Curious: When do you shift into 4wd?

[tacoclimber]

No, this isn't the mother of all noob 4x4 questions... :shake: :tongueout:

I've always been of the philosophy that I don't want to wait until I get stuck to engage 4wd. So, typically, if I'm off pavement, unless I'm on just a dirt road, I'm in at least 4hi. If it gets burlier, I'll engage my rear locker. If I REALLY need to get over something, I go into 4 lo. But I've wheeled with people who seem to think that only using 4wd when you have to somehow makes you tougher. :headscratch:

So, I'm curious as to when you guys decide to engage 4wd. Those with lockers, same idea - when do you decide to lock? Do you "prepare" or wait until you've lost traction and then try again?

[mastacox]

Yeah I never got the whole driving in 2wd until you get stuck thing... :screwy:

If I'm on dirt (like on a trail, not a dirt road) I'm in 4wd. I'll usually shift into 4-lo if the going gets rocky and/or flexy, and if wheels start slipping I engage the locker. Engaging the locker before shifting into 4-lo doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If you need to locker while crawling, you should probably be in 4-lo anyway.

[tacoclimber]

I think the reason that I tend to lock before 4 lo, is that I like the option of being able to move at a higher speed if I need/want to, without having to stop, put it in neutral, shift back to 4hi. A lot of times, the rear locker gives me the traction I need, without having to go through the process of shifting into 4lo. I dunno, I never really thought too hard about why I do that.

[calrockx]

i've pretty much never shifted into 4wd. all 2wd.

[neliconcept]

well the only option before was 2wd so pretty much 2wd.

now i just try to save my CVs as much as I can since while in 2lo my cvs dont move with hubs disengaged.

but if its snowing, or a shelf road, i will always be in 4wd just for safety

[paddlenbike]

Shift into 4WD before you start to tear up the trail.

Shift into 4Low when you need the low gearing.

Engage the locker when it gets really ugly.

One reason I can see for engaging the rear locker in 4WD High is to disable ABS. Sometimes ABS is downright frightening offroad.

[YotaFun]

I like to take the better safe then sorry route.
I like to engage 4Hi the min the truck no longer is on pavement.
Even when parking in grassy fields or something, guess its cause I have seen too many people get stuck and dig themselves in before they realize "oh yeah I guess I have 4wd."

If I had a locker (still hoping I get it...), I would have it engaged the min I headed out onto the trails.
I just like being safe then sorry.

The only time I ever find myself using 4Lo is in a situation that I need to crawl, and take my time, but leaving it in 4Lo always makes me cringe cause it takes forever it seems for the case to finally engage into gear and get the truck going.
(though I think this is a case I need to look into...)

::Mini Rant Begin::
There are a lot of guys out there that do the whole 2wd until 4wd is necessary and I think they end up beating the piss out of there truck more, mind you thats also just the guys that have 4wd already, a couple of jeep guys I went with on my first trip did that, they tore up the trails, dug deeper ruts and broke things.

Mind you though who just have 2wd alone aren't as cocky cause thats all they have and they have to pick there lines more carefully.
Sometimes I wish I only wheeled in 2wd when I first got my truck so I could have taught myself a how to pick better lines.
::Mini Rant End::

[slosurfer]

I'll get into what I do later (wife may be in labor right now), but for those of you with an auto tranny and no tranny temp gauge, you really should be in 4lo much more than you think you should. The higher rpms keep your fan spinning and help keep things running cool.

[Seanz0rz]

i usually shift in to 4hi when i think i might need it for the road up ahead, and 4-lo when i either dont know the terrain (but know its bad) or when i know the terrain requires that torque.

im sure ill be rethinking the use of 4hi and 4lo when i go out with the locker.

[calrockx]

i'll usually shift into 4wd before i know i'll need it. somtimes if i feel like pushing it, i'll wait a bit on that, till i really need it.

once i need the rear locker for the first time, i just leave it on till the end of the trail.
i'm not shy to use 4lo.
when all else fails, the easy button does the trick.

[ecchamberlin]

I am in 4hi as soon as the trail starts. 4Lo for any crawling at all. keeps the trans from over working and trans fluid from getting hot IMO. I use 4Lo a lot for decents to stay off the brakes.

