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Dragging rear wheel while turning

Garemlin

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Since this topic is on the front page right now, perhaps someone would care to explain when to use 2A, 4A, 4H and 4L for some of the people new to owning a 4x4 vehicle?
2l - Normal driving conditions.
4l - Deep snow, sand, mud or very rocky conditions. And steep offroad inclines.
4h - When you need maximum traction at normal driving speeds 50mph and under. Snow or ice covered roads.
4a - Can be used all the time. Great for wet roads or constantly changing road conditions. It sends traction to the wheels that need it. Set it and forget it. Not the best idea for off-roading.
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mike8675309

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Thanks
I hope using 4H on the freeway for a short trip would not break anything, I could imagine how many trucks or demos would be in the shop if it was so fragile
Well I Hope!! Haha thanks everybody
I've seen a Jeep Cherokee grenade the transfer case all over the highway by leaving it in 4H with a part-time transfer case. It's not about it being fragile, it's actually about the gears being so strong that they will crack the housing of the diff before breaking the gear.

All broncos come with a part-time four-wheel-drive system unless they have the Advanced 4wheel drive system option added, or the version of the bronco includes that system.

For Four Wheel Drive you must have power going from the engine to 4 wheels. This is done through a transfer case that redirects the power from the engine to the front or rear wheels (depending on motor orientation).

When a vehicle goes around a corner the wheels inside the corner will turn slower than the wheels on the outside side of the corner. If you have a low tire, that tire will turn slower due to its lower diameter.

In an AWD or Full-Time 4WD system there will be a series of differentials.
Differentials allow for different wheel speeds on either side of it.
The front Differential allows speed difference between the left and right sides.
The rear Differential allows speed difference between the left and right sides.
The transfer case differential allows a speed difference between the FRONT and BACK of the vehicle.

In a Part-Time 4WD system like the one in your bronco you will be missing the differential in the transfer case. This means that when you are in four-wheel drive, the speed of the front of your vehicle and the speed of the rear are LOCKED together via gears.

Turning your wheels, say in a corner or a cloverleaf will result in the front of your vehilce slowing from the rear causing the transfercase gears to bind. Lucily in your case it was wet out so the rear tires were able to slide having less grip. If it had been dry out and your tires had sufficient grip, you could have damaged your transfer case.

EVERY Four Wheel Drive system deals with these issues by either allowing full time operation (transfercase differential) or allowing only Part time operations (no transfercase differential).

Thus a part time four wheel drive system should only be used in low traction environments. Sand, snow, mud, wet rocks. Most tires today have wet traction capability which means you shouldn't use part time four wheel drive in rain unless you actually get stuck. Then use it to get unstuck, and immediately turn it off.

The key thing to remember, your Bronco does not have a 4x4 system you can use all the time. It's there for you to use when you are in a low traction envrionment or if you get stuck.

I think we all recognize that Ford does not make that clear in their advertising, but they do have a useful users manual that everyone should take time to review so they understand the vehicle they paid for better.
 

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Sounds like the trail turn is turning on or is on that is what its does when you turn sharp. OBX comes stock with trail turn.
 

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Hey all I was actually considering about posting something similar, we had a light coating of snow and I switched my 4dr OBX to Slippery GOAT. When the wheel was completely cut either backing out of a spot or pulling in, it felt "jerky". Following the thread but this may be something others can test, I'm going to let me dealer know.
 

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As anyone who has owned a part-time transfer case vehicle knows; it's perfectly OK to drive in 4H, for short periods of time, at moderate speeds, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T TURN!!!
I switch my 2010 Ranger into 4H all the time, in the rain, at stoplights, next to 2WD musclecars.
Pisses them off everdayumtime!!!
Ford Bronco Dragging rear wheel while turning ranger_beats_challenger
 

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Actually I just replicated the same by selecting 4H, the steering feels heavy and the rear tire drags. It was raining so I chose 4H to have more traction, but at slow speeds it feels really weird.
I put it back on 2H and still did the same, so my guess is 2H takes a bit of distance to fully disengage the front axle.
the only 4 wheel drive modes safe for the road is the awd advanced mode 4 h and 4 l are for dirt and mud only it states this on screen when you use the goat modes sounds like you destroyed your bronco using 4 high on pavement
 

Bronco21fan

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Hey all I was actually considering about posting something similar, we had a light coating of snow and I switched my 4dr OBX to Slippery GOAT. When the wheel was completely cut either backing out of a spot or pulling in, it felt "jerky". Following the thread but this may be something others can test, I'm going to let me dealer know.
Wet slippery mode is safe to use on pavement cause it’s using awd I used it today in the rain and it performed great no issues
 
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feralc

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I've seen a Jeep Cherokee grenade the transfer case all over the highway by leaving it in 4H with a part-time transfer case. It's not about it being fragile, it's actually about the gears being so strong that they will crack the housing of the diff before breaking the gear.

All broncos come with a part-time four-wheel-drive system unless they have the Advanced 4wheel drive system option added, or the version of the bronco includes that system.

For Four Wheel Drive you must have power going from the engine to 4 wheels. This is done through a transfer case that redirects the power from the engine to the front or rear wheels (depending on motor orientation).

When a vehicle goes around a corner the wheels inside the corner will turn slower than the wheels on the outside side of the corner. If you have a low tire, that tire will turn slower due to its lower diameter.

