# My 4WD truck... why can't I put it in front-wheel drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428 "2017-01-05T23:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/1 "2017-01-05T23:56:11Z")
I have an F-150 4X4 truck. I can select rear-wheel drive. I can select four-wheel drive. But I can’t select front-wheel drive. This perplexes me, since I would think front-wheel drive would be the best mode for normal street driving (and when not carrying or towing a heavy a load). Especially when the road is a little bit slippery due to rain or light snow. I suppose I could just put it in 4WD when the road is a little bit slippery. But I’ve heard this isn’t good on the drivetrain for extended periods of time. Couldn’t a simple modification be made to the transmission or transfer case to allow for front-wheel drive (in addition to rear-wheel and 4WD)? If so, why don’t they do it? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/2 "2017-01-06T00:29:22Z")
I think the basic reason is that the power goes to the rear of the truck first. The way the transfer case is designed, the front wheel power is extracted from the shaft that drives the rear wheels (through the rear differential, of course). So, there’s no way to disconnect the rear wheels, without installing an additional gearbox or clutch. ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/3 "2017-01-06T01:11:57Z")
It’s definitely possible. The NP205 and 203 can be twin sticked to allow for independent operation/engagement of each axle. Though that might prove problematic on a production vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/4 "2017-01-06T01:17:38Z")
It shouldn’t be too much trouble to redesign transfer cases to have the standard drive wheels be the front. But, as some trucks are used as trucks, it may make more sense to put the main power to the rear wheels. Also, front wheels have additional CV’s/(u-joints) and will cause them more wear if it defaults to front wheel drive. And I think the thinking is - “You have 4x, use it if you need it”. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/5 "2017-01-06T01:23:54Z")
> [@K2500](#): > > It’s definitely possible. The NP205 and 203 can be twin sticked to allow for independent operation/engagement of each axle. Though that might prove problematic on a production vehicle. Heh, rebuilt an NP205 twice. If I remember, there are 157 needles bearings/rollers in it. This should not be done in your dorm room. The smell of 90wt gear oil does not go away. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/6 "2017-01-06T02:31:30Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I have an F-150 4X4 truck. I can select rear-wheel drive. I can select four-wheel drive. But I can’t select front-wheel drive. This perplexes me, since I would think front-wheel drive would be the best mode for normal street driving (and when not carrying or towing a heavy a load). Especially when the road is a little bit slippery due to rain or light snow. it’s that way because the transfer case has no means to disconnect the driveshaft going to the rear axle from the transmission. [here’s a pic](http://image.trucktrend.com/f/39430334+re0+ar0+st0/1210-8l-07%2Bgm-transfer-case-pump-rub-repair%2Bremove-pump-pickup-tube.jpg) of the guts of a transfer case. on the right side is the part which connects to the transmission and rear driveshaft. there is always a firm, permanent mechanical connection from the transmission output shaft and the rear driveshaft. when you engage 4WD, a dog clutch moves and allows the sprocket to begin applying power to the front driveshaft via that chain. > [@](#): > > I suppose I could just put it in 4WD when the road is a little bit slippery. But I’ve heard this isn’t good on the drivetrain for extended periods of time. it isn’t so much about extended periods of time, it’s that you don’t want to put it in 4WD on dry pavement. the “gotcha” in part-time systems is that they don’t have any way to allow the front and rear axles to spin at different speeds, they’re mechanically locked together. so when you try to turn around a corner, all four wheels are trying to turn at different speeds, and you stand a chance of binding stuff up or even breaking it because the dry pavement won’t let any of the wheels slip. full-time or “all wheel drive” systems incorporate something like a viscous coupling or center differential on the front driveshaft to allow the axles to turn at different speeds. > [@](#): > > Couldn’t a simple modification be made to the transmission or transfer case to allow for front-wheel drive (in addition to rear-wheel and 4WD)? If so, why don’t they do it? It wouldn’t be a simple modification, it would be a different transfer case design. Which does exist, as **K2500** mentions. But they don’t do it because nobody is really asking for it. ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/7 "2017-01-06T03:29:17Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Heh, rebuilt an NP205 twice. If I remember, there are 157 needles bearings/rollers in it. This should not be done in your dorm room. The smell of 90wt gear oil does not go away. Definitely doesn’t smell of roses that’s for sure, and that shit lingers. ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/8 "2017-01-06T03:39:16Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Snip > Also, front wheels have additional CV’s/(u-joints)… snip You must be a Chevy guy. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/9 "2017-01-06T03:49:59Z")
Just take out the rear drive shaft and put it in 4WD and you’ll have front wheel drive. I drove my jeep for a month like that on a couple occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/10 "2017-01-06T07:06:45Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Heh, rebuilt an NP205 twice. If I remember, there are 157 needles bearings/rollers in it. This should not be done in your dorm room. The smell of 90wt gear oil does not go away. 1. Don’t drink beer when rebuilding a transfer case in your dorm room. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/11 "2017-01-06T11:58:43Z")
Buy a Honda Ridgeline. The default 2 wheel drive mode is front wheel drive. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/12 "2017-01-06T14:51:19Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > It wouldn’t be a simple modification, it would be a different transfer case design. Which does exist, as **K2500** mentions. But they don’t do it because nobody is really asking for it. I think most 4WD vehicles sold globally now are based on FWD vehicles - in that case, wouldn’t drive be transferred from the front to the rear (i.e. transfer case at the front)? Hmmm. It looks like the Toyota RAV4 is now the best-selling 4WD in the world (and #7 overall!) and it’s based on the FWD MC floorplan, so I’m guessing it has the transfer case at the front. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/13 "2017-01-06T15:01:41Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > It wouldn’t be a simple modification, it would be a different transfer case design. Which does exist, as **K2500** mentions. But they don’t do it because nobody is really asking for it. Since the question has already been answer to GQ standards, I’ll add that in many ways light day trucks are a victim of their own success. If you put a bunch of stuff in the back of a pick-up, the front wheels aren’t going to have any traction. The idea that the front wheels would therefore be the _default_ drive wheels is counter to the whole concept of having a truck bed. But trucks became so good that people starting using them as cars, and now you have owners wondering why they’re not actually cars 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/14 "2017-01-06T15:12:32Z")
They didn’t become good. They just became _popular_. Body-on-frame pickups make bad cars. They ride, handle, stop and go worse than an equivalent-sized unibody vehicle, and they typically ride much higher than necessary. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/15 "2017-01-06T15:17:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think most 4WD vehicles sold globally now are based on FWD vehicles - in that case, wouldn’t drive be transferred from the front to the rear (i.e. transfer case at the front)? > > Hmmm. It looks like the Toyota RAV4 is now the best-selling 4WD in the world (and #7 overall!) and it’s based on the FWD MC floorplan, so I’m guessing it has the transfer case at the front. yes, but a transverse powertrain is a different kettle of fish. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-4wd-truck-why-cant-i-put-it-in-front-wheel-drive/776428/16 "2017-01-06T15:24:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > They didn’t become good. They just became _popular_. Body-on-frame pickups make bad cars. They ride, handle, stop and go worse than an equivalent-sized unibody vehicle, and they typically ride much higher than necessary. Meh, I’m not going to argue that there’s not drawbacks but I maintain that they’re good. The gap has narrowed considerably, and consumers responded. You can daily drive an F150 to your office job in reasonable comfort. 30 years ago only masochists would have tried that.