Vanman

I had asked a while back about the "4WD" in the 4Runner. I was told to consider a rear locking differential, as this would be OK. I do not do any off roading, just want the traction in the snow and mud. I was reading a bit on the forum about the lockrite. Is this something I should consider? What is the cost, and do I call a transmission shop, or dealer?

Thanks

muddpigg

iTrader: (1)

If you're not off roading and snow is a primary reason consider another traction device. I've got one in the rear of my 4rnr the only reason I'd sacrifice snow and on road capibilities is becuase of the off road traction gains

904_runner

I have a rear lockright and i like it.

I haven't driven it in the snow, but if it is in the rain and you punch the gas around turns it will spin out easier than stock imo!

But in the mud, well any other offroad, you can't beat a locker IMO

Bigblock

Love mine but there's no snow here!
Bigblock

Vanman

What are other "traction devices?" Are these non-mechanical, i.e., chains, etc? Chains are out, 'cause the roads get cleared. I am looking for a bit more traction on ice/snow. Am I asking the old Runner to do too much?

Thanks

Junkers88

Any locker in the rear of a 4x4 is a good consideration although don't call a transmission shop for it, look online for a vendor and do the install yourself if you can. As far as snow and ice goes the only issue with a locker is if you goose it in a turn both tires will either grab (good thing) or break loose (bad thing). If they break loose then you'll swap ends in a hurry and be looking at on-comming traffic. With regards to mud it's one of the best things you can do. In a stock 4x4 with open differentials you are in effect only putting power to one tire per axle in a low traction situation (like mud). With a locker in the rear, or front for that matter, you have 3 tires pulling and thus better traction.

muddpigg

iTrader: (1)

I would look into a limited slip possibly, the manufactors claim (i'm always leery of manufactorers claims) that they are better for such conditions. I'm not just saying this becuase I'm selling one. Last year in the snow I had to be very cuatious (which any one driving in bad weather should be) as even going straight with with a heavy foot the rear wants to come around. I don't mind this as its a trade off for the off roading stuff, but if snow was a major concern I would probably go a different route and not sell the torsen lsd I got.

toyota4x4907

If you get ice with the snow you're driving in, then a locker will be bad. If you drive in deep snow at low speeds, then lockers would be great. If you have a locked rear, driving at city or highway speeds and make a hard turn, your back will become your front. On ice, its better to have all 4 wheels spinning at different speeds so they wont slip, so they will have their own traction.
A locker in mud is a goooood thing!
Another traction device for snow/ice is studded tires. I doubt your state allows them, but here in Alaska, they are the smartest thing to do in the winter, traction wise.

Junkers88

On that note Treadwright makes some tires with little pieces of "green diamond" in them that get more exposed as the tire wears. Great reviews on them from what I've read.

toyota4x4907

Aye, Junkers, you're right. Didnt think of the Treadwrights.
Another thing to consider for the OP, if the situation happens that you're stuck in the snow, a locker would be nice. On open diffs, all the power is going to go to the tire NOT stuck, especially if its on ice I've done that a lot..and a Locker would have been nice. So actually, a selectable locker would be nice for low speeds, but for highway/city driving, it could be dangerous.

Junkers88

Hey I just read your signature! Do those heaters help? I'm looking at a job in Alaska at Elmendorf AFB as an instuctor and am concerned about my rig and the cold. Advice??

GenXr

Vanman, if your rig is a daily driver and really only street driven you should consider a limited slip differential like a tru-trac. You'll need to have shop set up the unit in your rear axle which should run at least $250 for labor plus the lsd unit.

For you, the lsd will give you the extra traction in slippery conditions with seemless operation and not change the current driving characteristics of your rig. They also operate automatically based on wheel spin so you don't have do anything to engage them/disengage them. You also won't get any of the quirky handling that a locker causes.

I have no traction aids in my yota, an lsd in my trooper and a locker in my Samurai...so I've been able to compare the characteristics of each.

An lsd unit combined with some 31" All-terrain tires will get you nearly anywhere you want to go on snow covered road up to 8"-10". Heck, the 31x10.50 BFG ATs made my old Nissan 4x4 nearly unstoppable on snowy roads even without any traction aids.

toyota4x4907

Meh, I don't like Anchorage, but Elmendorf is a pretty nice base. I love the Air shows! (I'm going to be a pilot, but cant get into the military) Advice: Get at least a battery blanket and an oil pan heater. Also, STUDDED TIRES!! I don't have my studded tires on yet, but I SHOULD. My rig does fine in 4x4, but you just need to give yourself enough room to slow down in traffic in case you start sliding. Let the vehicle warm up for like 3-5 minutes when you first start it in the morning. Other than that, you should be fine. Good luck!

ovrrdrive

Lockers are great in the mud but personally I've never driven in snow. From what I've read though a selectable locker would be the best bet for you. Selectable means you can turn it on and off. That would mean either an ARB air locker or a Toyota E-locker from one of the newer trucks adapted to your rear end. This way you could have the open diff for 99% of your driving with no side effects, but when you started to get stuck you could have full traction with the flip of a button. Selectable lockers act like spools when engaged which is even more traction than an auto locker like a Lockright. The only problem with them is cost.

