95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

I hate my 2WD!

Old Feb 19, 2003 | 05:12 AM
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DrummerDaveB's Avatar
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Angry I hate my 2WD!

Last night I was driving home, and got curious about a road in my neighborhood that looks like it will be continued into the next neighboorhood over. So I drive down the road, and realize it ends. No place to turn around, except doing a 3 point. Roughly and inch of snow on the road, and a 10 degre incline.

Guess what. I get my freiking 2wd stuck in an inch of snow. Its pathetic. It took me 2 hours to get my Runner out.
This thing is worse in snow than any car I've ever been in.
God I hate 2WD.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 06:06 AM
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 06:24 AM
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Dont feel bad. One time, I was trying to be cool in my 88 Mazda B2200, so I drove down a dirt road behind my friends house, and sure enough, I got stuck at the bottom and could not get up the hill. It took 6 guys in the back of my truck to get me up the hill.

Did you try airing down your tires a lot (15psi) to get unstuck?

Sometimes that works.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 07:38 AM
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From: Far western Kentucky (transplanted from central PA)
Air down your rear tires to 26-28 psi and add some weight in the rear. What tires are you running? Proper tires are major.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 08:29 AM
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I aired down the tires.
Michelin LTX M/Ts.

Oh well. I guess Ill just have to drive the Focus or Baja Bug next time I want to go anywhere besides dry clean pavement.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 08:42 AM
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i drove a 2wd pickup for awhile, never had much trouble that i couldn't get right back out of, you just gotta drive smart,

i drove a v8 firebird in the snow before that so being cautious on slippery ground wasn't new to me
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 01:59 PM
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ive taken my truck into the snow many times and had no prob. i went muddin last week and was trying to get stuck but didnt happen. the only thing i ever have a prob w/ 2wd is on ice. but as long as i take it real easy on the pedal its fine.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 03:15 PM
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Don't feel bad, I got suck one time and I had 4WD! Of course it was in 3 feet of snow. My truck was stranded for 2 weeks in the mountains. Luckily no one messed with it. Just drive slow and cautiously next time.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 05:25 PM
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ok this is probably a stupid ? but im gonna ask it anyway. i have a 1999 2wd limited. how can i find out if i have electric lockers or lockers in general?
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 05:32 PM
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Originally posted by 99runner
ok this is probably a stupid ? but im gonna ask it anyway. i have a 1999 2wd limited. how can i find out if i have electric lockers or lockers in general?
You will see a push button on the left side of your instument panel (behind your headlight/blinker stick) that will say:

"RR Diff Lock"
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 05:59 PM
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He has 2WD. No locker. That simple.
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Old Feb 19, 2003 | 09:01 PM
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only 2wd tacomas and 4wd 4runners came factory with a locker.
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 02:51 AM
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Years ago, my old dog & I were out in the desert in my 2wd Toy pickup. I drove over a berm slow and once my front wheels got over they dropped down lifting my right rear tire about 3ft off the ground. Of course it started spinning. Aspen & I got out to look the situation over...there was no way to stack anything under that wheel so it could get traction. I thought *#$@, I'm stuck out here and gonna have to hike back with an old dog with bad hips. I leaned on the bumper and the truck moved a little. So I pushed it harder...the truck rolled over the berm, the wheel got traction and the problem was solved.

Another time, the old girl and I were out at Kilbourne hole when the truck started to get bogged down in sand. I got out, aired down, noticed a wave of sand that had buit up in front of the tires, shoveled it out of the way and drove off.

What I learned when I was a kid, driving KS roads in the sandhills was that getting unstuck couldn't be solved by horsepower and rpm's. In fact, the vehicles that I take into the boonies are considered by most to be underpowered. Horsepowere spins tires and spinning tires dig holes.

So the minute I feel my vehicle begin to bog down going forward, I stop, get out and look things over. I see if I can figure out what's making me stick.

I've spent a day busting up a rock with a sledge to get a friend's vehicle unstuck before. I've watched a Wrangler pull onto the beach spin a wheel until it had a nice hole, then lock in and spin the front until it was buried. I left the idiot there. I also pulled folks out of snowdrifts with a Toy Corolla at 11pm on Christmas eve on the lonesome road that goes through the Moreno Valley in NM.

When you start to get stuck, stop, get out, walk around, think things over and plan a strategy.
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 05:11 AM
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Well, just so you understand, I wasnt driving fast, crazy or carelessly. I just got on the incline before I realized the road stopped - I saw the end of the concrete once I got up to it. There was about 1/8" - 1/4" of ice on the ground, under the snow, and that was probably my biggest problem. Im just saying, because the rwd 240 who drove back there got out w/out a problem, and my Baja bug drove back there, and got out without a problem too.
The 4runner just gets poor traction and is so heavy, it would rather spin tires than move - especially on an incline.
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 05:17 AM
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Originally posted by Darren
He has 2WD. No locker. That simple.
Prerunners have 2WD and an available locker...so its really not that simple.
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 05:31 AM
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I have a question... Could you put a rear end of a 4x4 runner or Tacoma on a 2WD and have the locker or do you need more than that. I'm assuming you need more right?
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 05:59 AM
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Originally posted by DrummerDaveB
The 4runner just gets poor traction and is so heavy, it would rather spin tires than move - especially on an incline.

Heavy is good for gription! Add a cheap rear locker like a lock-right, it's simple to install and it compensates for not having 4wd, not 100% compensation though. you can pick one up for about $200-$250 online. a buddy of mine has one and rarely shifts into 4wd because he says it works so well.
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 09:09 AM
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Prerunners have 2WD and an available locker...so its really not that simple

If you acknowledge that he has a 4Runner, it is that simple. 2WD 4Runners did not come with a locker.

Tacoma Prerunners, yes. That's a totally different ballgame and doesn't relate to him unless he chose a totally unrelated screen name.
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 09:22 AM
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:pat:
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Old Feb 20, 2003 | 10:22 AM
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From: wisconsin
Heavy is good for gription! Add a cheap rear locker like a lock-right, it's simple to

about the lock right my friend has a 89 toyota supra and he is making it into a drag car so he needs a locking rear end with 410 gears. he has limited slip right now but he wants locking obviously so will that lockright bolt on to his rear end and make it a locking rear or is that a hole new dif? what would be best?
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