So can someone tell me when to use all my 4wd gearing.. the 4high and 4low etc etc

 

Oka I'm gona take a shot at this one,even though I'm not 4WD. I do understand it a little. EVERYONE feel free to correct me and let me know when if you do. 4WD high is for conditions when a little extra traction is needed like in snow or light icy(ice sucks b/c you will still slip in 4WD just 4 wheels slip instead of 2) conditions. 4WD low is for conditions that are more along the lines of off road. When there will more than likley be alot of wheel slipage and traction is really hard to come by. You rarely need 4WD low in any other situations aside from off road, and never use 4WD on dry road surfaces.

Feel free t correct me at will, I think I got out as much as I understand about 4WD which is very limited. I hopefully will learn some more about it when others post here.

 

you pretty much got it Stump. but you can use 4WD on the road. 4HI can be used on the highway where theres a possiblity of ice or theres heavy rain. 4LO can be used on the road too, but you cant go very fast. If you have a locker, do NOT use it on the road.

 

everyone got it pretty much right. 4wd hi, u can use off the road for hi speeds. I was at the desert this weekend, and was traveling the dirts roads at high speed. YOu dont want to use 4wdLo for that. You'd be in like 3rd gear at 15mph. 4wdHi, at high speeds off road give u more traction and control.

4wdLo is for instance where u need the MOST traction you can get out of your rig at not too high of speeds. Such as when you are rock crawling or going up rugged hill terrain, etc...

My buds tell me never to use 4wd on cement and asphalt, well at least not to turn in 4x4 on dry ground.

 

Just want to add something. If you have a newer 4Runner with a center locking differential, it is safe to use 4wd on dry pavement. Otherwise, you do not want to use 4wd on dry pavement. Unless you are going perfectly straight. Turning in 4wd will cause binding of the driveline. Its also reccomended to use your 4wd for a few miles (like on the highway) once a month to keep your components lubricated.

 

I'll toss in that you should probably use the 4hi even for "easy" off-road stuff, even when the normal 2 would handle most things.

Keeps you from tearing up the ground any more than necessary when things get a little more ... interesting.

I don't do any serious crawling, but I love 4low for descents. It really reduces the amount of wear and tear on your brakes...

 

i have one of those newer 4runners, when should i use the center locking differential? i'm still not too clear on that. just when i need some extra traction off road?

 

press the centerloking button when your offroad when your onroad just click the 4x4 button on your stick for more traction onroad