Originally Posted by DAW89446

I don’t buy the practice of not engaging 4WD until you’re stuck. I’d rather not get stuck in the first place.

Originally Posted by DAW89446

You know the old adage … if you don’t use it, you loose it. If you never engage 4WD the mechanisms tend to bind up, stick and not engage.

4WD on pavement is fine if you don’t turn. Years ago I didn’t realize I had engaged 4WD in a push button shift system and drove at highway speeds 75 miles in July. Realized that I was in 4WD when I felt the drivetrain binding when I made a sharp right turn up my street. I owned the truck for another 17 years and experienced no issues with the drivetrain.

I don’t buy the practice of not engaging 4WD until you’re stuck. I’d rather not get stuck in the first place.

My T4R is put in 4WD each time I get on a dirt road, regardless of condition. Where I live, dirt roads outnumber paved ones. That has been my practice with all my 4x4 vehicles over the past four decades that I’ve owned them.

All my rigs have never given me issues with their drivetrains or related parts. Those I knew that never engaged their systems and then needed them found out the hard way that if you don’t use it, you loose it.

Originally Posted by Something_Awesome

Well, the vehicle will be used in Big Bear, in the snow, annually starting the end of next year

One last thing guys. How about exercising the locking rear diff? I imagine that should NOT be exercised on dry pavement? Also, if it needs to be exercised, how much? I imagine not much at all?

Originally Posted by Captain Spalding

Well I had a fun first foray onto the trail in my 4Runner. I found a fairly legitimate spot to test out the crawl control. It sounds like being under water with a pod of whales. But it was fun to play with. The Predator steps will have to go…