Need explanation of 4X4 settings (buttons)

I have the following three buttons on the center console of our 06 EB Explorer: 4X4 Auto, 4X4 Hi, and 4X4 Lo.

My question is what is the difference between each setting? What are the speed recommendations for each setting? What kind of gas mileage can be expected in 4X4 mode?

Also what "wheel drive" am I in when I am not in any of the 3 4X4 modes? In non-4X4 mode, is the SUV a front or rear wheel drive vehicle?

I have read the manual, and it is very vague (no surprise).

Any feedback is appreciated.

You are always in 4x4 auto, what that does is, keeps you in 2wd until it senses your tires are slipping, then it engages 4wd. so you dont have a true 2wd. 4x4 mode, is normal 4 wheel drive, and 4x4 lo, just reduces the gearing to give you more power. you can drive normal in 4x4 auto and 4x4 hi, and in 4x4 lo, you dont want to go fast at all, under 10mph. your RPM's will be pretty high if you go fast, its lower then 1st gear. And you have a RWD vehicle.

4wd High should only be used when most of the surface you are on is slippery. The front wheels need to be able to spin when you are turning and in 4wd high or it will bind the CV joints and possibly cause damage. You don't want to use 4wd on bare pavement or mostly bare pavement.

Thanks everyone, I think I got it now.

4x4 Auto - Only need to press to get from 4x4 hi or lo, back to Auto. 4x4 kicks in when better traction is needed, otherwise the "standard" is Rear-wheel 2WD.

4x4 Hi - Use only on extended wet or snowy conditions, such as during a snow or rain storm, and probably best at slower speeds (<30 MPH)

4x4 Lo - Probably best if you are stuck in mud, sand, deep snow, and need that extra power to get out. I don't two anything but I guess you may use this to tow a boat or another vehicle. Not sure about this.

Last thing I am not sure is the previous comment about 4x4 High setting, "the front wheels need to be able to spin when you are turning". Can you please clarify? Are you differentiating between a wheel spinning as opposed to normal rolling (due to forward movement)?

Thanks again all.

hamcse924 said:

Thanks everyone, I think I got it now.

4x4 Auto - Only need to press to get from 4x4 hi or lo, back to Auto. 4x4 kicks in when better traction is needed, otherwise the "standard" is Rear-wheel 2WD.

4x4 Hi - Use only on extended wet or snowy conditions, such as during a snow or rain storm, and probably best at slower speeds (<30 MPH)

4x4 Lo - Probably best if you are stuck in mud, sand, deep snow, and need that extra power to get out. I don't two anything but I guess you may use this to tow a boat or another vehicle. Not sure about this.

Last thing I am not sure is the previous comment about 4x4 High setting, "the front wheels need to be able to spin when you are turning". Can you please clarify? Are you differentiating between a wheel spinning as opposed to normal rolling (due to forward movement)?

Thanks again all.

Click to expand...

How to explain.....basically, your "locking" the axle together. You know how some cars or toy cars (or lawn tractors) will spin the right wheel when the left wheel gets jammed or stuck? That is because they aren't locked together.

When your in 4wd they are locked together. If you turn the left wheel a 1/4 turn, then the right wheel also turns a 1/4 turn. Now, a disclaimer on this, technically it's not exact. They make these drives a "limited slip" (ever hear that before?) That is, if you turn the left wheel a 1/4 turn, the right wheel will turn a little less or a little more that it.


That's the background. Here is what they mean when they say "spin when you are turning." To get totally scientific, take a tube or a water bottle or something and put it on the desk. Now imagine it's an axle and roll it forward a few inches. Both sides of the bottle made the same number of revolutions. Now roll it and make it turn right. The left side of the bottle made more revolutions than the right side. Why? Because it has "further" to travel than the right side. If that's the case, then how did the bottle roll at all if the left side had further to go than the right? Because the bottle "slipped" on the desk and the right side of the bottle moved slower than the left.

That is what limited slip is, it's slipping...to a limit...to allow the thing to turn. If you didn't do this then the wheels would "bind" and you would break something. Try to roll the bottle in a turn without allowing the right side to slip, the bottle will twist. In the practice of a vehicle it will happen even when driving in a straight line because roads aren't perfectly level, tires are worn different, air pressures, etc..all contributing to one wheel moving slightly faster or slow than another.

Now since dry pavement has very good traction (unlike your desktop and a plastic bottle), the limited slip won't work. That is why you use only on wet, snowy, dirt, icy roads so that there is a lack of traction to allow the slip when turning.

I don't know if I did a very good job explaining it, but there is my shot

When it was said the front wheel must be able to slip, even on normal wet roads you shouldn't use 4HI because the tires don't get much slippage, if they dont get much slippage it can bind and could either on the spot break something or down the road break something because if you you think about it if both wheels are trying to turn at the same speed its going to be hard to turn the wheels in either right or left direction so your better using 4hi on snow covered roads/mud and if your somewhere where there is alot of lose gravel it won't hurt much. You won't need 4low for towing unless you pulling something through mud or snow or if you need to go at a slower speed than 1st gear in hi or auto setting. I often just use the Auto setting on snowy roads, I usually only use HI when I go mudding or out on trails/dirt roads that are snow covered. Don't know I explained much better but trying to help ya out. Enjoy your explorer.