This may be a dumb question but here goes, How fast is too fast while driving on dry pavement while in 4x4? Here in New England, during the winter you can go from 6"of snow on the road to just a dusting within a few feet. Most of my 4x4 driving has been with older full time 4x4 Dodge Ramchargers and the road characteristics were completely different than how my 95 f250 handles. With the Ford, when it's in 4x4 and the hubs are locked, turning a corner on pavement sends the steering wheel rocking back and forth. I never ran into this with the Dodges so just looking for some clarification. Thanks.

 

With a part time 4x4 you don't want to drive on dry pavement if you can avoid it. Turns are what gets you because all 4 tires want to turn at different speeds and bind up.

Now on a loose surface I've gone 70-75 before with no problems. That was pushing it for conditions, but the driveline was fine.

I've also shifted in and out of 4x4 at highway speeds. Just make sure the rear tires aren't spinning when you engage 4x.

 

2wd on clean pavement
4wd on snow covered or slippery surfaces(mud, dirt, sand, ice...)

as for speed, you can go as fast as your driving ability allows

 

You could always just keep the hubs locked but keep the transfer case in 2wd till you need 4wd.

 

it also depends on the condition of your 4x4 components. worn/bent 4x4 components will not like faster speeds.

if everything is in good shape, its perfectly fine to keep the hubs locked and just crack 4x4 when ya need it. 2wd rippin is fun anyway.

 

Like has been said if it's all in good shape go as fast as you need to just shift it in to 2h when you dont need 4 and try to avoid dry grippy surfaces. if turning in 4.

Scott

 

I seldom go over 45-50 in 4wd. Realistically, if road conditions are good enough to be going faster than that, you won't need to be in 4wd anyways.

 

Yes, where I live snow is not common, but when we do get it, the side roads are scary bad until you get to the interstate which is usually fine. So I'll take the truck to work 2-3x a winter, using 4x4 to get from my driveway to the freeway where I shift into 2 high. No good reason to leave it in 4x4 unless you absolutely need to (I have part-time of course).

 

That's always been my motto as well.

 

You can go however fast you want in 4wd, even on pavement.. Taking corners on pavement or any non-slippery surface, however, you shouldn't go very fast. I've been 100+ mph in 4wd on pavement before, but that was just a straight line.

 

like was said, as fast as your driving ability will allow.

 

I've found that if I need 4x4 to get down the highway, its not going to be open. I suppose though, if you don't drive in snow but 3 or 4 times a year...

But x2 on leaving hubs locked then just shifting the T-case as needed.

 

I've read on another thread on here somewhere that it is not recommended to have the hubs locked but T-case in 2H. It was something that I had wondered myself and then somehow stumbled across that thread. Can anyone clarify this?

Because I just came back from a road trip with bad winter roads and getting in and out to lock and un-lock the hubs is a pain in the ***. If indeed it will cause no harm...I'll be happy to never have to do it that way again.

 

The only reason that I can possibly think of why there may be some issue with leaving the hubs locked when in 2H is due to lubrication issues inside the transfer case (not to mention the slightly lower fuel economy due to the additional friction of having to rotate the front axles, differential and driveshaft). But I wouldn't worry about this - even with the automatic hubs, you had to drive backwards in 2WD for a certain distance in order to get them to unlock (at least with the older ones).

Leave the hubs locked in until you are sure you won't need 4x4 for the immediate future.

 

Yes, you can leave the hubs in the locked position, and drive in 2WDH all winter season, shifting to 4X from cab as needed...per Ford owners manual...but, increased fuel use, noise, vibration, and wear