Practical switching between 2H and 4H?

[WarthogJr]

…or you could move to Arizona. I have never experienced a conundrum like this since I moved here from Idaho.

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[Smocaine]

I'm not aware of Ford specifying not to use 4H above 55 mph on a Bronco. Is that documented somewhere?

You're right, I think I got that from the dissimilar wheel speeds for 4WD.
Could have sworn I saw a 55mph recommendation for 4WD shifts in the HTML manual but can't find it in the PDF.
In any case, it's designed to be shifted at speed, and you won't hurt it going in and out of 4H while driving.

 

[BroncoAdventure]

Is there a max recommended speed for the Bronco in 4H?

 

[idontknow]

Is there a max recommended speed for the Bronco in 4H?

Most recommendations is to do it below 55 I have never personally seen anything official but with that said….

4h is supposed to be use when the conditions warrant it. Those conditions being pretty bad generally speaking. Most people aren’t or at least shouldnt be trying to go 65mph or more on a road if the conditions warrant using 4h. Maybe I’m just more cautious than the average bear….

 

[VIRUS]

Mine only goes 100 in 4wd

 

[HPNQ420]

Discussions like this further illustrate the value of the 4A option. I would not have an on-road 4x4 without 4A, especially if you live in a northern climate.

My eighteen year old daughter has been driving our '14 JK Rubicon all winter. I asked her how the 4wd shifting has been going and she replied "I haven't needed it yet." Granted it's wearing Grabber ATx's, the finest non-winter dedicated tire in the winter I have experienced...

 

[swami37]

Do you really need 4 wheel drive if you are switching that much.

 

[timhood]

I'm in Minnesota and especially in the days following a snow storm the road conditions can vary quite a bit. Side roads and stoplights snow covered and very slippery where I need 4h, but as soon as I complete the turn onto a larger road that got plowed and treated it'll be dry pavement and I need to be in 2H. (2024 OBX Luxe that doesn't have 4A)

I've been running in slippery at 4H, and then once on dry pavement I let off the gas, make sure I'm going straight, and flip from 4H to 2H while coasting usually trying to keep it 35mph or under. I haven't noticed any weird vibrations or anything in doing so but wanted to ask, is this an ok thing to do or is this risky? Is there a better way to handle this which doesn't involve pulling over and stopping to switch drive modes? (which frankly isn't going to happen it's too frequent) Am I being overcautious and perhaps I should be switching modes more liberally to make sure I'm matching road conditions? From reading threads I think I understand the general risk in running the wrong mode at the wrong time but I'm not clear on how careful I need to be in switching on the fly to make sure I'm in the right mode.

Thanks!

We have a 21+ year-old F150 with ESOF (Electronic Shift On-the-Fly) 4WD and after learning how easily it was to break loose the back tires with an empty bed, I got in the habit of shifting into 4H before corners (generally right-hand turns, since they are sharper) when the road was very wet or snowy. If roads were snowy overall, I'd leave 4H on in general, and if they were patchy, I might only shift into 4H when I saw a bad part. Overall, it doesn't spend a ton of time in 4H on roads, and never when they are dry. It's never had a drivetrain problem. As long as the road is sufficiently wet, snowy, or icy, you have conditions suitable that you shouldn't ever notice any binding. The main advantage of shifting out of 4H as soon as you see you probably don't need it is not forgetting it's in 4H when you get to dry roads and try to turn. The flip side is you can just stick to 2H and be more ginger, but why not take advantage of how easy it is to switch between 2H and 4H?

 

[swamp2]

I think I've shifted back and forth from 2H-4H at af least 60+ mph. As stated above, the software won't let it happen under torque or anytime it won't be smooth and non damaging.

 

[Brian_B]

Do you really need 4 wheel drive if you are switching that much.

Growing up in Indiana, I can recall after a modest snow - say a couple of inches or so, out in the flat farmland:

The North/south roads would be completely clear - maybe a few patches of ice but almost entirely free from snow.

The fields would be pretty clear - a bit of snow along the plow lines and corn stalks but you could see more dirt than snow.

The East/West roads would have a 6’ tall snow drift running right down the middle of the road where all the snow piles up on the fence rows

Most of us didn’t have 4WD at all. It was all about the tires. But it would have been a good situation where every turn you are either turning on or turning off 4WD

 

[Big Norwegian]

Is there a max recommended speed for the Bronco in 4H?

If the roads are shitty and you need four wheel drive you shouldn't be going fast anyway. Ditches are full of vehicles with four wheel drive and cruise control every time it snows

 

[Techun]

We have a 21+ year-old F150 with ESOF (Electronic Shift On-the-Fly) 4WD and after learning how easily it was to break loose the back tires with an empty bed, I got in the habit of shifting into 4H before corners (generally right-hand turns, since they are sharper) when the road was very wet or snowy. If roads were snowy overall, I'd leave 4H on in general, and if they were patchy, I might only shift into 4H when I saw a bad part. Overall, it doesn't spend a ton of time in 4H on roads, and never when they are dry. It's never had a drivetrain problem. As long as the road is sufficiently wet, snowy, or icy, you have conditions suitable that you shouldn't ever notice any binding. The main advantage of shifting out of 4H as soon as you see you probably don't need it is not forgetting it's in 4H when you get to dry roads and try to turn. The flip side is you can just stick to 2H and be more ginger, but why not take advantage of how easy it is to switch between 2H and 4H?

I'm worrying you're implying 4wd is helping your lateral grip

 

[mjohnso3]

Discussions like this further illustrate the value of the 4A option. I would not have an on-road 4x4 without 4A, especially if you live in a northern climate.

I agree, 4A shines in these conditions.

 

[mikeofthenorth]

Do you really need 4 wheel drive if you are switching that much.

My original post could sound like I'm switching more than I really am so to be more clear, a typical Minnesotan commute situation in these conditions is:

Terrible traction, 4h, struggle to get traction on acceleration coming out of driveways, out of stop signs, and out of stoplights (especially turning where timing is critical for safety)

County highway or better where tire tracks are bare dry pavement. Occasional black ice at stoplights. Interstates are completely dry. (2H no question)

Turn off onto exit ramp and re-enter slippery slushy black ice conditions especially at stoplights. Of course 4h doesn't help with the stopping, but trying to make a turn out of that 4h is the difference between 30 seconds of wheel spin vs. the Bronco easing through it like it was dry. It really is mind blowing how much it disregards slip and snow in 4h.

Making 2-4 drives like this a day is what I was alluding to when I meant it was too frequent for it to be practical to pull over to be switching modes. But having attempting to run 2H+Slippery mode full time I'm struggling for traction vs switching 4h/2h as described.

I agree, 4A shines in these conditions.

Definitely 4A would be ideal here, is my only bit of buyer's remorse in my build....but at the same time I don't terribly mind the tinkering between modes as long as I know how to keep myself out of trouble. I figure the fiddling is somewhat what I signed up for in the Bronco experience (in a good way)!

 

[Brian_B]

If the roads are shitty and you need four wheel drive you shouldn't be going fast anyway. Ditches are full of vehicles with four wheel drive and cruise control every time it snows

I've always thought the same thing. If you are going 50+MPH, you either don't need 4H or you need to slow down.

Although, there isn't anything limiting the Bronco to that speed - there is a governor - somewhere around 104 mph in High and 38 mph in Lo - but it doesn't care if you are in 2wd or 4wd. Just if you are in conditions where you need the additional traction, you probably don't need the speed.

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