(Newbie) Best practices on driving in 4WD with the 44-45 locking transfer case during winter?

SimmZ · Sep 10, 2019

Newbie question, please don't judge.

This is my 12th new vehicle (I am 38) but I only owned two SUV that were full time AWD and this is the first time I own a vehicle equipped with a true 4WD locking transfer case (44-45) and since I am living up north in Canada where it snow more than 6 months per year, I want to understand the best practices regarding the operation of the 4WD LOCK on the road during winter on slippery roads.

The only thing I found in my owner manual is that the 44-45 transfer case can be switched from 2WD to 4WD LOCK (or back to 2WD) at any speed as far as you release the throttle and that the wheels are not already spinning. So obviously it's better than the first electronic transfer cases that can only engage or disengage under 25 MPH back in the 90's.

Thank you very much!

buddy guy · Sep 10, 2019

i am in alberta. i have read somewhere best not to switch into or out of 4 wheel drive above 80km/hour (50 mph for you 'mericans). yes you can do it, but not advised. also, avoid driving in 4 x 4 on a dry surface. my understanding is there needs to be a little traction slip for the sake of your differentials. (my sales rep gave me a blank look when i brought up that i'd heard not to drive in 4x4 on dry streets. i said..nevermind, then)

crash68 · Sep 10, 2019

With the 44-45 you only want to use when the surface allows wheel slip, snow, ice, mud, sand, etc. The differential locks the front and rear drive shafts together so wheels need to be able to slip a little when turn or you'll feel the drive line binding and hopping when turning.
Going from 2WD to 4X4 Lock, you'll want to keep it under 55mph, chances are if you need 4X4 you probably won't be traveling that fast. If your stuck stop the wheels from spinning before shifting.
To shift into and out of 4X4 Low range, the transmission needs to be in neutral and preferably a slow roll under 5 mph. You can shift into Low while stopped also, but it's easier for the truck with the slow roll. Low range reduces the drive-line by 2.64:1 so it adds some significant torque for crawling over and getting out of the real soupy stuff.

SimmZ · Sep 11, 2019

Thanks for these information, but more than that, is it recommended to switch from 2WD to 4WD LOCK several times during a single trip to work for example (I drive 18 KM one way to work (11 miles)? The thing is where I am living, it's an area located in mountains, so I have to climb several steep hills during my daily commuting and usually even when these hills pavement are pretty dry, they are still somehow slippery, based on my experience with my previous FWD vehicles...

buddy guy · Sep 11, 2019

SimmZ said:
Thanks for these information, but more than that, is it recommended to switch from 2WD to 4WD LOCK several times during a single trip to work for example (I drive 18 KM one way to work (11 miles)? The thing is where I am living, it's an area located in mountains, so I have to climb several steep hills during my daily commuting and usually even when these hills pavement are pretty dry, they are still somehow slippery, based on my experience with my previous FWD vehicles...

if you are willing to slow down to the mentioned 50-55 mph i don't see why not. but have you tried the route without 4wd on yet? i drive an fwd small van for work and its a totally different experience than the truck. i don't think you can compare a rwd truck with a fwd vehicle. i don't see how the route would be slippery unless its from rain, morning dew/frost or snow. there is nothing in the manual that i recall that says you can't leave it in 4wd under wet..or dry..or sometimes wet circumstances, so warranty wise, there's that.

kurek · Sep 11, 2019

SimmZ said:
is it recommended to switch from 2WD to 4WD LOCK several times during a single trip to work .

You can do it and probably not encounter any excessive wear. I would offer the advice to slow down as much as is convenient before shifting into 4wd (no need to slow down to shift out of 4wd). The reason for this is since the front axle has a center disconnect, the front driveshaft is generally not driven from either end in 2wd and therefore it has to be brought up to speed before 4wd operation can begin. This is done most often with a synchro ring that does bear some friction in the course of its operation. The less speed difference you're asking it to make up for, the less wear and heat it suffers.

I'd suggest making sure you follow the maintenance schedule for the transfer case and front axle regardless of how you use it, but in particular since you recognize you'll be using it more than average.

SimmZ · Sep 11, 2019

kurek said:
You can do it and probably not encounter any excessive wear. I would offer the advice to slow down as much as is convenient before shifting into 4wd (no need to slow down to shift out of 4wd). The reason for this is since the front axle has a center disconnect, the front driveshaft is generally not driven from either end in 2wd and therefore it has to be brought up to speed before 4wd operation can begin. This is done most often with a synchro ring that does bear some friction in the course of its operation. The less speed difference you're asking it to make up for, the less wear and heat it suffers.

I'd suggest making sure you follow the maintenance schedule for the transfer case and front axle regardless of how you use it, but in particular since you recognize you'll be using it more than average.

I should clarify that most of my daily commuting to work is done into roads where speed are limited to 50 KM/h (30 MPH), so the speed should not be a concern.

