Why spend the extra money for anything above an XLT?
01-19-2018, 11:41 AM
#142
Large Member
01-19-2018, 12:39 PM
#144
4A is a type of AWD. My 2008 Sport Trac only had 4A, 4Hi, and 4Lo. It did not have 2Hi or 2WD option. It always operated correctly and never a problem. Your story reflects a defective drivetrain, not a 4A AWD system problem.
Chevy/GM use an automatic locking rear differential that makes noise and grabs a bit while going around corners. This issue is stated right in the owner's manual and is considered normal by Chevy.
Chevy/GM use an automatic locking rear differential that makes noise and grabs a bit while going around corners. This issue is stated right in the owner's manual and is considered normal by Chevy.
4A is absolutely nothing like AWD, not even close
01-19-2018, 12:52 PM
#145
Junior Member
Expedition vs F150, but basically the same thing.
4A is substantially different than 4H. 4H is absolutely nothing like AWD.
if you are running in 4H, you have a locked transfer case, and get 50/50 power between front and rear axles., which will cause wind-up and potential damage during turns.
A4 on the other hand has a variable transfer case, and can adjust torque between front and rear axles. That combined with traction control, which applies brakes to spinning wheels, gets you as close to AWD as you will ever get in a truck.
When driving in 4A, and watching the power distribution screen, acceleration generally has about a 40 front, 60 rear power distribution, or near 50/50 in snow/slush. As the transfer case allows slippage, there are no binding or wind up issues on dry pavement.
So.. 4A is basically AWD.
from the maunal:
"4A (4X4 AUTO) Provides electronic controlled four-wheel drive with power delivered to the front and rear wheels, as required, for increased traction. The Information Display will display 4A when this mode is selected. The system continuously monitors road conditions, driver's input as well as other vehicle sensors and optimizes the system's behavior based on drive mode selection."
4A is substantially different than 4H. 4H is absolutely nothing like AWD.
if you are running in 4H, you have a locked transfer case, and get 50/50 power between front and rear axles., which will cause wind-up and potential damage during turns.
A4 on the other hand has a variable transfer case, and can adjust torque between front and rear axles. That combined with traction control, which applies brakes to spinning wheels, gets you as close to AWD as you will ever get in a truck.
When driving in 4A, and watching the power distribution screen, acceleration generally has about a 40 front, 60 rear power distribution, or near 50/50 in snow/slush. As the transfer case allows slippage, there are no binding or wind up issues on dry pavement.
So.. 4A is basically AWD.
from the maunal:
"4A (4X4 AUTO) Provides electronic controlled four-wheel drive with power delivered to the front and rear wheels, as required, for increased traction. The Information Display will display 4A when this mode is selected. The system continuously monitors road conditions, driver's input as well as other vehicle sensors and optimizes the system's behavior based on drive mode selection."
01-19-2018, 01:12 PM
#146
Expedition vs F150, but basically the same thing.
4A is substantially different than 4H. 4H is absolutely nothing like AWD.
if you are running in 4H, you have a locked transfer case, and get 50/50 power between front and rear axles., which will cause wind-up and potential damage during turns.
A4 on the other hand has a variable transfer case, and can adjust torque between front and rear axles. That combined with traction control, which applies brakes to spinning wheels, gets you as close to AWD as you will ever get in a truck.
When driving in 4A, and watching the power distribution screen, acceleration generally has about a 40 front, 60 rear power distribution, or near 50/50 in snow/slush. As the transfer case allows slippage, there are no binding or wind up issues on dry pavement.
So.. 4A is basically AWD.
from the maunal:
"4A (4X4 AUTO) Provides electronic controlled four-wheel drive with power delivered to the front and rear wheels, as required, for increased traction. The Information Display will display 4A when this mode is selected. The system continuously monitors road conditions, driver's input as well as other vehicle sensors and optimizes the system's behavior based on drive mode selection."
4A is substantially different than 4H. 4H is absolutely nothing like AWD.
if you are running in 4H, you have a locked transfer case, and get 50/50 power between front and rear axles., which will cause wind-up and potential damage during turns.
A4 on the other hand has a variable transfer case, and can adjust torque between front and rear axles. That combined with traction control, which applies brakes to spinning wheels, gets you as close to AWD as you will ever get in a truck.
When driving in 4A, and watching the power distribution screen, acceleration generally has about a 40 front, 60 rear power distribution, or near 50/50 in snow/slush. As the transfer case allows slippage, there are no binding or wind up issues on dry pavement.
So.. 4A is basically AWD.
from the maunal:
"4A (4X4 AUTO) Provides electronic controlled four-wheel drive with power delivered to the front and rear wheels, as required, for increased traction. The Information Display will display 4A when this mode is selected. The system continuously monitors road conditions, driver's input as well as other vehicle sensors and optimizes the system's behavior based on drive mode selection."
One of many occurrences I've read about : https://www.f150forum.com/f118/1st-d...ot-tow-372238/
It's not "basically AWD" at all. AWD is AWD and in that mode all the time. AWD has a center diff between front and back, 4A systems do not.
If you slip coming out of a parking lot in 4A for example and you're wheels are turned, and the road is patchy, your front will full engage, and if you hit hard grip, you get binding and pop goes the drivetrain just like 4H. That's what happened in the thread I linked above. That would never happen in an AWD system.
