BASE SQUATCH first time in the snow using 4A.

[EL in NH]

Wet heavy snow..not very deep, maybe 5 inches. I tried both 4L and 4H, with and without the lockers. I dont know why but I was getting a lot of wheel spin

Not mashing the skinny peddle . I was starting to worry just a bit. Are these tires not capable of dealing with five inches of snow?

I dont know what was under the snow. What ever is there might be some of the reason.

In any case ,once I used 4A It settled down and I got to the plowed road with no further drama . 4A for the win. !

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[SHANUT]

I’ve never needed anything but 2H in snow but wet snow is very slick. 4L is not good for snow because it can induce tire spin more easily.

 

[EL in NH]

I’ve never needed anything but 2H in snow but wet snow is very slick. 2L is not good for snow because it can induce tire spin more easily.

You aint kidding about Low

 

[indio22]

Wet heavy snow..not very deep, maybe 5 inches. I tried both 4L and 4H, with and without the lockers. I dont know why but I was getting a lot of wheel spin

Not mashing the skinny peddle . I was starting to worry just a bit. Are these tires not capable of dealing with five inches of snow?

I dont know what was under the snow. What ever is there might be some of the reason.

In any case ,once I used 4A It settled down and I got to the plowed road with no further drama . 4A for the win. !

4L and lockers are predominantly for off-roading situations. Stick with 4H for pavement.

 

[SeptuagenarianSasquatch]

4L and lockers are predominantly for off-roading situations. Stick with 4H for pavement.
(Emphasis added by poster)

I believe you mean "4H for pavement under slipper conditions--snow, ice, slush, sand, unpaved roadway, etc." Right?
Both tires on each axel move in unison in 4H, so the inside turning arc of one side is different from the turning arc of the other (outside) one. This means they're turning un-equally, which puts unequal pressure on the drive system.

Your wheels need to "slip" whenever you are in 4L or 4H, thus, never on dry pavement.

To the OP: That's an interesting experience, finding out that 4A worked best in medium, wet, snow. I guess the (computer's) brains outperformed the (4H + lockers) brawn. That's kind of unsettling to old-timers like me!

 

[EL in NH]

I believe you mean "4H for pavement under slipper conditions--snow, ice, slush, sand, unpaved roadway, etc." Right?
Both tires on each axel move in unison in 4H, so the inside turning arc of one side is different from the turning arc of the other (outside) one. This means they're turning un-equally, which puts unequal pressure on the drive system.

Your wheels need to "slip" whenever you are in 4L or 4H, thus, never on dry pavement.

To the OP: That's an interesting experience, finding out that 4A worked best in medium, wet, snow. I guess the (computer's) brains outperformed the (4H + lockers) brawn. That's kind of unsettling to old-timers like me!

I was shocked ....I thought 4A was a gimmick. Not anymore. The performance difference was not subtle

 

[SeptuagenarianSasquatch]

I was shocked ....I thought 4A was a gimmick. Not anymore. The performance difference was not subtle

It's a combination of sensors (wheel slippage), computer analysis, and delivery of power as (computer) directed. I've had two Toyota minivans (oh, the shame!): a Previa and a Sienna, both had them. The Previa was good (had to shovel out a couple of times), the Sienna superb (always got out, including being plowed in deep, up to the wheel wells. Okay, had to knock the tops of the plow furrows off a little. AWD (our "4A") is practically universal now.

Message me if you're going wheeling. I'd love to get more familiar with your Class 6 roads! I drive a 4DR BadSquatch.

 

[WilVis]

Unless the snow is over 10 inches or so I use 4A exclusively. We get a lot of snow and my Basesquatch has done fantastic.

The other advantage is 4A basically is Subaru mode for my wife and daughter. No worries if the pavement is dry in between wet and snowy patches. (We have a Subaru Wilderness which seriously gives the Bronco a run for its money in snow.)

 

[PWillette]

Lockers on snow/ice can make the slip & slide factor worse especially if off camber or steep inclines. Also, front lockers should be used sparingly no matter the situation to avoid undo stress on the CVs and steering components. Been at least a couple videos posted of pooched CVs from snow wheeling w/ lockers.

