This 1990 F150 is the first 4wd truck I have ever owned. I do not know what is normal or not. When I put it in 4L it is geared low and the trans shifts gears...cool. When it is in 4H, it feels normal until I slow to turn in the cul de sac and then it feel like it has a flat tire or something...at this point, I took it out of 4WD. Was I turning too sharply or is something wrong...and it should turn in a cul de sac?
So what is normal and what should I do or not do with the truck? Jokes are ok, but I am a novice when it comes to 4WD and would appreciate some earnest information.
Thanks Bob

 

How fast are you going in 4x4 it isn't good to drive to fast in 4x4 you know that right? You could be turning really hard for pavement driving 4x4 is more for mud snow and such turning it isn't as harsh on it.
Trav

 

I wasn't going any more than 25 mph or so in my neighborhood. As I went around the cul de sac, very slow.
I don't know if anything is wrong with it or not since i do not know what to expect it to do. I have read that 35 mph or so is about all you need to drive while in 4WD.

 

The problem is you are driving on pavement in 4WD. It is going to make the truck feel off and also cause binding in the driveline. DON'T use 4WD on anything other than off-road or snow applications

 

Ok, that makes sense. It did feel like it was binding and trying to force itself to turn.

 

Correct don't go over 35 MPH in 4x4 it is bad for everything what I do is on offroad conditions I drive around 25 then when I hit the highway I throw it back into 2wd.
Trav

 

When in 4WD your turning radius is decreased. On pavement the truck will feel a lot different than it does in normal 2WD mode.

4WD really shouldn't be used on dry pavement, it could cause too much strain on your components causing early wear.

 

You can do damage to the truck by driving on dry pavement in 4wd. Probably dont get much snow down there in GA, thats the only reason you would need it on pavement.

 

I wouldn't use the term "wear"... you can break things.

 

Yup as stated avoid 4wheel on hard surface even hard packed gravel can be hard on one if attempting tight maneuvers.

You can run highway speeds in 4H if you wish, won't hurt a thing.

I lock my hubs in fall (first snow fall) and leave them locked till spring, in and out of 4H "on the fly" as I wish, moving over in to a snow covered lane to pass slower traffic for example.

 

As stated above, we do not get much snow here in Georgia and I have never had a use for a 4WD. This one was available for a decent price and I like to mess around with different cars and trucks.
All good posts and appreciated. It definitely makes more sense now.

 

I personally don't drive in 4x4 on the highway for many reasons of safety of you and others but weathers are diffrent in diffrent area I am in northern arizona where we get snow and they don't salt the roads lots of black ice accidents.
Trav

 

You are right, you can break components. I was simply basing my comment on my own driving habits.

 

every 4x4 we have gotten was in the winter or raining season so I test them then on a backroad. the last owner of our 97 Expedition got mad at me because me and his son when cruising down a back road with it in 4x4 testing all the applications of the 4x4. So far all the trucks we have running currently have automatic hubs instead of manual.
Trav

 

4wd low is very useful,even with the hubs unlocked when traction isn't required.
it's very useful for crawling around,towing up large steep hills where you then stop at the top and shift back into 2wd or 4wd hi.a whole set of low gears to use.a lot of people don't use this set of gears because they lack the need,or don't know when to use them.that t-case alone to me,is just as a big advantage as 4wd is many times during the day.
you can drive hwy speeds in 4wd hi if you wish.
remember 4wd uses more fuel.even just keeping the hubs locked in with shift lever in 2wd uses more fuel.so if the roads are clear just unlock them,it only takes a few seconds to lock up and go again.no need to needlessly feed the greedy oil pigs.