Sooo whose 4Runner is this that rolled over on black ice?

[reelamin]

Was he not in 4wd or awd? And I dont understand how it flipped over?

Looked like he was going 40-50mph and got it partially sideways. 4 Runners flip over super easy...raise them up with tall tires, tall/stiff suspension, get them sideways at a decent speed end result is a given. Flop over faster than a two dollar whore on welfare day!

 

[Scramble]

Being from CA is definitely one of the issues since I don't get a lot of experience in those conditions. I didn't want to be in 4wd for the previous reason, but it may or may not have helped...only speculation as hindsight now! With the new '01, I'll definitely be in awd in that kind of condition where it is mostly dry with patches of ice and snow.

Yea, it's all speculation, especially with ice, snow is easier. Like I said earlier, with all of my experience in winter driving I still wrecked my Corolla.

 

[02_SE_Runner_DAD]

That would be my 4Runner! I was in 2wd because the conditions were nice minus that one patch. I countersteered slightly but definitely not enough. Once I felt it go, I let go of the gas too. I've slid on ice before, but that was pretty crazy!

Glad everyone was fine.

 

[Scramble]

So driving in 4WD on dry pavement in a '98 is bad for the transfer case correct? Because it's locked?

It's supposedly bad for the whole drivetrain. Gears & driveshafts. I wouldn't drive around in 4WD all day on dry pavement. It's bad when turning because your wheels dont slip.
Thats the beauty of 4WD on the fly. I engage & disengage as needed. I think it's better for the system to be used than not used. There's been many stories where people who rarely use their 4WD go to engage it & it's doesn't turn on.
I use it when ever there is a chance of danger. If its warm out & it's lightly raining I dont turn it on. If its raining hard with flooding it's on. If it raining & close to 32* out I'll turn it on because of the chance of black ice. Snow - any amount, it's on.
I'm pretty sure in the manual it says that every 10,000 miles you should engage your 4wd for 15 miles to keep it lubed. (if you rarely use it) I always use it. I bet it's better for the rear diff (less strain) to drive up steep hills in 4WD than RWD.

 

[JerkyDrewster]

Looked like he was going 40-50mph and got it partially sideways. 4 Runners flip over super easy...raise them up with tall tires, tall/stiff suspension, get them sideways at a decent speed end result is a given. Flop over faster than a two dollar whore on welfare day!

I was only going 30-35 or so, but that's exactly what happened!

 

[LV_T4R]

wow glad you guys are all ok man. I flipped in a 2nd gen head first and 5 side rolled. landed right side up and was fine. the A pillars are surprisingly quite strong.

 

[Sean K.]

The AWD setting is the shifter pulled back to 4H but the switch on the dash off.

It is generally best to avoid locking the transfer case on pavement unless you're driving in a straight line. Even then, I don't do it. The wheels need to be allowed to slip. Locking the transfer case in icy conditions can actually make you slip more because it forces the front and rear wheels to spin at the same speed on any sort of turn. I would only ever use AWD/2WD in icy conditions. There seems to be differing opinions on this but I was taught to not lock the transfer case on pavement. To each their own though. My last vehicle had an automatic front locking diff in 4WD so it was definitely a big no no on pavement.

Only if you decide to make tight turns. Locked up I can make slight or long turns without any issues. Luck and enjoy. :cowboy:

So driving in 4WD on dry pavement in a '98 is bad for the transfer case correct? Because it's locked?

It largely depends on the speed....in places like Moab, the traction is like being on pavement a lot of the time. Even a marginally designed 4wd system should be able to handle this, tight turns and locked f/r even.

Higher speeds are going to be a bigger problem....but people over exaggerate the concept that you can't drive 4wd (i.e., 50/50 torque split) on pavement. You can...it's not recommended by the mfr for obvious reasons (increased wear and bind, handling quirks and associated liability mostly); but if it is okay on slickrock, it's not going to be any worse on pavement.

