Gears in 4 lo?

Can you run in 4th gear with transfer case in 4lo? I heard somewhere that max is 3rd gear? Like put in on manual mode and go fast enough for 4th gear or is it limited to 3rd gear? With lockers on.

 

You can take it to redline in fifth gear with the locker in 4 LO…

but why?

Most of the time you’re best off in 1st or 2nd.

Don’t think I’ve ever needed third.

 

The ECU locks out 5th.

 

I did the math once, and I believe 3rd in Lo is about the same ratio as 1st in Hi, so if you need gears 3 and up, you likely don't need 4Lo (unless your trail conditions vary a lot).

Personally I would not run the locker above a crawl pace, but you do you.

 

Posting my shaky cam video of max speed in low range with the locker in. At the end of the day, the ECU is not going to let you do something that will damage the vehicle. Toyota gives a 5mph limit on the locker because of the change in driving characteristics and lack of ABS.

Cliffnotes:
Some guy claimed the diff would grenade if you went over 5mph with the locker. You can count the gear changes as well.

https://youtu.be/q41tZstVtJU?si=iV18_0gsvy409hj-

 

I like the way this guy lives... Send it.

 

Just wondering because of deep ass sugar sand. I'd like to know how fast I can maintain in 4lo with the rear locked up through that power sucking sand.

 

High range would be better to get tire speed going but lock it out of higher gears so it's not gear hunting. Also air down.

 

It's just that I never viewed my 4runner as being under powered until the long stretches of really bad sand. In 4hi I have to shift to 1st gear sometimes just to keep the rpm up also seems to really heat up the transmission. Was wondering if I'd be better able to keep slightly higher rpm in 4lo in like 2nd or 3rd gear while keeping down the transmission temps a tad. I'm not speed racing like baja or anything lol.

 

Add a transmission cooler. I have one waiting just have not installed yet.

On my taco there was a mod think it was called grey wire mod so you could use locker in 4 hi or 2wd. Don't think that exists on 4r or at least don't see it mentioned much.

For sand like that Air down even more.

 

Tranny cooler would be nice agreed.

 

I find 4low works better in sand. I'll usually limit it to 2nd or 3rd gear to climb dunes. It's a Toyota engine - feel free to hammer it at redline all day. You don't want the transmission to shift mid-climb and bog.

In general use 4th gear is available in 4low. I use it sometimes to avoid stopping to shift into 4hi.

 

Sounds good to me. In 4hi I was down shifting a fair amount to keep torqued up is all. 4lo is prolly thru ticket then.

 

Low range for sand, and keep the RPM up. It'll keep you moving better, and be easier on your transmission.

 

This is the art of off road driving. Sometimes there’s not a perfect solution to the question, and you just have to decide 4lo or 4hi based on what you know about the vehicle. Although sand might be more about tire pressure than keeping momentum.

I’ve accidentally left my locker on (or rather, didn’t confirm disengagement and it stayed on/blinking) for a few miles at 50-55mph…. So far, only my transfer case has blown up Probably unrelated to my locker error.

 

I drive in sand a fair amount. I usually keep it in 4HI and use a lot of throttle. I also air down a lot. On my 295's, I'll run 12-15 PSI. Also, make sure you fully disengage traction control in order to keep the ECU from limiting throttle input.

It does bog down if you're going slow, or starting from a stop. If you're going slow on the sand, I'd go with 4LO as mentioned by others.