As much as I would like a trail edition 5th gen, I've come to the conclusion that I am too stupid to own a trail edition and will just stick with my 4th gen and the Torsen center diff. My paranoia with rear wheel drive vehicles in the rain is what's keeping me from upgrading - had old rear wheel drive vehicle which was terrible with traction in the rain but that's a long story. I know I can't drive either the TE or SR5 in 4H in the rain without fear of damage to the 4wd system. I could upgrade to a limited, but that doesn't buy me a whole lot more other than longer car payments, plus the TE is what I wanted. So I'll just stick with my 4th gen multi-select 4wd system and know that I can drive in the rain and the dry pavement in 4WD. That is unless someone can convince me otherwise that the TE in 2WD mode and traction control is rock solid in the rain without any loss of traction...
Too stupid to own a 5th gen...
- Thread starter badburro
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Snowfox
New member
You don't have to get convinced, because at the end you are the one make the payment not others if you think the 4th Gen of T4R is better than the 5th then buy it and if that make you happy that is all it matter.
If you really think the 4th gen T4R is better and why you consider to buy the 5th gen, is that because it is newer, looking better or better fuel economy ?.
SeattleMike
New member
I've been driving for a couple of decades and I've NEVER needed 4WD in rain. I've got a 1985 2WD Toyota pick-up truck with over 240k miles on it, it's got nothing to weigh down that back end and a 4-speed transmission; I have never had tractions problems in the rain.
Can I make it do donuts, or slide the back end out around corners like stunt drivers in a movie chase? Sure, but that's me gunning the throttle and intentionally breaking the rear end loose; you have to drive like an idiot to make that happen. I tried doing that in my TE and the traction control kicked in and made me look stupid for bothering. And I was rolling on Duratracs.
In my opinion, 4WD makes less of a difference in the rain than good tires do. I live in Seattle now, but I've lived and driven in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and my home state of California. I've driven through "El Nino" winter deluges, endless Northwest rainstorms, and desert squalls that spawned flash flood watches in three counties. I've never once needed 4WD to drive on pavement in any of those rain conditions. Tires that have good traction in wet conditions and conservative (meaning stick to posted limits in rain, extra space to slow down, and don't gun it around corners, expect slick roads for the first 15 minutes of rain while the oil washes off, etc.) driving works just fine.
My wife drives a PT Cruiser with front wheel drive, which came with Goodyear Eagles on 17" wheels. They had decent dry performance and spotty handling in the rain. After a couple years, I switched over to Goodyear's TripleTred and we took it back to Illinois in the middle of spring thunderstorms and had no traction problems anywhere along the trip. It was a night and day type of difference. Good tires can accommodate bad conditions, but not even 4WD can accommodate bad driving.
Look, as others have mentioned in your other thread, the Torsen really shines when you are driving over a mixtures of snow, ice, and bare pavement. But if all rear wheel drive vehicles were bad in the rain, our maternal government would have outlawed them by now. We've had one of the wettest summers on record up here and my TE hasn't had an issue once in 2WD.
Last edited:
jpowers
New member
Prior to owning my TE, I had a 2007 Mustang GT with traction control turned on it was hard to get the rear end to break loose, trac normally kicked in 1-2 sec and got the rear under control. I've tried (really hard) and the only time I can get the TE to loose traction in the rain is going around a corner and putting my foot to the floor. Just like the Mustang the traction control quicly corrects this. If your still interested in a TE wait until it's raining and go test drive one. If your completely happy with your 4th Gen thou, just keep it
mechagouki
New member
Maybe you should find yourself a big stretch of open wet pavement (mall parking lots are perfect) and learn to control back end slides to a level that they no longer make you nervious. I used to own one of those tiny Suzuki work vans and I got to the point where I could slide that thing like a pro drift-racer - no weight in the back at all on those. Once you have the technique down losing traction in the back is a lot less scary.
philsey
New member
My previous 2 rides were Pathfinder 4X4's, which in RWD would spin the rear wheels on any wet surface - easily.
