first time offroad advice

[diablo5969]

This thread has been amazingly informative.

I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who put info out there for the rest of us!

 

[Mbrooks420]

I don't think I'd go as far as saying AWD is better than 4wd. Awd is missing the low range. Also my truck doesn't supply 50 front 50 rear. As far as I know It can put up to 90% to the front. Low range is needed in a lot in off roading. I use my 4wheel auto on the highway a bunch and have had no problems. When I had my trans rebuilt they said my t case was in good shape.

 

[Majisto]

Originally posted by Mbrooks420
I don't think I'd go as far as saying AWD is better than 4wd. Awd is missing the low range. Also my truck doesn't supply 50 front 50 rear. As far as I know It can put up to 90% to the front. Low range is needed in a lot in off roading. I use my 4wheel auto on the highway a bunch and have had no problems. When I had my trans rebuilt they said my t case was in good shape.

Oops I fogot about off-roading. I never off-road my X, so I wouldn't ever need it. Yes, the low gearing for mud bogging is definitely nice. That's odd though. Maybe the X's 4WD is more advanced than I thought. I know OLD 4WD drive systems were bad.

 

[Robert]

The advantage to Ford's AWD system is that it is smoother operating than Ford's Auto 4x4. Also the fact that under normal conditions, it sends 35% of the torque to the front wheels and 65% to the rear wheels. It is capable of transmitting up to 97% torque to either axle. It is a mechanical system. The only things it lacks are a locking 50/50 split and a low range. The AWD is superior in conditions where ground clearance isn't an issue and on terrain where the conditions change (slippery to pavement and back). It works almost seamless and feels like you have traction regardless of the surface. Ford's 4x4 system is better suited for off-roading but still does a somewhat decent job in the same situations where the AWD shines. I've driven my '97 (in 4x4 Auto) down muddy roads that were covered in 12" of snow. I never had any problems with traction or maintaining control. The only thing I noticed was it took about a half second from the time I stepped on the gas to get moving before my Explorer actually moves. That is just the rear wheels slipping slightly before the transfer case electronically switches into 4 wheel drive. If I put it in High, the lag is gone, but the steering effort increases. The Low range is for actual off-roading where you don't need to go faster than 30 MPH which is common in off-road situations. It doubles your torque output to both axles via the gear reduction and ensures that both ends will get an equal amount of torque. The V8 does have more torque than the V6, however you double the torque of the V6 with the Low range with the ability to drive slowly over obsticals as opposed to having to gun it over with the V8.

 

[Tarron]

Where do you find 12" of snow in Arizona?

 

[Robert]

Re: re. abs

Originally posted by zekex2
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.

What you are thinking about is traction control, something Ford hasn't offered on the Explorer. It is completely separate from AWD. Ford does offer traction control on several of its cars, but not on trucks. As a matter of fact I had traction contol on my '95 V8 Thunderbird, and it was pretty useless on ice. It made it act similar to a locked axle and whenever I took off from the curb lane on ice, my backend would immediately slide down to the curb and bounce off of it unless I turned off my traction control. With traction control off, I had the equivalent to an open axle which at least kept one tire planted which kept me from sliding into the gutter. The times I liked having traction control was when I would be a little too agressive going around a wet corner. It gave me feedback as to the fact that my tires were slipping a bit prior to the rear end coming around. Perhaps you are thinking of Mercede's SUV? It does use its ABS in conjunction with its 4 wheel drive system to allow all of the torque to get to the one wheel with traction. I think traction control would probably work pretty well on a 4 wheel drive since you would still have the front tires pulling which would reduce the affect of having a rear wheel drive car with a lot of torque and a locked axle.

Also, check your manual for the operation of your V8s transmission. My manual seems to indicate that the V8s 4-speed does use both 1st and 2nd gear so you may end up taking off in 1st anyway.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by Tarron
Where do you find 12" of snow in Arizona?

At 8,000 feet in January:redexp:

 

[Shawneric]

Advanced Trac

Robert, Ford does offer Traction Control on the Explorer and it does work just like the one on the Mercedes SUV. It uses a combination of the ABS system and engine control with the 4x4 system to direct torque to any of the 4 wheels as needed. It is available on all 2002 and up models as an option. Ford calls it Advance Trac. And, it actually works quite well.

Shawn

 

[Mike]

i think your wrong.. i think AWD is far better then 4wd... no it does not have 4wd-low but thats why i put it in '2'my dad has an X with 4wd and i have pulled him out many of times while playing on the beach.. my truck can handle a lot more them his..

 

[Robert]

Re: Advanced Trac

Originally posted by Shawneric
Robert, Ford does offer Traction Control on the Explorer and it does work just like the one on the Mercedes SUV. It uses a combination of the ABS system and engine control with the 4x4 system to direct torque to any of the 4 wheels as needed. It is available on all 2002 and up models as an option. Ford calls it Advance Trac. And, it actually works quite well.

Shawn

Yup, you are correct. Not many people here have a 2002 yet and I didn't remember anyone ever commenting on it so I forgot about it. According to the brochure, it looks like a pretty decent system.

 

[Jason_25]

Originally posted by Mikke
i think your wrong.. i think AWD is far better then 4wd... no it does not have 4wd-low but thats why i put it in '2'my dad has an X with 4wd and i have pulled him out many of times while playing on the beach.. my truck can handle a lot more them his..

Actually it's not as good in real offroad conditions because the transfer case does not "lock" the axles together in a 50-50 split. Meaning that if one axle totally loses traction, then the transfer case will send all the power to it, leaving you stuck.

 

[devo]

Originally posted by Tarron
Where do you find 12" of snow in Arizona?

Flagstaff, Prescott, Payson, Snowflake, etc......

 

[treywylie]

offroad advice

as far as first time offroad advice...

- take a first aid kit & fire extinguisher
- try to get some recovery points on your vehicle (tow hooks)
- find someone that has done the trial before to take you out
- don't go alone if you can help it.
- air down your tires to at least 20psi (18psi is a good all round number for rocks, sand, etc.)
- GO SLOW. Much more damage is caused by trying to gas it through/over an obstacle.
- if you need to navigate a difficult section without a spotter, walk the terrain first and then visualize going over it.
- Tread Lightly - trail closures suck and irresponsible offroading leads to less sanctioned trails...

check out the following for some very good general information too long to post here...

http://www.offroaders.com/info/4x4-faq.htm

Good luck and have fun.

tw