Hey guys

I know the truck comes with

• Normal.
• Eco.
• Tow/Haul.
• Sport.
• Slippery.
• Deep Snow/Sand.
• Mud & Ruts.
• Rock Crawl.

they are pretty self explanatory but does anyone know or have a good link to a video or doc as to what’s exactly happening in each mode ( the things that are being activated or deactivated or altered in each mode)

Thanks

 

Might be helpful to know the year and model.....details help.

 

We are in a 2021 F150 group, so that would be self explanitory.

 

you need to know the model, because it changes if you have 4A and locking rear end, The sports mode on mine Lariat 502A goes into 4A , so it does vary on the model, The deep snow/sand mode locks the rear, 4H and takes off traction control, see bottom left of picture

,

 

Lariat 502A

like I said I can see the obvious being displayed on the dash but I know there are other things being altered in each mode.

 

Features turning on ad off is just what you see on the dash

Everything else is software driven.

 

Sport mode = Rocketship Mode

 

Rock Crawl is also only on FX4, so if someone reading this doesn't see that on theirs, that would be the reason.

I don't think Ford gives a real detailed description of each, probably because much of it is a little tough to describe in an effective way.

For a Lariat, my experience has been:
Normal - It's Normal! No change to 4x4 status.
Eco - Quicker to shift, softer gas pedal response, no change to 4x4 status
Tow/Haul - Holds gears longer and will generally keep you in a lower (numerical) gear than Normal, not quite sure on pedal responsiveness changes as the truck already feels different with a trailer on it. No change to 4x4 status.
Sport - Engages 4x4 Auto if not already selected, will usually shift through many gears it may skip in other modes (Normal/Eco), much more responsive pedal feel, will usually hold in lower (numerical) gears.
Slippery - I believe this one engages 4x4 Auto if not already selected, will shift to a higher (numerical) gear quicker, slightly softer pedal feel, and power distribution is more even front to rear, where 4x4 Auto in most other modes gives emphasis to the rear tires typically.

The last three, Deep Snow/Mud/Ruts/Rock Crawl, I don't have a lot of experience with. I think others have mentioned some of them engage the rear locker, one may even try to put you in 4x4 Low (Rock Crawl?). Deep Snow/Sand and Mud/Ruts if I recall have more Sport-like throttle response and shift pattern, where Rock Crawl has a more Eco like controllable throttle response.

While I don't know how effective all of them are for their situations, I am a big fan of the Slippery mode here in Michigan. I started using its equivalent on my '19 when it would snow, and could tell a big difference in off the line traction compared to Normal. It's just much easier to modulate the throttle for varying snow depths and changing road conditions. I think it's useful even for veteran drivers as there are aspects of the truck you can't control, like shift patterns and throttle response, and the modes do a good job of giving you some level of control by selecting a drive mode for the situation. I would try each out though yourself and get a feel for them.

None of the modes can compensate for physics though. if you have garbage all season tires that have terrible cold weather traction, all the snow and slippery modes in the world won't improve that, especially on stopping distances. Same idea for mud/ruts and rock crawl, need the right wheels and tires, all that good stuff, to get the full effectiveness of the truck.

 

Will add, employs downshifting for engine breaking.

 

Yep. I second that. found out about that yesterday. Pretty dang cool I might add. feels like my SD.

Zee