I did get a chance to try out some of the suggestions this evening. We left around 4:30 this evening...temps were around 28-29 with some crunchy ice and some slick ice on our road (similar to the last time that I had trouble...possibly a bit thicker and longer distances than before).
1. First thing I figured out was that hill descent will not engage in neutral.
2. So I put the Explorer in manual 1st gear, normal awd mode, and hill descent (set at around 4-5 mph). Not much change from before...maybe slightly better.
3. Second attempt...manual 1st, hill descent at 4 mph, mud mode....much better...minimal slippage, much more controllable!
4. Third attempt...manual 1st, hill descent at 4mph, sand mode...even better, only barely slipped once and corrected its self instantly!
***i also noticed that the brakes are somewhat grabby...didn’t notice that before but I’ll bet a very very light steady brake foot would produce similar results as hill descent. In other words...when my wife slid she probably nailed the brakes which put the abs to work over time. I’m thinking I probably got to aggressive with them as well after driving my truck which requires a firm foot.
***something else I thought of...a day or two before the first slick stuff we had, the battery was replaced. The evening before the second round of slick stuff, I had the battery unhooked to replace the positive cable clamp which was corroded. I’m almost willing to bet that the abs, awd, and traction control on these things have to “relearn” just like the transmission does anytime the battery is unhooked. That would explain a lot!
Anyway, I think with a good set of winter or studded tires we would be in good shape! I’ll keep the thread updated with brief reports as winter progresses. Thanks again for all the help!