Gieryic

I've got a 2013 Ford F150. I live in Alaska, and it's common for the highway (70mph) to be clear and for the rest of the roads to be snowy / icy. I'm curious if anyone has opinions on what is better for the truck - leaving it in 4WD all the time (including on the highway), or switching it from 4WD to 2WD on the highway, and back to 4WD after I get off. That would be four times a day, so I'm thinking that must wear on the truck as well.

Thanks!

Gonkey

You need to switch back and forth it will damage your drivetrain binding on the dry highway.Unless you have the auto 4wd setting that can be left on.

Stewy604

I'd put it in Auto (if equipped) or switch it back and forth...4 times a day is no problem.

Tiderunner222

I don't recall seeing this in the Ford manual, but when I had my Tacoma Toyota suggested operating the 4wd periodically to keep everything working nicely. Switching it back and forth that many times a day is better than not using it at all imo.

king nothing

Don't run 4x4 on dry roads. It will cause drive train binding which will cause (at best) accelerated wear and (at worst) catastrophic failure. Only run 4x4 on surfaces where the tires can "slip" to relieve the binding

Ned Fletcher

I do not like to turn off 4x4 while moving so I usually turn mine off at the airport heights stoplight and the stoplight on trunk road. Or at least thats how my normal commute to palmer works out.

I imagine I would rather cycle between the two often and encounter a problem now rather than when my warranty runs out.

McCarthy

Running 4wd on a dry road WILL cause catastrophic failure. Switching between 4wd and 2wd while moving is NOT a problem at all. Read your manual.

benchwarmer4203

The manual will tell you that shifting into 4x4 at any forward moving speed is acceptable.

I try to avoid shifting into 4x4 while moving (anything faster than a crawl) if possible since there's going to be some difference in the drivetrain from front to back when you first try to lock it in; but it's perfectly allowable by the manufacturer, it's just my personal preference. Depending on the situation you may hear a pretty loud clunk when everything locks in while moving, which is perfectly normal. Going back to 2wd from 4x4 I don't have any reservations about...the vacuum is just letting go and everything goes back to free-wheeling in the front.

11screw50

I actually thought there was a max speed for shifting in/out of 4wd.

Anyway, I do it all the time at around 50mph with no issues (I do lift off the gas first though).

CDC5.0

I switch mine in and out at a few times a week during the winter, usually always to get moving, if I start to spin from a stop in 2wd I get off the throttle and lock in the 4wd. I will switch out of 4wd once I'm moving well, usually around 60km/h. The system is designed to be cycled on and off and shouldn't display any premature wear as long as you keep it in 2wd on dry roads.