Winter weather driving

[5GENIDN]

Agreed 100%.

We are in Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming, if it’s snowing or icy put it in 4A or 4H and get after it. Lots of Black Ice and it gets many drivers In 2H when 4x4 was available. High speed on snow and ice is not a problem, just stay off the brakes and give yourself a little extra space to stop.

Ohhh !!!!!! And don’t you just love it when at a red light and the driver in front of you is sitting there spinning out in 2H trying to get going in a 4x4 because they think they are saving the transfer case or front end!!!!

If you have it, use it…………..

In the conditions you are showing I would agree use 4H... there is enough slippage to create differentiation. on dry pavement you are dead wrong!

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[Bronco Flyers]

In the conditions you are showing I would agree use 4H... there is enough slippage to create differentiation. on dry pavement you are dead wrong!

On dry pavement you are forcing the differentiation to happen between fully engaged clutches!

The OP said………

“What best mode for high way driving at speed of 45 to 55 highway in snow is 4 wheel high good I don’t have 4 wheel automatic”

Since the OP said “in snow” I’d say the road is no longer dry as there in now a layer of contamination on the road. So 4A or 4H.
If NO snow and roads are dry, bare pavement , and no black ice…………… right on 2H.
And I’d take it the OP is referring to a new mostly stock Bronco without a solid axel or lockers on.

Cheers

 

[5GENIDN]

The OP said………

“What best mode for high way driving at speed of 45 to 55 highway in snow is 4 wheel high good I don’t have 4 wheel automatic”

Since the OP said “in snow” I’d say the road is no longer dry as there in now a layer of contamination on the road. So 4A or 4H.
If NO snow and roads are dry, bare pavement , and no black ice…………… right on 2H.
And I’d take it the OP is referring to a new mostly stock Bronco without a solid axel or lockers on.

Cheers

And my tirade was in response to the multiple people saying 4H was just fine on DRY pavement. Done it for years... no problem....

I usually try not to speak in absolutes. There is almost always exceptions. As I noted in response to some of the photos of broken snow floor... 4H is fine in that case. Differentiation can happen at the tire.

I will suggest when different people say "In Snow" almost every one of us has a different picture in our head of what that means. For some people that picture is of a couple of flakes falling and instantly melting on any contact. For others it means driving in 12 foot deep tunnels on a 8 inch thick hard pack.

There is a lot of people that read these posts. Many take it to heart. So if someone is saying it is fine to drive in 4H on dry pavement or it is fine just don't turn... I am going to call BS.... This is one area the I absolutely KNOW. If given all the variables I can even calculate all the stresses placed back through the system.

I just wanted it out there because people do the "it is true, I read it on the internet".... and the bind I am talking about has nothing to do with lockers... although there is similarities as I alluded to above.

 

[AKBronc49]

Fricking A... Seriously... I have been to Anchorage, I have been to Nome... funny, your snow and Ice is no different from mine. Like you illuded to that "pavement" in your photo is probably black ice. It allows differentiation (a small tiny amount of slippage).

Have you driven a locked differential or spindle on dry pavement? it spits, jumps, hops.... You hear it, you feel it, and if you are outside the vehicle you see it.

I bet you know what I am talking about. You are telling people that doing that between the front and the rear differential (inside the transfer case) is all fine! I have never had a problem!

That is what 4A is all about. It allows slippage (differential power) between the front and rear. Use it all day long on pavement year round if you want. 4H and 4L DO NOT! On dry pavement they create bind! It creates opposing forces inside the u joints/CVs, in the gears inside the transfer case, in the transmission and at the differential. That is not good for those gears and bearing surfaces. It prematurely wears them. Just because something did not break does not mean you did not cause damage! It accelerates wear! Meaning I would never ever want to purchase one of your used vehicles!

Believe it or not I actually have some expertise in this. I was a certified mechanic. then I earned 4 separate degrees. I taught classes at the university in gear design (among other classes). And you have what? An anecdotal "I have done it for years and never broken anything"... And you think the rest of us are idiots?

