I believe in 4H you only have Mud/Sand available as a Multi Terrain setting. The rest you need to be in 4L.

This guy knows what I'm talkin bout! You must be one of those "Hey... I paid extra for this button so damn right I'm gonna push it" people. I am too.

Thanks for the tips. I took her out in the last snowstorm and it does perform much better in the snow in 2wd than 4hi. But 4hi was outstanding for doing donuts!

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Another important thing to be aware of in snow is driveshaft bind induced understeer. (This warning does not apply to the Limited unless you have locked your center diff.)

Imagine going down a slippery hill in 4H, approaching a sharp turn. You turn the steering wheel. The outside front tire, because it can't turn as much as it needs to, has to slide across the snow. In a turn, the outside front does most of the work. Since it has lost contact with the snow, you continue straight.

The solution is to go slower. The sharper the turn the slower you're going anyways, so there's that. But it's something to be aware of.

Usually on paved roads I’m in 4hi. Occasionally on logging roads that are very steep I’ll use the crawl control in icy conditions going down hill. I’ve seen some hills very icy and steep, I probably would not have made it with 4 wd of yesterday. In winter I put blizzaks, your bfg’s better than stock but not much better on ice

Unfortunately all those cool wiz bang Han Solo settings don't mean squat on the road 99.99% of the time.

Avoid 4wd when traction is good. It can be more harmful than helpful. When the conditions change, snow, ice shift it into 4hi. When they change back then shift back to 2hi. Yes, unfortunately boring but very practical.

Now when you get offroad or the snow gets really deep start asking the wookie This is when it's time to think about 4lo and various settings. If it gets really bad that locking diff is fantastic on the OR or Pro models. Personally I prefer not to use all those traction control gizmos so I can have max wheel spin in deep snow then give it the beans.

Limited is where it’s at. H4F.


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in snow - 2wd, good tires, and speed control will get you places. youll be fine
ice - pop it in 4hi, youll be fine
stuck - pop it in 4lo + locker, youll be fine
use those fancy ceiling controls all you want, test them out. youll be fine.

On a crowded urban roads just use 4WD high. Drive defensively and the truck will get you home fine. Finally had a chance to use it the other day and its even more planted. No violating laws of physics. Just plain sense.

More snow please. Want to try it in 6 to 10"

So was my Grandson on UM move in day a couple of years ago…. What a shit show, haha

This got me thinking, I have a 2014 Trail Edition, I don't know if I've touched any of those knobs since I got the truck home. I think I put it in crawl mode once just to see what would happen, it sounded like it was tearing the transmission apart with the ratcheting action. I know I've only had it in 4Lo once, that paved driveway looked tricky. But that's what happens when you buy a truck based on the hood scoop, wheels and KDSS package.

A few thoughts:

You generally will stop faster on snow and ice in 4hi than 2wd. It's complicated physics, but it's true. If you need the full explanation I can provide when I have some time. You can see that it's true yourself. There's YouTube comparisons as well. So if it's slippery there's a brake distance benefit to 4wd.

The colder it is the better the traction on snow and ice. Coefficient goes up as temp goes down. Slipperiest condition is right near freezing. By 0* F it's about the same as dry gravel roads.

And it's hard to roll a 4runner without a tripping point like a curb or soft shoulder of a road. So try not to hit a curb going sideways - like doing doughnuts in a parking lot. That's how you'll flop on your side..

And you can drive in 4hi anytime you want. Even dry road. It's won't hurt anything. Don't be afraid to put in 4wd wherever you feel like you'll need it. A stretch of dry roads isn't a big deal.

For rust prevention, spray Fluid Film all throughout bottom and inside door panels. I spray it two times a year.

So for those of you in snow country, in general do you drive in snow with Traction on or off or do you just turn it off when going up hills?

I just leave it on unless I’m in a situation where maintaining momentum is important, such as going uphill or going through deep snow.


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I'm probably 30 minutes east of you, with family in your area.

4HI when the roads are totally covered in snow or ice. Then remember proper following distance. The 4HI definitely inspires confidence but its very easy to become overconfident, and that's what puts you in the ditch.