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Why is AWD more expensive then 4x4 on new sport trac?

yup that's why i have pulled 3 out of the snow bank this year, 1 guy was so pissed, he was going to get rid of his.

You pulled 3 AWD out of the snow then those dip ***** have no idea how to drive. My sport trac is great in the snow. Would I want to go 4 wheeling with it no. Not because I think it would get stuck because I wouldn't want to damage it.
 



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You pulled 3 AWD out of the snow then those dip ***** have no idea how to drive. My sport trac is great in the snow. Would I want to go 4 wheeling with it no. Not because I think it would get stuck because I wouldn't want to damage it.

AWD is okay for a car, But not a truck. It's like taking the nut's off of the bull! then trying to use it for stud.
 






yup that's why i have pulled 3 out of the snow bank this year, 1 guy was so pissed, he was going to get rid of his.

Check his post again, i believe he was referring to the 3 Ford F150s he yanked out of the snowbanks....
 






Can you explain to me how AWD is any less capable then 4 wheel drive. The only difference is I am in 4 wheel drive all the time. I traded in a 4x4 01 f-150 for my adrenalin. The only difference I have found is when it's raining I don't have to throw the adrenalin in to 4x4 to pull into traffic. With the f-150 the rear tires just spin.
 






Can you explain to me how AWD is any less capable then 4 wheel drive. The only difference is I am in 4 wheel drive all the time. I traded in a 4x4 01 f-150 for my adrenalin. The only difference I have found is when it's raining I don't have to throw the adrenalin in to 4x4 to pull into traffic. With the f-150 the rear tires just spin.

No he cant, because he is wrong, at least on the street. I guess if I was to drive down the street and encountered a mudslide, I would want 4x4? I dont think that happens often enough to worry about it, at least not in New Hampshire. As you might have guessed by now, I dont "go wheeling" with my truck. It is safe, reliable transportation over the road, no matter what condition that road is. The reasons I bought my truck is the AWD system and the V8. The V8 so I can tow my trailer, and the AWD so I can still get to work (70 miles of highway one-way) on time even in "white-out" blizzard conditions.
I dont have one of those jobs where you can call in crying about the weather, if the state has not declared a state of emergency and closed all roads, I am at work, or else.
 






no he cant, because he is wrong, at least on the street. I guess if i was to drive down the street and encountered a mudslide, i would want 4x4? I dont think that happens often enough to worry about it, at least not in new hampshire. As you might have guessed by now, i dont "go wheeling" with my truck. It is safe, reliable transportation over the road, no matter what condition that road is. The reasons i bought my truck is the awd system and the v8. The v8 so i can tow my trailer, and the awd so i can still get to work (70 miles of highway one-way) on time even in "white-out" blizzard conditions.
I dont have one of those jobs where you can call in crying about the weather, if the state has not declared a state of emergency and closed all roads, i am at work, or else.

+1
 






AWD vs 4x4

Good question why AWD is more expensive on US Sport Tracs. ST's are packaged completely differently up here. We don't have the option of AWD on non-Adrenalin models - all XLT's and Ltd's come with 4x4 only. The Adrenalin is sold in Canuckistan as a model rather than an exterior trim package and comes with AWD only. I would have preferred AWD in my 09 Ltd as it never goes off road. The 4x4 system has to be much more complicated and heavy. The clunk as the front driveshaft clutch kicks in every time the rears spin on snow is also very annoying.
 






Can you explain to me how AWD is any less capable then 4 wheel drive. The only difference is I am in 4 wheel drive all the time. I traded in a 4x4 01 f-150 for my adrenalin. The only difference I have found is when it's raining I don't have to throw the adrenalin in to 4x4 to pull into traffic. With the f-150 the rear tires just spin.

BigV- It seems you have selectable 4x4. As in you should have 4x4 auto, 4x4 high and 4x4 Low. When you are in 4x4 auto, you are actually in 2wd. When your rear wheels starts to spin, the computer senses that and will automatically engage 4x4 to help you out.(hence 4x4 auto) Then you can select 4x4 High, you'll see a 4x4 high light on the dash and you will always be in 4x4 no matter what. 4x4 low speaks for itself.

Your F150 didn't have the same feature. It should have been 2wd, 4x4 high and 4x4 low. So when in 2wd, you would spin the tires.

I see no real advantage over 4x4 vs AWD because they should work very similar in any condition, it's that selectable(non AWD) 4x4 gets the low range and that's a plus in my book.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, you can only get 20's on the Explorer if you have AWD. So I am assuming that all Sport Tracs Adrenalin's came in either 2wd and AWD, no selectable 4x4.

EDIT Again;): I did some research that I should have done to begin with about the Adrenalin. I found some sites say that it has AWD and some say 4x4. I found an interior picture that show's the 4x4 auto, high and low meaning it can't be AWD. Unless of course Ford offered it both ways which I was sure they didn't.(AWD only) Here is the picture I found-
Ford-SportTrac_Adrenaline_2008-i02-800.jpg
 






2008 ST Limited

My 08 Limited has the best of both worlds - I have AWD and 4x lo/hi. Of course, AWD eats my fuel mileage in the city (4.6L). Its nice to have on wet pavement though. It's 2 yo and not over 21k miles so I haven't broken it in yet. Taking it on a 900 miler on the highway 2 weeks.
 






My 08 Limited has the best of both worlds - I have AWD and 4x lo/hi.