A lockright can be installed without setting up the rear end and they're cheap. Something like an ARB replaces the carrier and requires a full setup to be done on the 3rd member. Not to mention they cost 3 times as much as a Lockright too.

Limited slips also require a full setup to be done too.

In my opinion based on what I've read and experienced, I'd look for selectable first, then limited slip next and auto locker last.

Matt16

You sound like you really need a set of tire chains and/or a Eaton Truetrac. You do not need to waste you money on a selectable locker if you don't go off road.

ovrrdrive

"Wasting" money is all relative... And for the OP a Trutrac is a limited slip.

trbizwiz

I havent seen it mentioned here yet, but for snow and ice, some tires will perform better than others. Read some reviews on different types of tires and see which one seems the best for that type of driving. You may find that with the right tires, you wont need andy mechanical upgrades for better on road performance. Alot of people talk highly of the traction of the BF goodrich MT KM2's. I dont know how they are on ice, but I imagine great on snow, being a mud tire. They are also supposed to last pretty good and be relatively quiet, sounds magic HUH. They willbe my next tires. But this is just MHO.

Jay351

I will tell you this, lockright in the rear and mud tires in the snow.. its defantly not "fun". You really have to pay attention or you can get yourself into some trouble.

I would recomend a limited slip. It will work great for what you need, unless you find yourself lifting a tire very often...

You will need to find one (online is probibly cheapest) then get it "set up" in your differential. You need to find a gear shop, usually they will knock a few bucks off if you remove the rear 3rd member and bring it in.

rusche

The best thing I can reccomend for snow is the Bridgestone Blizzak.
Best studless snow on the market. Definitely worth the extra coin.
We run them on our 2001 Tacoma (Supercharged 3.4) and 2WD is managable, even with 250 RWHP, and with 4WD the back end doesnt go anywhere.
Best investment for the wintertime. We also had them on our Wrangler for the wintertime, BFG MTs 33x12.50 + a short short wheelbase + ice = scary as hell. Blizzaks straightened that out.

Foxer

I've used lockers (e-lockers) in my toyota prerunner for a while now. They rock in many circumstances, but one thing they won't help much with is snow. There are SOME cases where they can be handy in deeper snow, but a locker is especially useless in packed snow or ice. In fact, it can get you into more trouble pretty quick.

Don't get me wrong - I love the lockers - but that's just one place they do not help.

There are three things that will help if you want something relatively easy without the 'thud-thud-thud' and hassle of actual chains.

One is good winter tires. Blizzak are probably the best.

The second is weight in the back. More is better. I buy sand at the local hardware store, but there's a lot of ways of getting weight in the back - including a great little waterbag solution (kind of like an extra rugged waterbed matress for your 4runner's rear bed). Lets you put weight in and out pretty easy, and obviously the water's cheap. 200 - 300 lbs in the back and you will notice quite the difference. Keep your gas tank full too.

http://www.shurtrax.com/products.html

The third is a new product i've been looking at specifically designed for packed snow and ice. A buddy got some, but they're very new to the market and nobody's had much chance to really use 'em for a few years - but they look VERY promising. That would be the new snowbootz from the folks who make 'go-claws'.

http://www.snobootz.com/

These have been tested a fair bit and sound damn promising - much less noise when driving on them than chains, great performance on ice, and you can drive up to 40 miles per hour on them. Also, they're going to obviously be a lot less hard on your tires on dry pavement for those times when you're in 'ice-dry-ice-dry' conditions. (which is why i'm considering them - chains are great in heavier snow but a pain in the butt when it's ice or pavement and ice).

Much easier to install than chains too. And obviously don't weigh much.


Those three things will do more for your winter driving than anything. Certainly more on ice and packed snow than lockers will do. I love my lockers in the mud - and off road they just plain ole rock. But lockers work by making sure that if one tire has grip and the other doesn't, power goes to the tire with grip. On ice and really packed light snow, NEITHER tire has grip and it just spins your butt out that much faster. Lockers only work in 'uneven' traction conditions, like oatmeal mud, gravel or dirt, or uneven roads.