I have 2H/4H/4L, where is 4A?

[Donnelly713]

A few have mentioned u can get 500a lariats for very close to same price as 302as. I have had both on 2021s and found the 2-3k more well well worth it. If u want a hot deal- order thru granger or Chapman, you’ll be 3-4% under invoice before any rebates, and very minor fees. Now if u wanna be at an STX then that’s a bit further comparison worth asking if u really need the 4A. I live in south snd drive through some heavy rain, slow down and I never needed it. Can’t speak to other climates. 302a to 500a is no brainer for me though- entirely nicer truck inside with some better features- folding tow mirrors was a must for me. We all have our priorities.

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[Pedaldude]

4A operates in RWD in all situations other than when rear wheel slip is detected.

You are so wrong. Do some research on the Borg Warner TOD transfer case works. In the 2012-2014 yes it worked that way. There's two types of TOD transfer cases for the f150 now. One that has a mechanical lock function (Raptor only) and one that is only clutch packs which can still be overcome of course and slip. Here's a really good article on how it is different now and it explains the raptor case as well.

https://www.sae.org/news/2020/03/ford-raptor-unique-front-driveline

Where does that article contradict my statement?

Here the article explains the 4A function in the Raptor TC:

The Raptor’s pavement-focused 4Auto mode is specifically engineered around the TOD aspect of the transfer case. “The clutch-based system allows an automatic electronic engagement or disengagement of the front driveline based on an algorithm and what the traction demands are. It'll look for rear slip and that will send torque to the front when it's required. It's primarily there for on-road slippery conditions: rain, sleet, snow, patchy ice,” Lecrone said. “With all the power that's going to the rear end of the truck, it's nice to have an all-wheel-drive setup where on a rainy day, you're not spinning up the rear axle just trying to pull out of a driveway.”

Which is exactly how every Borg Warner TOD transfer case has operated since 1995 in 4A mode.

Though to be more specific, the front wheels and driveline are always engaged in 4A; however, there's no engine torque being supplied, so it feels just like a conventional 4x4 in RWD before the introduction of the Ford IWE or Jeep/Toyota front axle disconnects, where the half shafts and front differential just freewheel.

The big difference between the newer Raptor transfer case and the classic Borg Warner torque on demand transfer case is the method of lock up for 4Hi and 4Lo and it's mentioned several times in the article. The classic TOD uses the wet multiplate clutch pack for locking into the part-time 4X4 4Hi and 4Lo modes, while the Raptor case uses conventional dog clutches like the old school TC in the XL and XLT. The Raptor retains the clutch pack for 4A operation.

If you are driving on pavement, the classic TOD 4A case is just fine. Sand dunes, beaches and rock crawling will favor the part-time transfer case and the newer Raptor case when not in 4A mode. However, Ford was confident enough to equip Tremor with the regular 4A case in its lower option packages. So despite people overheating and smoking the clutch pack only Raptor cases in sand and mud, they know they likely won't run into many problems with even extensive off road use.

I didn't ask why they wouldn't want the more advanced TC. I asked why drive in 4H in the rain.

Same reason why you would want 4A in the rain, added power to the front wheels, though he explains that he accepts the added tire wear and other drawbacks of doing so with the part-time 4X4. He doesn't say whether he uses it all the time in the rain or just during especially poor conditions. Rain is pretty dynamic and sometimes a light intermittent drizzle can be more challenging than a hard downpour, so maybe he uses it all the time.

I don't use 4H in the rain, mostly because I don't like how it feels. If there are those people who do though, I won't judge them for it.

I also rarely used 4H in my old truck when I was driving in snow or on ice. I actually enjoyed sliding around and losing traction at low speeds in RWD but I could manually shift it into 4H at any moment should I need it. I don't have that same confidence in Ford's ESOF though and would probably just cruise around in 4H in the snow.

Pedaldude, I mean, you're right. Having the option for 4A would be great on lower trims. It's a great feature. But it's not the end of the world not to have it. In fact most of us F150 owners don't, including the millions with (gasp!) 2WD. And we're not all getting stuck or sliding off the road willy nilly.
Still, I hope Ford listens to you and makes it standard on all 4x4!

As a safety feature, sadly for some it can be the end of their world. Just like people went seatbelt free without worrying and even believing it to be safer to be thrown free of their car. Or the early skepticism of airbags and ABS; while individually, those features may be meaningless to a driver and his own experience. When taken over the millions of vehicles on the road, each of those systems does indeed save lives as well as prevent collisions and property damage.

