Hello!
I have a 2013 Toyota Sequoia Premium (with Flex Fuel if that matters), and I’ve been trying to figure out if it’s safe to keep my Sequoia in 4Hi all winter long with roads that are wet one day and dry the next. I believe the Sequoia has a Torsen center Limited Slip Differential. Will this differential prevent binding on dry roads?
The big issue is that I live in the mountains and half the road is dry and the other half icy. I’ll be on a snowy/icy road for a long stretch, and I come around a bend that has full sun and the road will be complete dry for the next mile. Should I be disengaging the 4Hi back to 2WD for every dry section? Or should I leave it in 4Hi the entire time, even on the dry winding sections of the road? Again, these are mountain roads without any straight sections, so assume that the vehicle is turning back and forth as I navigate.
Will constantly engaging and disengaging the 4Hi start to wear the actuators? Will leaving the Sequoia in 4Hi while driving on dry surfaces hurt the drivetrain?
I also want to know if I absolutely have to be on a low-traction surface to make the switch from 2WD to 4Hi and 4Hi back to 2WD. For example, I’ll be driving along on a low-traction road and suddenly the road is dry and high-traction again. Will I damage anything if I make the switch from 4Hi to 2WD on that suddenly dry surface? Will I have any issues if I flip the vehicle into 4Hi while on a dry surface right before hitting ice?
I haven’t found any instructions, YouTube videos, forums, or even the representatives from Toyota that can conclusively tell me how to handle these sorts of conditions. In fact, everyone says something different. I hoping I can find some better advice here on how to handle on/off wet/dry roads.
To clarify the situation, the owner’s manual is very brief and does not talk about 4H on dry surfaces other than NOT to have the center differential locked while on dry and hard surface roads. This would seem to imply that 4H can drive on those conditions, but it does not state it clearly. It also makes no mention of conditions needed to switch to and from 4H. It doesn’t tell me not to switch back and forth between 4H and 2WD on dry roads even though I suspect that would be a bad idea. The owner manual gives me no information that helps with my specific situation
Unless it's AWD, you shouldn't leave it on. Only use it when you need it.
By the way, instructions about how to operate your vehicle are usually found in the owner's manual.
The owners manual does not specify much relating to 4H on dry surfaces. The most it says is “To prevent damage to center differential, for normal driving on dry and hard surface roads, unlock the center differential” which seems to imply that the Torsen center differential can do dry and hard surface roads so long as the center differential is unlocked.
The owners manual does not specify conditions needed to go in and out of four-wheel-drive, other than the speed
Isn't this all covered in the owner's manual?
The owners manual doesn’t specify this situation. The things it does say relating to 4H conditions is:
- speed less than 62mph when switching from 2WD to 4H
- If 4Hi indicator does not go off switch from 4H to 2WD, drive straight in a straight line or drive in reverse
- and a warning: To prevent damage to center differential, for normal driving on dry and hard surface roads, unlock the center differential
That’s all the owners manual says about 4H on dry surfaces
Seems like that's the answer, you just have to make sure that the center differential is unlocked on dry surfaces. Pretty much what I'd expect.
The problem is that’s not exactly clear, not does it tell me if I can switch in and out of 4Hi driving on a dry road (I assume that I can’t). Overall it’s pretty vague and I’ve gotten mixed responses when calling Toyota and asking them about it. Everyone tells me something different.
The reason for having a center differential in the first place is to enable powering all 4 wheels on dry pavement. It would not be needed otherwise. The owner's manual indicates that it's safe to shift between 2WD and 4WD under 62 mph.
You may be overthinking this a bit.
I might be overthinking it, but people keep telling me that you shouldn’t drive 4H on dry roads. But with the Torsen center LSD, shouldn’t 4H act just like AWD? Meaning it’s safe to use all the time (with lower fuel economy)? Even MountainManJoe above doesn’t think I should use it all the time (and I don’t if all the roads are dry), but with these wet/dry roads, I can’t find a definitive answer to my questions.
I just wish the Owner’s went into detail as literally everyone says something different about what you should and shouldn’t do with 4x4. I think 4H on a Sequoia with a Torsen differential should be fine to switch between 2WD and 4H on a dry surface, but the manual doesn’t say and the people at Toyota don’t seem to know either.
Turn it to 2 wheel on dry pavement. It’s a hassle, but it is for the best. The Toyota 4x4 systems are generally robust and reliable, but they don’t like to drive on dry pavement in 4 wheel drive. You’ll cause significant strain and premature wear.
Customers have been asking for a “4 wheel auto” setting for years, but Toyota has avoided it due to cost and complexity. Until they do, just switch it back and forth as needed.
I agree that you're overthinking.
It should be very straightforward: These drive-train technologies are traction aids.You use them when you need more traction.
99% of time you will be driving in 2WD.
When you're losing too much traction (spinning the wheels) in 2WD, then shift into 4WD (keeping in mind its limitations). When that's still insufficient, then use your differential lock (again keeping in mind limitations). The lock is for the absolute worst cases: you're stuck or going through extremely challenging terrain (this will always be off-road, not on pavement.), which means you're probably going at crawling speed. Once you're unstuck or regain sufficient traction (and you'll know because your speed will go back up) then turn off locking. When conditions become ideal again, go back to 2WD again.
I wouldn't worry about shifting too much. That's it's job. It's a tool. With time and experience, you'll learn to anticipate what the road conditions demand, and you'll automatically start to minimize the operations you need to perform.
I'll bet that when half the road is dry, 2WD is all you need. Obviously, adjust your speed to the conditions. Try it out. Like I said, let the truck tell you what you needs.
Would you still recommend switching in and out of 4WD even when ever other 100 feet is ice and then dry? I live in the Sierras, and I’ve always shifted in and out of 4WD for the dry sections of the road. Im constantly climbing very slippery hills (even with snow tires) and then coming across dry stretches between the trees. The trees keep the road frozen in their shade, but the snow quickly dissipates in the sun. It’s a constant switch back and forth between dry and ice meaning I’m switching constantly and often the 4H won’t disengage and I have to keep moving. It’s tricky conditions and what I really want to know is if the constant switching is actually needed. I know it was on my old Tundra that didn’t have a center differential, but is it required with a Torsen differential?
I recommend what I said before. When you lose traction, switch.
If conditions were so bad that I was losing traction repeatedly on the same mile of road, then I would leave it on, yes.
Torsens were made to handle it (Audio Quattro etc.)