4WD a nightmare at slow speeds

[TimmyB]

I’m about 40 miles from you and have been driving in the lake effect snow belt for decades. I also have a Tremor like you do. I have about 3-350 lbs of tube sand in the bed. Makes a huge difference and rarely have I had to use 4wd in the snow ( maybe once or twice in the last three and a half years). Like others have suggested when conditions are slippery you can go from 2wd to 4 high on the fly. So use it if you feel you need it then switch it back. But recommend putting some sand bags in the bed.

Yep. It's the lack of weight in the rear, which caused me to put it in 4H to begin with. I'll have to find something heavy.

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[Glocker]

As already mentioned, 4wd is ONLY for surfaces that permit wheel slip.

As for when to use 4wd, I tend to only turn it on when I need it. In the past (not a problem for me now in South Florida) I kept my 4wd off in the snow until I needed it.

A reminder: 4wd doesn't help you stop or hold a curve at high speed in snowy and iced situations. It helps you start and get out of a stuck situation.

I have a really good feel8ng that there is nothing amiss with your truck, but that you'll fine tune when to use it to it's capabilities and when you won't need those tools.

The cool thing is, these are pretty quick to change from 2h to 4h. Not like the old days where you had to get out and lock the hubs!

Also, do you have the locking rear axle in your truck?

 

[Motorpsychology]

You need to know how 4WD works and to be conscientious of the terrain you are on.
When a 4WD systems engaged, power goes to both axles equally. When making a turn, power is going to the front axle at the same rate as the rear, but the front wheels are turning at a different speed than the rear, because the front inside wheel is trying to turn slower, and the outside wheel is trying to turn faster than either of the rear wheels, which are trying to run in a straight line. This causes that herky-jerky feeling. Not to be confused with the way the differentials are working: they are compensating for the different speed of each wheel on the same axle.
In an AWD or automatic 4WD system (Rangers are a part-time system; manually engaged), there is a center differential that decreases power to the front axle in a turn to allow the front wheels to track independent of the rear wheels.

The key is don't run in 4WD if the surface has no "slip." Gravel, sand covered pavement, snow, grass, allow the front wheels to sort of crab walk around a turn while trying to be pushed straight ahead by the rears.
If you are on a snowy street in 4WD and need to make a right angle turn such as into a gas station or driveway, put it back in 2WD a hundred feet or so before the turn. On a snowy highway, I'll run in 4WD as long as the road is adequately straight with few, gentle bends. and mostly snow covered. Patches of dry pavement won't negatively affect the system, as long as the road is fairly straight; if you can see around a bend far enough to theoretically pass a car, that's a gentle bend. I'll go back into 2WD if the turn sharpens, like a dry off ramp, or the pavement turns dry for an extended length.

And as others have said, it's a good idea to engage 4H & 4L occasionally to keep the system limbered up.

Disclaimer: Your results may vary, and if unsure, stay in 2WD and slow down.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

What your truck is doing sounds exactly like you’re driving on a bare surface - not so sure anything is wrong and if you ugga-gugga in 4H and bind things up, it might take more than a few metres of straight line driving to undo what you just did. No biggie.

@Glocker ’s a retired cop who knows a thing or two about driving. His advice is solid but I’m not sure if he’s ever been in a Canadian high-speed chase.

 

[Motorpsychology]

As already mentioned, 4wd is ONLY for surfaces that permit wheel slip.

As for when to use 4wd, I tend to only turn it on when I need it. In the past (not a problem for me now in South Florida) I kept my 4wd off in the snow until I needed it.

A reminder: 4wd doesn't help you stop or hold a curve at high speed in snowy and iced situations. It helps you start and get out of a stuck situation.

I have a really good feel8ng that there is nothing amiss with your truck, but that you'll fine tune when to use it to it's capabilities and when you won't need those tools.

The cool thing is, these are pretty quick to change from 2h to 4h. Not like the old days where you had to get out and lock the hubs!

Also, do you have the locking rear axle in your truck?

E-locking rear diff is the Last, Last resort; only when you are stuck and 4WD won't get you out. It might help, or it can dig you in deeper, which is when you get to scratch up your tow hooks.

 

[TimmyB]

E-locking rear diff is the Last, Last resort; only when you are stuck and 4WD won't get you out. It might help, or it can dig you in deeper, which is when you get to scratch up your tow hooks.

