Rear Diff ?s From a Perspective Owner

Can the rear diff only be locked in 4LO?
Same w/ terrain management features; only available in 4LO? The rear diff is a limited slip in 2HI, yes? Also, when in 4HI or 4LO, the front diff is an open diff, yes? Or is it a limited slip diff in 4wd?

 

Factory limitation only allows the locking of the rear diff in 4LO. You can get around this with some ingenuity and some of use are getting closer to our own solutions.

Traction control and vehicle stability controls operate slightly different in 2HI, 4HI, 4LO but there are different modes for each. The aggressive behaviors for offroad traction are A-TRAC in manuals and MTS in autos and those are only available in 4LO.

2HI is an open diff with one traction mode being auto-LSD which is simulated limited slip behavior using individual wheel braking.

Front diff is open but gets aggressive auto-LSD like behavior in 4LO via A-TRAC or MTS.

Modes are broken down here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-traction-control-modes-explained.530695/

Basically you have normal, short button press, and long press software modes in 2HI and 4HI but they function slightly different. In 4LO you have normal (no software aids) and ATRAC/MTS. Also 4LO allows mechanical rear diff lock.