Adv 4x4 needed for heavy rain?

[KH_59]

Your 1994 Mustang was 101.3" wheelbase. 2-door Bronco is 100.4; 4-door Bronco is 116.1.

Having the front wheels driving on slick roads makes it less likely that short-wheelbase vehicles will "swap ends" while on the gas, especially when cornering. Assuming you always keep good tires on your Bronco (good tires = good traction)....then the 4A option will let you "set it and forget it" without worrying about popping it back to 2H to avoid driveline binding. You need to keep your hands on the wheel and pay attention to the road rather then fiddling with the drive controls....so I would say get it.

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[Rogues Gambit]

On my old F-250 I had tires with plenty of tread but they were old and hard so even in a light rain I couldn't get up some hills on city streets in 2wd. Fresh tires made all of the difference.

And on the flip side, my Yokohama's are useless in the snow without 4hi in my Truck. Thank God Central Jersey doesn't get much of Satan's Dandruff or I'd be SOL with them

 

[A_Locke]

Unless there is a lot of standing water on the ground, 4A vs 2H is not really a big deal. 2H should suffice in the rain

Where 4A is most useful is light snow/ice on asphalt roads. In that scenario, you might want 4H because you want extra traction on slicker surfaces, but at the same time, you might get some binding around turns. This is where 4A is advantageous. It will provide torque/power to the front 2 wheels, while preventing binding.

 

[Mainerunr]

should not be necessary for rain (other than freezing rain, in which case, even if you are good to go, the other guy probably isn't).

I don't feel that 4A is needed for snow either but others feel differently. I never swap in and out of 4wd, either I need it or I dont. Unless the roads are all covered with snow, I'm probably not in 4wd with my pickup. If it's spotty, I'm probably in 2wd (heck, sometimes I drive home in 2wd in snowstorms). That said, I'm not in the mountains, etc. so your mileage may vary.

I largely see 4A as just something else that can break. It acts as a center differential when in 4A and locks when in 4H. Probably biased because I had massive issues with a Jeep Grand Cherokee transfer case that had similar function.

 

[KH_59]

A really heavy rainstorm tends to wash away the residual oil and crap that makes the road slick.

I almost prefer a heavy rain over a little bit of drizzle after a long dry spell...........

 

[AcenTitus]

Rain doesn’t require AWD or 4wd

Of course not. Totally agree with you on that. The question isn’t will I be unable to drive in the weather without it (again, I managed with a 94 mustang at 16), it’s “would the 4a feature provide a noticeable improvement over a Bronco that didn’t have it in those conditions.”

 

[The_Phew]

Apples-to-oranges, but in my Polaris Ranger EV, 4A seems most useful when ascending a grade with patchy snow/ice/mud (the UTV doesn't even have selectable 4wd; only a 4A mode where the front transfer case kicks in if the rear axle is spinning significantly faster than the front-a pretty cool diff setup, IMHO). Since it's the EV, I can hear the front transfer case engage when the rear tires are stuck in mud. Going through the same uphill mud patch in 2wd (rear diff locked OR open) resulted in getting stuck (I went through the same patch in all 3 drives modes; was very informative).

If you have traction issues in rain, the issue is your tires, not your drivetrain.

 

[jeep364]

should not be necessary for rain (other than freezing rain, in which case, even if you are good to go, the other guy probably isn't).

I don't feel that 4A is needed for snow either but others feel differently. I never swap in and out of 4wd, either I need it or I dont. Unless the roads are all covered with snow, I'm probably not in 4wd with my pickup. If it's spotty, I'm probably in 2wd (heck, sometimes I drive home in 2wd in snowstorms). That said, I'm not in the mountains, etc. so your mileage may vary.

I largely see 4A as just something else that can break. It acts as a center differential when in 4A and locks when in 4H. Probably biased because I had massive issues with a Jeep Grand Cherokee transfer case that had similar function.

Which year grand cherokee? Qt1 qt2 or qd2? the transfer case on most of them are solid as a rock - just need regular fluid changes with cheapo atf. Gm uses a very similar t case on most of their trucks and suvs.

 

[jeep364]

Of course not. Totally agree with you on that. The question isn’t will I be unable to drive in the weather without it (again, I managed with a 94 mustang at 16), it’s “would the 4a feature provide a noticeable improvement over a Bronco that didn’t have it in those conditions.”

It will make a positive difference. Tires obviously are even more relevant. Most of the nay-sayers would certainly like it if they drove back to back...

Grew up in snow country and you can get by with a 2wd truck, ballast and snow tires just fine in most normal circumstances. Is it nearly as comfortable and fun as a 4wd with full time capabilities (especially when combined with good tires) - absolutely not.

 

[Flourman]

I say try it and see. As most people have aside, tires make a ton of difference.

It wasn’t until last fall (been driving 4wd’s for 25 years)that I started putting my F150 in 4H in on washboarded forest roads. It was one of those things where I thought there was plenty of traction so why do it.

I found it made the ride much smoother as the front pulling over the washboards vs just trying to push the vehicle over them. I could carry a bit more speed without having to worry about getting sideways on a straight, flat road.

 

[Big Boss]

Of course not. Totally agree with you on that. The question isn’t will I be unable to drive in the weather without it (again, I managed with a 94 mustang at 16), it’s “would the 4a feature provide a noticeable improvement over a Bronco that didn’t have it in those conditions.”

My humble opinion, unless you're driving it like you stole it, NOPE.

I used to daily drive Mustang's, then a focus and now my Mazda. Never have I ever thought that 4wd or awd would make a difference right now. Well maybe never, is to strong of a word but the point stands that for rain you will be fine.

Snow on the other hand, that to me is when you would appreciate 4A the most.

 

[Mainerunr]

Which year grand cherokee? Qt1 qt2 or qd2? the transfer case on most of them are solid as a rock - just need regular fluid changes with cheapo atf. Gm uses a very similar t case on most of their trucks and suvs.

It was a 2000 Limited...so most expensive model with the worst tcase (from the information I gathered at the time). Think it was a QD2. It would skip and bind making sharp turns on pavement (started about a year after we got it). That thing also had so many electrical gremlins it wasn't even funny.

 

[Atomicdog]

Heavy rain calls for good tires. Hard rain calls for Morgan Freeman.

 

[mikeheel]

The answers to simple questions always crack me up.

Of course, you can drive on virtually any surface better if you have optimal tires for the conditions. Likewise, 4WD improves traction and reduces slippage on virtually any surface. These are not mutually exclusive answers. Both are helpful.

 

[da_jokker]

I feel like 4A is for when you do NOT know if you'll need extra traction (rain off and on, black ice, snow patches but dry roads)

If you know you are in slick situation, thunderstorm, snowing, etc, then 4H is fine. (Just no lockers)

In my XJ, the moment it started to rain or the roads were wet... 4 wheel drive was on. But without lockers, it was just power to 1 rear and 1 front... made the world of difference.

Which reminds me... does the bronco 4H allow for the front axle and rear axle spin at different rates? My XJ had "full time 4x4" which allowed the clutches in the t case to allow for it so you could make normal turns. But once you put it in 4 low, the front and rear where locked in together so it required surface slippage

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