OK to always leave in 4A?

[RaptorTurboS]

Well, I took the Raptor in to the dealer for recall and tranny TSB. I was called by my service advisor to let me know the truck was ready, but she also said the mechanic noticed I had it in 4A and she stated it should always be in 2WD, otherwise it would cause excess stress on the tranny. I personally like to keep it in 4A for extra traction, esp when it rains. I thought I read in the manual that 4H and 4L should never be driven on flat pavement, but 4A was ok.

Anyone else have any input? I’m thinking my service people are wrong.

 

[91Eunos]

Tagging for interest... I too leave mine in 4A quite often for the reasons you mention.

Seems inane to me as well that they can build full-time 4WD and AWD vehicles and yet their halo vehicle with their most advanced transmission is not able to run in auto-select 4WD all the time.

 

[FrodoTBaggins88]

I think the service people are wrong, to an extent. Running in 4A is more stress on the driveline than NOT running 4A, that much is true. Is running in 4A all the time causing enough stress to damage anything? No I think not. Plenty of people that have been driving in 4A since they owned the truck, 20k+ miles. I use 4A when it rains or when I'm going up a steep driveway and don't want to dig up the gravel. It's basically AWD mode and that's why it's there.

 

[8WOOD]

Dealer service advisors are idiots, the mechanics are idiots with very few exceptions. Driving in 4a does induce more stress and fatigue on your drive train, but it was engineered to last hundred of the thousands of miles If serviced and treated appropriatley. I guarantee your mechanic and service advisor have no clue that Raptors transfercase is different than standard f150s.

 

[JohnnyBGood]

Wow. Terrific video !!! Thanks for posting.

 

[docskeet1]

Dealer service advisors are idiots, the mechanics are idiots with very few exceptions. Driving in 4a does induce more stress and fatigue on your drive train, but it was engineered to last hundred of the thousands of miles If serviced and treated appropriatley. I guarantee your mechanic and service advisor have no clue that Raptors transfercase is different than standard f150s.

Very informative, worth watching.

 

[JohnyPython]

Good video. Educational and totally makes sense.

In terms of leaving 4A on all the time, the only thing it may affect is fuel economy. If you’re worried about that sort of thing.

Drivetrain damage probably will occur if you let these systems sit without intended use. For me, I switch between 2H and 4A especially with the last round of snow.

Sometimes the dealer treats its customers as if they are completely clueless. If it says in the manual that it’s Ok to drive in 4A then I would go with that.

 

[smurfslayer]

Good video. Educational and totally makes sense.

In terms of leaving 4A on all the time, the only thing it may affect is fuel economy. If you’re worried about that sort of thing.

Drivetrain damage probably will occur if you let these systems sit without intended use. For me, I switch between 2H and 4A especially with the last round of snow.

Sometimes the dealer treats its customers as if they are completely clueless. If it says in the manual that it’s Ok to drive in 4A then I would go with that.

I tried on back to back runs during a trip to get better economy in 2wd vs. 4a, and got no difference. Obviously, conditions are never exactly equal like this but they were pretty close, and I could have given it a few more tries, but I’ve found 4a pretty good option for take offs on sand/salt cluttered roads, and various other local challenges.

 

[JohnyPython]

I tried on back to back runs during a trip to get better economy in 2wd vs. 4a, and got no difference. Obviously, conditions are never exactly equal like this but they were pretty close, and I could have given it a few more tries, but I’ve found 4a pretty good option for take offs on sand/salt cluttered roads, and various other local challenges.

That’s good to know.

The only evidence I have is the last couple of weeks driving in this white *****. Lots of ice/snow/slush, idling, drifting. Plus winter gas. Poor gas mileage using all modes but I’ve been testing the limits of the truck since it’s the first winter. Really having lots of fun!!!

 

[RaptorTurboS]

Dealer service advisors are idiots, the mechanics are idiots with very few exceptions. Driving in 4a does induce more stress and fatigue on your drive train, but it was engineered to last hundred of the thousands of miles If serviced and treated appropriatley. I guarantee your mechanic and service advisor have no clue that Raptors transfercase is different than standard f150s.

Pretty sweet video. Thanks for sharing. I figured they don’t know what they’re talking about.