 

[orion]

I believe you mean "4H for pavement under slipper conditions--snow, ice, slush, sand, unpaved roadway, etc." Right?
Both tires on each axel move in unison in 4H, so the inside turning arc of one side is different from the turning arc of the other (outside) one. This means they're turning un-equally, which puts unequal pressure on the drive system.

Your wheels need to "slip" whenever you are in 4L or 4H, thus, never on dry pavement.

To the OP: That's an interesting experience, finding out that 4A worked best in medium, wet, snow. I guess the (computer's) brains outperformed the (4H + lockers) brawn. That's kind of unsettling to old-timers like me!

Your thinking is wrong here. If locked axles, your description is true. Axles have differentials so the tires can travel at different speeds while turning. Just because you put it in 4H or 4L the differentials still let that happen. What doesn't slip anymore is the transfer case. So now the front shaft is spinning more than the rear shaft in a turn and that is what binds on dry pavement. When you go to 4H or 4L, your front and rear driveshafts are now locked together. The advanced T-Case has 4A and clutches also known as AWD. All areas are open, front diff, transfer case, and rear diff. This allows tire speed differential at the diff's and drive shaft speed differential at the transfer case.

Hope that helps some...

 

[Arrowbear Rider]

I was shocked ....I thought 4A was a gimmick. Not anymore. The performance difference was not subtle

Looking forward to trying out the 4A in the snow next week. I use to commute 22 miles through the mountains in a Tacoma and there were two tight curves where the snow always melted first and those would be clear when the rest of the road was still covered in snow or ice and I'd quickly switch out of 4WD and back for those turns, now I won't have to.

The Tacoma handled the snow wonderfully and I knew that truck like the back of my hand and how to drive it in the snow, it'll be interesting to drive the Bronco with 4A and see how it compares. I could drive the Tacoma in the snow and hardly use my brakes on the turns, just lift the throttle, I'll see how the Bronco feels on the same road using 4A.

 

[1st 75th ranger]

Wet heavy snow..not very deep, maybe 5 inches. I tried both 4L and 4H, with and without the lockers. I dont know why but I was getting a lot of wheel spin

Not mashing the skinny peddle . I was starting to worry just a bit. Are these tires not capable of dealing with five inches of snow?

I dont know what was under the snow. What ever is there might be some of the reason.

In any case ,once I used 4A It settled down and I got to the plowed road with no further drama . 4A for the win. !

for me 4a no traction control seems to work and yes i air down around 30psi

 

[Scoop]

I live at 8600' in Colorado. We encounter lots of snow/ice covered roads. I've found Slippery Mode which engages 4A is the best for ice/snow on paved roads. I attended a snow wheeling event a couple weeks ago - the GOAT mode which worked best for off-roading in the snow was Mud/Ruts.

 

[Beachbum]

I added sport mode to my Bronco just for the 4A option in snow. Worked like a charm in snow drifts a few weeks back.

 

[indio22]

I believe you mean "4H for pavement under slipper conditions--snow, ice, slush, sand, unpaved roadway, etc." Right?
Both tires on each axel move in unison in 4H, so the inside turning arc of one side is different from the turning arc of the other (outside) one. This means they're turning un-equally, which puts unequal pressure on the drive system.

Your wheels need to "slip" whenever you are in 4L or 4H, thus, never on dry pavement.

To the OP: That's an interesting experience, finding out that 4A worked best in medium, wet, snow. I guess the (computer's) brains outperformed the (4H + lockers) brawn. That's kind of unsettling to old-timers like me!

Yes OP has the Sas package, so his tcase 4H allows for differential action between front and rear. But the traditional "part-time" locked 4H tcase can also be used on dry pavement, just don't go crazy with turns. Leastways my Dana 18 (CJ-5) and Dana 300 (CJ-7) part-time tcases held up fine with intermittent snow/dry pavement situations.

The e-lockers are mostly for off-roading and are not something to engage for general pavement snow driving. They could even make driving worse than regular 2H. E-lockers and 4L are mostly wasted on pavement vehicles. Maybe pulling a boat out of a lake on a slippery dock an e-locker could see some use, kind of those special case situations.

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