Sorry, raparker63, but that just isn't possible. You either have 4WD OR AWD. Just because you have 4 wheels on your truck, and you have 4WD, does not make you AWD. AWD by definition can not be selcted, does not have 4LO, nor does it have 4HI. It is just as the name implies, All Wheel Drive, all the time, no selection is possible.
The AWD transfercase has an input shaft, viscous coupler with a chain around it going to the front output shaft. No electronics, no shifting, no monitoring.
Your transfercase is "Tourqe On Demand" which means when you have it in "auto" your trucks computer electronically monitors the drivetrain to determine when to engage an electric clutch that engages the front output shaft.
 






Sorry, raparker63, but that just isn't possible. You either have 4WD OR AWD. Just because you have 4 wheels on your truck, and you have 4WD, does not make you AWD. AWD by definition can not be selcted, does not have 4LO, nor does it have 4HI. It is just as the name implies, All Wheel Drive, all the time, no selection is possible.
The AWD transfercase has an input shaft, viscous coupler with a chain around it going to the front output shaft. No electronics, no shifting, no monitoring.
Your transfercase is "Tourqe On Demand" which means when you have it in "auto" your trucks computer electronically monitors the drivetrain to determine when to engage an electric clutch that engages the front output shaft.


My adrenalin is AWD if I scroll through the odometer settings for oil life etc. it has 4wd and 4wdlo as options. It states that you should not drive in 4wd unless in heavy snow or mud. I can lock mine into 4wd. Linited02 I do not have those three buttons on the right for 4wd instead two are dummy plates and the other is for heated mirrors and windshield. The three buttons to the left I have and that is how I enter into the computer to change from AWD to 4wd.
 






If further proof is needed I will take a pic of my display that says 4wd lock.
 






My adrenalin is AWD if I scroll through the odometer settings for oil life etc. it has 4wd and 4wdlo as options. It states that you should not drive in 4wd unless in heavy snow or mud. I can lock mine into 4wd. Linited02 I do not have those three buttons on the right for 4wd instead two are dummy plates and the other is for heated mirrors and windshield. The three buttons to the left I have and that is how I enter into the computer to change from AWD to 4wd.

Some info I "borrowed" from this link:
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/2008-Ford-Sport-Trac-Adrenalin.html
Along with the standard 4x2 drivetrain, Sport Trac Adrenalin offers an all-wheel-drive system that’s more suitable for a street cruiser. In addition to providing sure-footedness on slick surfaces, Adrenalin’s AWD system offers a performance advantage as well. The system seamlessly transfers torque from the rear wheels to the front wheels as required to provide confident handling, reducing wheel spin and improving cornering.

Does not sound like a true AWD system to me, climb under your truck and look at the side of the transfercase. Do you see a shift motor? If you do, then Ford is misrepresenting an "Auto 4wd" system for an AWD system. AWD, by definition, can not have 4lo nor 4hi.

I went digging for what I am trying to say, but in better terminology. I found a thread on here that quotes an article written by Eric Peters.
A link to this entire thread--> ("borrowed" from post #14)
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134671
All-wheel-drive (AWD)
This is a system in which engine power can be sent to all four wheels (or to individual wheels/pairs of wheels) as necessary to maintain traction. As recently as five or six years ago, only a few makes/models offered AWD systems; today, AWD is either standard or available optionally on many types of passenger cars, wagons, minivans and light-duty, car-based "crossovers."

The upside: AWD provides excellent all-year/all-weather grip -- on snow-covered roads in winter and on dry (or wet) paved roads in summer. And unlike a truck-style 4x4 system, AWD is optimized as much for use on smooth, paved surfaces as it is for use in snow (or unpaved gravel and dirt). High-performance AWD-equipped sports cars and sedans offer incredible dry-weather, on-road handling with superior wintry weather capability. Also, AWD systems do not require any driver involvement; power is automatically routed to the wheels with the most traction -- typically via a device known as a viscous coupling. Modern systems are highly efficient and there is usually very little fuel economy penalty vs. a FWD (or rear-wheel-drive) vehicle.

The downside: Like FWD, AWD is not designed for severe off-road use; there is no two-speed transfer case or 4x4 Low-range gearing. AWD can also add substantially to the purchase price of the vehicle -- sometimes by as much as several thousand dollars.

The lowdown: AWD is an excellent choice for the enthusiast-oriented driver who values dry-weather handling and lateral grip in a high-speed corner as much as being able to get out of his driveway when it snows.


Hope this helps clear up the confusion.
 






Sport trac is a great invention, I love it, however, I do miss getting out of the Jimmy and locking everything by hand..
 






You may be right Ford's idea of AWD maybe different from the standard. I know Subaru is AWD and all 4 wheels are powered all the time. This may not be the case for us it may be two wheel drive then activate AWD when it is needed.
 












If further proof is needed I will take a pic of my display that says 4wd lock.




Have you tried to engage your 4LO? Maybe its just something that is a glitch and doesnt actually work?
 






To be honest no I have had no reason to but I will try it today after work. I don't know about a glitch it actually says it on the dash readout. I will take a pic as well and let you know.
 






You have a visible area where the light would illuminate? That would just mean Ford used a standard dash, just adding the right "bells and whistles" depending on model-accessory package etc.
I would be interested in finding out if you can get it to go into (and illuminte) 4Low.
 



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No what I mean is that in the center of the cluster where the odometer is I can change the screen to read 4wd I will take a pic hold on.
 






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