So I got curious the other day about my SR5 and romped on it a few times in the wet, and found it quite difficult to get the rear wheels to spin. Both surprised and impresed.
So I got curious the other day about my SR5 and romped on it a few times in the wet, and found it quite difficult to get the rear wheels to spin. Both surprised and impresed.
My old 5 series BMW was terrible in the rain and the back would kick out even in the middle of a turn on the highway despite different sets of tires.
Fuzzylogic
New member
I have an SR5 4x4 and live in Florida. I've driven it numerous times in very heavy rain without worry. It handles water just fine.
My last vehicle was a 4x4 Nissan Titan. It was very touchy with all the torque and the light rear end. But, I put over 100k miles on it and even drove during a Tropical storm. I never used 4wd on paved roads, even in the wet.
No 4x4 system is going to replace driving skills or style. In rain, you accelerate slower, using smooth inputs of both throttle and brake. Make your turns smoothly as well.
My sister had a brand new Camry. She took a turn too fast in the rain and put it in the fence.
mbrogz3000
New member
I've only driven cars in severe rain and snow storms... Tires and the amount of tread they have are all that matters when its wet.
If the tread isn't there (as I've seen on so many overpriced luxury cars and crossovers parked at various places), the vehicle mass as a whole will oversteer on RWD, or understeer on FWD off the tangent of the corner the vehicle is traveling through.
If the tread isn't there (as I've seen on so many overpriced luxury cars and crossovers parked at various places), the vehicle mass as a whole will oversteer on RWD, or understeer on FWD off the tangent of the corner the vehicle is traveling through.
Last edited:
Fuzzylogic
New member
The SR5's system is just fine in the wet. If you spin a wheel, the system will kick in and limit torque and modulate the brakes to maintain traction. I floored it today on a dirt road in 2wd and it worked as designed.
The T4R is well designed whether in part time or full time 4wd trim.
cunningham1143
New member
I've driven part time 4x4 Rwd SUV and Trucks pretty much my whole driving life of 12 years and have never put one in 4x4 to drive in the rain. And it rains quite a bit in TN and we have heavy thunderstorms. I'm not the guy creeping along at 15 on the interstate either. With good tires and sound driving habits I can't imagine ever needing 4x4 for the rain. Save that for the mud, rock, sand and snow. For what its worth, I own a SR5 fifth gen that the wife and I both drive and we've never had a second of problem in the rain.
On top of all this, the 4Runner has traction control for 2WD situations to help should you start sliding in the rain. I'm not sure mine has ever kicked on in the rain, but its there should the vehicle need it.
On top of all this, the 4Runner has traction control for 2WD situations to help should you start sliding in the rain. I'm not sure mine has ever kicked on in the rain, but its there should the vehicle need it.
lebowski_c6
Member
I love my 5th gen limited ... but if you're happy with your existing 4th gen and you'd have to take on payments to replace it with a 5th gen, I'd say just keep driving your 4th gen.
philsey
New member
Convinced yet?
4runner444
New member
I own a 2011 TE and would never even consider using 4WD in the rain, it grips with no problem in 2WD no matter how you drive it.
angrydog
New member
That statement is too true! I can also vouch that even with the stock tires, the 4R sticks and I have never experienced slippage. I got 3 inches of snow last week and I never once used 4WD once and I saw multiple cars go side ways. As long as you know what your doing and take it a tad bit slower in slippery conditions, you'll be fine. Just use some common sense (Even though 'common sense' isn't as common anymore) when driving.
cucumber pie
New member
Driving skill is better then any aids whether its VSC or 4 wheeldrive in rain and snow.
I've seen lots of 4X4's in the ditch
I've seen lots of 4X4's in the ditch
westwind77
New member
Exactly! Sometimes I see more 4wd's off the road because they 'think' they can drive better!
