4x4

ha! i was there in that snow storm too. i duno im kinda wierd but love driving in the snow. the snow storms are pretty brutel sometimes here in utah, im sure there are worse elsewhere too. man id be pissen my pants too if i was in a 2 wheel drive SUV. funny story i was teaveling with my f brother in law in his Sequia (did i spell that wrong?) but ya i was on i80 when that storm hit and cars were all over onnthe side of the road. well right outside of lovelock it looked like it was plowed so my bro took it out of 4 wheel and sure enogh we started fish tailing and headed into a pile of cars that slipped in the same spot. luckly we hit a bush instead. but everyone was okay we put in in 4wheel and pulled right out of that ditch. toyotas are great in the snow, even in 2wheel that traction control saved us from rolling. lol
 
Alistor said:
Haha thanks Matt, thats what I assumed. I have never owned a toyota 4x4 only ......... (cough) Chevy and (cough cough) FORD. Seems like every make has different rules.
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Actually, every make should have the same recommendations. If the truck/SUV has a center diff, you can run it on dry pavement (without the center diff locked). Your 4Runner does not have a center diff. This means do not run it on dry pavement.

KellyJ said:
Unless you have push button on demand 4WD, don't hit the pavement in "real" 4WD.
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The Limited models in 96-98 had push-button 4WD, but no center diff. You can't run it on dry pavement. Ask me how I know... :(

Clemsonfan15 said:
I use it on dry pavement sometimes. Probably at least once a month. People say you shouldn't do it though. Let's hope nothing happens. (Knock on wood)

I don't turn with it engaged or anything.
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You will put a LOT of stress on your drivetrain and possibly cause premature failure to some parts. I accidentally ran mine on dry pavement and blew a transfer case seal. Glad that was the only thing that went.

But I do know of those times when there are patches of snow and patches of dry stuff. I guess just use your best judgement on that. On the freeway, I don't think you'll have to worry too much of leaving it in 4WD (in snowy patch/dry conditions), because you're not turning the wheel that much causing binding.
 
I always have a ton of questions when this subject comes up.

So is the binding caused from the turning of the wheels? I thought someone said that the front wheels could possibly spin faster than the rears, which would be bad.

So let's say I don't run it on dry pavement, but Toyota recommends 10 miles a month. Is it better to run it on dry pavement or not run it at all?
 
Clemsonfan15 said:
I always have a ton of questions when this subject comes up.

So is the binding caused from the turning of the wheels? I thought someone said that the front wheels could possibly spin faster than the rears, which would be bad.

So let's say I don't run it on dry pavement, but Toyota recommends 10 miles a month. Is it better to run it on dry pavement or not run it at all?
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Essentially, when you turn on dry pavement, the inside and outside wheels turn at a different rate. Since there is no center diff to compensate for this, a lot of stress will be put on the drivetrain. This is why you can hear the tires start to chirp when turning. Going straight is not that big of a deal, but it still does put unnecessary stress.

If you really can't find ANY dirt roads in your area, I guess you can just try to drive straight on dry pavement. Just be cautious that you CAN cause seals to blow or unwanted wear.
 
jinxed13 said:
being in vegas and all, you should come wheelin. its fun to out wheel the sazuki's.
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I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE!!! Hell yeah I wanna go wheelin. Just tell me when and where. My buddy has a Taco on 35's than needs to be broken in too.
 
seevik said:
damn good to know. so when going wheeling in dirt, its alright to just leave it in H4?
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Well to sum it up, without a center diff your front wheels will spin at the same rate as your rear wheels. On dry pavement this can cause your hubs to grind down and your transfer case to bind. When you're on slick surfaces (dirt, snow and ice) your wheels are able to spin independantly of each other where as on dry surfaces they cant. Now what a center differential does is it allows for your wheels to spin independantly of each other. Think of it like this... For those who know what a locking rear diff is, when your rear diff is locked, it locks both your right and left tires together. But when its unlocked the tires spin independantly. When its unlocked and you lose traction only one wheel spins, this is because you differential isnt locked. Now apply that analogy towards a center diff. without a center diff the front and back wheels are "locked" so to speak. but with a center differential it allows you to "unlock" your front and rear wheels.

I can think of it perfectly in my head but Im having a hard time writing it out so I hope this helps. Its kind of a rough explaination.
 
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p nut said:
Essentially, when you turn on dry pavement, the inside and outside wheels turn at a different rate. Since there is no center diff to compensate for this, a lot of stress will be put on the drivetrain. This is why you can hear the tires start to chirp when turning. Going straight is not that big of a deal, but it still does put unnecessary stress.

If you really can't find ANY dirt roads in your area, I guess you can just try to drive straight on dry pavement. Just be cautious that you CAN cause seals to blow or unwanted wear.
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Cool man. I always appricate your answers.

Is using it in the rain better?
 
Matt Starr said:
Well to sum it up, without a center diff your front wheels will spin at the same rate as your rear wheels. On dry pavement this can cause your hubs to grind down and your transfer case to bind. When you're on slick surfaces (dirt, snow and ice) your wheels are able to spin independantly of each other where as on dry surfaces they cant. Now what a center differential does is it allows for your wheels to spin independantly of each other. Think of it like this... For those who know what a locking rear diff is, when your rear diff is locked, it locks both your right and left tires together. But when its unlocked the tires spin independantly. When its unlocked and you lose traction only one wheel spins, this is because you differential isnt locked. Now apply that analogy towards a center diff. without a center diff the front and back wheels are "locked" so to speak. but with a center differential it allows you to "unlock" your front and rear wheels.

I can think of it perfectly in my head but Im having a hard time writing it out so I hope this helps. Its kind of a rough explaination.
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I know exactly what you mean, really sucks though, knowing how much i drove it like this
 
Woah.... Around here the roads are really iccy during winter and I don't use a studded tire. When it's iccy I put it in 4H and then shift out of it when I go to park. I hope I didn't do any damage. I'm thinking it should be ok given the ice and snow factor.
 
spongerx said:
Woah.... Around here the roads are really iccy during winter and I don't use a studded tire. When it's iccy I put it in 4H and then shift out of it when I go to park. I hope I didn't do any damage. I'm thinking it should be ok given the ice and snow factor.
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yeah imo using 4H through ice and snow conditions is nowhere near as bad as using it on just pavement. As long as the surface you're driving on allows each of the tires to turn on their own radius. Thats just how I think of it. If you make a turn and you feel and hear the tires sticking you definitely need to put it out of 4x4 ASAP though.
I've got a 2000 with the center diff so I don't need to worry about it.;):
 
nquaint said:
yeah imo using 4H through ice and snow conditions is nowhere near as bad as using it on just pavement. As long as the surface you're driving on allows each of the tires to turn on their own radius. Thats just how I think of it. If you make a turn and you feel and hear the tires sticking you definitely need to put it out of 4x4 ASAP though.
I've got a 2000 with the center diff so I don't need to worry about it.;):
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If you have a 2000 you dont have a center diff if you have a locking rear diff. As far as I know Toyota didnt put center diffs in the runner till 2001 but Ive heard of some 99 and 00 having it in the limited models but like i said if you have a locking rear diff you dont have a center diff.
 
Matt Starr said:
If you have a 2000 you dont have a center diff if you have a locking rear diff. As far as I know Toyota didnt put center diffs in the runner till 2001 but Ive heard of some 99 and 00 having it in the limited models but like i said if you have a locking rear diff you dont have a center diff.
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umm I pretty positive I have a center diff, in addition to the rear locker. I used both of them quite a bit today...
its a 2000 limited
 
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