4H/Slippery on Highway

[mike8675309]

He disagrees...

Drive like that in front of any state patrol officer and you'll get tagged for reckless driving.
Sadly my statements are wholly related to proper driving on maintained interstates. Not purpose-built race cars.

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[Phil Brown]

Drive like that in front of any state patrol officer and you'll get tagged for reckless driving.

Only if he can catch you

 

[TCoupe]

Use 4WD when the sign says Chains or 4WD Required. 4H or 4L (or 4A) as desired/required. Lock the rear differential when it's really slippery, maybe the front too if you're not getting anywhere in the deep(er) snow. I drove my front wheel drive with all season radials in most snow conditions without chains for years before I upped my game with the Badlands 'Squatch. It's the operator, not so much the equipment... but better equipment always helps. ha! My 2 cents

 

[Aman]

I drove around a time or two with 4A engaged. Noticed a very slight drag on the steering wheel vs. 2H. Not nearly as noticeable as 4H, but noticeable.

I've made this point numerous times in these forums, but am always met with crickets. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it blows my mind that so few drivers notice the drag.

 

[mike8675309]

Use 4WD when the sign says Chains or 4WD Required. 4H or 4L (or 4A) as desired/required. Lock the rear differential when it's really slippery, maybe the front too if you're not getting anywhere in the deep(er) snow. I drove my front wheel drive with all season radials in most snow conditions without chains for years before I upped my game with the Badlands 'Squatch. It's the operator, not so much the equipment... but better equipment always helps. ha! My 2 cents

Best car I ever had for driving through the snow during a blizzard was my 90 thunderbird SC. Thew some weight into the back and it went everywhere. Of course I had been driving through snow since I got my license, for 3 years in this corvair, or at least one like it. It was blue and had 14" magnesium wheels installed and was great in the snow, if not a bit prone to oversteer on corners.

 

[Gnomad]

Developed by Land Rover doesn't exactly inspire confidence -- just saying. Toyota maybe.

Developed by LR and then stolen by Ford during their ownership of JLR, AKA "the years JLR made stuff that wasn't too awful">
The LR3 was a beast in the snow, absolutely unstoppable, and damn good on the trails too. More than once I had it on 3 wheels going up a hill and the TC kicked in, pulled like a bull locomotive. The 4WD in the Bronco seems like a step back, but then again I've had the Bronco on 2 wheels turning around and it still grabbed and went, just like the LR3 did.

So about that thing where some drivers don't believe that AWD/4WD doesn't help with directional control and turning might want to look up how many supercars are now equipped with AWD. I guess Porsche and Lambo and such know nothing about traction, vehicle dynamics and control. Amateurs, obviously you all know better. Especially the poster who thinks you should wait to get stuck before engaging the 4WD.

 

[swamp2]

Drive like that in front of any state patrol officer and you'll get tagged for reckless driving.
Sadly my statements are wholly related to proper driving on maintained interstates. Not purpose-built race cars.

The GIF was admittedly extreme to make a point. 4WD can help with additional vehicle steering and control, not just straight line acceleration or inability to move forward on very slick surfaces.

Whether the car is purpose built is also irrelevant.

 

[mike8675309]

The GIF was admittedly extreme to make a point. 4WD can help with additional vehicle steering and control, not just straight line acceleration or inability to move forward on very slick surfaces.

Whether the car is purpose built is also irrelevant.

The difference to is that GIF was on snow on a sunny day. There was very little ice on the ground. I'm not sure where you are from but highway bridge decks and ramps can be covered in "black ice" and no 4WD system will help you when you need to stop on that.

 

[slews]

The difference to is that GIF was on snow on a sunny day. There was very little ice on the ground. I'm not sure where you are from but highway bridge decks and ramps can be covered in "black ice" and no 4WD system will help you when you need to stop on that.

I don't think anyone is disputing that--of course no drive system is going to help you stop. But I think @swamp2's point is that 4WD can give you additional steering control in certain circumstances, e.g., limiting fishtailing.

 

[Spellseer]

Four-Wheel Drive Modes - Four-Wheel Drive High
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE HIGH

Four-wheel drive high provides electronically or mechanically locked four-wheel drive power to both the front and rear wheels for use in off-road or winter conditions such as deep snow, sand or mud. This mode is not for use on dry pavement.
Note: Four-wheel drive high can turn on or off automatically based on Drive Mode selection.
2023 Bronco Owner's Manual

 

[kiddinaround00]

Four-Wheel Drive Modes - Four-Wheel Drive High
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE HIGH

Four-wheel drive high provides electronically or mechanically locked four-wheel drive power to both the front and rear wheels for use in off-road or winter conditions such as deep snow, sand or mud. This mode is not for use on dry pavement.
Note: Four-wheel drive high can turn on or off automatically based on Drive Mode selection.
2023 Bronco Owner's Manual

I had no idea this was in the owners manual. Shocked to see it actually.

I’ve driven my bronco in 4H on the highway, in some cases up to 80mph without issue to date. I suppose there is extra strain on my transfer case but I have not noticed an impact on performance.

The main reason I have used 4H on the highway, primarily at 50mph speeds, is to reduce the risk of the car fish tailing when going around a corner while accelerating, particularly if you are going up hill where you actually need to accelerate. I have found the car to have significant better handling on snow covered or partially snow covered roads in 4H over 2H at all speeds.

 

[Spellseer]

Absolutely...growing up in the mountains and having several 4x's over the years if my rear tires can slip/spin I would shift into 4H. Even now if it's really bad I do even though I have the 4A option. Each company has pluses and minuses to their auto 4x4. Best I've used so far - and granted very subjective as I've not driven all versions from all manufacturers - is the Quadratrac 2 that was on my Grand Cherokee.

 

[BarryHo]

How many of you all drive in slippery on the highway? I was always told never go above 45 mph in 4H, but I am assuming that irrelevant with modern tech. First snow in MN today, want to make sure I'm not putting any extra stress on my transfer case. Drove to work in 2H and was not fun!

4H/4L (4WD) vs 4A (AWD): Main difference is 4WD generally does not allow opposing side wheels to spin at different rates. This means that when turning or traveling on curved roads, loss of traction may occur on one side. On tighter turns this may be experienced as wheel hop. This is why 4WD is NOT recommended on paved roads at all, especially at speeds over 50 mph (or so). For example, on the highway, on a curve, the inner wheel will need to rotate less than the outer wheel during the curve, resulting in one side loosing grip, potentially causing the vehicle to slide, especially in reduced traction conditions (snow, ice, rain, etc.).

AWD allows for varying rate of wheel rotation between opposing sides of the vehicle making safer in on road conditions.

4WD = Off Road
AWD = On Road

 

[DemonGT]

Are the hubs in front like on the F150's with the IWE that is ran off vacuum?

 

[mikejames]

Only if he can catch you

lol are we talking about driving Broncos? Trust me, he can catch you!

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