Engineering Explained - FT4WD vs PT4WD (4Runner Part-Time 4WD vs. Land Cruiser's Full-Time 4WD)

[Ike582]

Watched an amazing U tube on full time 4WD vs AWD. I have no knowledge of why Part time AWD may be better for Off Road, that is not my interest, but for the average user, Full time 4WD is superior especially IF there is no loss in MPG.

We have a RAV4 Platinum and 4Runner Sport both with AWD.
- The RAV has to be put AWD and will switch out of it at about 25-30 nonsensical for wet / slippery conditions.
-The 4 Runner AWD is manual selection also but as it has no active differential, so AWD on semi dry roads is a no no, It will judder like crazy in turns since the curve needed by each axle is different. No good for rain after a dry spell or if road conditions are variable in the hills of N. NJ So you get stuck with Rear WD most of the time.
- Full time 4WD has the Jorsen or similar differential that allows the front /rear axles and wheels to rotate at different speeds and as well as changes front to rear ratio so give best traction in all road conditions.
As you say, clearly the best for adverse or good ROAD conditions, maybe not OR.

I had the fulltime 4WD on my BMW 330i and my Subaru Outback V6 (not the viscus coupling CVT version) - they were really solid drives in all weather conditions.

It's a shame the fulltime 4WD is not offered on the TRD Sport

i drive primarily in Chicago and in the mountains of Colorado, and in both places we go from snowy to wet to dry to ice constantly. For on road driving, FT 4WD is just way more convenient than shifting in and out of a part time 4WD system.

 

[zachavm]

Watched an amazing U tube on full time 4WD vs AWD. I have no knowledge of why Part time AWD may be better for Off Road, that is not my interest, but for the average user, Full time 4WD is superior especially IF there is no loss in MPG.

We have a RAV4 Platinum and 4Runner Sport both with AWD.
- The RAV has to be put AWD and will switch out of it at about 25-30 nonsensical for wet / slippery conditions.
-The 4 Runner AWD is manual selection also but as it has no active differential, so AWD on semi dry roads is a no no, It will judder like crazy in turns since the curve needed by each axle is different. No good for rain after a dry spell or if road conditions are variable in the hills of N. NJ So you get stuck with Rear WD most of the time.
- Full time 4WD has the Jorsen or similar differential that allows the front /rear axles and wheels to rotate at different speeds and as well as changes front to rear ratio so give best traction in all road conditions.
As you say, clearly the best for adverse or good ROAD conditions, maybe not OR.

I had the fulltime 4WD on my BMW 330i and my Subaru Outback V6 (not the viscus coupling CVT version) - they were really solid drives in all weather conditions.

It's a shame the fulltime 4WD is not offered on the TRD Sport

As long as a system truly is full time on all four wheels, it will perform pretty well. You mention the viscus coupling Subaru AWD. I have two vehicles with that right now and they are spectacular. I still think the FT 4WD Toyota system is better, but not massively.

The nice thing about the Toyota system is that it is a limited slip center differential so it probably allows for less front to rear slip than the Subaru system does. Also, it has a true low end and can be locked out. It sucks that you can't do low end without locking it out on the Tacoma and 4Runner (you can on the Land Rover and Lexus), but I'm not sure when most people would actually use that. A super steep paved road? A steep dirt road that for some reason has really good grip?

Once again though it would be really nice to get all the off-road features AND the center diff on the 4Runner or Tacoma. The only way to get that is to upgrade to the Land Rover or the Lexus.

 

[BG1]

The BMW and my old Outback both had the mechanical full time 4WD, I'm not a fan of CVT not sure how the latest CVT with 4WD version works. However, it seems we both agree full time 4WD is superior at least for driving on paved roads in varying weather conditions