Fred Sanford · Sep 21, 2019

I struggled with this when I first got my RAM. I like the locking t-case for actual off-road, but it kind of sucks for winter driving. I find the best solution is good winter tires with a bit of weight in the bed so you don't have to use 4WD as much.

69GWC · Sep 21, 2019

If the roads are bad enough for 4wd I put it in 4wd and drive, dont think about it again.

Fred Sanford · Sep 22, 2019

69GWC said:
If the roads are bad enough for 4wd I put it in 4wd and drive, dont think about it again.

City driving with spots of ice or pack snow mixed with dry pavement make this technique unpractical. Several times last winter I had to put in 4WD just to get moving, then take it immediately out when I hit dry pave to keep the driveline from binding up.

69GWC · Sep 22, 2019

Fred Sanford said:
City driving with spots of ice or pack snow mixed with dry pavement make this technique unpractical. Several times last winter I had to put in 4WD just to get moving, then take it immediately out when I hit dry pave to keep the driveline from binding up.

If that was the case why not keave it in 4wd ? I have never had my drivevline bind up from being in 4wd on dry pavement.

kurek · Sep 22, 2019

Makes you wonder how folks managed to survive the first century of 4wd vehicles

SimmZ · Sep 24, 2019

69GWC said:
If that was the case why not keave it in 4wd ? I have never had my drivevline bind up from being in 4wd on dry pavement.

That's a good point and I am pretty sure this is not as per the "best practice" as well, but my own father-in-law drives a 2017 RAM 1500 Express 4x4 (with the HEMI) and also with the 44-45 locking transfer case and what he told me is he switch to 4WD LOCK somewhere in December then switch it back to 2WD around March of next year. He told me that the problem is precisely what I was saying first, is that where we live (he live 15 minutes away from my home), we are located in the mountains, so there's not a single flat area in and around the city, so as soon as your climb some hill, the back of the truck is spinning and sliding since it's very lightweight while not loaded. So the only other option would be to switch in and out from 4WD LOCK any road trip. Another thing is if we look at the last winter, we had A LOT (like once per week) of icy rain which is VERY bad on the road.

In conclusion I think I'll try to keep it the more that I can on the 2WD, but the goal of purchasing a 4x4 vehicle, at the first glance, is to have a safer driving on the road, especially while accelerating from a stop.

Mac Chan · Sep 25, 2019

Good read fellas. I'll be testing my 4wd lock when it snows here in MN. When I tested it on dry pavement you cant even turn. It just hops and binds.

Does the anti spin diff still engage in 4wd lock/low?

crash68 · Sep 25, 2019

Mac Chan said:
Does the anti spin diff still engage in 4wd lock/low?

The factory anti-spin differential is always engaged regardless if the truck is in 2WD or 4WD

kurek · Sep 25, 2019

The anti-spin diff doesn't even know or care whether the truck is in 2 or 4wd... it's a passive chunk of metal and friction material.

I believe I've read that BLD is still active in 2wd - that's an active and computer controlled process. But it would never get called into operation for the front axle in 2wd so it might not even have separate 2wd/4wd tuning.

Mac Chan · Sep 25, 2019

Ahhh I see.

crash68 · Sep 25, 2019

kurek said:
I believe I've read that BLD is still active in 2wd - that's an active and computer controlled process. But it would never get called into operation for the front axle in 2wd so it might not even have separate 2wd/4wd tuning.

Brake Lock Differential (BLD)is what Jeep branded electronic Traction Control.
Traction Control is active in both 2WD and 4WD.
I find the truck drives through snow covered roads better with TC off and relying on just the anti-spin differential. I'll get some jerking from the TC kicking in/out.

Quyonmob · Sep 25, 2019

SimmZ said:
Thanks for these information, but more than that, is it recommended to switch from 2WD to 4WD LOCK several times during a single trip to work for example (I drive 18 KM one way to work (11 miles)? The thing is where I am living, it's an area located in mountains, so I have to climb several steep hills during my daily commuting and usually even when these hills pavement are pretty dry, they are still somehow slippery, based on my experience with my previous FWD vehicles...

I probably shift 20+ times on my 60km commute in a snowstorm. Also a Canadian, lol.

Hell, I used to manually shift my 92 k1500 with a posi-lok cable diff actuator at highway speed.

As long as all 4 wheels are rolling the same speed, it will be smooth. Lift off the throttle so there is no torque load.

kurek · Sep 25, 2019

crash68 said:
Brake Lock Differential (BLD)is what Jeep branded electronic Traction Control.

FCA differentiates BLD from electronic stability control and traction control in that BLD doesn't turn off when ESC and TCS are turned off. All three use the brakes on individual wheels but BLD doesn't care about yaw and steering angle and doesn't cut throttle. Rams have had BLD as part of their traction/stability package since 2013

(Newbie) Best practices on driving in 4WD with the 44-45 locking transfer case during winter?

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