Powerboost Winter driving and handling characteristics

[CarolynStride]

Yes, deep sand and snow is definitely got what I would call a power surge, if you compare it to slippery mode in 4A.

The locking rear end will also only engage below a certain speed. I have never used it.

I was out most of the day driving in snow covered roads in slippery mode with it in 4A. It worked fine.

I have appointment with the dealer Thursday. They want to look at it and are speaking with Ford to get an idea of what the answer maybe.

I said, I bet they say the answer is don't drive in 2wd normal mode in snow conditions LOL..

But they are going to look at it anyway.

Well that would suck since I am ordering a 4x2.

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[Norheat]

Well that would suck since I am ordering a 4x2.

I would not worry too much about it. I am certain that Ford is going to come out with a reprogram or something.

This vehicle is just a blast to drive! It is just so good.

 

[Valhart]

Has anyone noticed that their Powerboost hybrid wants to lock up the rear tires and pull the arse end around under breaking, on winter snow and ice covered road conditions?

It only seems to happen under light breaking when the battery is charging.

This is my first post here. Just joined this forum 2-26-2022. Wrecked my Powerboost BADLY yesterday. Truck did just as you mentioned. Perhaps this post should be at the last post of the forum. I would like to say more, but want to do it correctly. Thanks.

 

[Valhart]

Ok, my post ended up where I thought it should. I will take photo's of the damage and give details when I have some time. I have been driving 41 years in Michigan and have never been in an accident. Almost all vehicles I owned were 2 wheel drive. I know how to drive in greasy road conditions. This truck does not.

 

[Kevin123]

I experienced the same braking characteristics of the rear end locking up and skidding out caused by regen brakes while driving in snow.

Driving in 2wd using light braking pressure, OEM goodyear Territory AT tires. No difference in regen braking allotment between normal mode and slippery mode.

I called ford today to see if they have any updates or reports on the same issue and I was told they are not aware of anything. I was instructed to go to the dealer and get it checked for normal operation. If they find something it will be fixed under warranty and if not I will need to pay diagnostic fees. I am convinced that the truck is operating properly as designed and they will not find aything.

Has anyone else gained traction on this topic with their dealership or ford HQ? It seems like the issue would be resolved if regen braking could be turned off when driving the truck in slippery mode.

 

[SteveP150]

I've not seen anything like this, and spent last winter in Park City with record breaking amounts of snow. That said, I wouldn't trust the factory tires if I was going to see lots of snow, and I pretty much immediately replaced them with a more aggressive AT tire with a 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating.

 

[HammaMan]

If it's slick out and you don't have 4wd, consider going to neutral to prevent regen.

 

[Samson16]

Even though the front diff is open, wheel hop in ESOF 4H/4L still occurs because the front and rear axles are locked together? This limits the maximum rotational speed of the outside front wheel which needs to travel the fastest of the four, and the inside front wheel which needs to travel the slowest? The open front diff works fine until it gets tied to the rear axle for some reason I obviously can't see lol. Arghh

Not directly related to the topic, but possibly another checkmark for the TOD 4A transfer case.
Between the regen wanting to break me loose trying to stop and the wheel hop on turns I guess my only solution in nasty conditions will be to slow the f%ck down

 

[Kevin123]

Did more testing today on the way home. Interestingly, the bar showing available regen is almost non existent when in slippery mode and 4H. I'm shocked that they do not have the same setting for 2H in the same drive mode.

4A would be nice but I'm in an XLT so do not have the TOD transfer case.

 

[jhelrey]

There are videos of this on Youtube.

 

[Samson16]

Did more testing today on the way home. Interestingly, the bar showing available regen is almost non existent when in slippery mode and 4H. I'm shocked that they do not have the same setting for 2H in the same drive mode.

4A would be nice but I'm in an XLT so do not have the TOD transfer case.

ESOF for me too. Slippery mode and easy on the turns for us then.

 

[Kevin123]

There are videos of this on Youtube.

There are videos of how to make 2H in slippery mode take the same characteristics of 4H in slippery mode?

Can you share a link?

 

[Polo08816]

I've not seen anything like this, and spent last winter in Park City with record breaking amounts of snow. That said, I wouldn't trust the factory tires if I was going to see lots of snow, and I pretty much immediately replaced them with a more aggressive AT tire with a 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating.

Usually highway all season tires like the Continental TerrainContact H/T and the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 will perform better than an AT tire on snow over a hard surface. The tread pattern of the highway all season usually has smaller tread blocks and more siping.

 

[jhelrey]

There are videos of how to make 2H in slippery mode take the same characteristics of 4H in slippery mode?

Can you share a link?

There are videos of the problem on YouTube showing just how dangerous this situation can be.

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