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Dragging rear wheel while turning

Merc4x4

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I agree, it is vague and you could interpret it either way specially 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.
Does Slippery mode engage 4H by default? That would be confusing to me as I thought Slippery was an on-pavement setting.
I have 4A and Slippery mode defaults to that.

I would have suggested Slippery mode for rain to take advantage of the other settings you can't directly control, e.g. throttle and traction control. Defaulting to 4H would keep me from using that unless there was snow/slush/sleet (or loose gravel) on the road.

You're not missing much without 4A. It's still basically a part time 4WD transfer case. As far as I can tell, it only transfers power to the front wheels when applying enough power to break the back tires loose. Mostly helpful when accelerating from a stop.
For safety while driving, you're not going to get the benefits of AWD. You're still relying on traction and stability control systems to keep you pointed straight. Which is why I'd recommend (and expect Ford to have programmed) Slippery in 2H for those without 4A.
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feralc

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Does Slippery mode engage 4H by default? That would be confusing to me as I thought Slippery was an on-pavement setting.
I have 4A and Slippery mode defaults to that.

I would have suggested Slippery mode for rain to take advantage of the other settings you can't directly control, e.g. throttle and traction control. Defaulting to 4H would keep me from using that unless there was snow/slush/sleet (or loose gravel) on the road.

You're not missing much without 4A. It's still basically a part time 4WD transfer case. As far as I can tell, it only transfers power to the front wheels when applying enough power to break the back tires loose. Mostly helpful when accelerating from a stop.
For safety while driving, you're not going to get the benefits of AWD. You're still relying on traction and stability control systems to keep you pointed straight. Which is why I'd recommend (and expect Ford to have programmed) Slippery in 2H for those without 4A.
Yes it does default to 4H if you don’t have the advanced 4A
You can press 2H after selecting slippery mode which I believe would modulate throttle response while keeping 2H, but it is a two step process that I doubt Ford is expecting owners to do.

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dgorsett

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I agree, it is vague and you could interpret it either way specially 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.
It sounds like it was a learning experience and that is good. The time lag coming out of 4H is due to mechanical binding caused by running 4H when not needed. The trick is to shift to 2H before the transfer case binds, then it will be quick. And as you now know 4H really isn't for rain, but 4A (if you have it) would be fine. But don't hesitate to use 4H on snow slicked pavement, just disengage when you transition to non slick conditions, the 4H-2H-4H-2H etc shift can be done on the fly, at will, just be sure you are not spinning a tire when you do it (the Bronco will actually cue you to back out of the throttle) and be traveling in a more or less straight line.

The Bronco defaults to 4H in slippery but you can still run Slippery in the rain if, after selecting Slippery you manually shift to 2H. This will give you the benefit of Slippery (throttle response, braking, shift points) without being in 4wd.

Edit: From the post above you've already figured this out...learning is good.
 
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mike8675309

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I think the point people are missing is that rain on a road doesn't make it slippery but for the handful of people driving in the rain with bald tires. If your tires have tread, a wet road isn't classified as slippery. It may have less available friction than a dry road, and you may have to adjust your driving style for the conditions. But in general, a wet road is not automatically considered slippery.
 

JerryC

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I think the point people are missing is that rain on a road doesn't make it slippery but for the handful of people driving in the rain with bald tires. If your tires have tread, a wet road isn't classified as slippery. It may have less available friction than a dry road, and you may have to adjust your driving style for the conditions. But in general, a wet road is not automatically considered slippery.
You could say that most trials are the same. In fact many trails only need 2wd and yet you can safely drive them in 4wd.
The real issue is if the tires can slip when needed to avoid binding up the system.
I would think that this varies by how much grip the tires have dependant upon road surface, rain amount, contaminants, tread type and compound, etc...
FWIW, I've used a traditional 4wd in the rain with my trucks. They could get tail happy coming off a dead stop in some locations. Just pop into 4wd, make the turn or climb the rise whatever and pop back into 2wd.
I've driven a mile or so in the rain on 35's with no issue in a Ram truck will in 4wd.
I don't have a Bronco yet, so maybe it's different.
 

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Merc4x4

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Yes it does default to 4H if you don’t have the advanced 4A
You can press 2H after selecting slippery mode which I believe would modulate throttle response while keeping 2H, but it is a two step process that I doubt Ford is expecting owners to do.

Ford Bronco Dragging rear wheel while turning CA93C7D7-23E9-4DD3-B19D-7700761F20F7


Ford Bronco Dragging rear wheel while turning CA93C7D7-23E9-4DD3-B19D-7700761F20F7


Ford Bronco Dragging rear wheel while turning CA93C7D7-23E9-4DD3-B19D-7700761F20F7
Unbelievable, though not surprising after the roller coaster of Bronco reservation / ordering. I would totally think Slippery is fine to use in the rain.

I've done the 2-step process for Baja mode and 2H for pavement driving before enabling Sport mode. Wasn't fun.
 
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Unbelievable, though not surprising after the roller coaster of Bronco reservation / ordering. I would totally think Slippery is fine to use in the rain.

I've done the 2-step process for Baja mode and 2H for pavement driving before enabling Sport mode. Wasn't fun.
But you have a Badlands so you have the Advanced 4x4 system with 4A, Sport defaults to 4A but with your system that is fine, because 4A is most of the time 2H and only 4H if the system feels you are losing traction.
You don’t need to do the 2 step process, and honestly I don’t think anybody needs to, maybe Ford will come with a software update to default slippery to 2H for non advance 4x4 systems or set the record straight and let us know if 4H is good for rain.
 
