Attention 2WD owners...

[ryhi]

hey guys i just sold my lexus and im currently in the market for a 4runner. i would like to see if any of you can give me some useful advice based on experience. i did some searching and found there are a few of you guys who have 2wds and do some offroading. how many of you regret not purchasing a 4wd? i know some of you might have inherited their 2wds, but if you did have the choice, would it definitely be a 4wd? i will be using the 4runner mostly as a daily commuter (i know 2wds do a lil better on gas), but i would like to do some mild trails/mudding every once in a while. is a 4wd will a must for this kind of wheeling? ive been searching for a 3rd gen for a few weeks already and found that its pretty hard to come by a good deal on a 99-02 4wd while there are literally dozens of clean 2wds out there for good prices. im sure some of you will be biased, but any insight/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[t4r4life]

hey guys i just sold my lexus and im currently in the market for a 4runner. i would like to see if any of you can give me some useful advice based on experience. i did some searching and found there are a few of you guys who have 2wds and do some offroading. how many of you regret not purchasing a 4wd? i know some of you might have inherited their 2wds, but if you did have the choice, would it definitely be a 4wd? i will be using the 4runner mostly as a daily commuter (i know 2wds do a lil better on gas), but i would like to do some mild trails/mudding every once in a while. is a 4wd will a must for this kind of wheeling? ive been searching for a 3rd gen for a few weeks already and found that its pretty hard to come by a good deal on a 99-02 4wd while there are literally dozens of clean 2wds out there for good prices. im sure some of you will be biased, but any insight/advice would be greatly appreciated.

there is a reason why there are so many 2wd out there and not many good 4wd, people like 4wd as a back up incase stuff goes down offroad or not

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

there is a reason why there are so many 2wd out there and not many good 4wd, people like 4wd as a back up incase stuff goes down offroad or not

That, or maybe it's because they made a lot more 2WD's.

ryhi,

If you're just a weekend trail rider who doesn't wanna tackle big obstacles and huge rocks, you might not mind having a 2WD.

I sure wish I had a 4WD, but honestly, in Southern California where I do 90% on road driving... I don't even know when the hell I'd ever use it. I am sure if I did, though, I would find reason to. I want to convert mine someday because I am too attached, but that's not gonna be a picnic. Even if, I doubt I'll use it that often.

So, if you want 4WD, get it. It's worth the wait. If you honestly just don't give a rats ass, and you find a really clean well maintained 2WD, that's up to you. Just make sure you don't care, because getting attached to something that's inferior sucks, really.

A good thing to remember is that even with 2WD, you can still do a lot of stuff and have a lot of fun. All it takes is a locker or limited slip, some all terrains, and you've got yourself a nice trail rider.

I got the shortest straw myself, a 2WD base model 4Runner with a 4 cylinder engine. One day, I will (just a matter of time, and it might be a LONG time) convert it to 4WD. Hell, maybe I'll even do a V6 swap or turbo my 4. I'm also gonna do a sunroof, too.

The way I am attached to it, I might even just buy another 4Runner V6 4WD someday and build that, keep this one as my DD. I still love it, whether or not it's a 2WD. My Limited Slip does me well, too.

But really, if wheeling isn't your main goal, you might be fine without it. Then again, it's always nice to have something and not use it rather than need it and not have it at all.

Now, I am no wheelin' expert. I do what I can with what I've got, but some of the 4WD owners here sure as hell don't know how to use em... or mod em, but that's another story.

The rest make for great examples of great trucks, take some for example: brian2sun, driffter33, sn0wrunner, LINY4Runner, j-money$$$, Duhockey, steezemcqueen, so on and so forth. All examples of people who know how to mod a truck and wheel ten times as hard as some of the losers that call themselves 4WD 4Runner owners. I can only imagine what I'd do if I had 4WD.

 

[SQ.MD]

my 4runner was passed down to me so I did not have a choice (mine is 2WD btw). Also, since mine is a 4 cylinder 2WD, I feel like I am severely limited to the modifications I can do because the weak engine & 2WD can only get you so far. It would be useless to lift it 3 inches to accompany bigger tires because the truck would become super slow. It would be weird to get it armored because I don't think anyone with a 2WD would be able to get themselves into a situation where an ARB was a must have. I know 2WD people on this forum whom have done such mods but I do my mods based on practicality and not necessary aesthetics (although looks do matter). I'm not trying to bash on any of you that do the above, just giving the guy my two cents. If I were to buy a 3rd gen, or any SUV for that matter, I would definitely now opt for the 4WD. You basically can do more things with a 4WD and I think it's a better investment in the long run. But take what I say with a grain of salt because they are alot more experienced/intelligent folk on this thread with a more qualified/reputable opinion.

oh and also I know a couple of guys at work who wouldn't mind 2WD as long as there was a rear locker and good tires

all set aside, I love my 4runner

 

[marcel]

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check out these pics.... mines 2WD so if you want to do anything more than that youll need 4WD. im good with 2WD as i mostly daily drive and its more than an hour just to get to the trails.

