging 4WD.

Just say (Hyperthetically) I moved my 4WD button to the left side of the bars and was able to to engage 4WD while I was accellerating half throttle up a hill.


Is there any harm that can occur by engaging 4WD while you are into the throttle?

The owners manuals say not to do it, they actually tell you to come to a complete stop before engaging 4wd. I on the otherhand let off of the throttle but will still be rolling and engage it and have never had a problem doing it that way. As for engaging 4wd while the throttle is in I would think that might screw up your machines diff. But then again I'm not an expert. If I'm approaching a hill that looks like it might be a good idea to throw it in 4wd I'll engage it at the bottom that way there's one less thing to worry about while climbing.

I would agree with Bwomp, I let off the throttle to where it is at idle and I'm still rolling,then I can engage the 4wd, as long as I'm not going to fast. I never engage or disengage when throttling up. ...Bob

Bwomp wrote:

The owners manuals say not to do it, they actually tell you to come to a complete stop before engaging 4wd. I on the otherhand let off of the throttle but will still be rolling and engage it and have never had a problem doing it that way. As for engaging 4wd while the throttle is in I would think that might screw up your machines diff. But then again I'm not an expert. If I'm approaching a hill that looks like it might be a good idea to throw it in 4wd I'll engage it at the bottom that way there's one less thing to worry about while climbing.

Yeah....thats the way I usually handle 4WD as well.

My question comes from a racing approach. A couple of races ago, it was a really wet muddy course. There were hill climbs that came out of no where and I would fumble trying to hit the 4wd button before I went up. There is no time to look down at the button to make sure you pushed it in and I found times where I did not actually push the button in and was half way up the hill sliding.

I was thinking if I had the button on the left and it was a button that I had to hold down to have it in 4WD, I could let off the throttle momentarily at the beginning of the hill climb and then push and hold the 4wd button with left and be able to do it seemlessly without having to fumble with my right thumb off the throttle, on the 4wd button and back to throttle..

The risk is that I may accidently engage 4wd with my left (finger) and still be in the throtttle with my right.

Just an idea..

It's a very bad idea to engage 4 wheel drive while under power. If the wheels are scratching at all it won't engage or will engage only partially, allowing the chance of stripping out the engagement splines.
You can disengage anytime and it will either stay in 4wd until there is slack in the drive train or it will come out immediately. Engaging is different. Back off the throttle, or risk expensive lesson..

glenlivet wrote:

It's a very bad idea to engage 4 wheel drive while under power. If the wheels are scratching at all it won't engage or will engage only partially, allowing the chance of stripping out the engagement splines. You can disengage anytime and it will either stay in 4wd until there is slack in the drive train or it will come out immediately. Engaging is different. Back off the throttle, or risk expensive lesson..

+1!
It is not good to engage 4wd while your on the throttle, the gears will have to grind against each other to try and mesh while under power. If you let off the throttle the gears can easily meet up the teeth and all is good. 99.9 percent of the time the owners manual has the correct methods for most anything pertaining to your quad or UTV.

On Honda you can engage the 4wd at any speed any time , the ECM uses inputs from front & rear speed sensors so if the bike is spinning it won't engage until there is less than 10kph speed difference between F&R wheels.

yes if you are putting torque to the drive terrain it can destroy the gear box for 4x4 engagement. DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Engage only going very slow on flat ground or Stopped or you will regret it.

I'm with Brian.

Depends on your bike.
HondaMechanic mentioned the Honda, I'll mention the Polaris.
The Polaris can be engaged or dis-engaged at any speed, but don't engage it while under power.
In fact, with the Polaris system, you'd just leave it in 4wd, as it would self-disengage when you got out of the mud, and re-engage the next time you hit it.
Other machines, I'm not so sure about.

Great input from all.

As I stated in my earlier post....my intention would be to only engage the 4WD when I am out of the throttle but to be able to engage it with my left hand instead of my right hand (throttle hand) so that I can do it seemelessly without fumbling my thumb between the two.
There is a risk that I would engage the 4wd when I was in the throttle. This would not be the norm...only a 'In the heat of the moment" race situation would this likely happen.

But all in all it sounds like a bad idea to engage when in power (although some models may be ok) so I am thinking I will just leave mine alone and keep the switch on the right by the throttle as designed.

What would be wrong with just leaving it in 4wd? Is there some reason you want to be switching back & forth on a trail/race that has muddy sections that appear without warning?

Farmr123 wrote:

What would be wrong with just leaving it in 4wd? Is there some reason you want to be switching back & forth on a trail/race that has muddy sections that appear without warning?

Good question.

As a matter of fact, the last race I did in that kind of condition, I spent the last two laps almost in just 4WD..(after I got use to it..)

But here is the thing...I have modified a-arms on my quad to improve the handling and stability in cornering. The mods have made the front tires sit out more and they are moved forward more. Because of these mods , driving this quad in 4WD is a handfull. It is draining on your arms. The mods were necessary to run this quad at higher speeds and to hit turns faster, but it has the negative effect of making the front hard to steer in 4WD.

If you are just going up a hill or straight through a mud hole, it is ok....but to steer it around a 8 mile course in 4WD....well..let's say my arms could have easily rivaled Popeye's after that race.

MXU500 wrote:

Farmr123 wrote: What would be wrong with just leaving it in 4wd? Is there some reason you want to be switching back & forth on a trail/race that has muddy sections that appear without warning? Good question. As a matter of fact, the last race I did in that kind of condition, I spent the last two laps almost in just 4WD..(after I got use to it..) But here is the thing...I have modified a-arms on my quad to improve the handling and stability in cornering. The mods have made the front tires sit out more and they are moved forward more. Because of these mods , driving this quad in 4WD is a handfull. It is draining on your arms. The mods were necessary to run this quad at higher speeds and to hit turns faster, but it has the negative effect of making the front hard to steer in 4WD. If you are just going up a hill or straight through a mud hole, it is ok....but to steer it around a 8 mile course in 4WD....well..let's say my arms could have easily rivaled Popeye's after that race.

Maybe you should try to modify your quad to accept a power steering unit from Yamaha. That would definately cure the hard steering in 4wd.