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mike8675309

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...
I've driven a mile or so in the rain on 35's with no issue in a Ram truck will in 4wd.
I don't have a Bronco yet, so maybe it's different.
The big difference between your truck and the bronco is weight distribution. A pickup truck is always low on weight on the rear unless you add something to deal with it. Thus the traction available for the rear is always much less than the front. You also didn't mention if your truck has a part-time 4wd system or a full-time 4wd system. My 98 Durango had a separate transfer case lever that gave me Full-Time 4wd High, Part-Time 4wd High, and Part-Time 4wd Low.

Speed plays a large role in the possible damage. For the Jeep, the explosion came on a long sweeping exit ramp from a highway. The driver was going 55mph around the corner in 4High, and there was no time for a wheel to slip; it just popped the case open, scattering gears all over the place.
 

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Unbelievable, though not surprising after the roller coaster of Bronco reservation / ordering. I would totally think Slippery is fine to use in the rain.

I've done the 2-step process for Baja mode and 2H for pavement driving before enabling Sport mode. Wasn't fun.
There are such a wide variety of people using this site there is no clear-cut answer for when slippery should be used. Can you use it in the rain? Sure, but what is "in the rain" to you? In the rain, we also have to be concerned with hydroplaning. That's when water gets under the tread of your tires causing our vehicle to lose traction and control. Hydroplaning risk is based on the amount of standing water (rainfall rate vs draining) and vehicle speed and 4WD does absolutely nothing to protect us from that. (Tire siping reduces the surface area for water to get under the tread, improving traction in a number of situations)

People get a 4WD system and think they are suddenly bulletproof. But what a 4WD system does is makes it easier to go the direction you want to.
What it doesn't do is:

Decrease your braking distance, in fact, it often increases it.
Protect you from ice on the roadway
Protect you from hydroplaning on the roadway.

4WD will improve vehicle stability in slippery conditions, but it doesn't solve for everything.
 

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Thanks for posting OP. You were the one brave enough to ask the question, but assume many more made, or will have made, the same mistake as you and wouldn't have asked.

Great learning opportunity for quite a few people.

Cheers!
 

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Does Slippery mode engage 4H by default? That would be confusing to me as I thought Slippery was an on-pavement setting.
I have 4A and Slippery mode defaults to that.

I would have suggested Slippery mode for rain to take advantage of the other settings you can't directly control, e.g. throttle and traction control. Defaulting to 4H would keep me from using that unless there was snow/slush/sleet (or loose gravel) on the road.

You're not missing much without 4A. It's still basically a part time 4WD transfer case. As far as I can tell, it only transfers power to the front wheels when applying enough power to break the back tires loose. Mostly helpful when accelerating from a stop.
For safety while driving, you're not going to get the benefits of AWD. You're still relying on traction and stability control systems to keep you pointed straight. Which is why I'd recommend (and expect Ford to have programmed) Slippery in 2H for those without 4A.
Can confirm that you are unable to switch to 2H while in slippery
Give it a try. It throws up a message on your dash. I just tried several minutes ago
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.
If you completely cut and it feels jerky, you may have rubbing occurring. Do you have stock tires or after market??
 

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Can confirm that you are unable to switch to 2H while in slippery
Give it a try. It throws up a message on your dash. I just tried several minutes ago

If you completely cut and it feels jerky, you may have rubbing occurring. Do you have stock tires or after market??
I do have 275/70/18 upgrades. But the jerking only happens in 4WD and seems to be coming from the back. I'll take a look next time and see if I can recreate and check the clearance. Thanks for the thought!
 

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The point at which the communication is breaking down is on the definition of 'slippery'.

The Ford manual considers 'slippery' under the G.O.A.T. mode of the same name to be on pavement
to be used '...for crossing terrain where a firm surface is covered with loose or slippery material, such as snow and ice.'

To me it seems clear they are talking about a very low friction surface that you won't sink in. (not mud ) like gravel, snow, and ice. Something the vehicle rides upon above the firm surface, rain does not qualify to my mind as it is displaced by the tires under the vehicle weight and you don't ride upon it (unless hydroplaning and at that point it doesn't matter how many wheels are powered, you are done.)

I suspect that is Ford's take on it as well from the way it is written and their knowledge base that makes some subconscious assumptions about the understanding of a laymen.

The use of the 'less than ideal road conditions' is poorly written and we can all see how that could confuse the meaning of the '...for crossing terrain..." section for someone without a moderate understanding of how 4WD differs from AWD (and the manufacturers love to use those interchangeably, I am well-versed in the differences and I often have to dig deep in research to try to figure out what system a vehicle actually possess, they don't make it easy)

Ford assumed folks understood because they understand rain is not slippery per their internal 4WD definition. Folks don't understand because, well...rain can be slippery by the dictionary definition.

Point of view/perspective is responsible for most all disagreements on anything. I have found that if you can figure out the one point where there is a disconnect in communication (and it is usually a single word or short phrase that two parties disagree on the meaning because it is truly arbitrary or subjective (aka not a noun)) and clarify it, most folks agree on just about everything. They just aren't speaking the same language until that point.
 
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Can confirm that you are unable to switch to 2H while in slippery
Give it a try. It throws up a message on your dash. I just tried several minutes ago
do you have 4A and slippery mode selects 4A??
Because I do not have 4A and slippery mode selects 4H and I was able to select 2H after selecting slippery and no warning whatsoever (I didn’t drive it though just tested it while parked)
 

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do you have 4A and slippery mode selects 4A??
Because I do not have 4A and slippery mode selects 4H and I was able to select 2H after selecting slippery and no warning whatsoever (I didn’t drive it though just tested it while parked)
I have 4a and yes, Slippery mode for me selects 4A by default. Tried to switch to 2H at that point but the message says that engagement is not available in this mode, or something to that effect

Interesting how having 4a or not changes what the Bronco allows you to do
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