2wd and 4wd
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in my experience , on all 4wd optional vehicles, using the 4wd when its not necessary simply reduces the overall mechanical efficiency of the car... i.e it will have significantly more mechanical drag all the time which mean worse fuel economy, more noise etc. if it was mine and i was driving back and forth to work on nice paved roads, i would be in 2wd as much as possible. in bad traction conditions i.e snow, heavy rain, loose or bad road surface then 4wd is your friend for sure. most modern 4wd cars are " smart" in this sense with torque sensing diffs and all but in broad strokes the 2wd is the better option for efficiency if conditions allow it.
Yes the video would be curious to see. From what has been provided it would seem incorrect. If a vehicle with optional 2wd/4wd was intended to always be in 4wd...why would they make it with a 2wd option to begin with. Essentially..such a vehicle drivetrain should NEVER be driven in 4WD unless on wet or snowy or dirt surface. Driving in 4wd on a dry road (asphalt, concrete) for an extended time would end up destroying or at least severely damaging the drivetrain. Now...All Wheel Drive...or AWD...is a completely different matter.
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Also very important when you own a AWD or 4X4 vehicle is to maintain the rear transfer case/rear differential.
- Did you buy your Xtrail brand new or used? Do you have any documented history of the last time fresh transfer case was put in? Most people just drive an AWD or 4x4 vehicle and assume the rear differential fluid is clean and will last the lifetime of the vehicle. But just like all other vehicle fluids, the oil breaks down and degrades over time ( or leaks!). And eventually you may do serious damage $$$$ to the awd system.
I own a 2006 Nissan Xtrail, 2.5L , awd, auto that i bought in 2015 . The first few weeks of ownership i changed myself or paid a service garage for the engine oil, oil filter, cabin filter, engine air filter, spark plugs, PCV valve. I took my truck in for transmission service (paid $70) but all they needed to do was drain my old fluid and refill ( no auto transmission filter was needed, you just clean and reuse the original wire mesh filter). Later on i just drained and refilled my transmission fluid at home and saved myself $30.
The only thing i did not do was have my rear transfer case serviced! Well, about two years ago i had my mechanic put my Xtrail up on his hoist to replace my rear brakes and i had a strong hunch my rear differential was either very low on fluid and/or dirty. My hunch was correct, mechanic inspected and the transfer case was bone dry. So i had him fill it up with the correct fluid and i today still have a well tuned, mechanically sound 2006 Xtrail that drives like near new...not bad for a 16 year old vehicle! Nissan X-Trail transfer case fluid replacement cost & repairs | AutoGuru
- Did you buy your Xtrail brand new or used? Do you have any documented history of the last time fresh transfer case was put in? Most people just drive an AWD or 4x4 vehicle and assume the rear differential fluid is clean and will last the lifetime of the vehicle. But just like all other vehicle fluids, the oil breaks down and degrades over time ( or leaks!). And eventually you may do serious damage $$$$ to the awd system.
I own a 2006 Nissan Xtrail, 2.5L , awd, auto that i bought in 2015 . The first few weeks of ownership i changed myself or paid a service garage for the engine oil, oil filter, cabin filter, engine air filter, spark plugs, PCV valve. I took my truck in for transmission service (paid $70) but all they needed to do was drain my old fluid and refill ( no auto transmission filter was needed, you just clean and reuse the original wire mesh filter). Later on i just drained and refilled my transmission fluid at home and saved myself $30.
The only thing i did not do was have my rear transfer case serviced! Well, about two years ago i had my mechanic put my Xtrail up on his hoist to replace my rear brakes and i had a strong hunch my rear differential was either very low on fluid and/or dirty. My hunch was correct, mechanic inspected and the transfer case was bone dry. So i had him fill it up with the correct fluid and i today still have a well tuned, mechanically sound 2006 Xtrail that drives like near new...not bad for a 16 year old vehicle! Nissan X-Trail transfer case fluid replacement cost & repairs | AutoGuru
If we are talking about a 4WD X-Trail T30 you could always drive with the control on "AUTO" but unless the ABS sensors on the front wheels signal a wheel loosing traction the electric controlled coupling in the rear (fastened ahead of the differential and that locks in the rear wheels) is not "on" so the vehicle stays in 2WD. The X-Trail propeller shaft (to the rear end) is always live so the position of the 2WD/AUTO/4WD control doesn't affect whether that is being driven. On the X-Trail the 4WD position locks the rear end in but the control system will cut off the 4WD if the vehicle speed gets to about 30 km/hr. It would however be foolish to drive the X-Trail in locked in 4WD on dry pavement even at lower speeds than 30. I notice that for the Rogues and Qashqais that immediately followed the T30 X-Trail, and that use the same electric controlled coupling, the maximum speed in locked in 4WD is really fairly low, only about 10 km/hr.
I cannot imagine what the video referred to is talking about. AWD drive of course is a totally different beast because there has to be some sort of viscous coupling (or equivalent) between the front and rear ends to compensate for the normal and common minor wheel speed differences between front and rear ends.
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