4 wheel drive and Low gear

[kjfswkr]

Hi all,
I have a 2006 4 Runner that has selectable 4 wheel drive. I live in the hills and with the snow I put it in 4 wheel drive and low gear going down the hills. Is this acceptable?
I know low hear lets you go at a slower speed but not sure of using it with 4 wd.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[Paul2660]

Low gear 4Wd

In 4Low you are using a different gearing that in 4HI. One advanage of 4Lo is that you can use the low range to control your speed on a downhill grade.

I have always used 4Lo in all my 4WD's for downhills, especially in CO, on the backroads where you can run into considerable grades. It will save your brakes.

You should be fine IMO.

Paul C

 

[kjfswkr]

Re: Low gear 4Wd

[
I have always used 4Lo in all my 4WD's for downhills, especially in CO, on the backroads where you can run into considerable grades. It will save your brakes.

You should be fine IMO.



Thanks Paul

Kevin

 

[Falls]

Its fine and do it MAINLY for safety and control , don't worry about saving your brakes.

Brakes are much cheaper to replace then a trans or motor if used for engine braking.

 

[JB.]

Hi all,
I have a 2006 4 Runner that has selectable 4 wheel drive. I live in the hills and with the snow I put it in 4 wheel drive and low gear going down the hills. Is this acceptable?
I know low hear lets you go at a slower speed but not sure of using it with 4 wd.

Thanks,

Kevin

On the engine braking, it depends on how slow you want/need to go. 1st high and 3rd low are equivalent. 1st high will engine brake pretty well at 12-15mph and give you some braking down to somewhere around 8-9mph. If 1st high is enough braking and there are road sections where you need to get up to 30 or more mph, high range would be worth a look.

Interesting question about using 4wd for downhill. If power was evenly distributed to all 4 wheels when in 4wd, I might guess just having the rears hooked up and letting the front steer would give better control. With the torsen center diff biasing the rear wheels in 4wd unlocked, perhaps that is better. I'd like to know myself.

 

[holzapfel]

what about using DAC? Downhill assist control?

 

[Tucson T4R]

Good advise already given. On the use DAC, I would suggest only using that if you have short hill that you are unsure of and would like added assistance. Excessive use of DAC can overheat your brakes.

For general driving and manging your down hill speed, I use the lower gears.

 

[Uneek]

what about using DAC? Downhill assist control?

It works only in 4L and speed is about 3-4mph.

 

[Paul2660]

Downhilling

I guess it's also a matter everyone's own experience. In Colorado, where you can have very steep grades for as long as 2 miles, I would rather use my 4Lo than use the brakes. Mainly because you will eventually warp your rotors. In my experience with Toyotas, a set of rotors while not as expensive as a tranny is not cheap. These are not highway grades, but the mountain pass roads, which can be quite challenging. I like having the low range to give me a nice controlled decent.

As for DAC. I tried it once on my 4 runner and thought that my entire front end was coming loose. IMO way too much vibration. I was able to get the same amount of control by just going to 2nd gear in 4Lo and allowing engine braking.

I thought that I had something wrong with my DAC and posted my experience, but others said theirs did the same thing.

Paul C