Info on 4x4 4h

Not very much info in Tacoma manual on 4x4 other than how to activate. It also states that the truck should be driven in 4 wheel drive at least 10 miles per month to lubricate front drive components. In my search online I know that I should not use 4h on pavement due to the turning issues. But I was wondering if it is ok to drive in 4h on pavement on straight roads just to lubricate the front drive components. Thank you.

 

Yes. But no road is perfectly straight and you might experience a little binding.

I’d do this once in a while on my trucks with no issues. You kind of get a feel for what’s happening after a while.

 

I live about 1 mile from my highway exit. The road is straight. If I remember, I shift into 4H at the traffic light at the bottom of the exit and when I get to my driveway, I put it back in 2WD.

That's if I remember, I seldom do it.

 

Doesn't have to be a "Perfectly" straight road, you just don't want to be turning or maneuvering drastic curves.

 

Don't, just wait for slippery road conditions such as rain.

Cheers

 

Slow straight isn't going to hurt it, but you don't have a single gravel driveway or field to cut across?
That's some serious concrete jungle.

 

You can drive in 4 Hi on slightly curving dry pavement, without making sharp turns, for the life of the truck.

There is ZERO damage done to any component by doing this. Think for a minute about the extreme strain put on these components when actually using 4WD on rocks in Moab, when spinning tires in the snow, when the ABS or VSC actuates, when Crawl Control is engaged, and when you’re fully locked and roaring out of a mud pit. These components are built to take abuse. Driving on a slight highway curve is a fraction of the strain they are designed to take, and will mostly be absorbed by the tires.

There is too much of a big deal made about 4Hi on dry pavement. Put it in 4Hi and relax. Just don’t turn into a driveway or go around the corner in an intersection. You’ll know if you’re binding it.

 

Your drive train will most likely survive OP, your tires maybe not so much. Just be sure to keep a close eye on them if you decide to go that route on 4h dry pavement.

Cheers

 

C’mon man, stop with the BS. More misinformation for the newbs who actually need some experienced advice. ^^^This is not going to happen to your tires, over 10 miles on the highway, in 4Hi, a month.

The real issue is failure of your 4WD actuator because you never exercise it out of fear of irrational things.

That tire wear pattern is from blown shocks anyways. It isn’t 4WD scrubbing.

 

Lol that tire has a triple whammy of worn shocks and low air pressure and alignment (toe) issues.

 

Weird, I didn’t know activating 4x4 changed your alignment.

You can use 4x4 on dry pavement, and turn. You don’t have front and rear full time lockers. You might wheel hop a tiny bit, but not enough to break things. Why do people overthink this shit?

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Maybe the service manual saying NOT to may have something to say on it?

 

Yeah, so they don’t have retarded people showing up to the service department saying their truck lurched around a corner in 4x4.

 

Yeah, well good luck with that...

 

Now why can't those engineers just say that!

 

This summer I drove on bone dry pavement from Watson Lake to Fort Nelson (About 500km / 300 miles) in 4Hi because I had a brain-fart and forgot to switch out of 4WD. I had been on gravel for the past 3 days in 4hi so was just used to seeing the dash symbol.

Anyways......after 300 miles, on dry twisting highway pavement, my K02s suffered zero scrubbing. I actually got out and had a good look at them when I realized my mistake.

300miles = 30 months of 10 miles a month all at once.

OP. Many people experience failure of 4WD actuators due to lack of use. Very few, if any, people destroy their tires or drivetrain by properly maintaining the system by switching into 4hi every so often.

 

I've seen the results of when 4wd go unused, but it takes years for that to happen.

It really is just better and safer to just wait for rain for over a month than to drive on drive pavement and risk an I told you so

 

Ugh, forums. People throw around terms like “binding” because they heard someone else say it. Nothing is binding. You guys do realize there used to be full time 4x4 vehicles right? Hell, the military still does.

When you engage 4x4, sometimes the outer tire can’t turn as fast as the inner one, and chirps or lurches around corners. With big tires, tiny axle shafts, and a loose nut behind the wheel... you might break something. But I’ve never seen it. Would you wear tires out faster? Yes. That’s why they stopped making full time 4x4 trucks. The NP203 sucked. The military still uses full time 4x4 and BF Goodrich is making bank.

Stop being scared all the time guys.

 

But if I live in Phoenix and get no rain?