Is The Ford F-150 Lightning 4×4? All-Wheel-Drive Capabilities

Aside from safety, four-wheel-drive option in a truck is a must for ability to pull itself out or a situation as well as recreational reasons. I’ve had a 2-wheel drive truck in my life and it is just not a truck. It is not as reliable as a 4×4.

The Ford F-150 Lightning has a standard 4×4 that is powered by a dual motor chassis. All the electric Lightning trucks come with 2 motors and a standard 4×4 set up.

That is the beauty with electric trucks, because they have multiple motors, virtually all of them come as 4×4 or all-wheel-drive and this gives them more road grip, more control and just better performance all around.

How Ford F-150 Lightning 4×4 Works

This electric truck is ready to take on the rough terrain with it’s standard 4×4 powered but the dual-motors, one in the front and one in the rear. The motor is directly connected to the wheels, which gives the truck direct power and better control on different terrain. With its new high-strength, military-grade aluminum body, a frame made from the strongest steel available and an independent rear suspension gives the Ford F-150 Lightning a comfortable ride as well as strength to haul heavy loads.

There is no 4×4 button on this truck but instead a Driving Mode control. You can select Off-Road mode to engage the 4×4 and other related settings to help with improving performance while off-road. Having said that, when accelerating the truck, both motors engage and all 4 wheels become active. There is a traction control system that monitors the wheel slip and in essence the 4×4 is really an all-time all-wheel-drive system.

Benefits Of Having A Four-Wheel-Drive Truck

From driving in deep snow, mud or even at the beach, having four-wheel-drive truck makes things not just safer but also much funner. Having a piece of mind while going out off-roading or just driving around in the winter and knowing that if you slide off or get into some deep snow you can always get out. Another great thing is that you can help others get out of sticky situations with a four-wheel-drive truck. A great addition to complete a 4×4 truck is a good winch system.

Talk about pulling things, when you need to pull a stump out of the ground or some thing else that just doesn’t want to come, having all 4 wheel on the ground, doing the work, gives you more grip and in turn pulling power. Having a powerful engine is one thing but when you have the traction to the ground to leverage that power, this is when you can use the motor power that is available.

Benefits Of Having An All-Wheel Drive Truck

Electric trucks that have 2 or more motors are in fact all-wheel-drive. Each motor is connected to a set of wheels and when accelerated, they transfer the rotation directly to them. There is no drive-shafts or drivelines that can take away from the power exiting the motors. The motors are connected right to the wheels.

Dual-Motor Electric Trucks

In the dual-motor configuration, there is a motor in the front of the vehicle and one in the back. The front motor sits in the center and is connected to both front wheels. In some trucks this is the main driving motor while the rear one is only used when the truck censes that it needs more power. The rear motor is connected to both rear wheels and adds power as well as provides the extra traction and power when needed or in slippery situations. When all-wheel-drive mode is on, both motors will provide power to all 4 wheels at the same time while traction control will manage where more power is needed.

 Tri-Motor Electric Trucks

Some trucks have 3 motors. It will wither be 2 motors in the front and 1 in the rear or the other way around. Having an extra motor from the dual-motor configuration adds additional power but also allows for better control of the 2 wheels on the side that get the 2 motors. Each motor is smaller than in the dual-motor setup but together they provide more power. The tri-motor option also allows the truck to be more efficient and only provide the power that is required while being flexible enough to add power when it is needed.

Quad-Motor Electric Trucks

Tesla’s Cybertruck comes with 4 motors, one for each wheel. Of course this is the best solution for stability, efficiency and power. Each wheel has its own power and traction control so when the truck is lighter, it can switch off the rear wheel motors and only pull the truck with the front wheels. When it censes that the ground is wet or slippery, all 4 motors can switch on and give better control to the driver and improve safety.

Difference Between 4×4 and All-Wheel-Drive on A Pickup Truck

It sounds about the same, four-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive. If the car only has 4 wheels, all is 4, so what’s the rub Bob? All-wheel-drive powered the same way as 4×4 but it is controlled with a computer to provide an optimum driving experience. Traction control decides what wheel needs to have power while which needs less. This is great for various weather conditions and for long continual driving, while 4×4 is when all 4 wheels are locked with power and all 4 are spinning to push the truck along. This is great for short off-road runs or occasional mud or rock climbing.

Having all 4 wheels locked decreases the life of the tires because of the variance of rotation of the tires during turns or uneven surface. That allows for one or two tires to spin slightly faster than others which will wear the tire more than the other. Over time it will be apparent and the tire wear won’t be same on all tires.

So although it sounds about the same, four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive have different purposes. Most electric trucks are naturally all-wheel-drive and are capable of off-road mode which can be 4×4.

How Ford F-150 Lightning’s 4×4 Is Different

The only thing different or maybe even similar is that all trim levels of Ford F-150 Lightning comes with 2 motors. One in the front and one on the back. Each motor is connected to a wheel on each of its sides horizontally. It applies power to both at the same time. This happens in the front as well as in the back, so even though it is connected directly, there is a mechanism in between that allows the traction control when needed.

Is The 4×4 On The Ford Lightning All-Wheel-Drive?

Like most other electric pick up trucks, Ford F-150 Lightning is an all-wheel-drive truck with capability of being four-wheel-drive. It uses all 4 wheels to provide a safe and efficient driving experience and when needed, it can provide all wheels to be locked and driving for better traction and performance on off-road driving conditions.