PreRunner vs 4x4...which is better for what

So obviously 4 wheel drives have advantages in many areas of off roading, they are superior when it comes to crawling, climbing, and shooting through mud. But it seems like mainly Prerunners are used for wheelin at high speeds in flat desert type terrain. Is there a reason that 4 wheel drives aren't used for this type of driving??

 

The 4x4 vs. Prerunner threads rarely end well here on TW. If this thread was in the second gen section, it would be very entertaining... As for the topic, I think it comes down to cost. It's a lot cheaper to long-travel suspension a Prerunner than a 4x4 truck. That's why.

If you search you can find a number of LT 4x4 trucks, that are very capable of "Go Fast Desert" driving, they're just not as common, again, probably due to the cost of upgrading the suspension components.

Apply thread lock now.

 

I'll be that guy. 4x4 is better for everything.

 

4wd does everything better. 2wd even works better in a 4wd truck.

 

Pretty much this.

 

Being a TRD Sport prerunner owner I will undoubtedly admit... I wish I had 4wd 365 days out of the year. Every vehicle in my family has 4wd, my truck is the only exception (parents choice,not mine). My next Taco will for sure be 4x4... but to get the TRD package again? that is the question.

But if I could do it over again, and cost was not a factor, I would def. get the 4x4.

Only reason 2wd was my choice is because its my daily driver and all I do is drive around college. My truck hardly ever sees anything but the depressing asphalt of my university.

 

Prerunner is better if you want to use lift spindles

4x4 wins every other category

 

Prerunners are good candidates for 4x4 swaps 4x4 FTW

 

Yeah that makes more sense. Thanks for the info. I was kinda confused haha

 

The reason 2wd trucks are "better" go fast trucks is because after a certain point with IFS the suspension travel is limited by the cv axle, but that is in extreme LT cases, when you get into race truck level of build, for everything else 4wd is better. You see more pre runners in places like Cali where they don't need a 4x4 and a lot of their off roading fun is had in open areas of desert

 

this, and if they had a design that eliminated axle bind, they'd still have the expense of custom CV's to get the width needed to get lots of travel.

 

this ^^

i am 4wd long travel, BEST OF BOTH WORLDS BABY!
this is the only way to do it IMO.

getting 4wd to work with long travel systems is much harder, and can be really expensive.

 

Hell yeah brother! What kind of LT do you have?

 

well since I live in Oregon I need 4x4 since it can get nasty here and It never hurts to have it plus 4x4 is more fun in the mud

 

Simple. 4x4's are about traction. Prerunner is about getting the extra goodies with no use for 4wd. If you need grip, 4wd all the way, of course. If it's like mine, a highway princess, 4wd is a waste of money and gas. Mainly money. I'd have bought a 5-lug in a second if Toyota would put some of the bells & whistles in them. I.e. color matched parts, skewp, bucket seats, etc. To be honest, an xrunner with an auto would be perfect. But ... I digress.

 

For a lot of off road racing 4X4 isn't needed. It is easier and cheaper to build a fast truck off a 4X2. The trucks are lighter it is easier to work with the front suspension. All which makes them faster. If you follow any of the desert racing the lighter 4X2 vehicles are almost always faster than the 4X4's.

But not everyone lives in the desert. And very few of us race our daily drivers. For most of us there is no long term reason to choose the Pre-Runner. A 4X4 will cost a little more initially, but is always worth more down the road. Long term a guy could spend a lifetime buying/selling/trading for only 4X4 trucks and not spend any more than the guy who does the same thing with 4X2's

Fuel mileage is virtually the same and while a 4X4 does have more components they aren't used enough to ever wear out unless abused. And you're more likely to abuse a 4X2 trying to get into off road spots than a 4X4. If you put 400,000 miles on your truck very few people will have 10,000 of those miles operating in 4X4.

I use my trucks in a way where 4X4 is needed on a regular basis. But even for those who may only use it once every few years it is worth the trouble.

 

Way to dig through the graveyard and bring up a thread from 2013

 

PreRunner lifted on fat tires is the perfect bro truck. I really want one actually even though I have a 4x4.

 

4x4 is better because it allows you to get stuck in far more remote places than a 4x2. I've gotten stuck in my driveway with the truck in 2wd. Mud and snow just don't seem to like 2wd. I've had lots of fun with 2wd trucks, but I was always a bit worried about getting stuck, so would avoid some roads, etc.
I really like having low range as well. I miss the bull low on older trucks. I'll take 4wd over a locker any day.
Depends on where you're living I guess.

 

There's a reason I call the locker on a pre-runner the "donut button". That's pretty much all it's good for. 4x4 is definitely better than a rwd locker.