The paradox however is that as cars become safer, drivers risk more. Which is why I try not to drive at all when it rains here in the desert, we can have weeks and months without rain, so when it does arrive, there's no 4A, traction control or ABS saving some of these drivers or the masonry walls and homes that they drive into when grossly overestimating their traction.

That's why 4X4 vehicles can be more expensive to insure and an interesting case is the Chevy Astro Van and GMC Safari. The Astro had one of the worst safety ratings but also had one of the lowest deaths per million miles driven. The best guess by those interpreting the data was people who drove an Astro realized either consciously or unconsciously that they were driving death traps and adjusted their own driving habits accordingly.

I remember when I first got car insurance, I was given a discount for having a motorcycle endorsement and I even knew two other drivers who had taken motorcycle road tests specifically to get their endorsements without any intention of ever riding a motorcycle again after the road test only for the discount because at that time motorcycle riders were considered safer vehicle operators and the $5 a month savings meant something.

On the transfer case side of things, it likely won't matter much longer, since EV's are going to be taking over. The debate will be over front and rear transaxles or individual hub motors. Most everything done now with expensive mechanical contrivances will be done by software!

 

[JBinFla]

To answer why I use 4H in the rain - and not all rain - was traction and stability. This is all on my last truck, as since I bought this one it has only rained twice and I've only driven in the rain once (I know, for Florida this is rare). My last two vehicles were AWD, my last truck (3-vehicles ago) was the traditional 2H/4H/4L setup.

There were several benefits to using 4:
1) If at a light, especially when toward the front, every time I would cross the white stripe the rear tires would spin because the paint was more slippery than the asphalt. This is when being "gentle" on the throttle. Basically I didn't have to be super gentle with the throttle just to get going at a light.
2) Sometimes on the roads where the tires are the asphalt is depressed creating essentially 1"-2" "ruts" in the tire track area which holds water. In Florida it rains a lot, and when these get water you will hydroplane easily, or your steering will get floaty temporarily. I've found in 4H the truck tracks better, doesn't pull to one side or the other because of the standing water and is generally more well mannered.

Now the downsides:
1) I could drive, make most turns just fine but if you pull in a parking lot, even wet, those tight low-speed 90-degree turns will cause things to bind up. I was always worried I'd break a half-shaft or something but never did (had that truck 175k, gave to my kid, and she kept it another 25k).
2) I went through tires about every 30k miles. I'm sure I went through 5 or 6 sets in the time I had it. I always got BFG's.

So, the tradeoff of having to turn it off when pulling into a parking lot (or my driveway) and getting 20k less miles on a set of tires seemed a good tradeoff to be going down the road, have one big puddle and it not yank my wheel to the right or left. It just pulled straight through. I'm guessing 4A drives like this, but I don't know. This is why I've always bought 4WD (or AWD) vehicles since the first one I had, even when I got a Escape I made sure it was AWD. But I will say these AWD vehicles I've had (Escape and Explorer) were not as well tracked as the trucks in 4H. The AWD's would pull a bit to one side or the other in the rain, but not nearly as bad as some of my other cars (both RWD and FWD). The 4H in my other vehicles would track straight when I hit a puddle on one side or the other.

So, is it necessary? No. But I like the plusses more than the minuses.

- Joe

 

[DBL R]

I know this is a 4h/4a thread but the traction control Ford uses is terrible and borderline unsafe. Earlier today I was in 4a entering a freeway on-ramp and went to accelerate to highway speeds, and traction control kicked in. I sat at the entrance to the on-ramp with my foot to the floor for a solid 3 seconds while watching the traction control light going crazy on the dash. It rained a couple hours earlier so the roads were slightly wet. The truck finally found grip and accelerated up the ramp, just in time as the car behind me almost ran into my tailgate. I know people are trying to find a way to have the truck always start in a certain drive mode, but now I want to find a way to have the truck start with 1 click of traction controlled turned off. This is the second time for me that overbearing traction control has put me into a dangerous driving situation due to cutting off all power. I thought driving around in 4a would fix the issue, but clearly it doesn’t.

 

[Oxford_Powerboost]

I know this is a 4h/4a thread but the traction control Ford uses is terrible and borderline unsafe. Earlier today I was in 4a entering a freeway on-ramp and went to accelerate to highway speeds, and traction control kicked in. I sat at the entrance to the on-ramp with my foot to the floor for a solid 3 seconds while watching the traction control light going crazy on the dash. It rained a couple hours earlier so the roads were slightly wet. The truck finally found grip and accelerated up the ramp, just in time as the car behind me almost ran into my tailgate. I know people are trying to find a way to have the truck always start in a certain drive mode, but now I want to find a way to have the truck start with 1 click of traction controlled turned off. This is the second time for me that overbearing traction control has put me into a dangerous driving situation due to cutting off all power. I thought driving around in 4a would fix the issue, but clearly it doesn’t.

