Why 4A is your Ford's friend

[Flstfat1998]

Thanks for the reply. It's good to hear what the shopfloor has to report.

I use 2H for my primary pavement drive and fairly firm dirt, move to 4A when the road is seriously wet, light snow, slush, and looser dirt/gravel. 2H and 4H are for serious offroading involving serious obstacles, mud, snow that reaches the steel wheels edge, and the like. For example, exiting a parking lot with a high icy furrow from the snow plow, I pop it into 4A, exit, return to 2H, no problem.

This guy seems to be talking from a high-theory point of view, and made very few references to serious off-road or trail conditions or seriously inclemental weather. I think regular 2H helps to minimize pressure and wear on the front drive train.

You're actually using it the way it was meant to be used.

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[Ducati1098]

So the issues others experienced are just made up?

You know 100% that the issues you’re experiencing are directly related to 4A usage? Unlikely. The small handful of other people on here that have had T-case issues similar to yours, some weren’t using 4A at all

 

[crenca]

So the issues others experienced are just made up?

No, but the conclusions and recommendations they make from their experience don't follow. People have issues all the time with their engines, transmissions, differentials, etc. No one recommends not to use 2H because of that.

I had a flat once, so I don't recommend anybody driving on tires. Those things are so darn unreliable and Goodyear will never tell anybody about how unreliable they are...

 

[crenca]

You're actually using it the way it was meant to be used.

Not according to Ford.

 

[Flstfat1998]

Not according to Ford.

Like I said. To each his own....

 

[Andrew Bynum]

You know 100% that the issues you’re experiencing are directly related to 4A usage? Unlikely. The small handful of other people on here that have had T-case issues similar to yours, some weren’t using 4A at all

I know that when I don’t use 4A, I don’t have binding issues but when I do use 4A I have binding issues. Kind of hard to rule out 4A issues under those circumstances, but go ahead.

 

[Ducati1098]

I know that when I don’t use 4A, I don’t have binding issues but when I do use 4A I have binding issues. Kind of hard to rule out 4A issues under those circumstances, but go ahead.

I've even switched out of 4A into 2H and still felt the binding even though the screen said 2H.

Literally contradicting your previous statement?
Regardless, just because you have binding in 4A, doesn’t mean it was caused by using 4A.

 

[zoober]

4A handles just like any high end AWD car I’ve ever driven. very similar to Merc’s 4matic. It’s not binding, it’s gripping. Do you get a bit of steering influence when the front wheels are pulling? I would hope so… It’s part of what physics is doing. But binding? Nope. Just a bit of influence in handling during the pull.
Y’all are equating wheel feel to binding. There is a big (albeit subtle feel wise) difference.

 

[crenca]

Ford's 4A is just yet-another AWD sytem, no different (in any significant way) from a engineering standpoint then Subaru's, Toyota's, Honda's, and just about every other manufacture. Over the last 40 years these system's have accumulated billions and billions and billions (and billions and billions....) of reliable road miles. Heck, the Bronco system benefits in that it is simpler then most others - for example no clutches in the diff's, modern fast processors, and implementation on top of a 4x4 driveline that is built tougher then most other implementations (being implemented using hardware engineered for real offroad circumstances).

In other words, ya'll are just making it up when you assert that the system is not designed to be used onroad except under limited circumstances.

Now where you might have an argument is perhaps Ford's quality is not up to par, but if that's the case that's a general problem that would not effect 4A in some special manner such that using 4A brings out more prevelant problems then using 2H, or 4H/4L...at least I have not read a convincing arguement to such an effect. As the video pointed out, the FDU is spinning whether you are in 2H, 4A, 4H/4L. So what is this mysterous negative effect that 4A in particular brings to the driveline?? If anyone knows, they are not saying.

 

[bassist]

The ass end breaks loose pretty easy in wet conditions in 2H. I feel like I don't have that problem in 4A.

Literally haven’t experienced this.

 

[nc-hiker]

Driving in 4A on road is just silly

Sport mode shifts it into 4A automatically. Sport mode is for the road. You're wrong.

 

[lakesinai]

Driving in 4A on road is just silly

Absolutely no difference in MPG for me, and it's much more sure-footed in the rain.

 

[Champale]

This thread has me very confused! I thought Sport (4A) on my Wildtrak was ok on pavement?

 

[Ducati1098]

This thread has me very confused! I thought Sport (4A) on my Wildtrak was ok on pavement?

It is

 

[bassist]

I can’t say I care for the feel of 4A on road.

It’s not a transparent feeling. I can tell it’s there, even if it’s not helping in a given situation.

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