I prefer being in control and switch it myself, just like I prefer driving stick shift.
Last edited by BlackBoost; 01-19-2018 at 01:37 PM.
01-19-2018, 03:02 PM
#148
Senior Member
That's the special King-Size-Mattress Ranch edition.
The color-changing ambient lighting, of course! (Just kidding, though that is the ridiculous little feature that everybody seems to get the biggest kick out of when I show it to them.)
I thought this was a good question because I went back and forth between buying a nicely optioned XLT or a Lariat. I bought the truck to be my new winter driver, and that made 4A the tipping point for me. I could've had everything else that I really wanted (remote start, heated seats) on an XLT. Now that I'm in my 2nd winter with the truck, I've been really happy that I did get the 4A option.
I also wanted the leather seats and BLIS, so they weighed in the decision, though I could've added them into an XLT. All the other gadgets and niceties that came with the Lariat package were a plus, too, but they weren't really the deciding point. You can add a lot of options to an XLT, but then you approach the price point of a Lariat and you still don't have 4A.
While I was at it I would've liked adaptable cruise control and a heated steering wheel, too. But the 502A package they came with tacked another $8,000 onto the price tag and that was the point where I decided enough was enough. You can buy a lot of warm pairs of gloves for $8,000. Among the other higher-trim options, the power-folding side mirrors are the biggest thing that I've liked and used more than I thought I would.
I also tend to keep my vehicles a long time, which pushed me towards the more expensive truck. I had my last pickup for 16 years. So I didn't think of the price difference as $X,XXX. I thought of it more like $X,XXX over 10 years, which makes it more like $XXX. (Oh, sweet rationalization, you are a friend to all of us who buy a new truck, whatever the trim level.) Differences in resale value wasn't really a concern. By the time I sell this truck it'll be mostly used up.
In terms of adding some of those features or upgrades myself, I have a couple of old cars and an elderly pontoon boat that I fiddle with, so I really just wanted a truck that had what I wanted from the start.
Every now and then I think, "Dang, I could've just bought an XL STX *and* a new boat to tow behind it for the same price." But all in all I've been really happy with my decision. I would make the same choice if I had it to do again.
Interesting side note: There are a lot of F150s in my neighborhood, but the only Platinum belongs to a guy who works on the line at the Dearborn plant. He says now that he's had a heated steering wheel he could never go back to a cold steering wheel in the morning. The Michigan winter moves us all up the trim lines eventually.
I thought this was a good question because I went back and forth between buying a nicely optioned XLT or a Lariat. I bought the truck to be my new winter driver, and that made 4A the tipping point for me. I could've had everything else that I really wanted (remote start, heated seats) on an XLT. Now that I'm in my 2nd winter with the truck, I've been really happy that I did get the 4A option.
I also wanted the leather seats and BLIS, so they weighed in the decision, though I could've added them into an XLT. All the other gadgets and niceties that came with the Lariat package were a plus, too, but they weren't really the deciding point. You can add a lot of options to an XLT, but then you approach the price point of a Lariat and you still don't have 4A.
While I was at it I would've liked adaptable cruise control and a heated steering wheel, too. But the 502A package they came with tacked another $8,000 onto the price tag and that was the point where I decided enough was enough. You can buy a lot of warm pairs of gloves for $8,000. Among the other higher-trim options, the power-folding side mirrors are the biggest thing that I've liked and used more than I thought I would.
I also tend to keep my vehicles a long time, which pushed me towards the more expensive truck. I had my last pickup for 16 years. So I didn't think of the price difference as $X,XXX. I thought of it more like $X,XXX over 10 years, which makes it more like $XXX. (Oh, sweet rationalization, you are a friend to all of us who buy a new truck, whatever the trim level.) Differences in resale value wasn't really a concern. By the time I sell this truck it'll be mostly used up.
In terms of adding some of those features or upgrades myself, I have a couple of old cars and an elderly pontoon boat that I fiddle with, so I really just wanted a truck that had what I wanted from the start.
Every now and then I think, "Dang, I could've just bought an XL STX *and* a new boat to tow behind it for the same price." But all in all I've been really happy with my decision. I would make the same choice if I had it to do again.
Interesting side note: There are a lot of F150s in my neighborhood, but the only Platinum belongs to a guy who works on the line at the Dearborn plant. He says now that he's had a heated steering wheel he could never go back to a cold steering wheel in the morning. The Michigan winter moves us all up the trim lines eventually.
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jp2012 (01-20-2018)
01-22-2018, 02:02 PM
#149
Guessing this ^ and the $8000 gloves was a stab at the heated steering wheel. I can't believe it's even an option. Living in Canada my whole life, I've never even driven wearing gloves. If it's that cold, stop driving with the windows down. Or if you're in and out a lot, then yeah, gloves. If the cab's that cold, a warm wheel won't help, and gloves don't stop working. If they do, then yes, 8 grand buys a lot lol
I can see someone driving an old POS car with crappy heat that takes 30 minutes to warm up being a reason to warm your hands, but our trucks are warm within a couple minutes. I just don't get it.
I can see someone driving an old POS car with crappy heat that takes 30 minutes to warm up being a reason to warm your hands, but our trucks are warm within a couple minutes. I just don't get it.
The following users liked this post:
jp2012 (01-23-2018)
