When do you switch from H to L on the 4x4 switch??
- Thread starter Trdsupranick
- Start date
Butter_Runner
New member
OK so this may sound REAL dumb....But what gear should I be in during the various 4WD options...for example...
Should H4 always be accompanied by the gear in D?
And when I'm in L4, should I be in the lowest gear also, or just in D?
To be specific, I want to drive on the beach, with maximum traction, but momentum is important so i want to be going faster then 5mph through the sand. Can i use L4 with the transmission in D or is that just contradicitng the reason for being in L4?
Should H4 always be accompanied by the gear in D?
And when I'm in L4, should I be in the lowest gear also, or just in D?
To be specific, I want to drive on the beach, with maximum traction, but momentum is important so i want to be going faster then 5mph through the sand. Can i use L4 with the transmission in D or is that just contradicitng the reason for being in L4?
Butter_Runner wrote:
OK so this may sound REAL dumb....But what gear should I be in during the various 4WD options...for example...
Should H4 always be accompanied by the gear in D?
And when I'm in L4, should I be in the lowest gear also, or just in D?
To be specific, I want to drive on the beach, with maximum traction, but momentum is important so i want to be going faster then 5mph through the sand. Can i use L4 with the transmission in D or is that just contradicitng the reason for being in L4?
Responses:
H4 and L4 may be used with "D to Low 1" gears (as if you're driving in H2). Driving in lower gears is useful when you need engine braking or added torque/power.
When driving on the beach, particularly in loose to medium dense sand, driving in "D" at L4 (rather than at H4) provides added torque to move through the sand with good steady forward motion. On wet packed sand or hard dirt surfaces, H4 is adequate.
:driving:
ffongge
OK so this may sound REAL dumb....But what gear should I be in during the various 4WD options...for example...
Should H4 always be accompanied by the gear in D?
And when I'm in L4, should I be in the lowest gear also, or just in D?
To be specific, I want to drive on the beach, with maximum traction, but momentum is important so i want to be going faster then 5mph through the sand. Can i use L4 with the transmission in D or is that just contradicitng the reason for being in L4?
Responses:
H4 and L4 may be used with "D to Low 1" gears (as if you're driving in H2). Driving in lower gears is useful when you need engine braking or added torque/power.
When driving on the beach, particularly in loose to medium dense sand, driving in "D" at L4 (rather than at H4) provides added torque to move through the sand with good steady forward motion. On wet packed sand or hard dirt surfaces, H4 is adequate.
:driving:
ffongge
TheBlueWave
New member
Only thing here I can comment on is the "D" vs. "4" debate. I use "4" in the city because I tend to find that the transmission shifts to 5th gear to fast (30-35 mph) and lugs the engine (v6). I'm guessing that this is because the v6 and v8 trannys are the same, and the v8 has more torque around 1k rpm than the v6 does, so this shift point might work fine for a v8 engine. This tranny was designed for the v8 first. This is just a theory of mine, btw. So, I don't shift to "D" until I can sustain speeds of over 40 mph for a decent distance. Otherwise, the engine lugs and the tranny hunts for gears more than I would like it to.
CJ3Flyr
Super Moderator
Trdsupranick, it sounds like you're getting on the right track. My take is the manual is well written and factually accurate but it uses terminology and presents the info in a way that only a true car geek person can grasp.
After reading the post and replies there are a couple of points that might need a little more emphasis in case you missed them:
1) DO NOT use the diff lock on dry surfaces. It will put quite a bit of driveline stress on 4Runner and may cause premature failure of components. A secondary reason not to use the diff lock mode on the road, even if it
After reading the post and replies there are a couple of points that might need a little more emphasis in case you missed them:
1) DO NOT use the diff lock on dry surfaces. It will put quite a bit of driveline stress on 4Runner and may cause premature failure of components. A secondary reason not to use the diff lock mode on the road, even if it
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Butter_Runner
New member
Thanks ffongge, i'll give it a shot next time...And good info CJ3Flyr. Thank you.
antidentite
Member
Thanks CJ3Flyr, this is exactly the kind of information that I coudl use.
