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auto or 4wd

orviskid

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fondupot Senior Enthusiast

fondupot

Posted
Posted

Auto is considered part time 4 wheel drive. The front wheels will only engage when the rears slip.

 

Here is how you should use the 4wheel drive system in your truck. Also keep in mind you can shift from 2hi to auto, or from 2hi to 4hi on the fly. Same deal going back to 2hi from those. But for 4lo you will need to be at a stop with the truck in neutral.

 

2hi - Normal dry conditions

Auto - Slick roads, rain, light snow

4hi - Heavy snow on roads, offroad

4lo - Low speed, offroad

00Silverado4x4 Senior Enthusiast

00Silverado4x4

Posted
Posted

Auto is considered part time 4 wheel drive. The front wheels will only engage when the rears slip.

 

Here is how you should use the 4wheel drive system in your truck. Also keep in mind you can shift from 2hi to auto, or from 2hi to 4hi on the fly. Same deal going back to 2hi from those. But for 4lo you will need to be at a stop with the truck in neutral.

 

2hi - Normal dry conditions

Auto - Slick roads, rain, light snow

4hi - Heavy snow on roads, offroad

4lo - Low speed, offroad

If I may, for shifting to 4lo, the truck should be rolling about 3-5mph as well as the trans being in neutral. It may shift when completely stopped, but it will shift quicker if rolling a few mph's. Otherwise, as was said ^^^

elite0259 Enthusiast

elite0259

Posted
Posted

Anybody ever noticed how much metal get's stuck to the drain plug of the transfer case? I'm not convinced auto 4WD is that great of an invention... That being said I used to really like it until it came time to do the fluids...

orviskid Enthusiast

orviskid

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I always had 2wd trucks so i"m not used to using any of these. if it snows i'll turn auto on, thats about it. i guess if there's a foot of snow I'd use 4wd. even with the ice we just had in CT, i didn't turn anything on. those won't help any with ice. thanks for the info.

fondupot Senior Enthusiast

fondupot

Posted
Posted

I agree with the first post except for the rain part, learn some throttle control folks!

 

With the stock goodyears, I spin the back tires really easily with even light throttle. I will flip to auto for take off from a standstill, also on turns in the rain. helps tremendously.

oldmann Senior Enthusiast

oldmann

Posted
Posted

also, whats with stabili-trac??? isn't auto and 4wd enough??

ST is a nanny control that helps the truck stay straight by applying the brakes on certain wheels to straighten. It works well except when you get stuck. it will apply the brakes. you can hold the traction control button for 10 seconds and it will "shut off" kinda.

KMGZ400 Senior Enthusiast

KMGZ400

Posted
Posted

 

With the stock goodyears, I spin the back tires really easily with even light throttle. I will flip to auto for take off from a standstill, also on turns in the rain. helps tremendously.

Agreed... Any truck I have ever driven it is very easy to spin the tires unexpecatntly especially in turning or uphill starts

00Silverado4x4 Senior Enthusiast

00Silverado4x4

Posted
Posted

Anybody ever noticed how much metal get's stuck to the drain plug of the transfer case? I'm not convinced auto 4WD is that great of an invention... That being said I used to really like it until it came time to do the fluids...

I didn't have much of anything on my plug when I changed my fluid back around ~90k miles. I use Auto4wd all the time.

elite0259 Enthusiast

elite0259

Posted
Posted

I didn't have much of anything on my plug when I changed my fluid back around ~90k miles. I use Auto4wd all the time.

Really? mine had a fair amount. Not horrible but still more than I expected. I think I did the fluids around 115K. The magnet is huge so I'm sure it's not as bad as I'm making it sound... i just remember my sisters fiance who I work on the truck with (whos a total ford guy) still makes fun of me several months later...

elite0259 Enthusiast

elite0259

Posted
Posted

I thought it was useful until I started going sideways down the road, but the front wheels never engaged because the wheels were all traveling the same speed. I like it for going through stop lights/signs though so the wheels don't all lock up while turning...

fondupot Senior Enthusiast

fondupot

Posted
Posted

I refuse to use auto 4x4. I know how to control my drive wheels.

 

Ok. But then why even buy your Z71? The point of having 4x4 is to use it...

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