Quote:
Originally posted by Thai
An example is if BOTH your front (or rear) wheels or 3 wheels are in mud (no traction)...in which case, locking the center diff is a good thing because it allows 50% of power to be routed to the AXLE that still has the wheel(s) with traction. Without the center diff LOCK, 100% power will be routed to the axle that has both wheels slipping (thus, you are stuck). However, this is rarely encountered in off-roading.
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Thai,
I thought I saw the official specs of the '01/'02 system once, but haven't been able to find it lately. However, on the '03 specs, power will be given up to 53% front and 70% rear if there's slippage, a far cry from 100% that dual lockers could provide to a given wheel. Here's the main quote from this
article which is in the middle of the page.
"It applies a rear bias in four-wheel-drive mode, splitting torque 40/60 front-to-rear in normal driving conditions, providing the driver with a traditional feel and better stability when accelerating. The 4WD mode may be used in all types of driving conditions on all types of roads, from dry pavement to wet or snow-covered roads. The system gives the 4Runner a sure-footed feel because power is applied to all four wheels, improving traction. When the front wheels slip, up to 70 percent of the power goes to the rear wheels. When the rear wheels slip, up to 53 percent of the power goes to the front wheels."
As it also states, it is a 40/60 split in 4WD, not 50/50. Just an FYI to pass along and a good read/review on the '03's.
I would have to think the above stats would be very similar if not identical to ours. Dang it! I want to know for sure!
Later,
D