Your Experience With Auto 4WD

[truckguy82]

3 hours ago, ncridgerunner said:

Thanks for the input.  Reversing up the hill seems to be a major factor in the slippage in Auto 4WD.  My  initial understanding was that the Auto 4WD setting to be the same as AWD but there is a real difference between the GM 4WD,  the Honda AWD and for that matter my wife's Subaru Forester.  I prefer using the Auto 4WD because the truck steers better as I attempt to do the small corrections necessary to get the trailer hitch and ball aligned but I have been using the 4WD High setting with no slippage problems.

The gm system is way better than the subaru system. The only subaru which has a superior awd system is the WRX sti since it has a limited slip center, front, and rear.

 

It is also superior to the ridgeline.

 

The reason you probably didn’t do little burnouts is because the ridgeline is a fwd bias. It still uses a clutch pack for the center diff, it’s also a locking center diff, it also has open diffs front and rear.

 

Our trucks system also has a clutch base center diff that can lock. But it has a locker in the rear diff and open diff up front.

 

4wd systems are easy to figure out.

 

You have a center diff, rear diff, and front diff. Your traction is pretty much determined by your tires and those 3 diffs. Open diffs are the least high quality and a locking diff is the highest quality, and a limited slip is slightly below locking diff but helps way more for on street performance such as like wet driving.

 

Raptor = 3 locking diffs

STi = 3 limited slip diffs

Our trucks = 2 locking diffs and 1 open.

forester = 1 clutch center diff 2 open diffs

Power wagon = 3 locking diffs

Wrangler rubicon = 3 locking diffs

Honda ridgline first gen = 1 locking diff, 2 open

 

There are a few exceptions to this as mclaren uses open diffs on all their cars, it is obviously not to save cost. They use a complicating braking system to act like a limited slip that I won’t get into.

 

So basically, our trucks > ridgeline + forester