2WD can go a far wayyy

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

there is a reason why there are so many 2wd out there and not many good 4wd, people like 4wd as a back up incase stuff goes down offroad or not

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check out these pics.... mines 2WD so if you want to do anything more than that youll need 4WD. im good with 2WD as i mostly daily drive and its more than an hour just to get to the trails.

2WD can go a far wayyy

Your pics are cool, but that's by far not what you can only do with a 2WD.

observe:

The first time I did this, it was no problem, but of course, I went in backwards and I had to try a few times. Too bad the video doesn't give the incline angle justice (as most videos do not)

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Fellow member driffter33 coming out up a steel hill with obstacles, locked and in 2WD (his is a 4WD but he did not need it for this portion, I failed this part because I was afraid of breaking something and kept on stopping)

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You can do this in any 4Runner:
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Not to mention countless PreRunners, all sorts of stuff you can do with only 2WD

So DON'T ever assume the most you can do is what's shown in Marcel's photos. No offense marcel, I don't mean it in a bad way, but your statement was entirely false.

 

[ryhi]

thanks for the input guys, and thanks ChildrenOfBodom for all the pics and vids. looks like a 2wd can handle more than i would even want to try!

 

[Dous]

I inherited my 2wd and was always into offroading, I have had so much fun in this thing. I don't have too many pictures, but I keep up with my 4wd friends, except in deep mud, which I hate anyway. I also have an open dif, I can't imagine what I could do with LSD or a locker.

 

[Nelsonmd]

2 things to keep in mind:

1) 2WD didn't come locked. CoB has added a locker to his 2WD. This will make a big difference on the trails. In CoB's pic with the wheel up, if he didn't have the locker, he would be stuck.

2) 2wd will suck in snow. There is a reason so many cars went FWD before AWD became a standard feature. Rear wheel 2WD sucks in snow (especially without good traction control). For CoB in SoCal, not an issue. For me in New England, I would have crashed if I just had 2WD (in fact, I did kind of crash it in 2WD this winter). Sure, you could drive cautiously in 2WD and make it, but you will be about the slowest person on the road, and you won't feel safe, especially if you don't have excellent snow tires. I had friend that had a RWD xterra here in Boston and he hated it. He drives a FWD Yaris now, works better in the winter.

You can do alot in 2WD, especially if you know what you are doing and have a diff lock, but open diff 2WD will get stuck easier, and will get stuck in snow if you live in a snowy area. I can't tell you how much I appreciated this winter being able to shift into 4WD and just drive over all the snow. To me, if it weren't 4WD, I wouldn't have gotten a 4runner; it wouldn't have been worth the poorer gas mileage compared to my FWD car.

 

[marcel]

COB. i was reffering to an open diff.. we know you have an LSD which definately makes a big difference but open diff wouldnt be able to do what was shown in your pictures. not uphill at least. with momentum you can get a wheel off the ground but thats about it.
what trail was that COB? i would like to go there

 

[bigwebb83]

get the 4wd. especially if you ever see snow.

 

[bak3rme]

i also have 2wd and open diffs . I do mostly pavement driving but I also run some mild trails with 4wd friends. It will amaze you want 2wd can do at times. My friends usually lead and ride in 2wd to show me what i'm up against before i tackle something myself. If it doesnt work i'm usually pulled along the trail. But its still fun. I inherited my 2wd, however i'd take a 4wd any day.

if your out looking for a 4runner. i'd say save up and get a 4wd.

 

[ryhi]

thanks guys. i think im going to wait it out and get a 4x4. on a side note, i live in SoCal (Los Angeles Area) and never felt/been in snow in my life!

 

[MAD 69]

Get a 4WD, better for resale value and it gets the same mpg as the 4x4. Even if you don't plan on using the 4WD all the time it's still good to have.

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

COB. i was reffering to an open diff.. we know you have an LSD which definately makes a big difference but open diff wouldnt be able to do what was shown in your pictures. not uphill at least. with momentum you can get a wheel off the ground but thats about it.
what trail was that COB? i would like to go there

Lake Arrowhead. Hit up brian2sun.

BTW, I posted that because I read this, no mention of open diffs or anything:

mines 2WD so if you want to do anything more than that youll need 4WD.

So you can see where I come from, at least. In stock form, yes, but in general, no. Got your point, though.