auto or 4wd

orviskid · December 10, 2014

whats the difference?? auto all the wheels turn all the time, 4wd the tires turn when they need to?

fondupot · December 10, 2014

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 · December 10, 2014

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 ^^^

kstruckcountry · December 10, 2014

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

elite0259 · December 10, 2014

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 · December 10, 2014

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.

orviskid · December 10, 2014

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

fondupot · December 10, 2014

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 · December 10, 2014

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 · December 10, 2014

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 · December 10, 2014

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 · December 10, 2014

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...

02suburbanZ71 · December 10, 2014

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

elite0259 · December 10, 2014

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...