You want to keep it in 2wd when on dry paved roads. You put it into 4wd when you need more traction. You only do this on roads where you don't have great traction, like dirt roads or snow and ice covered roads. If you run it in 4wd on dry paved roads for an extended period you'll damage your truck. As for 4wd low it's same basic principle as 4wd, but the hearing is lower. You'll only be able to drive slow. That's good for rock crawling or going over rough road where you want to be able to go slow without riding the brakes all the time. Again this is not be used on paved roads. Low it's also good when you need the lower gearing for pulling something, like another truck that had gotten sick.

 

I like Nevada's advice.


I also love 4WD Auto. Everyone's needs are different based on their geographic location, snow fall, etc. But so far in all of my trucks.......I just love 4WD Auto and have never used 4Hi or 4Lo. But I'm not in Chicago or any place like that with snow that's crazy high. Tire slips, 4WD kicks in....I love it.


Otherwise......2WD it is. Having said that, there is a great debate about 4WD Auto on really rain slick roads. Some say it's stupid to use it, some say it's nice to use. I'm neutral to it and will tell you that it's like having AWD especially if you really need to accelerate to get out into traffic or something like that......cuts down on the "fish tailing" you may get with just 2WD. The very few times I've used it for heavy rain....it made my truck feel like my AWD Mercedes

 

Hi Wary3t, So with paved roads Imshoild not use 4WD auto.

 

Yes you can use it on paved roads when you need additional traction. I use it on paved roads that had snow. I like Nevada's advice below:


You put it into 4wd when you need more traction. You only do this on roads where you don't have great traction, like dirt roads or snow and ice covered roads


A paved road can have snow and ice, so yes you can use it on paved roads......not just out in the woods/dirt/mud......all places I don't go. I was just adding to this by saying there are ppl who use 4Auto in heavy rain to get additional traction on accelerating, for example. This may cut down on fishtailing if they have to accelerate out into traffic quickly. With using it for rain covered roads, ppl will have different opions.


At the end of the day 4AUTO is used when you need additional/more traction

 

Not everyone has 4 auto, Mike's truck doesn't. The upshot of that is his transfer case is stronger

 

You can leave it in 4WD auto all the time if you want to but your gas mileage will suffer. Most people say you get 2-3 MPG less in 4WD auto.

 

Personally, i would not use the front differential, until the rear end begins to feel funny
Of coarse you would want to use the transfer case when going to places where you need to cross a stream or muddy, slippery roads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p6KB5_sK3s

 

So, since the 2019 rebel doesn't have 4wd auto a driver operating the truck in inclement conditions would have to engage 4wd Hi/ 4wd Lo depending on the speed of the vehicle, correct?

 

NO! If you are simply looking for some traction in bad conditions never use 4x4 Low, that gear is for getting out of shit. 4x4 Hi is the go to gear for more traction in snow and general off road use. 4x4 Low is for rock crawling, bad mud or when your already stuck and your wheels spin in 4 hi. But if you don't have 4x4 auto, then yes you will have to switch the 4x4 on. 4x4 Low max speed is 25mph (40km/h).

 

I like it since you don't have to lock the hubs like you have to do on some trucks. I got my 4 wd tractor stuck and got my wife to pull it out in 4 wd low in my 2500. My truck pulled it right out without spinning the tires! LOVE IT!

 

One thing I learned on my 2014 Laramie is that you need to occasionally put it in 4x4 Auto, 4x4 Hi and 4x4 Lo just to keep things lubricated. Before I retired I used my truck for work and put on a lot of highway miles. I never put it in four wheel drive cause I didn’t need to. UNTIL, I was driving home and it started to snow. I turned it to AWD Auto and within 15 seconds I got message to Service 4x4 Sytem Imeddiately. I posted on the forum looking for answers but never really got anything solid. I called our local Ram dealer and they said they had never heard of this problem but bring it up and they would start looking for the solution and see if any codes were thrown. Minimum charge of course. We have another mechanic right in town that services my truck and I took it into him cause I was thinking it was the motor that locks in the front diff. He said it’s probably gummed up from lack of use. He told me to take it out and exercise it on gravel by driving slow and putting it and out of 4x4 mode whether it’s AWD or 4HI. It took probably 15 or 20 times before it would go in and not throw a message. So the moral of the story is to use it once a month whether you need it or not. Best thing was it cost me nothing and Jesse told me this happens all the time on GM trucks and it’s all from lack of use. The RAM dealer would have soaked me their minimum charge. Hard to believe the dealer has never heard of this issue when our little four man shop in town sees it all the time. Just doesn’t instill any confidence in the local RAM dealer.

 

Ok, let me tell you I am new to trucks. I ordered a Laramie - so excited. I did a lot of research and I did not order the Anti spin differential. My driving habits are highway and local roads. I won't be driving it through creeks. My thought that in snow I would simply use 4 wheel drive and that would be like AWD on my pilot and shift traction to wheels that grab and not the ones that slip. Was that correct logic or did I screw up?

 

On the days the roads are covered in snow, yes just put your truck in 4x4 auto. It is not AWD, the rear tires are still where the power goes. If the rear tires start to slip then power is distributed to the other tires.

 

On my 2011 1500, on the selector, it had all wheel, 4 wheel high, and 4 wheel low. On my 2017 2500 with the mega cab, on the selector, it just has 4 wheel high and 4 wheel low. I hate to be ignorant, but I do not know what y'all mean with the LSD.

 

LSD is that good stuff

LSD is short for Limited Slip Differential
when your right rear tire just wants to spin, with the LSD, the torque is temporarily transferred to the left rear wheel

If you only have 2 wheel drive & you need to drive up a wet grassy hill, having LSD just makes the maneuver that much easier

It is nothing like Posi-Traction, where both rear wheels have power applied all the time

 

Got it. Mine does have the traction control. I am a product of the sixties, so I had a moment. I still have my GTO that I got for graduation. In fact, I got so many tickets from racing, and they took my license, that my wife had to drive off on our honeymoon.

 

LSD or limited-slip is the generic term, each manufacture has their own specific name. GM = Posi-traction, Ford = Traction Lock, Chrysler = Sure-grip, DANA = Trac-Lok/Power-Lok. I gave up trying to get friends to use the correct name, to them any limited slip is a "posi". The only real locker is an air or mechanical locker that locks the left and rear axle to turn together with the flip of a switch. An axle shouldn’t be locked all the time as it makes the vehicle next to impossible to turn.

 

This is correct, a "posi" is a GM LSD; it is not a spool or a locker