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Questions on "auto" transfer case position

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  maplelawnfarm 
#1 ·
I have a 2009 2500 Suburban. The transfer case has 2wd, auto, 4 hi, 4 low, neutral. Reading the manual it says:
This setting is
ideal for use when road surface traction conditions are
variable. When driving your vehicle in AUTO, the front
axle is engaged, but the vehicle’s power is primarily
sent to the rear wheels. When the vehicle’s software
determines a need for more traction, the system will
transfer more power to the front wheels. Driving in
this mode results in slightly lower fuel economy than
Two-Wheel Drive High.

My question is, will it ever give a true 50/50 power split like 4 hi and if so, how often? Or, will it just give "some" power to the front axle briefly under certain conditions. Mainly, if I have it in auto because there is a bit of snow here and there and the snow cover increases to a completely covered road would their be an advantage of switching to 4 hi or is auto going to give me basically the same thing? I've had plenty of 4wd vehicles before but never one with an auto setting. I just put it in 4 hi when I'm on snow and 2 wd when I'm not. My wife might drive this instead of her car. I'd like to just tell her to leave it in auto for simplicity but I'm thinking that might not be as good as 4 hi.
 
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#2 ·
I have an '07 Suburban 1500 with the 5.3. I haven't noticed any change in MGP running in 2wd vs. Auto 4wd (14-15MPG all the time). If the roads are partial snow I always put it in Auto. If the roads are 100% snow covered or I'm plowing with it, I'll drive in full 4wd. I did forget one time and left it in Auto and plowed my farm place with a 7 foot Western plow and it did just fine. Auto is great for someone who may not be paying attention to turning on dry pavement. You don't want to bind up the driveline in 4wd on pavement or high traction area. In Auto, it does seem to have a split second delay sometimes, but has never been an issue for me.
 
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