top speed while in 4wd?

[knuke]

I have a 97 sr5 4wd with auto transmission. I spend a lot of time in 4wd in the winter and am wondering if I cause damage during my commute. I drive about 35 miles each way to work and on some winter days I will be in 4wd the entire way. I seem to remember reading about a 45mph limit in 4 high, anyone have any experience with this? For the record, the fastest I ever go in 4H is about 55. I estimate that I put about 3k miles in 4wd last year.

 

[Nelsonmd]

I have a 97 sr5 4wd with auto transmission. I spend a lot of time in 4wd in the winter and am wondering if I cause damage during my commute. I drive about 35 miles each way to work and on some winter days I will be in 4wd the entire way. I seem to remember reading about a 45mph limit in 4 high, anyone have any experience with this? For the record, the fastest I ever go in 4H is about 55. I estimate that I put about 3k miles in 4wd last year.

Go to the "reference and tutorial" sticky, then under "transmission", click on the thread titled "T-case Differences...". It has a guide about the top speeds. If you have a card in your driver's visor, then that is what you should follow, but read that post otherwise.

I am not linking it so that you follow the trail, and become familiar with both threads and where they are. They are SUPER valuable.

 

[Edubsam]

Read those stickies, but IIRC it's 63

 

[Pikeman]

I just went out and read my Owners manual(still in my glove box) and also the shift selection tag on the visor. It says on ADD models keep below 50. If max you run is 55 then you should be fine.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

The manual says to reduce speed below 50 to shift from H2 to H4 but it says to shift from H4 to H2 can be done at any speed and there is no mention of a max speed for 4H but you should be reasonable for the conditions. I've driven 65mph in 4H regularly in snow and never have had an issue over the 75k/7 years I've had my truck.

 

[knuke]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Looks like I have nothing to worry about.

 

[Gerdo]

I'll shift in/out of 4HI at 50mph. I don't drive much above 55mph in 4HI. Mine is the "standard J Shift".

My view, if you need 4wd then you shouldn't be going faster than 55!

Here is a fun fact. You can shift OUT of 4LO and into 4HI while moving (manual trans). I do when I'm need to shift into 4th gear, 4LO. I'll push in the clutch, go to 4HI and down shift one gear.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Open highway (C470) late at night,no traffic and a few inches of actual snow vs plowed and slick has posed no issues going 65mph with good tires but around traffic I keep my speed more sedate.

 

[Nelsonmd]

My view, if you need 4wd then you shouldn't be going faster than 55!

x2...

 

[TheDurk]

My view, if you need 4wd then you shouldn't be going faster than 55!

I generally agree, but in the Argentine high desert, hundreds of miles of empty, super straight, flat as pool table roads with light coating of sand (maybe an inch or two) over hard base, I ran 65mph in 4WD in my 5-speed HiLux SW4 (Surf) for hours on end. You would have, too. 2WD was squirrely but 4WD ran nice. Good thing there were no turns, and the alpacas saw you coming from miles away. Maybe two other cars all day and they put up a cloud you could see for miles.

Even if you would have lost control nothing would have happened unless you rolled. There was nothing to hit.

There is an exception for every rule and that place was different. 11,000 foot altitude, too.

 

[theizzardking]

should be fine at any speed, i just prefer not to....and agree with most statements that you shouldn't be doing more then 55-60 mph unless your on the moon with alpacas like durk said.

 

[knuke]

I got a little paranoid last winter about breaking something and put it into 2wd when I shouldn't have. The right rear took out a mile marker sign. Luckily nothing else was damaged but my pride.