Is it possible to shift into 4 LO but stay in 2 WD?

My '11 Tacoma is a manual and I have to move a lot of heavy boats around on asphalt at work with it. So I am either hard on the clutch or hard on the tires if I shift into 4 LO. Does anyone know if there is way to essentially hack the computer and fake it into thinking it is in 4 wheel drive but stay in 2 wheel drive and shift into low gear? Or is it mechanically not possible to do this? Many years ago my dad used to do it all the time with his '72 Blazer that you had to manually lock the hubs, but just leaving them unlocked and shifting into 4 lo.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2wd-lo-mod.195424/

I think this is what you're looking for

 

This is THE guy to get ahold of. I have his magic box and it works awesome. He doesn't come around TW very often, but trust me, just be patient. It's worth the wait.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2lo-kit-for-2nd-gens.554456/

 

Anything is possible if you drink enough alcohol.

Or smoke enough.

 

I'm old enough that my 1st 4X4 had 3 sticks on the floor. One for the transmission, one that only had 2 positions, (4X4 and 4X2), and a 3rd for going between lo and hi range. It was easy to shift into lo range and stay in 4X2. You also had to manually lock hubs and even if the transfer case was in 4lo you were not sending power to the front axle unless the hubs were locked. There was also a big warning label on the dash advising drivers NOT to do this.

Newer trucks are designed so that it isn't possible from the factory and the warnings have disappeared. But some guys have found ways to work around the electronics and get the truck to do so. Just because it is possible to do something doesn't make it a good idea. When in low range the gear reduction is almost 3:1. That means you are sending almost 3X the power to only one axle; more than it was designed for. I've seen guys snap U-Joints while operating in lo range and in 2wd. That is why they put warning labels on the older trucks.

The problem with newer trucks is compounded by many factors. For one thing the engines are designed for maximum fuel mileage with torque only available at higher rpm. The axle ratios are geared much higher, and 1st gear and reverse in the transmissions are geared way too high. On an older truck if you let your muddy boot slip off the clutch at idle speed you better hang on because the truck was going somewhere if it were in 1st gear. Today you'll just kill the engine. Towing trailers, especially during slow speed maneuvers is a lot harder with newer trucks, especially those with manuals. The torque converter in an automatic helps a bunch. That is why you simply don't see manuals in bigger trucks meant for towing, the automatic is a much better option. The manuals in Tacomas are there for the driving experience. Not what you should choose if you want to tow with a modern truck.

 

I have a 2Lo installed. Works great and is very easy to put in. Hardest part is the switch. If you want more details send a pm.

 

It definitely was sending power to the front axles but because the front hubs weren't locked those front axles were under no stress.

Having the sense to not go WOT in 4 low out of the gate would have saved those u-joints. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes.

Torque and horsepower always cross at the same RPM and torque will always be at the lower RPM's regardless of the year of manufacture of the engine.

Axles (differentials) were not geared lower at all back in the day versus today. You yourself followed it up with the actual reason - transmission gear ratios.

It sounds like you're saying all of the semi trucks with manual transmissions aren't good for towing. I'm pretty sure that's the only way it was done for decades (about 6 decades I believe).

I'm really confused why you think newer trucks are so much different in the work that they can do, or can't do according to you. Steel is steel, torque is torque, and common sense isn't given it's learned.

 

This is a valid point for sure, but not a reason to shy away from this modification. Sure, if you are bound up in rocks and hammering the throttle in 2Lo, you can break things. Doing that is stupid. That said, 2Lo is a fantastic tool for a number of operations with these trucks. I've been using twin sticks for 40 years, and I have them in my Tacoma. I use 2Lo all the time for low speed backing, and easy maneuvers where I need a slower speed. It's also a great capability to have if you break your front diff and still have some challenges to get through to get out. It's not that the truck is fragile in 2Lo. You just have to use some sense.

The REAL problem is that most modern drivers just have no idea how to operate a motor vehicle. Vehicles keep getting "smarter" as people get dumber. In the process, we lose all kinds of capability, like 2Lo. Even manual transmissions are on the way out, but I must admit that modern autos with sport shift are very very good.

 

What if you have a 4X4 vehicle with manual locking hubs, and the hubs are locked? Vehicle is in 2WD, and the transmission is in neutral? Would both the rear and front axles still be locked even though it's still in 2WD drive?

 

"Locking in the hubs" all this accomplished is what it implies. It engaged the axel to the hubs in the front. However if the transfer case was not shifted into 4x4 then you were still in 2wd and only the rear wheels would pull. We used to lock the hubs before going into the woods but keep the truck in 2wd so when we needed 4x4 we didnt have to get out and get all messy. Probably not the best on parts wear but whatever. To answer your question, yes both front and rear would be locked however no power is being delivered to the front until you shift into 4hi or 4 lo.

 

X3...get the 2Lo Module from Jaimes

@Up2NoGood

excellent addition to your truck!!

 

Don’t you just cut the wires to the front solenoids and go. What could possibly go wrong with any of this.

 

Uh, no, it's nowhere near that simple.

 

X4 He even has 1 in stock packaged and ready to ship at a moments notice.

 

Remove front drive shaft