The traction control is extremely aggressive. I’ve gotten into the habit of going to sport (with 4A on) and clicking traction off if I’m planning to pull out when I probably shouldn’t. Sport is an extra step, but I got used to clicking traction off when doing these things in my mustang. Then once I’m cruising, back to normal mode and traction back on

 

[diambo4life]

Quite the amusing read.

 

[isthatahemi]

I have 2 “22 lariats, one with a swapped Raptor case, both the Raptor and non Raptor case function the same except the mechanical locking in 4H.

Much of the time they operate as a full time AWD in 4a - slightly different than the previous Gen trucks, it’s not 4wd on demand, it’s pro-active and stays AWD at low temps, much better calibration.

If you want 4A / AWD, swap the case switch and controller. About 5hrs work from soup to nuts .

And those of us who paid for a lariat, well, that’s the price of getting some luxury features, and 4A is a luxury feature.

For those without 4A, swap, or slap it in 4H and quit worrying, the system can take a fairly high level of binding and whatnot with no issues, assuming you have similar to stock tire.

 

[Je1279]

For those who have swapped out the transfer case for a torque on demand unit, do you happen to have a listing of the Ford part numbers required for the different engines? So far, I have only been able to find a part number on used units that doesn't appear to cross reference to the Ford part (ex. ML34-7A195-BE).

 

[Pedaldude]

And those of us who paid for a lariat, well, that’s the price of getting some luxury features, and 4A is a luxury feature.

I consider 4A as much of a luxury feature as windshield wipers and seatbelts, which incidentally; used to be ‘luxury’ items along with airbags, reverse cameras, ABS and other valuable advances in safety that have to be forced on the manufactures by the government after being lobbied by groups working with families that have suffered tragedy because of a long standing history of greed. Little Timmy on his Big Wheel shouldn’t have to be backed over and squished because his grandparents drive a Toyota and not a Lexus.

I consider luxury items things that won’t change the functionality or safety of a vehicle. Things like Leather seats, audio systems, panoramic sunroof and other stuff like that.

Ford is probably the worst offender when it comes to paywalling simple features on their half ton truck to lure buyers into things that they don’t need for features that they want to keep themselves and their families safe.

Even on the Superduty, Maverick and Bronco; Ford will let you have specific features on the base trims or even have them standard. Where on the F-150, they force you into a specialized trim just to get something as bone simple as auxiliary switches.

I would have happily gotten a Lariat, or even paid extra to have the LED headlights on my truck but they aren’t available for any price on the single cab, even if you get the near six figure Shelby Super Snake! The halogen headlights are shamefully bad and worse than those on my 2001 Navigator. I shouldn’t have to take my front end apart on a $50,000 vehicle to put the better headlights in because Ford wanted another way to punish XL and XLT buyers.

 

[notabot]

For those who have swapped out the transfer case for a torque on demand unit, do you happen to have a listing of the Ford part numbers required for the different engines? So far, I have only been able to find a part number on used units that doesn't appear to cross reference to the Ford part (ex. ML34-7A195-BE).

I did the swap on my 2016 XLT, but it was 4 years ago. Not sure the PNs would help you with next gen trucks.

FWIW, I just needed the dash switch, TCU (trans computer, in right footwell, side) and transfer case. My local go-to trans shop installed the TC for $300 and I did the rest. Oh, you need forscan to flip a switch too...

 

[DBL R]

I was waiting for the traction gatekeepers to come out and question why anyone would want the most advanced transfer case available for the F-150, rather than the part-time transfer case; which other than the lack of a proper shift linkage is 1930's technology. The Ford ESOF is a step backwards from the physical linkage, it takes longer to engage 4X4 and sometimes won't even engage at all. I wouldn't miss the 4A as much if I had a lever that I could shift as quickly as on my first truck, where I could shift into 4H from 2H in .2-.5 seconds. The ESOF is inconsistent, taking anywhere up to 3 seconds to engage and sometimes requiring a second attempt to shift to 4H.

While driving within your abilities and traction limits is good practice, sometimes outside variables pop up when control inputs for brakes and steering just aren't enough, where you need to power out of the problem and power to all four wheels is the only solution remaining.

I have had trucks and SUVs with every conventional drive configuration possible and I would have to be delusional to believe that full time automatic 4X4 wasn't superior in providing traction and drivability to the other options available.

