06 v8 4x4A modification, fuel economy increase.

[Harley McIntyre]

I went ahead and did the 4x4 auto modification so i have 2wd when i want it and 4a when i need it, so far it seems to have actually increased my fuel economy. i drive about 50mi to work. so i just did the division using the gallons used in the message center (Im assuming its more accurate than average mpg) i also have all terrains on my ex so it dropped my fuel economy about 1.5-2 mpg, now surprisingly it seems to actually get better fuel economy than when i had my old highway tires! ill have to do this a few more times to figure out a long term average (Highway driving at 70mph cruise with hilly roads on the Wisconsin 43) for the 42mi from my gym to home i got an average of about 19.5mpg (give or take .5mpg) along with the fact that even my fuel gauge is higher than usual after a single work trip from a full tank! Also the ex handles nicer and feels lighter to steer! When i had my highway tires, i could never get the average mpg past 17.5 with extremely conservative acceleration and consistent speed. (with the message center) as of now its 16.8 because i reset it about a week ago, so we will see if i can finally get it past 17.5 and that will pretty much confirm my results hopefully. Ether way i know it saves gas due to less drag on the engine of course. The question is how much. Sorry if this is a little all over the place. I typed this up when i was pretty tired from work.

Heres a link to my video on what i did if anyone is interested! Pretty simple modification!



Ill post an update on this thread in a week or two and let you guys know if its consistent!

Also i figured id post this in the stock forum due to the fact more people will probably see it.

 

[Explorer_PL]

So simple and so brilliant.
Thanks Harley, I think I got my new project for my 06 and 07.
Let us know an update in a week or so.

 

[ThunderbirdSport]

very nice. I'll try this in a few days and see if I can get an extra MPG or two..

 

[jupiterak]

Very nice job and video. I've been interested in doing this for years now but alittle worried any long term problems would occur. Anyway, have you tried switching on and off the Auto4x4 while the truck is in motion?

 

[Ruddy]

so, you are saying 4wd Auto acts like and AWD where a certain percentage of power is always going to the secondary axle?

 

[Harley McIntyre]

Very nice job and video. I've been interested in doing this for years now but alittle worried any long term problems would occur. Anyway, have you tried switching on and off the Auto4x4 while the truck is in motion?

Not yet but I'm going to do that today and see what happens, it should be fine, as that would be the same as switching from 2wd to 4a, so we will see!

 

[Harley McIntyre]

so, you are saying 4wd Auto acts like and AWD where a certain percentage of power is always going to the secondary axle?

Kind of but it doesn't constantly send power, it just randomly engages whenever it wants to, sapping fuel and power. Merging on the freeway, during turns, off of stop lights, etc. I also have heard that doing it with a v6 is a bad idea due to them possibly having different systems but I'm not completely sure

 

[Harley McIntyre]

So I went ahead and flipped the switch on while going about 40mph, and as far as I could tell, nothing happened. It seems that on the fly switching works perfectly!

 

[Explorer_PL]

I would not expect any issues
It should work flawlessly

 

[jupiterak]

So I went ahead and flipped the switch on while going about 40mph, and as far as I could tell, nothing happened. It seems that on the fly switching works perfectly!

Thanks for the reply. I'll be doing this mod very soon. Thanks

 

[Ruddy]

Just got a 2010 V8 4wd. I did notice yesterday when launching at a medium level from the stop light, a high frequency, but not harsh vibration in the steering wheel. Thought that was odd, but now reading your comments, sounds like a normal part of the system.
I didn't want 4wd, but in 2010 they gave V8 purchasers no choice.

Kind of but it doesn't constantly send power, it just randomly engages whenever it wants to, sapping fuel and power. Merging on the freeway, during turns, off of stop lights, etc. I also have heard that doing it with a v6 is a bad idea due to them possibly having different systems but I'm not completely sure

 

[thebrakeman]

V8 4WD system on Explorer is same as V8 AWD system on Mounty, except Mounty does not have low range. 100% of torque goes to rear axle until slip is detected, then up to 50% can be sent to the front wheels via electronically controlled clutch. I would not say the system is engaging "randomly". I'd say that certain conditions had 1 or both rear wheels slipping, or at least the system thought they were slipping a bit.

The V6 systems on Explorer and Mounty are also the same, but they are different than V8 models. The have a viscous coupling which always has some percentage (I forget how much) going to the front wheels. When rear slip is detected, more is directed to the front (again, i can't remember the limit).

 

[Harley McIntyre]

V8 4WD system on Explorer is same as V8 AWD system on Mounty, except Mounty does not have low range. 100% of torque goes to rear axle until slip is detected, then up to 50% can be sent to the front wheels via electronically controlled clutch. I would not say the system is engaging "randomly". I'd say that certain conditions had 1 or both rear wheels slipping, or at least the system thought they were slipping a bit.

The V6 systems on Explorer and Mounty are also the same, but they are different than V8 models. The have a viscous coupling which always has some percentage (I forget how much) going to the front wheels. When rear slip is detected, more is directed to the front (again, i can't remember the limit).

In my experience it seems to engage randomly, I'm assuming it's because of the fact mine has older software, also my transmission still has the bump issue, but after doing this, it's improved actually. I haven't noticed it really slamming into the next gear as much or as harshly

 

[Ruddy]

Speaking of software. Is there a place that shows the latest revision for each module?

 

[MotorCityFats13]

without a way to actually disconnect the front axles the unsprung rotational mass is still there so unfortunately any gains will be negligible and easily askew by driving habits fuel quality and make sure your tests dont over lap winter/summer blend fuels

the v6 and v8 pretty much have the same milage and your numbers match my v6 spot on.... summer blend long trips high 19 short trips 17 and each drop to 17/15 with winter blend and cold weather down side is you now have an ugly switch you have to remember to activate in bad weather before you die.... ok mod for cali or fl bad mod for WI

 

[Harley McIntyre]

UPDATE-
After using this for almost two weeks, my fuel usage has decreased just not as much as i previously thought, my average right now is 17.5 which is the absolute best i could get when i still had highway tires, its been extremely windy this past week so for a while it was stuck at 17, still absolutely no issues other than one time when i shifted from reverse to drive, it was a pretty hard and clunky shift, which could just be that my driveshaft is worn, and my old transmission software, ive flipped it from on and off anywhere from 30-70mph and have had no issues at all. So far so good! at this point, i will update if any issues arise. Otherwise thats it for now!

On a side note, ill be doing an HID conversion to my ex within the next 2 weeks, to replace the cheap LEDs i got off amazon that flicker and have a poor beam pattern. If anyone would like a post or a video on how i do it, Let me know! Thanks everyone!

 

[Harley McIntyre]

Also again for reference, when i got my Falken at3ws, i couldnt get the average anywhere above 16.5 no matter what i tried.

 

[loooney2ns]

I would like to see your HID conversion. Please post it when you are done!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Kind of but it doesn't constantly send power, it just randomly engages whenever it wants to, sapping fuel and power. Merging on the freeway, during turns, off of stop lights, etc. I also have heard that doing it with a v6 is a bad idea due to them possibly having different systems but I'm not completely sure

It’s not random, it’s based on differences in axle speed, that’s it. If yours is actually random your truck is broken, and this is nothing but a band aid.