First time in 4WD

[rushrunner]

I have an 09 SE and came from a Saab 9-7x AWD. I noticed that the car seems heavier in 4WD when driving and is a totally different feeling. Now that the Chicago winter are coming I plan on just keeping it in 4WD.

My question is do you keep your rig in 4WD all the time, or switch back and fourth? Do you notice a difference is how the truck performs?

Thanks,,
RR

 

[snhrph]

I keep mine in 4wd most of the time. And the truck does have a different feel when I switch to 2wd; I notice the most difference in the steering wheel and how the front end holds the road.

It is also recommended to engage the 4LO every once in a while to prevent the problems with actautor.

 

[Will_4R]

As long as the centre differential is not locked it is fine to leave it in 4wd. Supposidly according to Toyota it handles better in 2wd, but I don't notice a difference. If the centre is locked you will definetly notice it handling worse in 4wd.

Peronally I rather leave it in 2wd most of the time because with 4wd you tend to drive faster than you should and don't realize it till it comes time to stop.

 

[Uneek]

The steering is a little heavier in 4WD. I keep it in 2WD most of the time, except for foul weather and 20 or so miles in the good weather months.

It's a good exercise to click over to 4L when you're going between the 2H and 4H, as mentioned above, to keep the actuator in good working order.

 

[Nuke]

I've been driving T4R's since 1990 and lived in PA up until 2 1/2 years ago. I've recently moved to the Chicago area, so howdy neighbor!

I prefer to leave the 4Runner in 2WD until such time that really feel that I'm having problems. By doing this, I feel that I maintain some of my 2WD foul weather skills in lieu of relying on the car to do my driving for me. The problem with the newer 4Runners is the Traction Control System. When it kicks it, you lose some of the control over the vehicle that you need so I'll turn it off under selective conditions.

I think relying on 4WD all the time increases our dependence on it and we suffer in the long run by forgetting how to DRIVE the car in bad weather vs. letting it take you for the ride.

As a side note, it you have the Dumbflop Grandcrap AT20 tires on the car, they're barely marginal in snow. If you have the cash, I suggest a better tire. The Dunlop is ok as long as you're very gentle but in all honestly and from past experience with tires like the Firestone Destination LT and AT, Michelin LTX, Bridgestone Revo and a few others, the peace-of-mind with a good tire is worth the $$.

 

[Sporin]

My new-to-me V8 is full-time 4wd, but yesterday was our first snow and ice. Truck handled great. The Cooper Discoverer ATR's that are on it gripped very well even on the slick grass and mud at the Christmas tree farm. You do notice the weight of the truck when coming to a quick stop (was pulling off for an ambulance) but other then that it was very surefooted and secure.

 

[morphius909]

We keep ours in 4wd all winter long. We also have Michelin X-Ice tires in the winter.With the two combined we avoid a lot of scary situations.

 

[scottm]

I put my new-to-me 4R in AWD for the first time last week, and tried 4LO and the center diff lock when I got back from work in Chicago Friday night. My kids had been sledding, the roads were covered in snow, awesome!

I've had 11 AWD vehicles. I remember my old Subarus used to have a recommendation to put it in AWD when driving through windy mountain passes for stability.

I noticed a little lighter steering in RWD on my 4R, but it's barely noticeable. I noticed the same when I had the front driveshaft out on my Land Cruiser.