Noisy 4x4?

Driving in snow above 35 mph comes to mind

 

High speed off-road emergency response. I use 4HI a lot.

 

You guys have your opinions I have mine

 

This makes no sense to me. I used 4hi yesterday in sand getting out of sycamore wash. 2wd dug, put it in 4hi and walked right out 4low would have almost been overkill. Kept in in 4hi until I was out of the sand and everything worked perfect so why is 4hi "useless"?

 

It is scary reading some of these replies! It's as if they have never driven a 4WD vehicle or have a concept of how Traction Control works to IMPROVE the truck's abilities.

The CLUNK you hear is normal when shifting on-the-fly. However, it is softer if you don't accelerate at the same time.

You do NOT need a parking brake on to go into L4. The instructions are on that card in your sun visor, as well as the manual in the glove box.

H4 is for traction when the road is slippery or soft. If your tire begins to spin you lost traction. 4WD adds a tire in front to the one in back driving your truck.

Traction Control (limited slip, TRAC, AUTO LSD) improves your drive ability by moving power from the spinning tire to the tire with traction to move you ahead. A spinning tire is not helping you.

L4 puts you in LOW crawling gears for MORE POWER to turn the tires to CLIMB steep grades or get through deep mud, over big rocks or ruts. It's a slow speed mode. This is how 4WDs get to places without damage as you don't have to use speed to get over things... it is the speed that breaks parts.

If you have an OFF ROAD TRD then you will also have traction additions in L4 that the other Tacomas do not have: Rear Locking Differential and A-TRAC. They are systems to stop any spinning and make 2 or 4 tires work together.

Having traction control in low range is so beneficial in fact that non OFF ROAD Tacomas will perform the 4 LO TRAC MOD (Yellow Wire Mod) which tricks the truck electronics into thinking it is still in H4 (which all 2009+ 4WD Tacomas have TRAC & TRAC OFF) when you are in L4.

Others will spend extra money and add lockers to the axles to eliminate the spinning of a non traction tire.

Best of luck... and feel free to ask questions... just be careful of the answers!

 

The only difference is your opinion is wrong

 

Traction control / VSC and ABS suck balls in snow especially the ABS system in the Tacoma

 

Wut?

exactly

exactly

Wut?

exactly

agreed

 

You guys are hilarious

 

I'm glad my '08 doesn't have traction control. It's horrible. I always forget to disable it every start up on my work '12.

 

OK... so I am in San Diego and "snow" is something I have to drive to IF we get any on a weekend in winter (maybe twice a year in our local mountains, lol).

I did use traction controls in what snow we got and the truck was fine. I don't get how one tire spinning in the back and one tire spinning in the front is better in the snow than 3 or 4 tires all working together? However, I am not going to discount what someone in the GREAT WHITE NORTH says!

My specialty is desert, beach, rocky grades... and having more than two powered tires moving the truck is a plus!

 

I went from an 06 sport to a 13 sport. I love the traction control system. I did the yellow wire mod so I can make use of TRAC in 4low when I need it. The traction system is very responsive (in my opinion) and doesn't cut power to the wheels, it limits the power to the absolute most they can handle without breaking traction and spinning out. If you want to burn your way up a hill with both rear tires spinning just turn it off with a press of the button. Simple. I have driven up a snowy ice covered hill in 2wd with the TRAC system engaged, and again with the electronic LSD but without power being limited, and I got up faster with the TRAC system. Having a trac system in your rig? No brainer. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want the option since you can turn it on or off as you see fit.

As for the clunk, I agree with previous post that it goes smoother if you a coasting forward at any speed rather than accelerating or gearing down. That way your drive line is not under load. You can throw it in neutral if you want, or just ease off the gas while it engages.

 

Great handle, 'neverstuck'... it says a lot!

 

Thanks every one.

 

Oh this isn't over yet.

 

I grew up when most all vehicles had all rear wheel drive vehicles only. We'd have to swap to skinny deep tread snow tires every winter. Even then you needed a the right touch on the gas to get you through the deeper snow (6"+) and still some luck on the steeper hills of New England.

Fast forward to years later and most cars were front wheel drive with all season radials - WHAT A DIFFERENCE !! and no tire changeovers or snow tires costs!

Years again later I bought my first 4X4 (GM S10 based) and during the first snow storm I just could not believe how poor the traction was in 2WD with nothing in the bed for weight. (I had gotten used to FWD). The first time I used 4 WD high I drove into a dark parking lot and through a plow bank - only to see that the far side of the parking lot was not plowed and I was in snow up over my door bottoms. I was attempting to get out in 2WD and it was very poor traction but I could have made it - but I switched to 4 Hi and I TRIED to spin the tires (not flooring it) and I just could not get the wheels to spin. I could not believe the difference 4WD made (actually 1 wheel on each axel). Been in 4WD ever since.

I've only used 4 WD lo once when I was pulling a boat on a trailer out of the lake and the trailer got hung up and I needed more power. Otherwise 4Lo is just to slow except for crawl speed to me. Those who go deep mudding and rock crawling probably put it to good use - but 4WD Hi is just perfect for me.

Just my experience and opinion .....

 

How does that work for you out on the highway? Some how 45 MPH at 5 grand in low range kind of turns me off.

 

Nope, you are hilarious.

Please take a video of your dashboard (tach and speedo) and post it while you're in 4lo, going 50mph for us.

We need a good laugh.

 

I suspect TYetti is implying that he leaves it in 2wd in many cases were others would just go to 4hi? I'm 2wd in Colorado and therefore I know that 4wd isn't really necessary in my snow driving experience.