first time offroad advice

[AgentStarks]

I got my '99 Explorer Eddie Bauer a few weeks ago and took it for some light offroading last weekend. It was my first time ever and it was a lot of fun. Anyways, I have the AWD version which doesn't have the 4hi/4lo and I wanted to get some tips on driving my new X from you guys.

I also wanted to get advide on what are the best modifications I can do for better gas mileage, or just better performance. (think pretty cheap)
If ya want to see it....
http://www.starkel.net

 

[Mike]

First off... welcome to the site... you will love it here... everyone is great.. and knows a lot..


what i do with my AWD is i leave the truck in '2' when im off road... i go on the beach a lot and with the v8 i allways have lots of power... by leaving it in '2' i can have all the power and not worry about spinning the tires..



Mike

 

[AgentStarks]

Can you explain the main differences between drives 1/2/overdrive?

 

[Mike]

its just a matter of what gear you want the truck in...


'1' is first '2' is second 'D' is reg drive and 'od' is overdrive... all overdrive does is puts an extra gear in so when you on the highway your RPM's are not as high

 

[taxx]

you've probably never driven a stick, huh? But it is like on your bicycle. You have your diffent gears some for when you are already moving and some other ones to get you started, but think if you started in the one that gets you going fastest with little effort after you are already moving? You can't. That's like the gears in the truck. When you start in 2 it makes the truck a little underpowered to get going, but great to keep you from spinning. This is used alot in sportscars for rain, snow and ice. You have the option to start in 2 so you don't spin out.

Did what I say make any sence? I cannot coment on its performance cause I don't have that setup and haven't tried it.

 

[Tarron]

Cheap or free mods

Welcome. You can find tons of mods that people have done by searching for cheap mods or free mods. Most are easy to do and a lot of fun if you like working on your X.

 

[Robert]

1 = Keeps your transmission in 1st gear. It starts in 1st when taking off and stays there. It's great for slow speed off-roading. It helps keep your torque up by not letting your transmission shift into 2nd at low RPMs.

2 = Keeps your transmission in 2nd gear (3rd on the 5-speed autos). It starts in 2nd when taking off and stays there. It's great for speeds in the 10-30 MPH range like dirt roads that have a lot of changing grades. It is also good for limiting torque at the drive wheels when starting off on slippery surfaces.

D = Your main drive gear (1:1 ratio). Use this gear when pulling anything but a light trailer. Also use it in the mountains when your transmission is constantly shifting. It works just like any other automatic switching through all but the top gear (OD) as needed. It also allows the torque converter to lock up in 2nd & 3rd (3rd & 4th on 5-speed).

OD = The main gear you should be in on all other conditions. It allows your transmission to shift into the top gear (approx. .72-.75:1 ratio). It is just another gear that gets shifted into at speeds from 45-50 MPH. It is to conserve fuel by lowering your RPM at highway speeds.

 

[biggs85]

What do you mean when you say that it locks the tourqe converter up in 2nd and 3rd gear?

 

[gorilla]

I am not ASE certified or anything, but when you are in "2" I don't think you "start out in 2nd gear"... I am almost 100% sure that you are just limited to 1st and 2nd gears. You still start out in 1st gear though. Just "Drive" locks you into 3rd and then "OD" is your last step.

 

[TDG]

On both of my A4LDs 2 is 2nd gear, it starts in 2nd and stays there. Maybe they're both broken? Wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Robert]

From my '97 Owner's Manual regarding my 5R55E transmission:
"2 Second
Use the 2 (Second) position to start-up on slippery roads or to provide additional braking on downgrades.
Transmission operates in third gear."

The 4R70W that comes with the 5.0L apparently does operate in 1st and 2nd though according to my same manual. I've never driven a 5.0L so I can't say one way or the other though. I have accelerated from a start though in mine with it locked in 2 and I can assure you it started off in 3rd gear and stayed there.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by biggs85
What do you mean when you say that it locks the tourqe converter up in 2nd and 3rd gear?

When your torque converter locks, your input shaft and output shafts are turning the same RPM. In other words the RPM of your engine is getting directly transfered through your transmission to your driveshaft (taking selected gear ratio into account). When your torque converter isn't locked, your transmission is slipping which increases your torque output (at the expense of generating heat). Under most conditions, the slipping torque converter doesn't cause any problems. That is how it gets you moving from a start and provides a little better acceleration when downshifting isn't necessary. That is why if you are driving a long at 50 MPH and lightly press your gas pedal down, your RPMs will increase quicker than your vehicle picks up speed. That is your torque converter unlocking.

When you have it in OD, your torque converter will only lock up in 4th and 5th with the 5 speed auto. If you disable OD, then your torque converter will lock up in 3rd and 4th with the 5 speed auto. This helps to keep the heat down which is one of the reasons Ford recommends turning off OD when towing. If you leave OD enabled, your torque converter will constantly unlock on any increase in load (over passes, speeding up, etc). This causes your transmission to heat up. With OD disabled, it isn't as likely to unlock and your transmission will run a little cooler. I do not know how the 4-speed auto operates though. I've only looked at the description for my 5-speed.

 

[zekex2]

5.0L awd

I thought that the idea of the AWD was to put the power to the wheels with the traction by using the ABS? I havn"t had mine long enough to get it into snow. That will be this winter. Soo... I t will have less slip on ice if I do a second gear start? vrs putting it in drive and just going. I have yet to get it to spin its tires much at all, and I have had it in some mud on a logging road in the Yosimite area.