Which are not even installed any more on my truck since it's our towed vehicle behind our motorhome. My son does a lot of rock-crawling, etc., in his Toyota so I am aware of 4L, and that my chances of needing to use it are pretty small.

 

[hookem57]

Longish story but I want to make sure you have all the info you might ask.

Our Ranger has never needed to be in 4WD. We always live in nice weather and we don't go off-road. This year, we have to stay up in Michigan due to family reasons and we have definitely needed to be in 4WD many times already.

Even though I've never had 4WD (just a couple of auto AWD vehicles), I do realize how they work and that they don't like to have the steering wheel fully turned at low speed, and they will bind up a bit in those situations. However, ours is beyond "a little stiff". On the road, it runs just fine but if I pull into a store and try to turn into a parking spot, it jerks the car so hard every few feet that it is almost impossible to be sure you're not going to hit the car behind or in front of you. (Yes, this happens in D and in R, and turning L or R.)

Talked to my service advisor and he said it's probably just really gummed up since it never got used and I should take it into a big parking lot and drive some circles to see if it would break down the gummed up axles. Well, two weeks of additional driving and lots of circles later, still no better.

It's going in on Tuesday (two days from now) for an inspection, but I just wondered if anyone here had similar issues before and what your resolution was. I did purchase this vehicle in 24 out of my expiring lease and paid several hundred dollars for the inspection that would make it a Certified Pre Owned vehicle and receive the accompanying warranty, but it's pretty apparent this aspect wasn't "inspected".

I'd like to have a little better idea before I head to the shop. Thanks for any helpful replies!

Remember with 4x4 drive, sometimes you need to put it in 4x4 and just drive around the block to keep everything working.

 

[TimmyB]

Remember with 4x4 drive, sometimes you need to put it in 4x4 and just drive around the block to keep everything working.

Sadly, no one explained that to me when I first got the vehicle. I think my dealer might have made assumptions that weren't true, even though they knew I had never owned a pickup before. Not worried, though. They are a great small dealership in a small town and they've always treated me very well.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

It might be worthwhile to checkout pages 164 thru 170 of the owner’s manual while they’re checking out your truck - never hurts to take the time. I’m actually going to read it again as a refresher since I was never sure of the speed limit for switch on the fly.

 

[Glocker]

@Glocker ’s a retired cop who knows a thing or two about driving. His advice is solid but I’m not sure if he’s ever been in a Canadian high-speed chase.

OMG this is hilarious!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Just for you @Glocker, here’s the full tv commercial version.

 

[CTYankee]

Thanks for the reply. So, being from a snowy state yourself, how do you handle driving on really crummy roads which are not plowed but you pull into a store and that lot is pretty clear? Do you just switch back and forth each time (and as I mentioned, QUITE a ways before the parking spot)?

As you noted, if the road is slick with snow or slush, you don't get the jerking as much. I've experienced that with all of my 4x4 trucks and Jeeps when the pavement is clean enough for good traction. It doesn't sound to me like there is anything wrong with your truck.

I think you'll find that, if you stop to switch back to 2H then back up a couple of feet, that will solve the parking lot problem. I use 4H to plow my driveway, so that's all low speed and tight turns. I get a little of that jerking when I'm turning around in an area I've already cleared. I don't use 4H on the road unless I can feel the truck having traction issues.

 

[ljames]

I only use 4 wheel drive when climbing onto the curb at the carwash to drain my bed. And if you engage a moment to soon it will buck and fight very badly.. as already stated by others.

 

[Friday yet?]

Just for you @Glocker, here’s the full tv commercial version.

I am LOL way too hard at that!!!!

 

[awd.nv]

As mentioned, just sounds like engaging 4wd with too much traction on the roads. This little 2.3L makes a lot of torque down low so I get the loss of traction in turns, just gotta adjust to poor weather driving and getting the right tire.

Adjusting tire pressure, lowering it a little might help here too if you run them pretty high.

I do not drive in snow or rain often other than monsoon season and when we head to park city, UT for snow fun. Having had the Tremor factory General tires, BFG K02 and BFG k03 and by far the K03 drive best on wet and snow roads. Maybe even better tires out there but that really helped.

Also, if you come across ice, nothing is helping you unless it is a real winter tire or more.

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