4A operates in RWD in all situations other than when rear wheel slip is detected. So drivability in the dry isn't hurt like with some center differential AWD systems where sometimes parking is met with lots of tire scrub or when going slowly in deep snow and you get understeer in turns when full-time 4X4 is on. It also really is best at dealing with those sudden traction loss situations like oily intersections or early morning ice where all the road is dry other than a small section in the shade where the frozen dew remains. Even if you only need 4A once, it's cheaper than replacing a fender and bent rim!

The 4A Borg Warner torque on demand TC is a decades old, proven system with the added cost over the part-time TC being nominal. Nothing is lost by switching to the 4A TC, it's as much of an anachronism offering the part-time TC on lower trims and packages as if Ford were still shipping carburetors on XL and XLT trucks.

I took a quick video on my way home from work tonight. Video shows power distribution in 4a under light throttle input.

the video shows power actively being sent to all 4 wheels simultaneously. This illustrates 1 of 4 things. Possibility 1: the system in the f150 does not default to 2wd sending power to the front wheels only when slip is detected as no slippage occurred during this light throttle application and all wheels received power, showing that the system functions in all wheel drive all the time. Possibility 2: the raptor and f150 react differently with how power is delivered in 4a. Where the raptor defaults to 2WD then shifts power forward as needed. Possibility 3: the 4a system reacts so quickly to throttle input and perceived slippage that within milliseconds power is sent to the front axel. This would defeat the purpose of having “the feeling of a 2WD vehicle with the stability of four wheel drive” as there is little to no time for the driver to notice how rapidly the system shifts power away from just the rear wheels. Possibility 4: the animation holds no direct correlation to power delivery and is a cheeky addition to the interface. This option could be tested by monitoring pressure within the clutch system to see if pressure is increasing to the front drive system with any throttle input, which would coincide with power delivery to the front axle. Video below for reference.

 

[Je1279]

If you want 4A / AWD, swap the case switch and controller. About 5hrs work from soup to nuts .

Do you happen to know if the motor also needs to be replaced if your adding a TOD transfer case to an XLT?

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Has anyone actually done the 4a upgrade? I'm kind of wanting to do it but not sure of the correct parts to get. I know the TOD transfer case and can probably find the right switch, just not sure about the module.

 

[GEN14OWNER]

I consider 4A as much of a luxury feature as windshield wipers and seatbelts, which incidentally; used to be ‘luxury’ items along with airbags, reverse cameras, ABS and other valuable advances in safety that have to be forced on the manufactures by the government after being lobbied by groups working with families that have suffered tragedy because of a long standing history of greed. Little Timmy on his Big Wheel shouldn’t have to be backed over and squished because his grandparents drive a Toyota and not a Lexus.

I consider luxury items things that won’t change the functionality or safety of a vehicle. Things like Leather seats, audio systems, panoramic sunroof and other stuff like that.

Ford is probably the worst offender when it comes to paywalling simple features on their half ton truck to lure buyers into things that they don’t need for features that they want to keep themselves and their families safe.

Even on the Superduty, Maverick and Bronco; Ford will let you have specific features on the base trims or even have them standard. Where on the F-150, they force you into a specialized trim just to get something as bone simple as auxiliary switches.

I would have happily gotten a Lariat, or even paid extra to have the LED headlights on my truck but they aren’t available for any price on the single cab, even if you get the near six figure Shelby Super Snake! The halogen headlights are shamefully bad and worse than those on my 2001 Navigator. I shouldn’t have to take my front end apart on a $50,000 vehicle to put the better headlights in because Ford wanted another way to punish XL and XLT buyers.

I couldn't agree more about the headlights. Driving on the steep, twisting mountain roads where I live at night in the rain really accentuates how much the stock XLT headlights suck.

As far as 4A goes... I don't need 4x4 on asphalt enough to miss it and I don't mind switching 4WD on & off when I do. It seems to work well and does make a huge difference when you're pushing through a heavy rainstorm.

 

[Je1279]

Has anyone actually done the 4a upgrade? I'm kind of wanting to do it but not sure of the correct parts to get. I know the TOD transfer case and can probably find the right switch, just not sure about the module.

I believe at least a couple folks here have and I plan to do it as well at some point after my truck arrives. As for the module, for the 2021 TOD transfer cases, ML3Z-7E453-J is the part number without a locking rear differential and ML3Z-7E453-K is the part number with a locking rear differential. However, I am unable to confirm if the 2022 models use the same units so I would first confirm with your dealer. I am struggling to find the switch part numbers though. Do you happen to know those?

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