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I posted this months ago and had a few recommendations to make it a stand alone thread. Saw some new power train questions so thought I‘d unearth this summary.
The GOAT modes both make 4 wheeling easier and more mysterious. I consider myself extremely knowledgeable about powertrains, but not an experienced off roader. There are two lanes of learning. Technology and Scenarios. I recommend starting with learning what the technology actually does. Only then can you begin to apply this to the infinite scenarios experienced in the real world. Often times people skip to scenarios, get confused, frustrated and ultimately make mistakes. So I’m going to focus almost entirely on the technology here. 2, 3, and 4 will ignore the existence of GOAT and are in the order of how you should use them.
1. GOAT. You can use these modes and never touch four wheel drive the buttons. That’s how they’re designed. 95% of drivers will likely do better using this strategy as Ford controls more than just the differential and lockers.
2. Not using GOAT or tweaking it can be advantageous to those 5% who really know what they’re doing. Explaining every scenario is impossible and this is what confuses people. The only way to really learn is by doing It yourself (videos of guys driving are also good) and knowing the basics.
2a). Traction control. Limits wheel spin. This is adequate for 99% of on pavement driving for 99% of drivers, even in snow, rain, ice. The reality is, once spin is controlled, tires and anti-lock braking matter much, much more unless you‘re stuck or at high risk of getting stuck. 4WD does zero for the guy sliding off the expressway or through an intersection. Even recovery while in a sliding event is a maybe at best because once you’ve lost traction, there’s little diverted power can do. It can help getting moving, which I will cover.
2b). 4A or 4Auto. Essentially AWD. Diverts power to all four tires without fully locking anything. Tires do not need to slip because the differentials can. Great for slippery paved roads with no risk of binding. Not great for getting unstuck because this slipping means one fast spinning tire can waste all your torque. Also gets worse fuel economy than normal rear wheel drive that is powering only 2 wheels. You can drive around in 4A always without fear of damage and it will only cost your fuel economy. It can only possibly help in bad weather though.
2c). 4WD. Drive shaft is essentially solid, no front to back slip. Makes sure your front and rear axles see the same torque. If you’re in deep snow this is where 4WD can help for on pavement driving. Not in keeping you from sliding off the road, but in slower speed cornering and the ability to climb hills. This is meant for off road and deep snow only, like when stuck. Can slip left to right, but not back to front. What I mean by this is one wheel can spin while the other never moves.
2d). 4L and 4H. Again, both front and rear axles are getting torque because you’re in 4WD. You have two gears in the transfer case. For a given RPM, the transmission has 7 speeds in the manual, 10 in the auto to move at different speeds. The transfer case doubles these, much like the left hand shifter on a modern bike. In fact, if you want to feel what I’m talking about, borrow a bike with a left hand shifter and ride it. Low will cap the vehicle speed at a certain level for a given gear and RPM. So let’s say 2500 RPM in 7th on your auto (4L is capped here by Ford). In low you might go 30 MPH, while in high it could be 50 MPH. The only way to go faster in 4L is higher RPM. So why would anyone ever intentionally limit the # of gears available? People use 4L when going slow on ups and downs because it makes the throttle response easier to control. Pushing 50% of the way down = 20 MPH for instance versus 35 MPH in high so it’s easier to go a steady or predictable slow speed without having a perfect feel for the gas pedal. 4H in Baja applications is similarly good for modulating speed a higher MPH.
2e). Locking differentials. 4WD makes sure the front and rear axles get torque. But they can still slip from left to right if one wheel is stuck or hanging in the air. Locking the differential solves this by making it essentially solid. This will get you out of stuck positions too severe for even 4WD. It Is the essence of why the Bronco was built in my opinion, but maybe 2% of owners will ever truly need this capability.
3). Damage. Being in the wrong locked state for too long can break or prematurely wear things. There are two concerns drivers should have.
3a). Turning. Wheels don’t cover the same distance from either front to back or left to right while you drive. Think of a sharp turn. The inner wheel might go 20 feet while the outer travels 25. Something has to give unless you immediately make the same turn the other way. The same can happen front to back, think of swerving where the front travels a longer distance. Slip is the term for this correction. Either your tires slip because the terrain allows (mud, ice, snow, loose gravel) or your differential does. Locking in 4WD needs front to back slip, locking differentials needs left to right slip because you’ve told the differential to NOT slip. Without tire slip you will get binding.
4b). Wear. Staying in 4L and driving highway speeds requires more time in 7th gear (again the highest Ford enables for auto). It also only uses the one gear in the transfer case more than designers planned. And it runs both at higher RPMs than optimal. Over time this might wear out the gears, or it might not. Either way, it’s a risk you want to avoid and your Bronco won’t drive as smoothly because it has fewer gears. The opposite is true for 4H, you will use 1st gear more and at higher loads. Short durations of either are not concerning.
5). Ford. To make 4WD more fun and less risky the engineers at Ford introduced GOAT modes. You can use these almost with impunity. Simply select the mode that matches what you are doing and unselect it when you’re done. And Ford does more than just making 4WD, differentials, L and H less risky for the average driver. Ford seamlessly uses all these options WHILE controling throttle response and who knows what else (well, not me anyway). I plan to use their functions almost exclusively at first because I know they’ve thought it through more than I ever could, especially on the fly. Pros here and the ones getting paid, this might not be true. For me, those modes with occasional minor tweaks ONLY when off road are perfect. I can only improve by experience and maybe through some scenario videos.
