AndrewM

Prior to 2012, F150s had a choice of three different transfer cases:

Borg Warner 4417 - 1 speed electronic with torque on demand (Limited and Harley Davidson)
Borg Warner 4418 - 2 speed manual
Borg Warner 4419 - 2 speed electronic

4417 had 2H, 4H, AWD
4419 had 2H, 4H, 4L

When I use AWD, some power is always going to the front wheels.

Starting in 2012 Borg Warner added a 2 speed electronic with torque on demand, so I assume it works the same way as my AWD, except it also has 4L. Here's a quote from an old thread:

BorgWarner will supply Torque-On-Demand® (TOD®) two-speed transfer cases for the 2012 Ford F-150 Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum models. The first two-speed active all-wheel drive system for F-150 trucks will feature 4- high, 4-low, full-time and automatic all-wheel drive modes. Built with the same high reliability as its previous part-time shift-on-the-fly transfer cases, BorgWarner’s TOD active all-wheel drive technology delivers improved traction, stability and dynamics. Since 2006, BorgWarner has also produced single-speed TOD transfer cases for the F-150 Harley- Davidson edition.

yeditityet

Begs the question as to what is so "crazy" about the combo AWD/4WD Borg Warner transfer case going in the 2017 Raptor since it seems that this functionality has been around since 2012...

rlfmendes

Hi,
I have a Lariat '15 with the Borg Warner TOD transfer case. I noticed that even when in 4H there is very little binding - you can really only notice binding when you accelerate.

That's a different behavior than traditional transfer cases, where if you are in 4H you will experience binding on turns even if you coast.

Can someone confirm if this is the behavior you see with a TOD transfer case?

The part number for my tcase is GL34-7A195-BD.

Thanks,
Ricardo

DallasTXF150

In 4A, I look at the power distribution and 99% of the time or so it's always showing power going to all four wheels. There was just one time that I saw it sent only power to the rear and that was after cruising for a few minutes at constant speed of maybe 45mph maybe.

So, just exactly when does 4A kick it down to 2rwd only?

yeditityet

Does it typically look like a 50/50 distribution to the front and back under most driving conditions? Or is it highly biased to the back most of the time? I'd love this thing to be like a full time 50/50 split in 4A but sounds like it's not.

AirBall

I got a chance to really try out 4A on my 2012 Lariat last weekend. I drove through a blizzard where they were closing down roads and I kept it in 4A the whole time. I felt very much like the truck was under control at all times, even when watching semis slide back and forth trying to make it up hills. It was less than a foot of snow, but it poured rain first and was definitely icy. The next morning I got a chance to try it out on some gravel roads and it handled well. I watched a guy in a 2500 RAM get pulled out with a tractor and was reminded about small town life.

As far as the distribution goes it appears to be 90% rear most of the time, but when it gets slippery it goes beyond 50 to the fronts. Seems to work similarly to the system in my 2005 Grand Cherokee I had before. I have the Fortitude HT tires so nothing special there. Here is some info I found on the BorgWarner system in my truck. I don't know how much it changed with the 13th gen trucks.

https://www.borgwarner.com/docs/defa...0.pdf?sfvrsn=2

ls2c6vette

AWD vehicles have a differential in the transfer case between the front and rear driveshafts, that allows the speeds to differentiate front to rear. That's why there is no binding when cornering. 4H or 4L is a part time system that mechanically locks the front and rear driveshafts together, great for off road use, or slippery surfaces where the binding or torquing of the drivetrain can easily be relieved by slipping a tire. 4A is similar to 4H with the difference being some sort of a clutch pack that connects the front and rear driveshafts. When the truck detects slipping of the rear wheels, it engages the cluck pack in the transfer case which sends torque to the front, otherwise only the rear wheels are getting power in 4A. Hope this helps.

AirBall

This video may help with some of the mechanical questions.

Tonka Dave

Interesting topic. I am told if I use 4WD High in my 2011 F150 Lariat on paved roads that are a combination of wet pavement and snowy/icy conditions, the tires or the front drive will wear out faster in turns when there is wet pavement only due to both wheels rotating at the same speed and having to absorb the lack of slippage.

My understanding is A4WD is easier on the drive train and front end when driving on paved roads with combination of wet pavement and snowy/icy conditions due to the computer control of the front differential; A4WD allows the front wheels to have drive train power yet rotate at different speeds in turns.

Last, I learned when shopping for my '11 F 150 A4WD slightly reduces towing capacity.

Is my understanding correct?

I am not scared of using the 4WD as Darlingrin implies. I fear paying for unnecessary drive train work and new tires that can be avoided with a little knowledge.

IMHO Ford missed the boat by providing A4WD in a '04 Expy XLT but made finding A4WD so damn hard to find in a '11 F150 with Lariat trim.

ChesterCopperpot

I can confirm that 4Auto works great in snow, drove my 2015 out in Colorado last winter with close to 2' of fresh snow falling over the course of the week on some winding mountain roads.
It works even better when you engage Sport mode and turn off traction control. This gives you the ability to actually control/place the truck since the traction control on these things is almost unsafe in its 'trying' to keep you safe. (I've tried to clear a snowy intersection, and the traction control basically shut off power leaving me sitting there like a duck to get t-boned, instead of allowing some controlled wheel spin to propel me forward). Plus for snow I like the aggressive downshifting and keeping a lower gear.
My past truck was a 2004 silverado, which also had 4 wd auto, and the 4Auto feature was just another reason I found the Lariat trim a necessity.

I think the stock tires should be better in snow, especially with the FX4 package, but the electronic wizardry just described has saved me a few bucks on tires for now. (The e-locker has also come in handy on 2 steep grade locations in snow).

I do also use the 4Auto feature in heavy rains. I can defiantly feel better handling and stability on highway ramps and back roads. (This may also just be a condemnation of the crappy stock tires).

On a seemingly related note, I did just have to get a bearing replaced on my front right wheel after a road trip where I did use 4 Auto. I hope this was just a fluke and not a sign of things to come with this system.