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New owner noob question here. I've never owned a truck with all these fancy power and traction control settings. Other than the obvious (4wd + locked diff), what settings do you use off road? Traction control on or off? Tow mode, sport mode, normal mode, AdvanceTrac Sport Mode (whatever that is)? Leave the trans in auto, or use the manual selector? When 4low isn't needed, leave in auto but knock off a few of the higher gears? Any other tips?
I should clarify that I mean off-road in a dry climate, sand and rocks. Such as when crawling up or down steep, sandy, rocky trails. Not mudding, where one wants to fling the goopy stuff all over.
From some more reading I've been doing, I'm thinking Sport mode (on the shifter) should definitely be engaged, for slower shift times, and to encourage higher revs. I haven't really tried it yet but that seems to be what it does.
I'm torn on Traction Control and AdvanceTrac. Seems to me that traction control could be helpful when negotiating a hairy obstacle. Isn't more traction better? But then again, I'm really not sure what Traction Control actually does. It's all wizardry to me.
First off, when you put your truck in 4wd LOW, Advance Trac turns itself off. Traction control goes with it. If you're off roading in 2wd, leaving things on is OK, but the T/C will kill your power if you spin a tire.
You didn't describe what sort of wheeling you're talking about: cow trailing or doing some really tough stuff. Personally, I do everything I can in 2wd. When I get the feeling that the drive train is straining too much, in to 4wd. I tend to use the rear locker (electronic locking diff) in sketchy traction rather than 4wd.
What engine do you have? 5.0L makes 390# torque at 5000rpm. 3.5L Eco makes 420# torque at 2500rpm (makes a HUGE difference!) What gears are you running? Anything less than 3.73s and you will use low range more than otherwise. No need for sport mode or tow mode. In 2wd, fine. I tend to manual shift for more rev control.
Here's me on South Park trail in Death Valley (Class IV Jeep trail). This was a wide part of the trail...:
As mentioned above, the diff lock is great for getting unstuck but can hamper steering while negotiating trails. It makes the truck want to push through the outside of a turn.
Ray, you're braver than me. That narrow trail/loose shale stuff makes me cringe. I don't mind narrow as long as its not surrounded by ........ air.
If I want to see the ground down 500' out my drivers window, I'll do this
Ray, thanks for the awesome reply! And also the great photo! I really like hearing about other folks' off road driving styles, for comparison; I don't typically get to ride along with experienced off road drivers, and that's the best way to learn new techniques.
Also, I didn't know that traction control disables automatically when in 4Low, that's a good thing to know! And I didn't realize the Eco generated so much torque at such a low RPM. That is very nice!
As for what kind of trails I have in mind, I'm interested in as much as I can handle without significant damage. (The little lady would kill me if I kill the truck!) Looking at the Mitchell Scale (http://trackandtrailpublications.com...itchell-scale/) that would mean Class III with some Class IV sections. That's what's prompted me to ask this question - if I'm driving a nice little trail, maybe in 2wd or just 4wd high, and I see a technical section up ahead, other than the locker, what other settings should I switch into to maximize my chance of crawling right through without trouble?
For example, if I see a steep rocky section ahead that's going to potentially pick a wheel up off the ground, what would be better - traction control on or off? Apparently if I switch to low I don't have a choice, it goes off. But I found a post on a Raptor forum where guys were talking about this very issue, and the opinion seemed split. Some guys thought traction control off, with the typical "I drive better than a computer" opinion; but one guy pointed out that if you start spinning a front tire, the traction control will apply some brake and the other tire will get more grip. Do our trucks do this too, or is that only a Raptor behavior?
Alternatively, if it's a muddy section up ahead, you'd probably want 4 high, sport mode, and traction control off, to maximize wheel spin and clean your lugs as much as possible?
Oh, and my truck stats are in my sig - I have the 2.7L Eco with 3.55 gears. Plenty of power on tap even if it does sound like a mad hamster!
What the Raptor guys might be talking about is "Off Road Mode". Only Raptors have it. My '13 FX4 has the Hill Descent Control, and now my suspension is about on par with a Raptor, but I will tell you, the traction control does not tend to be a good thing off road. Why? The computer will not only apply a brake, but it will kill the power enough to maintain a non-slip situation. Also, with 3.55 gears you should never get taller tires, if you're going to do much off roading. More aggressive, wider, 10 ply, sure, but not taller.
Really, you're just going to go out an figure out what your comfort level is. I'm going to make a statement that, while not meant to offend, I can see has a ring of truth: your truck has more capabilities than you do. Now it's up to you to find out what they are. Off roading is 50% driver; 50% equipment. Now you know what part of that equation you need to work on.
I'll give you the same advice I was given many years ago: "just go out and DRIVE the da_n thing!"
03-15-2016, 03:08 PM
What settings do you use off road?
