4WD Binding/locking

[bigrigskitaco]

I'm about to take my Tacoma through it's first big test this weekend. Driving up through Berthoud pass to ski. Wind gusts will be up to 38 mph, the road will be icy, snowy and it will be actively snowing. I have the new Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport. It's my first4WD vehicle so I want to make sure I'm not breaking anything. The pass has switchbacks roads, winding curves, and will be rough as I'll be driving up it around 6am. I want to know if I can leave 4H on the whole time even while taking those sharp turns around the bends without a drivetrain lockup. Any other tips for4WD in these conditions will be greatly appreciated as well.

Note: I have winter tires on and have 210 lbs of sand tied down in the middle of my bed for extra traction

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[Yotota]

If you can't see any clear pavement on the road, 4wd will be fine.

If you can see small patches of pavement through the snow, 4wd will still be fine.

If the whole truck is on pavement with no snow or ice, 4wd will bind up the drivetrain. Even on wet pavement, though the unbind skid/scuff will be less noticable than it would on dry pavement. But that's the toughest situation with 4wd because you have to make the call when to switch back to 2wd, when conditions are mixed between blowing snow and dry or damp patches of road.

Keep your driving inputs gentle. Allow lots of following distance. Brake early and smoothly. Snow mode in the truck can help, try it and see how you like it. Make sure your tires are at the right pressure - the main concern is that they aren't too high.

And if possible, find a big empty lot that's covered with snow. Hold your traction control button for a few seconds until everything turns off. Do some donuts in 2wd. It's fun.

 

[Taco Ji]

If the whole truck is on pavement with no snow or ice, 4wd will bind up the drivetrain. Even on wet pavement, though the unbind skid/scuff will be less noticable than it would on dry pavement.

my understanding is it is only bad when taking sharp 90° angles in dry pavement but driving relatively straight under 55mph is perfectly fine for 4x4 on dry pavement.

 

[maxx075]

What you're really gonna wanna pay attention to is the trans temp if your in 4hi.

Now that this is a known "feature" of the these trucks, if it starts getting hot you're gonna want to put it in 4lo.

Just had mine start to climb on me a few weeks ago on a steep gravel uphill that I didn't want to spin on, but didn't really need 4lo either.

 

[Yotota]

my understanding is it is only bad when taking sharp 90° angles in dry pavement but driving relatively straight under 55mph is perfectly fine for 4x4 on dry pavement.

If you're on a dry road, and in 4wd, and you're in a long sweeper corner where you are turning 90°+ over a long distance (like most corners on every mountain pass), it'll still bind up the drivetrain just the same as if you cranked the steering to full lock and turned 90°+.

 

[LincolnSixAlpha]

There's one way to answer this... Yup! Dont overthink it. You indicated binding. Yes, that's correct on places like dry pavement, where the tires cannot break free easily. Since you'll be off road, in snow, ice, dirt, etc. that's nothing you need to worry about.

 

[toycoma]

If you’re going to be in 4wd for a long period of time I recommend putting on tow haul. Had a pretty long trail I took mine on a few months back and I noticed the trans temp starting to rise because of low RPM driving. I put it in tow haul and kept the rpm’s higher than usual and it helped a ton!

as for your 4wd question as long as the roads aren’t completely dry and all pavement your 4wd should do fine. I would take it slow and if you feel anything binding up switch it into 2wd again. Good luck!

 

[MT-Taco]

I'm about to take my Tacoma through it's first big test this weekend. Driving up through Berthoud pass to ski. Wind gusts will be up to 38 mph, the road will be icy, snowy and it will be actively snowing. I have the new Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport. It's my first4WD vehicle so I want to make sure I'm not breaking anything. The pass has switchbacks roads, winding curves, and will be rough as I'll be driving up it around 6am. I want to know if I can leave 4H on the whole time even while taking those sharp turns around the bends without a drivetrain lockup. Any other tips for4WD in these conditions will be greatly appreciated as well.

Note: I have winter tires on and have 210 lbs of sand tied down in the middle of my bed for extra traction

I ski a lot and have put at least 10K miles on mine in 4H/4L the only thing to avoid is sharp turns on dry pavement. 4H/4L in Moab tests the drivetrain durability because the rock surfaces are similar to concrete, many necessary sharp turns while in 4H/4L that had the tires squealing, zero problems. No transmission temp issues either. Certainly won’t be trans temp issues at higher speeds and lower temps on a ski trip!

Basically put in 4H and forget about it! Unless the parking lot is clear and dry pavement then put it in 2H but switch while driving in a straight line, or if your stopped with the wheels straight. If you forget you’ll feel the tires binding in the steering wheel, don’t panic just know not to turn as sharp. Not a big deal.

Have a good trip post some good ski pics!

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