Difference between 4lo and 4hi in low gear?
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4L unlocked - when climbing up steep hills or if you need more torque and power on a asphalt / cement road
4L locked - should be used on slippery surface, rocky, sandy and if you need more torque and power
4H - unlocked - regular driving on asphalt road/ cement road / highway/winter driving or any road condition
4H - locked - should be used on slippery/rocky/sandy road condition on a flat even surfaces or slight incline.
4L locked - should be used on slippery surface, rocky, sandy and if you need more torque and power
4H - unlocked - regular driving on asphalt road/ cement road / highway/winter driving or any road condition
4H - locked - should be used on slippery/rocky/sandy road condition on a flat even surfaces or slight incline.
wnelax04sr5
New member
[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] do you happen to know the gearing for the transfer case off the top of your head?
4lo in low gear is a lower gearing than 4hi in low gear, high vs low is a bigger difference in the transfer case
center diff lock sends the same power to all 4 wheels, think like subarus symmetrical AWD although it may not be the same percent front vs rear
4lo in low gear is a lower gearing than 4hi in low gear, high vs low is a bigger difference in the transfer case
center diff lock sends the same power to all 4 wheels, think like subarus symmetrical AWD although it may not be the same percent front vs rear
nevada
Senior Member
the previous gens were 2.28 low range. not sure if they changed it or not.
but, 4low compounds the gearing by whatever the low range is. using the above, you will be 2.28 times lower geared when shifted into 4low.
this gives you more control, and perceived power. better when the trail gets tough...
but, 4low compounds the gearing by whatever the low range is. using the above, you will be 2.28 times lower geared when shifted into 4low.
this gives you more control, and perceived power. better when the trail gets tough...
bob3dsf
New member
No, OP has a V6 with part time 4WD.
2H only for regular driving on pavement. It is HIGHLY recommended that you periodically engage the 4WD system to "exercise" it if you're not out 4-wheeling it regularly. Look in your owners manual and you'll find a recommendation for how many miles and at what interval. But, you'll probably be ok with exercising the system about once a month.
I have a state park with dirt/gravel roads where I take it every so often and go through the modes and I can drive it several miles. In a pinch you can find a long straight stretch of paved road (no traffic) and engage the 4WD, just stay in a straight line. look around where you live and find some areas suitable to working the system. Of course a healthy dose of off-roading is the best but we all don't always have the free time to play around will nilly
Have you tried the system? does it shift into all modes (including the center diff lock)? The 4Lo actuator can/will freeze up from non-use. It should go from 4Hi to 4Lo easily and quickly (again, look in your manual). If it's slow to shift or won't complete the shift sometimes, you can just keep trying every so often (every other day or week, something like that) because sometimes it will free up. If it becomes to far gone then it's a pricey repair.
and +1: 4Lo has extra gear reduction which is lower than 1st gear in 4Hi. When you put the truck back in D after shifting to 4Lo you will feel a pronounced lurch as you're keeping your foot on the brake. You'll be able to feel that it's in a really low gear.
Center diff lock will lock your front and rear drive lines together. With a stock setup you have open front and rear diffs (L and R side tires on rear (for example) will not be locked, so you could have one spin free if it has poor traction and breaks free. Without a front or rear diff locker, the technique for such a situation is "left foot braking." In the army I went to the Humvee driving school with AM General, they call it "brake modulation." The "Auto LSD" is a computer controlled application of brake modulation (basically stopping a freewheel situation. and BTW, if you have a front wheel spin free, apply the brakes gradually. If you jam the brakes, centrifugal force at the tire can snap your half shafts). When active, the auto LSD will "stutter" like when your ABS activates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBmw6Wpfe6M
Edit: look what else I found..
Toyota edumacation!http://www.majormedia2.com/4WDSimplifiedv5/4WD.html
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4Rager
New member
I can't give you all the detailed engineering terms, but 4lo basically makes all the gears "shorter" via final drive ratio in the transfer case. For example in 2hi or 4hi, 1st gear red-lines at about 25mph (rough est), where-as in 4lo 1st gear redlines at 10mph (again est.). This means you have the whole rpm range available to you over a span of 10mph vs 25mph. So what that means is in 4lo at 10mph you have the full power of the engine available to you, whereas in 4hi you would probably be at 3000 rpms, where the engine is making significantly less power. This aspect of 4lo doesn't really mean anything in regards to wheeling, but how this pertains to gear ratios in general can make a huge difference when towing.
The other main difference of 4lo can be explained via bicycle gears. Say 4hi & 2hi are when you're in the middle ring of your crankset (the front gears that the pedals are attached to) & the small ring (innermost) is 4lo. The middle ring (2/4hi) is fine for most situations, but you notice when starting on a steep hill or going over a big rock it can be hard to get your initial momentum. However when you shift into the small ring, it becomes much easier for your muscles (the engine) to turn the pedals, but the trade-off is your top speed is limited because your legs can only pedal so fast (RPM redline).
So basically 4lo is trading top-end speed for low-end grunt. It is also helpful for wheeling because it allows you to control you speed better by helping you crawl over obstacles in a slow and controlled manner.