6). Turn assist, low speed cruise, and for Badlands stay bar disconnect are buttons every Bronco owner should learn if you plan to do anything off-road. They’re simple too.
sorry if this came across as preachy, sometimes just typing it out helps my own understanding
The GOAT modes both make 4 wheeling easier and more mysterious. I consider myself extremely knowledgeable about powertrains, but not an experienced off roader. There are two lanes of learning. Technology and Scenarios. I recommend starting with learning what the technology actually does. Only then can you begin to apply this to the infinite scenarios experienced in the real world. Often times people skip to scenarios, get confused, frustrated and ultimately make mistakes. So I’m going to focus almost entirely on the technology here. 2, 3, and 4 will ignore the existence of GOAT and are in the order of how you should use them.
1. GOAT. You can use these modes and never touch four wheel drive the buttons. That’s how they’re designed. 95% of drivers will likely do better using this strategy as Ford controls more than just the differential and lockers.
2. Not using GOAT or tweaking it can be advantageous to those 5% who really know what they’re doing. Explaining every scenario is impossible and this is what confuses people. The only way to really learn is by doing It yourself (videos of guys driving are also good) and knowing the basics.
2a). Traction control. Limits wheel spin. This is adequate for 99% of on pavement driving for 99% of drivers, even in snow, rain, ice. The reality is, once spin is controlled, tires and anti-lock braking matter much, much more unless you‘re stuck or at high risk of getting stuck. 4WD does zero for the guy sliding off the expressway or through an intersection. Even recovery while in a sliding event is a maybe at best because once you’ve lost traction, there’s little diverted power can do. It can help getting moving, which I will cover.
2b). 4A or 4Auto. Essentially AWD. Diverts power to all four tires without fully locking anything. Tires do not need to slip because the differentials can. Great for slippery paved roads with no risk of binding. Not great for getting unstuck because this slipping means one fast spinning tire can waste all your torque. Also gets worse fuel economy than normal rear wheel drive that is powering only 2 wheels. You can drive around in 4A always without fear of damage and it will only cost your fuel economy. It can only possibly help in bad weather though.
2c). 4WD. Drive shaft is essentially solid, no front to back slip. Makes sure your front and rear axles see the same torque. If you’re in deep snow this is where 4WD can help for on pavement driving. Not in keeping you from sliding off the road, but in slower speed cornering and the ability to climb hills. This is meant for off road and deep snow only, like when stuck. Can slip left to right, but not back to front. What I mean by this is one wheel can spin while the other never moves.
2d). 4L and 4H. Again, both front and rear axles are getting torque because you’re in 4WD. You have two gears in the transfer case. For a given RPM, the transmission has 7 speeds in the manual, 10 in the auto to move at different speeds. The transfer case doubles these, much like the left hand shifter on a modern bike. In fact, if you want to feel what I’m talking about, borrow a bike with a left hand shifter and ride it. Low will cap the vehicle speed at a certain level for a given gear and RPM. So let’s say 2500 RPM in 7th on your auto (4L is capped here by Ford). In low you might go 30 MPH, while in high it could be 50 MPH. The only way to go faster in 4L is higher RPM. So why would anyone ever intentionally limit the # of gears available? People use 4L when going slow on ups and downs because it makes the throttle response easier to control. Pushing 50% of the way down = 20 MPH for instance versus 35 MPH in high so it’s easier to go a steady or predictable slow speed without having a perfect feel for the gas pedal. 4H in Baja applications is similarly good for modulating speed a higher MPH.
2e). Locking differentials. 4WD makes sure the front and rear axles get torque. But they can still slip from left to right if one wheel is stuck or hanging in the air. Locking the differential solves this by making it essentially solid. This will get you out of stuck positions too severe for even 4WD. It Is the essence of why the Bronco was built in my opinion, but maybe 2% of owners will ever truly need this capability.
3). Damage. Being in the wrong locked state for too long can break or prematurely wear things. There are two concerns drivers should have.
3a). Turning. Wheels don’t cover the same distance from either front to back or left to right while you drive. Think of a sharp turn. The inner wheel might go 20 feet while the outer travels 25. Something has to give unless you immediately make the same turn the other way. The same can happen front to back, think of swerving where the front travels a longer distance. Slip is the term for this correction. Either your tires slip because the terrain allows (mud, ice, snow, loose gravel) or your differential does. Locking in 4WD needs front to back slip, locking differentials needs left to right slip because you’ve told the differential to NOT slip. Without tire slip you will get binding.
4b). Wear. Staying in 4L and driving highway speeds requires more time in 7th gear (again the highest Ford enables for auto). It also only uses the one gear in the transfer case more than designers planned. And it runs both at higher RPMs than optimal. Over time this might wear out the gears, or it might not. Either way, it’s a risk you want to avoid and your Bronco won’t drive as smoothly because it has fewer gears. The opposite is true for 4H, you will use 1st gear more and at higher loads. Short durations of either are not concerning.
5). Ford. To make 4WD more fun and less risky the engineers at Ford introduced GOAT modes. You can use these almost with impunity. Simply select the mode that matches what you are doing and unselect it when you’re done. And Ford does more than just making 4WD, differentials, L and H less risky for the average driver. Ford seamlessly uses all these options WHILE controling throttle response and who knows what else (well, not me anyway). I plan to use their functions almost exclusively at first because I know they’ve thought it through more than I ever could, especially on the fly. Pros here and the ones getting paid, this might not be true. For me, those modes with occasional minor tweaks ONLY when off road are perfect. I can only improve by experience and maybe through some scenario videos.
6). Turn assist, low speed cruise, and for Badlands stay bar disconnect are buttons every Bronco owner should learn if you plan to do anything off-road. They’re simple too.
sorry if this came across as preachy, sometimes just typing it out helps my own understanding
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