4wd in the rain?

Do not use 4wd on pavement, unless the pavement is covered/partially covered with snow or ice. It is no benefit on wet or dry pavement. Just try it, the truck will bind up and it will be very hard to turn. ALL part time 4wd vehicles are designed this way. 4wd does not help you go faster, it just helps you get up to speed faster in limited traction situations (snow/ice). It will NOT help in rain.

 

WTF...

If you need 4WD to better control your truck in a parking lot while it's raining, you're doing something wrong.

 

X2

 

x 3 billion

 

Just bite the bullet and get rid of the death trap wheels that come stock on the truck. Quite trying to look for a workaround to what you already know the problem and solution are. Change the tires! It will be the best thing you can do for the truck and your own safety.

 

i guess i have to agree....even though i have used 4x4 in heavy rain, up steep hills, covered with water and what not, never had any binindg in 4x4 mode while drivin on thehighway either. someone should contact all dealers in america and make sure they put a discolusure statement out. do not use 4x4 mode unless snow or ice cover exists otherwise you are stupid.


and what i said about the parking lot is to get a feel for you truck and how it will handle in various modes. anyone who says 4x4 will not handle better thena 2x4 is really just a......nothing, you fill in the blank since your all so smart

 

tell me what it cost when you tear your transfer case up,DUMBASS. 4WD WILL NOT STOP HYDROPLANING.

 

going straight, nothign will get torn up, this is as silly as the other thread about using 4x4 for at least 10 miles a month as stated in the manual. i cant count how many people say that is a bad idea. even though its in the manual, its still not good to do. if i had to chose, 2x4 or 4x4 in heavy reain (thats what we are talking about, heavy reain, not a drizzle, i choose 4x4.

 

so where do you drive that it is all "STRAIGHT"? I've never saw them conditions in Ohio,or anywhere else for that matter. If your hydroplaning,there's one solution; SLOW DOWN.

 

almost every highway in america is "straight" if you turn the wheel to follow the contours of teh curves in highways, it will not bind up and ruin anything, side roads, sure i agree, some of them are sharp turns or what not, so dont do it, and in ohio, near columbus, hilliard area, plenty of the highways are straight enough there that it wont hurt any

 

so its in another thread, and been talked to death, whats the deal with the manual asking for 10 miles of 4x4 a month, if its not snow and ice 12 months a year, does that mean all taco owners need to get to mud then to do this.....? jus twondering.

 

Go ahead,buddy.I wouldn't do it in mine.

 

How fast and aggressive are you guys driving whereby 2WD is not adequate in the rain?

 

well, i hit trails on a regular , so i get my 4x4 fix there.


good luck to everyone who thinks the owners manual is a suggested maintenance manual.

 

Exactly.

 

65 70, speed limit....

 

what the hell does hittin' trails have to do with hydroplaning on the freeway?

 

You can expect hydroplaning at a speed equal to between 9*the square root of your tire pressure and 10.35*the square root of your tire pressure.

Roughly 30 PSI in most normal tires (a few PSI one way or the other doesn't really change the math THAT much) means you should be concerned about hydroplaning when going 50 mph or faster.

Every thing I've read/learned about hydroplaning relates the possibility of hydroplaning because of speed. AWD is WORSE for hydroplaning...cause the computer can decide to shift power in a hydroplaning car and make the situation worse. 4WD and 2WD....I'm not sure about which is better....but slowing down is without a doubt the way to avoid the issue.

 

Exactly.

For those saying it helps your rear end keep from breaking free in the rain, I have a better solution. Use some common sense.

 

I've been driving nothing but 4wd vehicles for close to 40 years now. The last Toyota I had never had an issue with the 4wd system... after putting 350,000 miles on the truck. I'm not trying to be a smartass and I'm far from an expert on this, just giving my opinion from what I've seen over the years. People can engage their 4wd in parking lots if they want, but from my experiance that's the last place I'd engage mine. Have you ever noticed that you can't make sharp turns without binding up? I've found that if you use it while offroad or on snow and ice your 4wd components will last alot longer due to less wear and tear. I guess it all comes down to how much money you have for repairs. I'm sure you can get away with engaging the system on wet pavement as long as you don't have to turn the wheel, but unless your driving through flood waters, why even take the chance of screwing up your truck? Save the 4wd for what it's intended for.