Do any of you leave your truck in Auto 4-wheel drive? I've never done this, but have been wondering about maybe doing so. Ninety-nine per cent of the time I'm on dry pavement and don't remember to occasionally put my truck in 4-WD.

 

I usually leave mine in 2wd. But if the weather is really bad ill drive in 4auto. It's made to be ran like that and won't hurt anything.

 

Is that an option? I have the 4x4 but no Auto option.

 

Option on lariat and up trims. 2012+. I'm not sure if 2011 had it.

 

I think it's meant for those questionable condition days, when you're not sure if you should switch to full time 4x4, or leave in 2wd. So, when conditions are marginal, you should run it in auto mode. It'll switch when it needs to, but can sometimes be a little late....

 

Mine has always been pretty quick to respond. Always felt like the back didn't even spin before the front engaged

 

you can leave it in auto all the time if you wanted.

my boss has a 2011 lariat limited with the auto 4x4 setting and he leaves it in auto all summer because with the power of the 6.2 you can get the rear end to go sideways pretty easy. winter he runs 4x4 high.

wont hurt a thing.

 

This is from the manual:

• 4A (4X4 AUTO) - provides electronic control four-wheel drive with power delivered to the front and rear wheels, as required, for increased traction. This is appropriate for all on-road driving conditions, including as dry road surfaces, but is especially useful on wet pavement, snow, dirt, or gravel.

 

For the average driver, 4x4 auto is probably the best setting to leave it in all the time. It basically runs the truck in 2wd drive, until it senses that it needs 4x4 hi, at which point it kicks that on.

Now, if you're looking for the absolute best fuel economy, typically you want to leave the truck in 2Hi, as with most 4x4 systems this has the least moving parts resulting in the lowest parasitic drag on the drive-train. Also, if you are driving the truck in a very "spirited" manner, then you would probably want to leave it in 2Hi. As the auto 4x4 function can sometimes upset the driving dynamics when you're at the limits of handling (as it might want to kick the truck in and out of 4Hi).

On the opposite side, if you're driving off pavement or on a snow-covered road a low speeds, you might want to put it in permanent 4Hi (or even 4Lo if you need the extra torque). This will make it less likely for you to initially loose traction, which could cause the vehicle to bog down. That loss of forward momentum (bogging down), while spinning the wheels, sometimes leads to a stuck truck.....as you basically dig yourself a hole.

[With that said, there is another school of thought that says to leave the truck in 2Hi while off-road. That way, if you do get stuck, it's typically easier to dig yourself out or use 4x4 to get yourself out. Then you know not to continue further. Whereas, if you get stuck in 4Hi, it can be very difficult to get yourself unstuck.

This is why I think the new Electronic Locking Rear Differential that works in 2Hi, is great for off-road use. You can activate that to give yourself some extra traction off-road in 2Hi, but then save the 4x4 in case you get stuck and need the powered front wheels to help pull you out.]

 

Thanks for all your replies. I may give the Auto 4X4 a try for a while just to see if there's any real difference.

 

My previous expedition ran in 4x4 auto full time and worked perfect. Of course on the dry pavement you don't need it but it won't hurt if you do. Cool system for the wife on the frosty morning that may not need full time 4x4. My 2011 F150 does not have this option. With all the traction control and Advance trac features I haven't missed it. The F150 works really well even on slippery conditions in 2wd. Pretty nice set up.

 

The traction control works great, I got my new truck last january( 5.0 xlt) and just for kicks decided to give it a try. I stopped quarter ways up an icy hill on a little used back road to see if the truck could make any distance, it blew me away that it climbed right to the top!!! No 4 wheel drive just 2wd with the traction control. The system works really well.