Part time 4 wd

[cyounghiker]

A little background, my husband passed away about five years ago and he had a 2016 forerunner. After he passed away, I started driving the forerunner. It was a little big for me, but I liked being up high and I got used to to it. . But I decided to get another forerunner because I wanted the 360 camera, I am old as dirt and I wanna make sure I’m parking in my parking Lines, lol.I. So I bought a non-hybrid TRD OFP, part time 4 wd because it was the cheapest trim I could buy that included the 360 camera. I live in the city where there is only paved roads. I read on other forums that you should Engage the four-wheel-drive once a month for about 10 miles to make sure that all the gears are lubricated, but not on paved roads don’t make any turn. But I’m looking at the current manual and it doesn’t say anything about paved roads Or making turns. When I picked up the vehicle, my sales person said just leave it in 2 Wheel Dr. you don’t have to ever put it in four-wheel-drive. my question is, can I just put it in four-wheel-drive and drive it on paved roads and make turns?

Sponsored

 

[JR1]

You can drive in a straight line on dry paved roads. You shouldn't turn on dry pavement. You can exercise the 4WD by driving some on gravel or dry roads in a straight line. The 4WD will bind if you turn on dry paved roads. As long as you don't make a hobit of driving on paved roads in 4WD, there is probably no harm done. If you can get it on gravel or dirt you can exercise the 4WD.. 10 miles is not set in stone. It's just a reminder to use the 4WD occasionally.

 

[TRD_GUY]

You can drive in a straight line on dry paved roads. You shouldn't turn on dry pavement. You can exercise the 4WD by driving some on gravel or dry roads in a straight line. The 4WD will bind if you turn on dry paved roads. As long as you don't make a hobit of driving on paved roads in 4WD, there is probably no harm done. If you can get it on gravel or dirt you can exercise the 4WD.. 10 miles is not set in stone. It's just a reminder to use the 4WD occasionally.

Yes...I would also add, 4WD is meant for loose dirt, not paved roads. If my 4WD pickup is engaged on pavement, when turning, it will make some unpleasant noises. I had to learn from my ignorance. To the OP, stay in 2WD unless you are offroad where there's wheel contact slipeage. This is what 4WD is for.

 

[CuttingedgeSport]

Coming from full-time 4wd Toyota and Lexus vehicles and going to our new 4Runner with part time 4wd, I see it as a reason to go for an adventurous drive once a month down a gravel or soft dirt road/trail so I can engage these gears in 4wd High and 4wd low.

 

[DustyLens]

I definitely go months when I don't get off-road and engage 4WD. But I do try to get off pavement as often as I can and I engage 4WD whenever I'm on dirt.
I don't think it's anything you need be concerned about, but seek to find a little dirt when you can. And I expect that even a hundred feet or so each time will be enough over time.
My problem has been forgetting to disengage 4WD when I return to pavement. But it's not like the transmission will immediately disintegrate if you use 4WD on dry pavement.

 

[Hacksaw]

In one of Car Care Nut's Toyota 4WD videos, and going from memory, he says the main concern with not engaging 4WD is that the actuators can freeze up from lack of use; that's the main concern, not the gears. And if the actuator freezes, you can either have the transfer case in a state of limbo where you can't drive it at all, or it is stuck in 4H. So it's not really about the gears; their oil will never evaporate.

To exercise the actuators, you could do that on a short, few hundred feet, straight road in your neighborhood. Just switch to 4H while driving slow, and once it confirms the switch on the dash, switch back. That exercises the actuators. The "do it every month" advice is mainly because it's easier to remember to do something the 1st of every month than it is to do something every 4 months, 12 months, or whatever.

The CCN video didn't address 4L specifically, but I would guess its actuator should also be exercised periodically too. The same process could hold (a short, straight paved road) but you have to initiate it from a complete stop.

Like the OP, I have no easy way to plan to drive on dirt roads at some regular interval, so I'm just planning to follow the process above, on short, straight paved roads, not driving any extended distance in 4H or 4L, but at least exercising the actuators. If you live somewhere that it snows, you could do this on snowpacked paved roads including driving at speed.

 

[uwfargo]

I feel regret not having "researched more." Part of wanting a 4WD was, in addition to some forest roads to get to hiking and camping, was to help with the icy/snowy roads.

I assumed more that I could engage 4H when it was a little dicey out there to save some icy wheel spinning. But always driving in a straight line....and not on dry pavement (or I am assuming non-icy spots) has me a bit worried.

Perhaps I should have gone more AWD streety, and less off-road.

 

[Jeff_DML]

I feel regret not having "researched more." Part of wanting a 4WD was, in addition to some forest roads to get to hiking and camping, was to help with the icy/snowy roads.

I assumed more that I could engage 4H when it was a little dicey out there to save some icy wheel spinning. But always driving in a straight line....and not on dry pavement (or I am assuming non-icy spots) has me a bit worried.