[Marc P]

I lock my hubs as soon as I hit dirt. I am usually in 4hi soon after that depending on terrain. I am in 4low most of the time I am actually doing slow climbs and decents. Like Slosurfer said, with the auto trans things stay cooler and you have way more control in 4low.

[elripster]

I'm with the get into 4 when you hit the dirt and 4 low for anything slow crowd since I have the auto.

When I'm on the road, I only use it in the snow. When I'm climbing a mountain, I shift when I see the first snow flakes on the windshield. I figure that's when I'm crossing the ice line where the water will start to freeze.

Frank

[04 Rocko Taco]

im part of the school of thought that says as soon as my '84 hits the trail, go ahead and toss it in 4WD and lock the hubs, and only use 4lo when you need it.

[tacoclimber]

I forgot about the ABS issue. That's another reason I lock it in 4hi, so I don't have to deal with the ABS.

Also, being 4hi even on easy parts of the trail seems to make things more comfortable, and seems to tear the trail up less.

[slosurfer]

Usually for anything more than a dirt road I will engage 4hi. Most trail runs in a group, I am in 4lo which helps keep the tranny cool. On desert trails (Death Valley, Mojave Trail, etc...), it is not uncommon for me to be shifting from 2hi to 4hi to 4lo and back all the way to 2hi. Same with at the dunes, once I am on top of the sand and at a decent speed, I'll shift to 2hi for more speed ( :spit: I have a 3.0 and I said "speed"), if I start to bog down I'll shift back to 4hi and if I need a little more grunt to get up a dune, then 4lo. That is one thing I like about my 4runner over our new taco, the ability to shift on the fly to 4lo. The taco has to go to N to shift to 4lo.

4lo for anything remotely technical, especially since I am still open/open.

[Seanz0rz]

yea i dislike having to shift into neutral to shift to 4lo

[elripster]

I didn't know you could shift on the fly into 4low. You mean you can do it while you are moving or just leave it in drive? I have done it with the shifter in drive but never while moving.

Frank

[ecchamberlin]

I can shift into 4lo from 4hi at by going into nuetral and only going around 2-3mph. Just short of coming to a complete stop. When you consider what is happening inside the transfer case between hi and lo, I don't think it is that much of a pain to hit neutral for a second and stop.

[slosurfer]

I didn't know you could shift on the fly into 4low. You mean you can do it while you are moving or just leave it in drive? I have done it with the shifter in drive but never while moving.

Frank


Frank, on ours you can actually do it on the fly while in drive. It says it in the manual, you are supposed to be going under a certain mph though (I don't remember what it is, but when I normally use it is while climbing a dune and I am digging in while in 4hi). You do have to get used to it and know how it's going to react at certain speeds and rpms.

[Nick]

I shift into 4H about once a month...for lubrication purposes. :shake: Other then that, hardly ever, unfortunately; my location being the explanation of such.

But to answer as others have; I pop it into 4WD as soon as I leave pavement. Gravel, dirt, lots of water, snow, whatever; anything that allows for sufficient wheel slippage. I've got a '96 4Runner, so whenever I shift into four wheel drive, the center diff is always locked and I hear that's no good on dry surfaces.

[Markduce]

4wd on gravel roads. wow. guess many people haven't grew up driving on them.

I will push 2wd as far as i can. I had a 2wd Ranger growing up. So i have an idea how far 2wd will go before i need to pull back on short stick. If its a surface I haven't gone over before, I will most likely consider 4 hi or lo locked or not.

[4runnerchevy]

Whats 4wd ?



i've pretty much never shifted into 4wd. all 2wd.

[Tankota]

I am of the mind to run 2wd as far as reasonably and courteously possible. For me, engaging 4wd requires getting out and walking around the truck to lock the hubs. My front drive line doesn't like to rotate very fast so I keep the hubs free if I'm at anything above 20mph.
I do sometimes go into 2lo just for convenience sake, like cruising on a short stretch of terrain that has traction but might be rather lumpy. Good tires and a rear locker can propell me over most small obstacles without any slippage.
Also having a ratchet type lockers all round makes steering at any speed in 4wd a full time job.