When to lock
#21
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...Don't do it. Seeing as the front wheels combined turning radius is wider than the rear's, and your driveshafts are locked together in rotation, your tires will try to rotate them at different speeds. I don't wanna know what would let go first. Front CV's? If you're going hubs locked on pavement, 2HI is safe. No 4HI/LO with hubs locked on pavement. With my truck, running hubs locked and 2HI, I get on-the-fly shifting capabilities. May not be the same across all models/years tho.
Winner winner chicken dinner!
#23
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Yeah, I hadn't had much experience with 4 wheel drive at one point, and was on some pavement, hubs locked, and in 4HI, and she just wouldn't turn. Made all kinds of unhappy noises. Don't do it. Seeing as the front wheels combined turning radius is wider than the rear's, and your driveshafts are locked together in rotation, your tires will try to rotate them at different speeds. I don't wanna know what would let go first. Front CV's? If you're going hubs locked on pavement, 2HI is safe. No 4HI/LO with hubs locked on pavement. With my truck, running hubs locked and 2HI, I get on-the-fly shifting capabilities. May not be the same across all models/years tho.
#24
Registered User
K...so if your outside front, and outside rear are being driven, (which is what open/open diffs will prefer to do, your frontend traveling distance is still longer than your rear...? Meaning more driveshaft rotations at one end than the other? (in 2HI, hubs locked) In 4HI, your driveshafts locked together....its your truck, not mine. If I'm seeing this wrong, its cool, I'm far from smart.
#25
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Like I said, I find it funny all the differing responses here. The answer has already been posted so I don't need to beat a dead horse.
Just goes to show, the more you think you know the less you actually do...
And oh...I have never quoted myself before
Just goes to show, the more you think you know the less you actually do...
And oh...I have never quoted myself before
#26
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K...so if your outside front, and outside rear are being driven, (which is what open/open diffs will prefer to do, your frontend traveling distance is still longer than your rear...? Meaning more driveshaft rotations at one end than the other? (in 2HI, hubs locked) In 4HI, your driveshafts locked together....its your truck, not mine. If I'm seeing this wrong, its cool, I'm far from smart.
With open diffs, both wheels on the axle will be driven (assuming adequate traction) and the diff (ring gear) will spin at the average of the inner and outer wheel speeds. since the front wheels travel farther on average than the rears, the front ring gear wants to make more rotations than the rear, thus the front drive shaft wants to turn more turns than the rear and then you hit the t-case. There the front and rear drives are tied together with gears (or a chain) and gears or chain sprockets always spin the same speed, so something has to give. Usually it is a tire slipping and if you are on gravel, dirt, snow, ice, that is not a problem. On pavement, wet or dry, it takes a lot to make the tire slip, so lots of stress builds up in all the drive train parts.
First time I made this "mistake" was that I had driven up to the mountains in the snow (in 4WD) and we pulled into a covered parking structure and didn't think to unlock the hubs or shift into 2H. I think we saw a parking spot behind us and I pulled a tight u-turn and there was a loud bang. Luckily it was only that one of the tires had gone over a fair sized pebble, and that was enough to cause that tire to spin loose and shoot that pebble off like a shot. I guess the bang was from the sudden release of built up torque in the drive train.
I have run in 4WD (or at least front hubs locked) on the highway where there is intermittent snow/ice then bare pavement. If the road is fairly straight, no problem leaving it in 4H, but if it looks like a long stretch of bare pavement or some turns coming up, I'll pop the t-case into 2H until I next see snow covered pavement coming up. Basic rule I use is that if the road is slippery enough to let the tires slip enough to prevent binding in the t-case, then it is slippery enough to need 4WD. If is is not slippery enough to prevent binding, then you don't need 4WD.
#27
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Thread Starter
Sorry, not selling, just bought it last spring or summer, and I love it! I'm wondering if I can make it last long enough to be the last car I ever need to buy?
Thanks for all the info everyone, it's really helpful!
Thanks for all the info everyone, it's really helpful!
Last edited by ChuckDelta; 12-07-2011 at 07:45 PM.
#28
Registered User
Ah well, I wouldn't sell it either. Every good one I see around here, is either beaten to poopoo, not for sale, or WAY outta my price range. Had a perma-borrowed one when I was in NY, all rusty, but a sweetheart. Ran like a top.
#30
Registered User
toyota t-case has no center diff, so when you turn, you'll have binding between the axles. that's the difference between a part-time 4WD system like we have, or full-time 4WD system which has a center differential.
this diagram shows why:
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/def_turnfull.html
#31
Registered User
Remember kids, ALWAYS read the entire thread before posting.
He already admitted to being misinformed.
He already admitted to being misinformed.
Last edited by rattlewagon; 12-08-2011 at 09:25 AM.
#32
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#33
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this is only true if you NEVER TURN.
toyota t-case has no center diff, so when you turn, you'll have binding between the axles. that's the difference between a part-time 4WD system like we have, or full-time 4WD system which has a center differential.
this diagram shows why:
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/def_turnfull.html
toyota t-case has no center diff, so when you turn, you'll have binding between the axles. that's the difference between a part-time 4WD system like we have, or full-time 4WD system which has a center differential.
this diagram shows why:
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/def_turnfull.html
#34
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You can lock the hubs and drive around all day everywhere with no issues all you are doing is essentially what toyota did when they went to the ADD hub... this gives you shift on the fly capability... all you will do is hurt the fuel economy a bit and increase the wear on the CVs.
However you should not shift into 4wd with the hubs unlocked... if the hubs have not fully disengaged [and this can happen if the springs are weak or the grease stiff with cold/contaminants] you can damage the spider gears in the hubs or throw the truck out of control with the sudden unbalanced grip.
As previous posters have said if traction is in doubt or bad wx is forecast lock'em up other than that let them free wheel for best all around results...
However you should not shift into 4wd with the hubs unlocked... if the hubs have not fully disengaged [and this can happen if the springs are weak or the grease stiff with cold/contaminants] you can damage the spider gears in the hubs or throw the truck out of control with the sudden unbalanced grip.
As previous posters have said if traction is in doubt or bad wx is forecast lock'em up other than that let them free wheel for best all around results...
Last edited by aviator; 12-09-2011 at 08:34 PM.
#37
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