The other main difference of 4lo can be explained via bicycle gears. Say 4hi & 2hi are when you're in the middle ring of your crankset (the front gears that the pedals are attached to) & the small ring (innermost) is 4lo. The middle ring (2/4hi) is fine for most situations, but you notice when starting on a steep hill or going over a big rock it can be hard to get your initial momentum. However when you shift into the small ring, it becomes much easier for your muscles (the engine) to turn the pedals, but the trade-off is your top speed is limited because your legs can only pedal so fast (RPM redline).
So basically 4lo is trading top-end speed for low-end grunt. It is also helpful for wheeling because it allows you to control you speed better by helping you crawl over obstacles in a slow and controlled manner.
dchild
New member
I don't think this applies to 4th gens, just 5th gen non-Limited models. I keep my V6 in 4Hi for weeks at a time.
One of the things I like about 4Lo for wheeling is that you get much stronger engine braking when you take your foot off the pedal - sometimes you can't see holes very far away and it's much nicer to just lift your foot than to have to brake. I would assume that 4Lo also gives you a slower speed when going down a steep hill in first or second without brakes.
bob3dsf
New member
yep. I just went through that toyota tutorial. I was totally forgetting about our center diff... duh! :/
I guess I tend to remember the old 4x4's my dad used to have with only a transfer case.
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BlackWorksInc
New member
I donn't know what the gear ratios are to be honest with you, I'll see if I can find them.
Erkelbot
New member
Having had a 5th gen trail, this was of particular consideration when driving in the winter. While it shouldn't theoretically be any issue, it did bother me having to think about it. The 5th gen is a PT 4wd system with no LSD. The 4th gen has that LSD, and can therefore compensate to keep from binding in turns in 4wd.
In my opinion, this was the biggest shortcoming of the 5th gen. Seems like a cop out to me by leaving off a LSD.
In my opinion, this was the biggest shortcoming of the 5th gen. Seems like a cop out to me by leaving off a LSD.
JEL
New member
The 5th gen limited still has it, in fact you're always in "AWD" with the limited. I'm still kicking around the idea of getting one, but will only limit my search to a limited for that reason. I don't like the "cheapening" of the 4runner by removing the center LSD for all models though.
wnelax04sr5
New member
Erkelbot
New member
You're absolutely correct, the limited is an all-wheel-drive truck with an LSD. However, if you go this route you cannot get the rear locker, or a number of other options on the limited. And what's worse, you have to buy a whole boatload of options you don't necessarily want just because you want that LSD. prerty silly...
JEL
New member
Agreed, at the very least the LTD should come with a rear locker, it's about $45k for a new one. One feature I did like a lot when I test drove a 2016 LTD was the cooled seats, those are far and away the best feature ever fitted to vehicles.
Give me those over heated seats any day.I liked it overall, but it did feel a bit more cheap and "foamy" (if that makes sense) than my 4th gen, which in turn feels a lot more cheap and less rugged than my 3rd.
hwell:
JB.
New member
Here's what the gear progression looks like from lowest to highest.
Low range
High range
1
2
3 - 1 Same
4
2
5 - Not available
3
4
5
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No, OP has a V6 with part time 4WD.
2H only for regular driving on pavement. It is HIGHLY recommended that you periodically engage the 4WD system to "exercise" it if you're not out 4-wheeling it regularly. Look in your owners manual and you'll find a recommendation for how many miles and at what interval. But, you'll probably be ok with exercising the system about once a month.
I have a state park with dirt/gravel roads where I take it every so often and go through the modes and I can drive it several miles. In a pinch you can find a long straight stretch of paved road (no traffic) and engage the 4WD, just stay in a straight line. look around where you live and find some areas suitable to working the system. Of course a healthy dose of off-roading is the best but we all don't always have the free time to play around will nilly
Have you tried the system? does it shift into all modes (including the center diff lock)? The 4Lo actuator can/will freeze up from non-use. It should go from 4Hi to 4Lo easily and quickly (again, look in your manual). If it's slow to shift or won't complete the shift sometimes, you can just keep trying every so often (every other day or week, something like that) because sometimes it will free up. If it becomes to far gone then it's a pricey repair.
and +1: 4Lo has extra gear reduction which is lower than 1st gear in 4Hi. When you put the truck back in D after shifting to 4Lo you will feel a pronounced lurch as you're keeping your foot on the brake. You'll be able to feel that it's in a really low gear.
Center diff lock will lock your front and rear drive lines together. With a stock setup you have open front and rear diffs (L and R side tires on rear (for example) will not be locked, so you could have one spin free if it has poor traction and breaks free. Without a front or rear diff locker, the technique for such a situation is "left foot braking." In the army I went to the Humvee driving school with AM General, they call it "brake modulation." The "Auto LSD" is a computer controlled application of brake modulation (basically stopping a freewheel situation. and BTW, if you have a front wheel spin free, apply the brakes gradually. If you jam the brakes, centrifugal force at the tire can snap your half shafts). When active, the auto LSD will "stutter" like when your ABS activates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBmw6Wpfe6M
Edit: look what else I found..
4WD Simplified Version 4.0
The Toyota video is very instructive but contains one contradiction. The video says that 4LO must be engaged when stopped. The text says it can be engaged when traveling slowly.
What say you? Come to a stop, put vehicle directly into 4LO from 2H, or some other way?
Bob
nevada
Senior Member
you really want to be stopped. if moving, it needs to be at a snails pace. SLIGHT movement may help gear alignment, and let it shift into low easier. but too fast, and it will grind...
