Best 4WD system of 4runners

[Synister]

Kind of off topic here, but I have a quick question. I'm kind of a noob to 4runners, I've only had mine 6 months. I was talking to my roomate (he has a jeep) and he was saying it's bad to drive in 4wd when its not snowing/ wet whatever else. Just curious, what makes it so the 4runner can be left in 4wd, but not in other vehicles?

Because the 4th gen 4runners have a Torsen differential in the transfer case. This is just like an Audi with quattro, it allows for the front and rear drive shafts to spin at different speeds when you turn and the different wheels take shorter or longer paths across the ground depending on how you are turning. Your friends jeep has a system that does not allow the front and rear drive shafts to turn at different speeds, they are locked together, so wheel must must slip to equalize the forces during a turn. This is no big deal on a slippery surface like a dirt road but on pavement the tires have too much grip and can bind up the system. This type of system is great off road because everything is tied together. The 4runner can also do this by pressing the center diff lock switch, locking up the Torsen differnential and basically turning it into a jeep type system.

 

[kobresia]

I was really interested in a jap import 3.0L diesel 4th gen. I think I recall someone on this forum having one.

The only reason I was thinking of putting a V8 into a V6 was because the V6 is already wired to control the transfer case. That's my logic behind it.

Would be a fun little project! Definitely fuel economy isn't the objective in this scenario.

I really wish we could have nice things like diesel Toyota trucks here in the USA. The last model I am familiar with being sold was a 1984 econo-diesel Camry station wagon that my dad was looking at buying new. Haven't seen another Toyota diesel before or since that one car on the dealer lot.

I like diesels because the engines last forever, their fuel economy & range are far superior to gasoline, and when you drop in a decent turbodiesel, they have that great low-end torque and delightful purr.

Also, they can burn cooking oil, and the way petroleum prices have been going lately, it might actually be cheaper to buy jugs of vegetable oil at Costco than fuel at the pump, even if one was to pay the highway taxes on each gallon of veggie oil used.

It would not be all that hard to tempt me into buying a grey market 4th Gen diesel Hilux Surf, if I happened to see one for sale in the States at a price I could afford. I'd just be hesitant to drop the 3.0 diesel engine into a gas 4Runner, since there are probably all manner of things that would be screwed-up even with the appropriate computer & wiring harnesses. Things as simple as the fuel filler neck being too narrow for the diesel fuel nozzles, and needing to round crap like that up somehow, just seem like such a headache.

 

[emelianenkov]

I really wish we could have nice things like diesel Toyota trucks here in the USA. The last model I am familiar with being sold was a 1984 econo-diesel Camry station wagon that my dad was looking at buying new. Haven't seen another Toyota diesel before or since that one car on the dealer lot.

I like diesels because the engines last forever, their fuel economy & range are far superior to gasoline, and when you drop in a decent turbodiesel, they have that great low-end torque and delightful purr.

Also, they can burn cooking oil, and the way petroleum prices have been going lately, it might actually be cheaper to buy jugs of vegetable oil at Costco than fuel at the pump, even if one was to pay the highway taxes on each gallon of veggie oil used.

It would not be all that hard to tempt me into buying a grey market 4th Gen diesel Hilux Surf, if I happened to see one for sale in the States at a price I could afford. I'd just be hesitant to drop the 3.0 diesel engine into a gas 4Runner, since there are probably all manner of things that would be screwed-up even with the appropriate computer & wiring harnesses. Things as simple as the fuel filler neck being too narrow for the diesel fuel nozzles, and needing to round crap like that up somehow, just seem like such a headache.

I'm sure you can get some sort of JDM crate motor and all the necessary crap to get it working, but by the time it's all totaled up, it would probably be cheaper to fly to Japan, buy a diesel 4th gen, and have it shipped over to the states. AND everything would work!

Lots of fantasies of what we could do to the drive train

 

[michaelreed]

Because the 4th gen 4runners have a Torsen differential in the transfer case. This is just like an Audi with quattro, it allows for the front and rear drive shafts to spin at different speeds when you turn and the different wheels take shorter or longer paths across the ground depending on how you are turning. Your friends jeep has a system that does not allow the front and rear drive shafts to turn at different speeds, they are locked together, so wheel must must slip to equalize the forces during a turn. This is no big deal on a slippery surface like a dirt road but on pavement the tires have too much grip and can bind up the system. This type of system is great off road because everything is tied together. The 4runner can also do this by pressing the center diff lock switch, locking up the Torsen differnential and basically turning it into a jeep type system.

Oh awesome, thanks for the explanation man!

 

[stanglover37]

So I havent heard anyone mention the physical strength of the 4th gen transfer cases and tranmissions. Part of my interest in a v8 has to do with more robust driveline components. Can anyone comment on this with authority? are the gears the same between the v6 and v8 transfer cases? are the transmissions the same? I know the V8 can pull more, and since it is full time 4x4 I would hope toyota would beef up the driveline to accomodate that extra towing payload. Although, the forces while towing would now be distributed to all four wheels instead of two, so maybe there is no need to increase strength downstream of the transfer case.

 

[rebelbowtie]

"Best" means many things to many people. I think objectively the 4th gen V6 has the most versatile i.e. Most physically selectable modes of any 4runner. I also think the 4th gen system is the best blend of power, capability, and robustness of all the gens. Where I think "best" becomes a bone of contention is application. The multi mode switch, while versatile, is neither instantaneous nor 100% reliable. Case and point the numerous threads on this site detailing one or more modes of 4wd failing to enage/disengage/ beep/leak etc. Believers in the tried and true manual stick style would favor the return to such a system as found in the 5th gen. The third gen is kind of unique because the Limiteds had both an AWD capability and the old school bullet proof stick style 4wd. So your question of "best", like so many things on this site, comes down to personal preference. I appreciate both the capabilities and limitations of my system and for me, it's the best, not only among other T4rs but across the available systems on vehicles in general. A '99 Limited in 4wd is still a beast.

i dont know much about toyota's yet but this is a dead beaten horse on GM forums, that little stick still relies on an electric or thermo actuator to engage 4x4 its not like linkage driven shifters and manual locking hubs of days old.