Whatever you say mister "I'm a certified mechanic, so I know all about everything" you do you, I'll do me.

I'm saying people freak out about driveline bind, you would be AMAZED at what stress they will take. Sit in any treated parking lot here, you'll see hundreds of pickups and SUVs locked in 4hi turned full lock pulling into/out of parking spots. Studded tires scraping pavement and the vehicles hopping like crazy. This is the only situation I can see catastrophic damage happening. On the road with possible pavement, you're not gonna hurt a thing.

You ever watch diesel trucks at the race track running 1/4 mile in 4 high, they do it all the time.

Would I run 4 high on dry pavement in the summer, absolutely not. We're talking about mixed road conditions with possible ice.

 

[Dorf2point0]

What best mode for high way driving at speed of 45 to 55 highway in snow is 4 wheel high good I don’t have 4 wheel automatic

From Icy Alaska.. Big Bend is in 4H nearly all this winter.. highways have not cleared and completely dried.. The truth is you need to change the front differential FD and transfer case TC fluids after the winter.. It has become standard practice on 3 Broncos I maintain.. The FD uses barely one quart of gear oil (75w110 required). The TC uses 2 QTs of fluid, that after 6 months of 4 H, is brown and need of change.. Use 4H, turn slowly on dry pavement if you find any, and change them often.. Cheap compared to replacing major components …

 

[5GENIDN]

Whatever you say mister "I'm a certified mechanic, so I know all about everything" you do you, I'll do me.

I'm saying people freak out about driveline bind, you would be AMAZED at what stress they will take. Sit in any treated parking lot here, you'll see hundreds of pickups and SUVs locked in 4hi turned full lock pulling into/out of parking spots. Studded tires scraping pavement and the vehicles hopping like crazy. This is the only situation I can see catastrophic damage happening. On the road with possible pavement, you're not gonna hurt a thing.

You ever watch diesel trucks at the race track running 1/4 mile in 4 high, they do it all the time.

Would I run 4 high on dry pavement in the summer, absolutely not. We're talking about mixed road conditions with possible ice.

I think my background and knowledge base are considerable more then "I am a certified Mechanic" Although I include that to indicate I also have hands on experience beyond the theoretical of the class room.

You are right. Running in 4H you are not going to experience an unscheduled disassembly of parts. YOU ARE causing long term wear at significantly greater rate than the equipment was designed for. And I will argue all day long backed by scientific figures as well as anecdotal hands on experience that driving with the transfer case engaged (either gear or those rare chains) creates stress on all of the aforementioned parts at a significantly increased rate. UNLESS your transfer case is capable of differentiation. ala 4A.

 

[JohnnyBronco]

What are the top few classes or rally cars equipped with? There is no roam for emotional attachment to a system or stagnation at the top.

Rally driving through the woods at 100 is not the same as 45 on snowy pavement.

Before the Lancias of the 70s the premier rally cars were front wheel drive 2 cycle Saabs

 

[harpo]

Slippery Goat mode. The Ford engineers put some time and thought into tuning steering, throttle, traction control, etc to specific driving conditions. You paid them for it so might as well us it.

A lot of time and thought into how to stop people from doing the wrong thing....

Personally, consistently in response to my inputs stops me from using goat modes. I' ve driven enough 2wd cars with bad tires to know when to be easy on the throttle....

 

[JohnnyBronco]

And my tirade was in response to the multiple people saying 4H was just fine on DRY pavement. Done it for years... no problem....

I usually try not to speak in absolutes. There is almost always exceptions. As I noted in response to some of the photos of broken snow floor... 4H is fine in that case. Differentiation can happen at the tire.

I will suggest when different people say "In Snow" almost every one of us has a different picture in our head of what that means. For some people that picture is of a couple of flakes falling and instantly melting on any contact. For others it means driving in 12 foot deep tunnels on a 8 inch thick hard pack.

