UncleFester

Prior to buying my F150 in the Fall, all my prior vehicles were 2WD or had AWD options. Growing up in Texas, I am not that experienced in winter driving and usually have used the strategy - if I think that I "need" 4WD, I stay home.

Today, I got to take Black Beauty out after (and during) a 7" snow storm. My f150 does not have the 4A option - only 4H and 4L.

Thoughts and observations:

1) I witnessed a 2WD Lexus that seemed to be "crabbing" up the road (flat, not a hill) like an airplane with severe yaw. Other 2WD cars didn't have any issues on that stretch of road. What would cause that? Bad tires?

2) Using 4H, I had no problem on road surfaces that varied from recently plowed to 8-12" drifts caused by plows in parking lots. I kept speeds reasonable and kept following distances generous. Question: what is the maximum reasonable snow depth for a stock F150 to handle? (In my area, most of the challenges are caused by snow plows creating deep snow at the entry to parking lots).

3) when I tried to back up in my driveway and in parking lots, the truck didn't seem to want to go and made some odd noises. I assumed 4WD doesn't work in 4H. True/False? If not, would it be smart to switch to 2WD?

Trailbreak74

1. Was it a front wheel drive or rear wheel drive Lexus? Maybe they had mismatched tires? Maybe their front tires were worn and rear tires were new? Tough to say for sure with so many variables.

2. Believe it or not there are a lot more variations between snow then just the depth. Ice content and the surface underneath the snow are just two. Also, a lot depends on the tires you have on your truck. That said, it's really unrealistic for a stranger to be able to "rate" your truck for a certain snow depth. With the right tires a 4wd truck can get though a lot of snow.

3. This one has me scratching my head. 4wd (hi or lo) are supposed to work in forward or reverse. Maybe you have something wrong with your truck? Not sure maybe someone else knows more than me but I can't think of any reason 4wd wouldn't work in reverse.

Ricktwuhk

Four wheel drive works in forward and reverse, and both 4H and 4L. If you can't go backwards, your truck has a problem.

And anyone that quotes any depth is totally full of you know what. Tires and the driver's ability. Most people are horrible drivers, whether in 2, 4, or more...

tjm623

As long as your not using the front bumper as a plow goes as deep as truck will drive! Lol

deep snow is all about momentum. You lose that and don't have good tires, you will get stuck.

UncleFester

Thanks.

Once the snow melts, I am going to test it in reverse and both 4H and 4L. If I have any problems, it is still under warranty.

johnday in BFE

iTrader: (1)

I'm willing to bet it was your Traction Control working. It can be a royal pain at times. Just turn it off. Your Owners Manual will tell you about it, just sorta read between the lines, and you'll see what I mean.
Did you spin a wheel trying to get up the drive?
In 4H, you "are" in 4x4, regardless of which direction you're moving.

UncleFester

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

Velosprout

The narrower the tires in snow the better. Less resistance on the snow and higher weight applied to the contact patch. I used to routinely drive through over-bumper deep snow with 6.50 x 16's with large-lug tires through fields & cattle pastures. More weight helps....like a full load of firewood, hay, or hog feed. Larger, wider tires have less weight per square inch in the contact patch, then skates on ice, or rides up on top of a drift & claws in, leaving the truck stranded upon the frame with packed snow and no weight left in the wheels.

Boulevard

The Lexus was rear wheel drive with the rear wheels trying to push the car forward and the front wheels resisting forward motion. The back wheels start to spin and the back of the car steps out. FWD cars pull the car forward but for them the front of the car steps out.

Speed is not your limiting factor, braking, traffic and visibility is. That means slow down and get snow tires. Serious emphasis on snow tires.

That noise was probably traction control and you should just leave it alone. Turning off factory FORD installed, OEM tested traction assist devices are a bad idea unless you know what you are doing and why. More fuel=more go and that is all you need to know.

Your parking lot/driveway noise sounds like knuckling. This is when you turn the steering hard left or hard right and the truck seems to seize/stop and when you add more fuel it seems to buck from the front. All 4wd trucks do it. Try to avoid doing this but if you must than you must. Turning off 4x4 should stop it but do it before you initiate a sharp turn.

Only use 4x4 when you need it because AWD and 4WD are not the same. AWD is a very sophisticated mix of computers and slip clutches while 4WD is all about durability through simplicity and you can damage a 4WD by treating it like an AWD system.

UncleFester

You are a genius.

When I tried it this morning, turning off the traction control solved the problem. Turning it back on caused it to return.

Obviously, I'll turn off traction control next time I am have the same problem backing up.