 

[Sean K.]

Looked like he was going 40-50mph and got it partially sideways. 4 Runners flip over super easy...raise them up with tall tires, tall/stiff suspension, get them sideways at a decent speed end result is a given. Flop over faster than a two dollar whore on welfare day!

Soft suspension can have the same results....too soft and you get body roll...get enough and it'll send you over from the momentum generated.

To the OP...sorry about the loss and glad no one was hurt.

 

[Yepezdispenser]

Ouch! I feel like I'm a candidate for this scenario being in Texas. It doesn't freeze often but when it does no one as a clue what to do. I'm glad you okay though. Thinking I need to make the switch to full coverage soon!

 

[StreetCreeper]

https://youtu.be/yRI5nJNjYCc

Rollover - Album on Imgur

2.5" above stock height according to the cammer

Glad you all are ok and walked away from that! Had you been 3 seconds faster — that white Ford Expedition most likely would have crushed every one of you.

 

[JerkyDrewster]

Glad you all are ok and walked away from that! Had you been 3 seconds faster — that white Ford Expedition most likely would have crushed every one of you.

Seriously...we were very lucky no one else was coming down the road!

 

[Tyler James Inc]

I'm 100% with [MENTION=144462]Sean K.[/MENTION] And [MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION]
No reason to have 4WD engaged if it's a nice sunny day with no chance of slippery spots, but there's also no reason to be afraid to drive in 4WD if there is potential to slip- if you so desire. I drove home a couple weeks ago from Bend(150 miles from home), and was in 4WD the whole time. Driving up to 70mph at times. Few miles of snow/ice in spots, but also dry pavement for miles. I'm not saying it's ideal, but I don't believe that I'll damage anything by doing that even a few times a year.

I watched that video so many times when Drew first posted it, and I can't believe how smoothly it went over. There didn't appear to be any point where the tires "hit dry pavement", but obviously it did. Like everyone else- I'm real glad no one was hurt [emoji1374]

 

[BrianSD_42]

So driving in 4WD on dry pavement in a '98 is bad for the transfer case correct? Because it's locked?

It is only bad if it is solid dry pavement, consistently.

If for instance you are driving on icy patches plus dry pavement that alternates every 10-30 seconds just keep it in 4HI and slow down.

 

[JerkyDrewster]

I'm 100% with [MENTION=144462]Sean K.[/MENTION] And [MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION]
No reason to have 4WD engaged if it's a nice sunny day with no chance of slippery spots, but there's also no reason to be afraid to drive in 4WD if there is potential to slip- if you so desire. I drove home a couple weeks ago from Bend(150 miles from home), and was in 4WD the whole time. Driving up to 70mph at times. Few miles of snow/ice in spots, but also dry pavement for miles. I'm not saying it's ideal, but I don't believe that I'll damage anything by doing that even a few times a year.

I watched that video so many times when Drew first posted it, and I can't believe how smoothly it went over. There didn't appear to be any point where the tires "hit dry pavement", but obviously it did. Like everyone else- I'm real glad no one was hurt [emoji1374]

I still watch it at least a few times a week and am still amazed by it all! Right after it happened, and even now, it felt kind of like a dream...like it couldn't have possibly happened! And thanks for the kind words!

 

[A.Wilson013]

I'm 100% with [MENTION=144462]Sean K.[/MENTION] And [MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION]
No reason to have 4WD engaged if it's a nice sunny day with no chance of slippery spots, but there's also no reason to be afraid to drive in 4WD if there is potential to slip- if you so desire. I drove home a couple weeks ago from Bend(150 miles from home), and was in 4WD the whole time. Driving up to 70mph at times. Few miles of snow/ice in spots, but also dry pavement for miles. I'm not saying it's ideal, but I don't believe that I'll damage anything by doing that even a few times a year.

