Where to drive 10 miles 4x4 per month if not off road??

Flip the switch at 80, it won't do anything but flash the light at you. Flip the switch at 60 (62?) or lower and on a straight piece of road it engages perfectly fine. Everything is already spinning. Should not cause an issue. I just realized this is 3rd gen section, is it different on them? I may have made an incorrect assumption.

EDIT: from 2nd gen manual



And another EDIT: 2019 manual

 

Same mechanisms as far as I know

 

My cabin is 3 miles up a forest road (dirt road) but it has lots of curves. Is a dirt road with curves ok? Also my new Tacoma has 1100 miles on it and I haven’t tried 4WD yet, so perhaps it’s time.

 

Dirt road with curves is fine.

 

I can vouch for the importance of this. I don’t have to worry about it as much with my Taco as it’s a 1st gen with manual everything... but my 07 Z71, VERY RARELY gets driven and has prob only been in 4x4 6-8 times it’s entire life. The last 2 times it’s caused chaos. Service traction control, service 4x4, all kinds of lights blinking and going crazy. As well as staying engaged in 4x4! Switch can be back to 2wd but the truck stays engaged in 4x4. Now I understand that it’s a completely diff truck. I know a big part of the equation is the truck sitting idle as much as it does, but I’m sure the truck almost never seeing 4wd is equally as big a part of the issue.

 

Not everything is spinning. The ring and pinion are stopped or rotating very slowly. There is a syncro ring that gets them up to speed when you flick to 4Hi. Once the T case is engaged, the ADD slides over to couple the front axle.

 

Do all of the same rules apply whether automatic or manual?

 

Pretty much. Only difference between the two is going in and out of low range.

 

Same rules.

 

Around here i just drive the Mississippi River levee dirt roads for miles watching the alligators and birds . Saw a black bear cross the levee one time
Beautiful scenery and easy 4x4 to maintain system

 

If you read that article, you would NEVER switch into 4wd since is unsafe... What the?

"When traveling with part time 4WD on high traction surfaces like asphalt, concrete, etc. handling of the vehicle will become unsafe (understeer) and the "driveline binding" will eventually cause component failures. "

"When traveling with part time 4WD on low traction surfaces like sand, gravel, mud, snow, etc. handling of the vehicle is unsafe (understeer) as well, but not as severe as on pavement. "

 

Anyone in this thread that’s legitimately concerned about running 4x4 on road should really watch @OVTune ’s twin turbo testing videos. That dude is running far more hp than 99.9% of people‘s tacos will ever see.

The drive trains on these trucks are pretty stout. Use some common sense and maybe down mash the pedal from a stand still with the tires at full lock while towing a 6000lb trailer and you’ll be fine.

 

Yep, gotta run the 4x4 once in awhile. I try to run the 4L and go into reverse also. I doubt going into reverse makes any difference but I figure at the very least it may adjust the rear drum brakes? Lately, I have been using the 4x4 quite a bit out here exploring the desert.

 

It’s NOT going to hurt anything unless you’re doing 4x4 donuts and burnouts in your old high school parking lot. Think about it, even moderate rock crawling puts so much more stress on the drivetrain, with some tires spinning fast and bouncing, while others are getting stopped suddenly as they get smashed against a rock... and yet you can do that over and over again before a diff or t-case grenades.

The diffs allow for tire speed differences, and the tread will slip enough on pavement before breaking something, especially on a pickup (with not nearly as much weight over the rear tires most of the time). I grew up in the mountains, and I’ll say it’s normal practice after a snowstorm to leave it in 4HI even after most of the roads are clear and dry because as snow melts it still runs into the road and freezes at night, which creates black ice patches, which are the most dangerous part of winter driving. In about 30 years of driving very curvy mtn roads, I’ll usually leave it in 4x4 just to be safe if the roads are dry but there might be scattered black ice. Everyone I know does this if they care more about their lives than their vehicles, and I can honestly say I don’t know a soul who has ever ruined their 4x4 from that.

 

These trucks are made for running on 4X4. Trust me they can handle it.

 

Not to mention driving 400mi+ in 4Hi on pavement as durability testing.