Driving in the snow

[fso119]

From Ford, Raptor modes aren't mentioned but generic advice for their trucks: https://youtu.be/ny1S5y7QnIM

 

[Jeff-Ohio]

Yes, 4A is nothing like AWD in drivetrains that were designed for AWD, especially when combined with the Torsen Diff. I cannot stand the torque steer in 4A and only use it in slippery conditions when I don't want the rear end stepping out on me.

That is exactly what I am talking about. Significant torque steer when coming out of a turn, creates a little extra noise when engaged, and has a slight binding feel. I wish it was more refined, but definitely better than not having anything at all.

 

[hkguns]

Has nothing to do with being refined. Ford has lots of AWD vehicles that gobble up snow, including the Raptor.

Weather mode for any roads, for driving through deeper snow covered fields and such 4H works better.

Did a lot of driving today in snow packed roads and 4A was fantastic. The truck drove like it was on a train track.

 

[dewalt]

The snow mode detunes the truck and sets up nannys for slippery. With drifts etc I want 4 high and sport mode so you can keep power to front wheels when you need it. If not user friendly then switch to manual on transmission and lock out some gears to stay in the 2-2500 rpm range. A 12 inch tire is not the best snow tire on the front

 

[allenfrx]

The snow mode detunes the truck and sets up nannys for slippery. With drifts etc I want 4 high and sport mode so you can keep power to front wheels when you need it. If not user friendly then switch to manual on transmission and lock out some gears to stay in the 2-2500 rpm range. A 12 inch tire is not the best snow tire on the front

Okay so part of that is like weather mode in my corvette and RCF.

It will short shift and keep the RPMs low and the TQ minimal. Its only slightly different from "eco-mode" in some cars

You can get the same impact with a good ear and steering feel and a light throttle foot....which is basically SOP for street driving in the snow any way.

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[jaz13]

That is exactly what I am talking about. Significant torque steer when coming out of a turn, creates a little extra noise when engaged, and has a slight binding feeling. I wish it was more refined, but definitely better than not having anything at all.

In another thread someone said this behavior comes from the Torsen Diff. Makes sense because obviously Ford is able to build AWD vehicles that don't feel like this.

I haven't heard from Raptor owners without the Torsen Diff to confirm if the non-Torsen version has the same torque steer or not.

 

[Helopilot]

Has nothing to do with being refined. Ford has lots of AWD vehicles that gobble up snow, including the Raptor.

Weather mode for any roads, for driving through deeper snow covered fields and such 4H works better.

Did a lot of driving today in snow packed roads and 4A was fantastic. The truck drove like it was on a train track.

We haven’t had more than 6 inches at any one time so far this year, so I haven’t had a chance to get the truck into the deep stuff. When the snow is coming down I put it into weather mode and haven’t used anything other than 4A and I am happy with it. My normal daily drive goes from packed snow/ice to clean asphalt that has patches of packed snow and ice. The winds blow across the open areas and like to drift over the roads so the conditions are constantly changing. I just leave it in normal mode and leave 4A on and although I have noticed torque steer I just chalk that up to the trucks personality. I prefer that over having my wife jump into the truck while it is in 2WD and have the truck swap ends in a corner on our non-plowed roads. It works great in normal mode with 4A on is what I’m getting at, although ymmv!

 

[wheelman55]

There's driving in the snow on paved roads and then there's driving in the really deep snow off road.

On pavement 4A in Normal mode is all that you are likely to ever need. In fact for most conditions 2H will likely get you by.

The bigger deal is tires, speed and keeping your distance behind other cars in heavy traffic while driving in bad conditions; all the while watching your rear view mirrors to keep from getting rear ended.

Have fun....these are great trucks.

 

[Michelleandrews]

Interesting.

The old model didn't have a mode for light snow.

I assume "light snow" = 2 to 4 inches relatively dry and "deep snow" = > 4 inches and or wet/with ice and slick.

The old procedure: Deep snow:
4H/Off mode Rode/Single Press tract control button/Locking diff normal position.

Since the manual had no procedure for light snow i made up one:
Light Snow not slick: 2wdr/Off mode road/single press traction control. Edit: On second thought off road mode might not be great, it increases tq by changing shift points which is not a great idea if there is wet snow or ice. Youd be better off just with a single press of the TC to allow some wheel spin and using 4H as needed.

^^Same procedure as high speed of road minus activating the locker. Obviously if the rear wheels start to slip its safe to switch to 4h and if traction at low speeds is still a problem you can activate the locker (i would turn off the locker above a certain speed and if im not mistaken even the older trucks will turn off the locker above a certain speed automatically)

Its Probably a good idea for you 17 and up guys to get an idea of what your trucks are actually doing rather than always trusting the settings. (You don't want to lose your dog fighting skills and end up like Goose did in training). I assume the auto setting is just doing what i said above on the fly for you (or some approximation).

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Thank you.for all this in-depth information. It is very helpful and very useful. Thank you for your time and input, I really appreciate it.

---------- Post added at 06:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and input. Every opinion is helpful and makes it that much harder to decide. I will try both and see what feels more comfortable for me. I will keep all of you updated.
Thanks again for all the help.

 

[dewalt]

https://jalopnik.com/what-2017-ford-raptors-off-road-modes-really-do-an-exp-1789712036