4x4 HI/Low - What is OK and what isn't?

It amazes me that most people that buy a $30k-$50k vehicle don't bother to read the owners manual or even the quick start guide.

 

A lotta fellas get incarcerated and do time when the authorities find out. The rules are the rules. My uncle got caught using 4Hi on a straight stretch of road in August. He died in prison.

 

My Aunt pulled into a parking space in 4L and was caught by a Texas Ranger. She's doing 5 years at Huntsville State Prison.

 

Sending prayers.

 

I get what you’re saying but you’d be surprised at what these trucks can do in 4hi on a loose dirt road. When I need to get my rally car fix that’s where I go.

 

I use 4hi off road because that’s why I bought the 4x4. I find that it’s a lot better to never have gotten stuck then roll in 2wd then try to get unstuck. Especially when you need to be moving to actuate it. These trucks aren’t as easy to break as people are making it sound.
That being said if the truck is binding you’ll feel it, when that happens just stop doing whatever make that happen. I drive in 4hi at least 50-70 miles a month. Shit still works fine.

 

Lol I live in Huntsville and this sound more like something UPD would do...

They once pulled me over because they felt my blinker’s flash frequently was slightly too long.

 

He only lasted 5 months?
My condolences.

 

Maybe it was the free food, room and board that makes some do it. And as long as they don't drop the soap, that may not be so bad.

But if you drop the soap, it's no bueno.

 

The problem with 4wd is you literally cannot turn without wheels slipping. If the wheels dont slip it binds and bucks and risks breaking something. If you use 4wd when not necessary, you are forcing either the front or rear to break loose around every corner. If driving through a foot of fresh snow, this doesnt matter because tires are spinning.

Tldr: I use 2wd unless snow is deep. 4high on occasion, mainly to get away from stops on a hill etc. 4low to get unstuck or get someone else unstuck.

 

It does not bind or buck on gentle curves. The two inner wheels will follow the same arc and the differentials and tires will take up the rest. It’s only when making sharp turns that there is an issue.

4WD is a safety feature and you should have it on when driving on roads with sections of snow. It too late to engage it when you need it.

 

One tire out of 4 will drag a teeny tiny bit and scrub. If anything the tire wears out the littlest bit faster. It’s not stretching the transfer case chain or breaking axles like some want to believe.

 

I mean, you do you, but driving around with your locker on makes some situations unnecessarily harder, like tight turns. Your gas mileage suffers in 4lo, which is kind of important on longer trails, and you max out at like 25mph.

I'm willing to bet >80% of the trails most people "offroad" on don't even need the 4x4, let alone a locker. Like all those hardcore "overlanders" at the Alabama Hills that my Corolla can get to.

Constantly engaging your locker means that you probably don't have much of an idea of what the locker actually does for you. You talk about not wanting to bang on your drivetrain, but using your 4xd and locker when you don't actually need to is doing just that.

 

Exactly! Only use 4WD when you need it. And most folksy don't need it near as much as they think they do.

 

I was there about 3 years ago, and IIRC, it was paved all the way to the top. Saw at least one vehicle (likely a rental) that was dumped over in the ditch (it was even a 4x4). No one appeared hurt, but only because they veered right instead of left!

Wife and I did one of those touristy things where they took us up there in a 4x4 van, fed us dinner, then we stopped on the way down and broke out some 10" telescopes. I'm not generally one for touristy type stuff, but it was fun nonetheless, and I'm a bit of a telescope nerd.

 

I take my LC rock crawling and am always in 4 low 2nd gear start and use all triple locks when necessary then immediately turn them off. I'm AWD so I don't need to engage in slippery conditions but in my 98 Tacoma I needed 4 Hi when the road was wet as 1st would always spin the rear tires, no traction control. So i just shifted on the fly around town, off on the highway and when pulling into a parking lot while the road is wet. On the fly engaging and disengaging is fine, like in the video I posted says, but you have to think ahead when you think you will turn sharply on a wet road.

 

Right? Like back in the day, we'd lock our hubs in September, and leave them Locked until April. That way you could shift in and out of 4WD as necessary.

 

You're absolutely correct. And it's been that way since ... Pretty much forever.

 

This is actually something that I recently learned

The manual says not to shift into 4hi above 62mph. However, it doesn't say you can't USE it above that speed. You're just not supposed to engage it above that speed. I'll try to find the thread on it