There is a lot of people that read these posts. Many take it to heart. So if someone is saying it is fine to drive in 4H on dry pavement or it is fine just don't turn... I am going to call BS.... This is one area the I absolutely KNOW. If given all the variables I can even calculate all the stresses placed back through the system.

I just wanted it out there because people do the "it is true, I read it on the internet".... and the bind I am talking about has nothing to do with lockers... although there is similarities as I alluded to above.

In a first generation Bronco you could run forever in 4H if you left the front hubs unlocked. Sure the axle shafts were moving but no resistance from wheels.

But I digress. 4H in a 6G Bronco should be reserved for true slippery conditions be it 4 inches of snow or even an inch per minute of rain pouring down and cascading across highway. But then again selecting Slippery GOAT Mode should select 4H as well as reduced throttle response. It's like eco eco mode but with all 4 corners receiving power

 

[JohnnyBronco]

In a first generation Bronco you could run forever in 4H if you left the front hubs unlocked. Sure the axle shafts were moving but no resistance from wheels.

But I digress. 4H in a 6G Bronco should be reserved for true slippery conditions be it 4 inches of snow or even an inch per minute of rain pouring down and cascading across highway. But then again selecting Slippery GOAT Mode should select 4H as well as reduced throttle response. It's like eco eco mode but with all 4 corners receiving power

And another reason that when you could, the truly free upgrade to 4A was worth it. Now it appears that Ford only wants to provide it free if you spend over 6k for SASQUATCH

 

[RallyGorgo]

Rally driving through the woods at 100 is not the same as 45 on snowy pavement.

Before the Lancias of the 70s the premier rally cars were front wheel drive 2 cycle Saabs

Saab 2-strokes were occasionally used but were not by any stretch “the premier rally cars”. That honor goes to Minis and RWD Ford Escorts (the cars commonly found in “historic” rallies in Europe today). I’m not saying they weren’t or aren’t at the events, but they weren’t as popular as the Minis or Escorts. Heck, more Porsches are used than Saabs.

The other thing is that few rally cars used 4WD because, with the transfer case not allowing for a difference in rotational speed between the front and rear axles, they don’t turn well whatsoever! The drivetrain used in the Audi Quattro had 3 differentials (front axle, rear axle, and one between the front and rear axles) that allow it to corner MUCH better. There are a few SUVs today that have lockable center diffs in their AWD setups, would have been nice of Ford to have used one on our Broncos rather than electronically-controlled clutches.

One other thing I wish Ford had put in the Bronco, like Jeep put in my Wrangler in 2006, is a locking LSD rear diff. Yes, a limited-slip diff that is ALSO lockable, the Dana 44 Tru-Lok. That’d make for a great drivetrain!

 

[Durangatan]

Rally driving through the woods at 100 is not the same as 45 on snowy pavement.

Before the Lancias of the 70s the premier rally cars were front wheel drive 2 cycle Saabs

Negative. The exact same laws of physics apply. And why bring up 50 year old technology? Are you also writing your reply on a typewriter?

 

[swamp2]

Hmmm. So is 4H engaged in a fundamentally different way than 4A, or is it just engaged for very short intervals, or both? Of course I mean mechanically/hydraulically etc. I know the switch/mode is different.

 

[Sparkherd]

You are confusing the transfer case with the differential.
It does bind up. It is not catastrophic but it prematurely wears all the gears and bearings!

No I am not.
As long as you travel in a straight line, nothing binds up.
Unless you have different sized tires on your vehicle?!?

 

[Sparkherd]

Would I run 4 high on dry pavement in the summer, absolutely not. We're talking about mixed road conditions with possible ice.

EXACTLY what I was talking about!!!
Mixed conditions? Switch betwixt 2H and 4H as needed, JUST DON'T TURN in 4H or 4L on dry pavement...THINGS WILL BIND UP.
My one-year experience with 4A in the Bronco? Survey says BadASS!!!

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