Perhaps I should have gone more AWD streety, and less off-road.

yeah hate to say but sounds like you should of gotten an AWD highlander. Maybe you can trade it for one without a big loss since 4runner demand is currently high.

 

[nubbins_]

In one of Car Care Nut's Toyota 4WD videos, and going from memory, he says the main concern with not engaging 4WD is that the actuators can freeze up from lack of use; that's the main concern, not the gears. And if the actuator freezes, you can either have the transfer case in a state of limbo where you can't drive it at all, or it is stuck in 4H. So it's not really about the gears; their oil will never evaporate.

To exercise the actuators, you could do that on a short, few hundred feet, straight road in your neighborhood. Just switch to 4H while driving slow, and once it confirms the switch on the dash, switch back. That exercises the actuators. The "do it every month" advice is mainly because it's easier to remember to do something the 1st of every month than it is to do something every 4 months, 12 months, or whatever.

The CCN video didn't address 4L specifically, but I would guess its actuator should also be exercised periodically too. The same process could hold (a short, straight paved road) but you have to initiate it from a complete stop.

Like the OP, I have no easy way to plan to drive on dirt roads at some regular interval, so I'm just planning to follow the process above, on short, straight paved roads, not driving any extended distance in 4H or 4L, but at least exercising the actuators. If you live somewhere that it snows, you could do this on snowpacked paved roads including driving at speed.

I have the same thoughts about Toyota's "recommendation", the 10 miles per month seems really arbitrary. In Ford trucks of yesteryear (IWEs changed at some point in the last 5 years to be less problematic I think), the front hub engagement design was different but also problematic in the vacuum IWEs. Exercising the PT system every now and then was about that part, not the physical integrity of the axle or transfer case.

 

[Hacksaw]

[...]

I assumed more that I could engage 4H when it was a little dicey out there to save some icy wheel spinning. But always driving in a straight line....and not on dry pavement (or I am assuming non-icy spots) has me a bit worried.

Perhaps I should have gone more AWD streety, and less off-road.

I suppose AWD would more perfectly fit the scenario where you have patches of ice every few hundred feet on a road that is otherwise mainly dry, but there are literally millions of 4WD vehicles out there, and they navigate those scenarios well enough that people aren't getting rid of them.

How often will you drive on a road like that--that is not straight--AND lose traction if just in 2H? Probably not very often unless you frequently drive really steep, extended, curvy uphill roads that also tend to have patchy ice. And since you can switch in and out of 4H "on the fly" it would just become an inconvenience in those probably rare situations to go to 4H when on the ice patch.

I may be wrong about this--I haven't driven in snow or ice for many decades--but I do recall driving on patchy icy roads in purely RWD vehicles. You just drive with more caution. There's only so much you can do on ice, and even 4WD won't help if all 4 wheels are on ice.

 

[CuttingedgeSport]

I was also really “needing” awd again, but, I wasn’t willing to spend the extra $10k to $15k more to get a limited 4Runner or a GX550, and there were none available after waiting for months and looking everywhere.

My hope is that adding some 3peak rated tires and driving with some consciousness will prove that part time 4wd will work fine when we really need it here in Wisconsin.

Your 2wd or 4wd is only as good as your tires can grip anyways.

 

[uwfargo]

I was also really “needing” awd again, but, I wasn’t willing to spend the extra $10k to $15k more to get a limited 4Runner or a GX550, and there were none available after waiting for months and looking everywhere.

My hope is that adding some 3peak rated tires and driving with some consciousness will prove that part time 4wd will work fine when we really need it here in Wisconsin.

Your 2wd or 4wd is only as good as your tires can grip anyways.

Same. Already overspent my budget to get premium. Didn't even go hybrid another $3k more.

 

[nubbins_]

I was also really “needing” awd again, but, I wasn’t willing to spend the extra $10k to $15k more to get a limited 4Runner or a GX550, and there were none available after waiting for months and looking everywhere.

My hope is that adding some 3peak rated tires and driving with some consciousness will prove that part time 4wd will work fine when we really need it here in Wisconsin.

Your 2wd or 4wd is only as good as your tires can grip anyways.

Look on the bright side, your experience will still be infinitely better than a truck with PT4WD that has no weight over the rear axle.

3 peak ATs as winters depends on the tire. Some are acceptable. Some are deplorable. And all of them are deplorable on ice.

 

[CuttingedgeSport]

Look on the bright side, your experience will still be infinitely better than a truck with PT4WD that has no weight over the rear axle.

3 peak ATs as winters depends on the tire. Some are acceptable. Some are deplorable. And all of them are deplorable on ice.

Good point, if I’m not happy with my three peak tire choice for winter, I may have to move over to a set of winter wheels and winter specific tires for the season.

 

[cyounghiker]

Same. Already overspent my budget to get premium. Didn't even go hybrid another $3k more.

Sponsored