This is the first 4x4 I've ever owned, and mine did not come with a manual so this information really helps.
I was wondering why the lights were flashing on my instrument panel, and now I know it's because I didnt give it enough time.
This is the first 4x4 I've ever owned, and mine did not come with a manual so this information really helps.
I was wondering why the lights were flashing on my instrument panel, and now I know it's because I didnt give it enough time.
Trdsupranick
New member
CJ3Flyr thanx a bunch for the write up!
josh220
Banned
I noticed that a few of you said you use "4" instead of "D" when driving in traffic, or in the city. Why exactly is this? Some of you said you get more power from this, but how does that work if lower gears cause engine braking?
On that note, one of you said that you use the "4" when you drive in the city and can't go faster than 40mph. For those of us who actually drive the speed limit, or a little over, is it a bad idea to drive in the "4" mode?
On that note, one of you said that you use the "4" when you drive in the city and can't go faster than 40mph. For those of us who actually drive the speed limit, or a little over, is it a bad idea to drive in the "4" mode?
Uneek
Super Moderator
D allows the transmission to access all five gears, including overdrive, keep it in D for the best fuel economy.
4 keeps the transmission from shifting into overdrive, which is something one would consider when towing or going up inclines at a faster speeds to keep the transmission from hunting or to keep the engine at a slightly higher RPM, which could be closer to peak torque.
4 keeps the transmission from shifting into overdrive, which is something one would consider when towing or going up inclines at a faster speeds to keep the transmission from hunting or to keep the engine at a slightly higher RPM, which could be closer to peak torque.
prodigy2k7
New member
Using 4LO for the first time i was like woah! lol
Not sure how it works, just simple mechanics but it gives you more low end torque and your top speed lowers dramatically (4th or 5th gear at 40MPH)
You can accelerate much faster with more torque but with a lower top speed.
I actually have a 1st gen 4runner 5 spd manual
Not sure how it works, just simple mechanics but it gives you more low end torque and your top speed lowers dramatically (4th or 5th gear at 40MPH)
You can accelerate much faster with more torque but with a lower top speed.
I actually have a 1st gen 4runner 5 spd manual
Methodical
New member
Casper said:
I recently read the manual for my 04 v6, it doesn't say to use 4Lo, but rather 4 generally for 10 minutes....
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Slightly off topic, but with all this talk of OD and 5th gear, I've always wondered what was the actual/technical difference between a 4spd with OD (effectively OD acts as highway gear, or additional gear) and a 5 speed transmission. I've never seen or heard anything about this being a 5 speed O/D transmission - just a 5 speed. My 97 4Runner 4 spd with o/d went through 4 gears, shifted into OD, and depending on the scenario, you could also feel the torque converter lock up. My 04 V8 runs through the 5 gears, then one can feel the converter lock up as well.
So what's the difference between a 4 speed with O/D and a 5 speed?
So what's the difference between a 4 speed with O/D and a 5 speed?
Slightly off topic, but with all this talk of OD and 5th gear, I've always wondered what was the actual/technical difference between a 4spd with OD (effectively OD acts as highway gear, or additional gear) and a 5 speed transmission. I've never seen or heard anything about this being a 5 speed O/D transmission - just a 5 speed. My 97 4Runner 4 spd with o/d went through 4 gears, shifted into OD, and depending on the scenario, you could also feel the torque converter lock up. My 04 V8 runs through the 5 gears, then one can feel the converter lock up as well.
So what's the difference between a 4 speed with O/D and a 5 speed?
So what's the difference between a 4 speed with O/D and a 5 speed?
CJ3Flyr
Super Moderator
4RunnerV8 said:
Quite simply more gears... With the addition of the extra gear they can make 1st gear a bit lower (higher numerically) and have smaller gaps in ratios between gears. The advantage to smaller gaps between gears is that it's easier to keep the engine at or near it's peak efficiency RPM.
This link show the ratios, in fact 4th gear in the old 4speed OD was more of an overdrive than 5th gear on the new transmission.
www.vibratesoftware.com/html_help/html/Toyota/1997-2007_Toyota_Transmissions.htm#A750E
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