4 Wheel Drive

Hey all,

I live in PA and since we have gotten nearly 4 feet of snow in the past 2 weeks, I have been doing a lot of 4-wheel driving, mainly just on the streets, highways and the occasionally parking lot (having fun in the unplowed snow).

However, I have a few questions about 4 wheel drive for my 06 Double Cab Tacoma...

1- What is the FASTEST speed that you should engage 4 wheel high?
2- What is the FASTEST speed that you should dis-engage 4 wheel high?

and

3-What is the FASTEST speed (say on the highway) you should go while engaged in 4 wheel high?

Thanks,

Shaff

 

do you have teh card that is attachted to the visor...has all you need to know, never go faster than 55 max in 4hi, 4 lo nevr faster than like 35. i beleive you can engage up to 40 mph

 

1. 62 mph MAX (Look in your owners manual) I've done it at 60 mph with no ill side effects.
2. There isn't one, you can safely disengage 4WD-HI at any speed.
3. There isn't one. If it was flat and strait enough of a road you could do 120 mph just fine. I've done 90+ in 4WD, no problem.

 

I'm a little confused. The card in the visor says H2 to H4 keep speed below 60 mph. The owners manual says 62. That means I can shift from 2WD to 4WD going under 60, but the posters above say something different.

Neither reference says anything about the limit on speed you should go while in 4WD.

Am I missing something?

I know there are a few differences in the 4WD system from my 06 4Runner but this is almost the same information.

 

dont listen to the posters, no offense to anyone, but you will see lots of people post that they know more than toyota and its manual, if the maual says up to 62 or below, than it is safe, speed, i mean its all relative, remmeber that you shouldn't ever be on 4x4 on flat asphalt, as it is not ideal for the transmission, although the manual does say to run like 10 miles a month in 4x4 mode. if anything ever "breaks" and you were doing what the manaul states, you willbe fine. but other than that, you shouldn't be hi revin in 4x4hi, just no need really.

 

its like reversing as fast as possible, you can do it, but should you? i dontthink its states no to go above 4k revs in reverse, but when and if you ever try it, you will know the truck is not so pleased with you

 

Jay, just for fun, I once tried to shift into 4WD at 65 mph. The computer beeped at me and the 4WD indicator light flashed at me. (This is a warning to the driver.)

I moved the 4WD switch back to 2WD, reduced speed to 60 mph and then shifted back into 4WD. It worked flawlessly.

I go by exactly what the owners manual states. As far as I am concerned, it is the authority.

 

im not sure if it is or is not, but i use it more than 10 miles a month anyway,, but hey, what can you do, ive never heard orf needing to run it,but it makes sense, anything with moving parts should be moved from time to time

 

Thank you!

 

Some people will engage the 4x4 when it rains and on the freeway where it's long and straight. It's easy then to achieve the 10 miles of regular lubrication of the 4x4 parts.

I've done it a few times on the freeway, I got the idea from Janster.

Your welcome!

 

long and straight is his point, no turns, for example, route 80 or the majority of the parkway or turnpike, slight turns on them wont harm, but greater than that, it will

 

Wow... don't you have an owner's manuel for your truck? It is in there!

Shift-on-the-fly into four wheel high... and as stated above, the light will flash instead of staying on, solid if it doesn't engage. Seriously, if you need four wheel drive over 55 mph, then ... well ... um, you shouldn't ! LOL

 

I guess I don't get it. Why would you even think about going 60 miles per hour when there's snow on the road? Have you ever noticed the big 4wheel drives in the wintertime upside down in the ditch? Do you think they got that way being careful? Around here it's a common occurrence on the news every night. These guys think since they have 4WD they can go any speed what so ever, and they're the ones that usually pay the price. Slow down and enjoy the scenery!

 

The freeways where I live are pretty straight and the turns are mild, plus the rain provides a semi-viscous surface for the tires, so there is no binding that occurs. It seems to work very well.

It's a good way to cheat if you live in the city and can't wheel 10 miles off road each month.

Remember too, that the truck won't fall apart if we don't engage 4WD for 10 miles each month. But we owe it to ourselves as owners, to at least try.

 

4hi, 65 this morning on hardpack snow on the straights. 6 winters and thousands of miles in 4wd. No problems no matter how fast its driven, just drive within your limits and the conditions dictate.

 

My mom... Was driving my dads 2001 tacoma not knowing that she accidentally hit the 4wd button with her knee. (4lo) She wondered why the car was turning weird and had high rpms but she pressed on. She got onto the interstate and knowing her, she probably hit a minimum of 75 mph... Long story short she ended up on the side of the road about 25 miles later.. Appalachian tire had no clue what happened so we took it to a Toyota dealership (expensive). They said they've never had this happen before. The camshaft had literally broke in half.. A 2-3 inch steel bar just destroyed. What had happened was the water pump went out, the timing gear got stripped and some how the cam just exploded. The dealership said that a bunch of tiny pieces from the camshaft had gotten into the engine and there's nothing to do about replacing the cam.. They said an engine swap was required.. Total bill before buying and installing engine $4500.. It was $400 just to say I've got a problem with my truck.. NEVER go that fast in 4 low.. You'll be in debt.. We still have to buy an engine and pay to install it.. Fun fun

 

i had a 98 regular cab 4x4 that i regularly drove on the interstat at 65mph with 4wd engaged. hundreds of miles, if not thousands. it was such a light back end that if i hit SCATTERED icy patches the back end would sometimes kick out and it would scare the daylights out of me. at the time, i wasn't aware of the potental problems this could lead to. i just knew that if i had the 4wd engaged, the back end wouldn't kick out (fishtail), so that's how i drove on SCATTERED icy SD interstates... now i've got a 2012 double cab. i don't want to ruin it, obviously, but seriously, how much abuse does it take to do the damage running it in 4wd on the interstate at 65mph? my hope is that with all the new traction control stuff, fishtailing won't be so much of a problem. but, from time to time if it's scattered icy spots, is it really going to damage my truck if i drive a hundred miles on hiway in 4wd at 65mph?

 

I have engaged 4WD at higher speeds. Sometimes it will beep and you have to slow down before it engages. Sometimes, it won't let me do it in 6th gear and I have to downshift.

As for max speed, I have done 65-70 quite comfortably for longish periods while it was pouring rain/snow and it worked flawlessly.

 

VSC will almost feel like using H4 on rainy days... reduces oversteer and the rear spinning out as easily as it does on pre-VSC Tacomas.

 

Like stated before. Max ENGAGE speed 60. Disengage at any speed. Best results with a slight increase or decrease in speed. There is no max speed when 4hi, just drive within your limits.