4lo question.

Hey,

today I had a chance to exercise the 4x4 system … nothing crazy, just to keep everything moving… when I put it in 4lo, it did engage.

However when I pressed the gas lightly I would start moving. The engine would rev to about 2k rpm still under 5 mph and hard shift into 2nd. Does that sound right?


MTS, crawl control and lockers worked as expected

 

Sounds about right. You probably noticed how 4 low whines vs 4 hi.

 

That's normal.

 

u PosTeD @ thhe wrrronngg TimmEE ,

 

mines the same. i tend to use the s-mode in 4lo. it shifts really weird if you keep in D.

 

Thanks for putting my mind at ease…. Never had such a fancy 4x4 system.

 

There is nothing magic about 4 low. All it does is reduce the trucks gearing by a factor of somewhere between 2:1 and 4:1 depending on the exact vehicle. I think Tacoma is somewhere around 2.75:1. Which means that if your 1st gear ratio is 3.60:1 in high range it will be about 10:1 if you're in low range.

It doesn't provide any more traction and won't help get you unstuck if you're stuck in high range. In fact most of the time you're better off in high range in low traction situations.

Low range allows you to drive SLOWLY and under control in rugged terrain while keeping engine RPM's very low. It also provides much more engine braking when going down steep hills off road.

Since it is only needed when you need extremely low gearing it is best used only with the transmission in 1st gear or reverse. No need to put it in Drive and let it shift gears. Once the transmission shifts to 2nd gear, low range you have pretty much the same gearing as high range 1st gear.

 

Thanks for that explanation!!!!

 

Not fancy at all. Actually, it's much more primitive than most.

 

Pulls stumps more better.

 

I have to admit, I dont use 4low often, but do sometimes just to lube it!

 

Let it snap up top!

 

I plow snow with my truck in low range yes it improves your traction because it takes less power to move the truck. A spinning wheel has no traction. If you have an automatic it will instantly try to shift I don't know if you can drag the shifter into low mine is a manual.

 

My old truck. Did not behave like my taco in 4lo so that’s why I was concerned

 

That’s what today was about

 

About the only times I've used 4 Lo were situations where I needed to control my speed easier. 4 Hi in the same situation had me riding the brakes quite a bit which was also pretty hard on the suspension due to the speed and terrain. I had also done that same trail in 2WD, but 4 Lo made a big difference. So it isn't just for when you think you will get stuck.

 

Hey, good on you OP for learning how to use the system and how it behaves before you need it. That’s smart!

 

Thank you all ….. I was kinda hesitant to post this on 4/1

 

Just don't ask anything on a Friday here.

 

Just asking, is it bad if you don't use 4 lo for years ?
I know you should use 4x4 often for lubrication.