In an AWD or Full-Time 4WD system there will be a series of differentials.
Differentials allow for different wheel speeds on either side of it.
The front Differential allows speed difference between the left and right sides.
The rear Differential allows speed difference between the left and right sides.
The transfer case differential allows a speed difference between the FRONT and BACK of the vehicle.

In a Part-Time 4WD system like the one in your bronco you will be missing the differential in the transfer case. This means that when you are in four-wheel drive, the speed of the front of your vehicle and the speed of the rear are LOCKED together via gears.

Turning your wheels, say in a corner or a cloverleaf will result in the front of your vehilce slowing from the rear causing the transfercase gears to bind. Lucily in your case it was wet out so the rear tires were able to slide having less grip. If it had been dry out and your tires had sufficient grip, you could have damaged your transfer case.

EVERY Four Wheel Drive system deals with these issues by either allowing full time operation (transfercase differential) or allowing only Part time operations (no transfercase differential).

Thus a part time four wheel drive system should only be used in low traction environments. Sand, snow, mud, wet rocks. Most tires today have wet traction capability which means you shouldn't use part time four wheel drive in rain unless you actually get stuck. Then use it to get unstuck, and immediately turn it off.

The key thing to remember, your Bronco does not have a 4x4 system you can use all the time. It's there for you to use when you are in a low traction envrionment or if you get stuck.

I think we all recognize that Ford does not make that clear in their advertising, but they do have a useful users manual that everyone should take time to review so they understand the vehicle they paid for better.
Thanks for your thorough explanation, what I meant about “fragile” was that there’s no warnings In the dashboard, if the system could explode by using it on pavement I would assume Ford would put a warning on the screen when you engage it, “4H is not intended for pavement driving” or something similar
an annoying warning for experts like you but not for novice idiots like me who didn’t read the whole manual before driving on heavy rain (and I am not being sarcastic I do feel like an idiot) but luckily nothing happened, felt weird a bit at slow speed and I disengaged it. Even the manual is not as dramatic about this, I would expect a bigger and/or a warranty void warning if this could happen.
“Do not use four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode on dry, hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce excessive noise, increase tire wear and can damage driveline components. Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces. Use of four-wheel drive low mode on these surfaces could produce some noise, such as occasional clunks, but should not damage driveline components.”

Thank you very much
 
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JerryC

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How about you read the manual. It's all in there and it is available online.

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...=EN&countryCode=USA&VIN=&userMarket=usa&div=f
Copy and pasted from the link above,
"Do not use four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode on dry, hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce excessive noise, increase tire wear and can damage driveline components. Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces. Use of four-wheel drive low mode on these surfaces could produce some noise, such as occasional clunks, but should not damage driveline components."

It looks to me that wet roads are ok.
 

Bronco21fan

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Thanks for your thorough explanation, what I meant about “fragile” was that there’s no warnings In the dashboard, if the system could explode by using it on pavement I would assume Ford would put a warning when you engage it, an annoying warning for experts like you but not for novice idiots like me who didn’t read the whole manual before driving on heavy rain (and I am not being sarcastic I do feel like an idiot) but luckily nothing happened, felt weird a bit at slow speed and I disengaged it. Even the manual is not as dramatic about this, I would expect a bigger warning if this could happen.
“Do not use four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode on dry, hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce excessive noise, increase tire wear and can damage driveline components. Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces. Use of four-wheel drive low mode on these surfaces could produce some noise, such as occasional clunks, but should not damage driveline components.”

Thank you very much
There is a warning that comes up on the dash if you put it in rock crawl or mud on mine it says do not use on pavement sport mode and wet slippery are safe for the road though
 

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feralc

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There is a warning that comes up on the dash if you put it in rock crawl or mud on mine it says do not use on pavement sport mode and wet slippery are safe for the road though
Yes but the manual states “less than ideal conditions …such as snow or ice”
But I can imagine a lot of owners selecting it in the rain.
Anyways, lesson learned, nothing happened and I will leave it in normal, eco or sport even if it pours rain.

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Merc4x4

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Copy and pasted from the link above,
"Do not use four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode on dry, hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce excessive noise, increase tire wear and can damage driveline components. Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces. Use of four-wheel drive low mode on these surfaces could produce some noise, such as occasional clunks, but should not damage driveline components."

It looks to me that wet roads are ok.
I can see that interpretation.
"Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces."
I wouldn't consider wet roads "consistently slippery", though.
 

Happy

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Sounds like the trail turn is turning on or is on that is what its does when you turn sharp. OBX comes stock with trail turn.
When you use trail turn you do not have to wonder if it is turned on.
It makes the most noise of anything on a Bronco excepts perhaps the horn and radio turned to full blast all at once.

I had read about it or else I would have wondered if something was broken.
 
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I can see that interpretation.
"Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces."
I wouldn't consider wet roads "consistently slippery", though.
I agree, it is vague and you could interpret it either way especially as the first part focus on “DO NOT use 4WD drive on DRY hard surfaces” and rain is obviously not “dry”
Honestly I don’t think it is a big deal, even “GOAT’s slippery” engages 4WD, and there’s no warning just like the other modes, nor a max speed warning.
But good to know it is not intended for rain and you can really feel the jerkyness and braking feeling while turning a very low speed to realize it isn’t right.
When you restart the car you are being asked if you want to keep the previous GOAT mode, but if IIRC if you just pressed 4H there’s is no warning and it stays in 4H, if it is that sensitive I would expect a warning, because after restarting there’s a good chance 4WD is not longer necessary.
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