I watched that video so many times when Drew first posted it, and I can't believe how smoothly it went over. There didn't appear to be any point where the tires "hit dry pavement", but obviously it did. Like everyone else- I'm real glad no one was hurt [emoji1374]

I too drove from Bend to Portland in 4WD over new years (the roads were TERRIBLE with wrecks every few miles it seemed). I felt especially foolish considering I was following an SRT 8 Challenger until the pass was closed to anyone without chains or 4wd. But, after totaling my 87 4Runner on some black ice (same situation as this- beautiful day, roads dry, etc.) I am an absolute PANSY when it's icy.

My only complaint about my 3rd gen was that it didn't have multi-mode. I didn't do nearly enough research when I bought it, so I didn't even know it existed. I just saw the supercharger/e-locker and dove in head first.

 

[White Stripe]

I always engage multimode if it's wet or icy out. The rear end on these things is so light that they come around very easy. Another thing u can do is use a body lift instead of suspension or combination of both. A body lift only raises the bodyrather than whole chassis. So your center of gravity isn't raised as much. This is good for on road and offroad. If u take a rig with a 3" body lift vs a rig with a 3" suspension lift, the 3" body lift rig will typically come out ahead offroad. Lower center of gravity helps with side hills, and Hill climbs. A body lift if well executed is not noticeable. Also widening the track width helps stabilize on corners and lowers chance of rollover. On the street keeping your stabilizers connected helps reduce sway and thus rollover. If u don't have multimode, just use 4hi. It won't hurt if their are large dry spots. The 4wd systems are tough enough to handle a little binding u get from driving on dry pavement.

 

[JayRolla]

I always engage multimode if it's wet or icy out. The rear end on these things is so light that they come around very easy. Another thing u can do is use a body lift instead of suspension or combination of both. A body lift only raises the bodyrather than whole chassis. So your center of gravity isn't raised as much. This is good for on road and offroad. If u take a rig with a 3" body lift vs a rig with a 3" suspension lift, the 3" body lift rig will typically come out ahead offroad. Lower center of gravity helps with side hills, and Hill climbs. A body lift if well executed is not noticeable. Also widening the track width helps stabilize on corners and lowers chance of rollover. On the street keeping your stabilizers connected helps reduce sway and thus rollover. If u don't have multimode, just use 4hi. It won't hurt if their are large dry spots. The 4wd systems are tough enough to handle a little binding u get from driving on dry pavement.

As I understand what your saying the suspension lift will come out on top. Issue with stock suspension your going to lift tires. If no locker you are going no where. All it does is give you clearance without raising COG. Now if you upgrade suspension to get more travel without raising vehicle that would be ideal.

That being said I've put my rig sideways at high speeds (60mph) on dirt roads. I'm surprised I have not turned her over.

My buddy rolled his lowered offset wheeled Integra at 45mph. So guess anything can roll at anytime. Just stay bucked up.

 

[White Stripe]

As I understand what your saying the suspension lift will come out on top. Issue with stock suspension your going to lift tires. If no locker you are going no where. All it does is give you clearance without raising COG. Now if you upgrade suspension to get more travel without raising vehicle that would be ideal.

That being said I've put my rig sideways at high speeds (60mph) on dirt roads. I'm surprised I have not turned her over.

My buddy rolled his lowered offset wheeled Integra at 45mph. So guess anything can roll at anytime. Just stay bucked up.

I'm saying lower cog comes out on top. A body lift can help fit bigger tires and keep cog low. As far as suspension travel. That's a separate issue and it's not hard to get good travel with stock height suspension. Even lifted vehicles can have terrible travel as I'm sure u know if setup poorly.

 

[variablevalve]

The AWD setting is the shifter pulled back to 4H but the switch on the dash off.

When you say 'switch on the dash' do you mean the e-locker?

 

[4racer]

When you say 'switch on the dash' do you mean the e-locker?

I believe the ones with multi-mode have a button to lock the center diff. There is no e-locker fit from the factory.