 

[taxx]

With the AWD you are not going to get much slip anywhere. My example above was for the cars without the traction control.

You might be getting confused. The ABS is your anti-lock brakes. The AWD is going to be putting most of its power to your rear wheels until it feels they might be slipping. When that happens it will start to shift power to the front until the slipping goes away. You won't have too many problems in the ice and snow. Just keep in mind it isn't the Bat Mobile! It will still slip and slide,it is just going to have a little better traction than most cars and trucks. Also keep in mind that no matter how much speed and acceleration you cna get on ice will have nothing to do with how well/fast you can break.

Listen to Robert he knows this stuff well and is good at explaining it.

 

[gorilla]

OK, you could be right about the "starting in 2nd gear"
I went out and drove it this morning and it sure seems like it shifts from 1st to 2nd when it is in "2" but maybe that is just the torque conv. locking in??? I don't know but I had an rpm drove when it feels like it is shifting into second... I also read the manual and it is saying what Robert is saying... Hell, I don't know!!!!!!

 

[Mbrooks420]

If Im cruising on the highway and I press the gas the RPM's will jump before the truck picks up any speed. Does this mean my torque converter isn't working correctly.

 

[zekex2]

re. abs

Thanks, I hit this site often and get lots of good stuff. The awd ex is new to me and i havn't played w/ it much yet. I thought that somewhere i had read or heard that the abs function was used to stop spinnig wheels and allow power transfer to the wheels that had the traction. Or... maybe that was some other awd. I have a 89 gen 1 4rnr that is a standard hi low 5spd. lots of gears for every occasion.
The Auto X w/awd is new concept and has been a great ride so far. It is aroket off the line and has been fun to drive. The second gear start idea I am going to try this winter. when I take a few weeks and play in the snow.

thanx as always for the info.

 

[Majisto]

AWD is generally superior to 4WD because of the way it operates. I don't know about on the X, but on the Subarus and Quattro Audis, all 4 of your wheels are supplying power to move the car. A computer keeps torque distributed 25/25/25/25% to each of your wheels. If say your left front slips, it can transfer the power from that slipping wheel, to the right front wheel to "push" you back in the right direction. It's a GREAT system that should be standard in all cars today.

The reason it's not standard though is because it IS heavy because you need a transfer case, and the neccesary computer components to power all 4 wheels (I think the Eclipse for instance has 300 pounds added because of the AWD) , and also, when it breaks... Have fun repairing it. I guess another reason is because you do lose a lot of power in all of the transferring of energy involved, so AWD cars usually have lower top-end speed, but dang do they get off the line quickly

4WD is not as good because all it does is supply 50% power to the front, and 50% to the rear. This is great, if power wasn't lost in transmitting the power through the driveshaft to the rear wheels. In effect, your front wheels are getting more power, and this can lead to some very dangerous situations on dry road at high speeds. Unequal power distribution can be disastrous. It also will wear your tires at uneven intervals. NEVER be in 4WD while you are travelling on the highway.

AWD is always on, and is always ready. It's not perfect, because if all 4 wheels are slipping like when you are driving on ice....well, downshift, brake, hope ABS holds, and pray I could explain it more, but I think you'll really like the AWD system you got on there. Definitely nice up north especially.

Oh, and btw, all the ABS (Anti-lock brakes) does is pump the brakes for you very quickly. You ever had to stop very quickly and your tires lock up and your car skids a bit? That's your tires locking up. Now, did you ever feel the brake pedal pulsing? That's your ABS pumping the brake pedal for you. Do NOT pump the brakes like they taught you in driver's ed. That's only if you don't have ABS, like in older cars. Pumping the brakes releases and applies the brakes quickly to stop them from locking up. It's a great safety feature.

 

[Majisto]

Originally posted by Mbrooks420
If Im cruising on the highway and I press the gas the RPM's will jump before the truck picks up any speed. Does this mean my torque converter isn't working correctly.

Nope. That is perfectly normal. My truck does the same thing. If I am going about 65 sitting at about 2K RPMs or so, i'll press the pedal, the RPMs will shoot upto about 3K, and it will start moving. Your torque converter is unlocking and shifting out of overdrive. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Majisto]

Btw, sorry for making my third post in here.. but I would like to point out the whole purpose of the gears. All they do is increase your torque output, which IS very important. Torque is what actually powers your vehicle. Without it, your truck/car ain't going nowhere. Let's explain torque and take a horse. He'll represent horsepower (Yeah I know it's dumb, but keep with me) , and his legs will represent torque.

This horse is the fastetst horse in the world. He has incredible endurance and speed. He has huge muscles and so has incredibly high horsepower. The only problem is, he has 2 broken legs, or insufficient torque. Doesn't matter how much horsepower you have, he's useless. There's no way to get that power down there.

Gearing helps eliminate that problem. By multiplying the torque output (4.11 gears multiply torque by...you guessed it, 4.11) you are making your engine work less and move your car more. Problem is, a low gear can only spin so fast, so you shift, to a higher gear ratio to let your car move faster, and since it's already moving, you need less torque and more horsepower, so the next gear spins faster.

Leaving your shifter in 2nd like you were talking about will make it so your transmission will not shift above 2nd gear. You probably can go about...Oh I dunno, 45 MPH or so before you hit engine redline. It's great for slowing you down hills, and such. I don't think 2nd in the 4AOD though starts you in 2nd. In mine, it starts in first, shifts to second, and stays. Hope this info helps, and more importantly, I hope it's right!