No 4x4 auto maybe a showstopper

They do not work like the Toyota system but he is also not correct. They are a clutched AWD system just like on the Explorers and Taurus you mentioned, except the clutched axle is the front instead of the rear.

 

Serious question here: In Canada do the rules of the road state that the slower traffic stay in the left hand lane?

The reason for the question is I see a lot of Canadians driving down here in FL in the winter months and they have this thing about being in the left lane and driving as slow as they can. They have no clue and sure don't understand the rules of the road in our country.

I guess that's better than seeing them from time to time driving on the wrong side of the road. Blue hairs can hardly see over the steering wheel and gonna end up getting someone killed.

 

I've heard everyone on the 401 in Ontario does at least 85 mph regardless of how bad the weather is.

 

I get along fine with the Tundra but would not buy it for my wife to drive. We have a 2008 Sequoia with the auto 4x4 and a 2007 V8 4Runner with all wheel, both are far superior on slick roads. The Sequoia is a beast.

 

I appreciate sharing the experience, and will agree to a point, based on my own experience in wet, muddy, desert conditions. All that went out the window when I moved up here to the land of heavy snow and ice and had to be pulled out of a ditch or two, and had to pull a few of my coworkers out. Driving habits I'm sure were the root cause, lol.... but that 4auto knob wasn't the savior we thought it was.

 

I can shift my 2021 in/out of 4H at highway speeds. Forget exact # but I’m sure 22 model is same or better.

 

Californians are the same. I'll be out in the middle of nowhere on I-80 in Wyoming and some idiot from Cali will be in the left lane doing 5 under the speed limit and people have to pass on the right.

And its not like they are just riding in the left lane because there is traffic. Its the middle of freaking nowhere, there is no traffic. They just sit in the left lane for 6 hours straight from one side of WY to the other.

 

It certainly is not the end all savior but it is worlds better than 2wd.
Of course Ice and slick snow it makes zero difference. But dry pavement, wet pavement, and even heavy thick snow it is certainly a game changer.

I grew up driving a Mustang in the snow so all these are cake to drive in the snow.
It’s all about knowing how to drive on the snow and nearly never touching the brakes. Let the transmission do all the work.

 

I thought you were supposed to be below about 55 mph when switching in and out of 4Hi (can't remember the exact speed). While it's true that if you need 4Hi, you probably shouldn't be driving that fast, it's not exactly what I would call highway speed.

 

62 MPH. You on the Autobahn? Not sure how many Klicks
that is

 

They do the same thing when they drive on I-90 in Wyoming or South Dakota. I assume they also do it all the way across Montana.

I also love the co-dependent Californians. They see another car or truck, speed up like they’re going to pass and then sit on your back bumper for miles. Like they’re lonely without other cars on the road.

 

Speed limit on the primary highways here is either 65 or 70 mph.

 

"She has never slid off the road in our SUVs, which are AWD."

I think I see a solution...

 

I just assume that once people cross the state line here their brain goes into automatic vacation mode and all common sense is left there at that point. I can also attest that GA, AL, KY and of course OH are the worst in the US who we mainly see.

 

Thank you for all of the discussion. It has been helpful.

My wife is definitely a keeper, plus I've invested almost 35 years into her now, so starting over is inconceivable.

She does almost always drive our Toyota Highlander, which is a great SUV. There are times when she needs to drive the pickup (more clearance or she is getting something for me), which means she doesn't drive the pickup a lot, but still went off the road twice. She was fine both times as she was driving pretty slow. The pickup was less than fine after hitting a culvert on the underside and going through a barbwire fence.

It was probably partly my fault since I would get annoyed with her driving in 4H for 40 miles at a time on dry pavement. She doesn't think about switching into or out of 4H or 2H. She is the type of person, who will tell me that someone we know got a new car. I'll ask her what they bought, and she will have no idea other than "new" and "car". I have at least made some progress when it comes to new babies. I have learned to get the basic information when someone has a new baby, which she appreciates. I can now tell her more than it is a baby and that he/she looks a lot my my grandpa.

Maybe for the few times she does drive it in the winter, I should just have her use 4H as some have suggested.

 

One thing I like about Autobahn, and your driving 100mph, and there is a guy in front of you, and you flash your lights and he dos not move and you hit him, his at fault.

 

California drivers are not comfortable unless they're tailgating someone.
I see that very behavior whenever I visit relatives in the San Jose area.
I call it "going out of the country" whenever I travel there.

Steve

 

As others have said, driving in 4WD at speed when dry won't hurt anything. The only time it's truly unadvisable (and even then usually isn't an issue) would be dry pavement in a parking lot doing the sharpest turn possible. The tundras drivetrain is very stout and can handle a little binding which ultimately results in a tire slipping (chirping you hear). If you like the Tundra, tell her to leave it in 4Hi when the weather calls for it and I wouldn't think about it again. I would honestly bet money a Tundra (or really any modern vehicle) could go it's entire life being in 4WD in a dry climate and never have anything happen because of it.

 

I had a coworker who accidentally left his mid 1990’s Chevy 1/2 ton in 4X4 for a couple of months. It did no damage that we could tell.

 

It is more common now than it used to be. The ‘old way’ of left lane for passing only, as I understand it is no longer taught to new drivers. With ‘safety’ & ‘defensive driving’ in mind most are taught to drive in the path of least resistance. Now that is anecdotal.

As a regular hwy 401 driver (speed limit is 100km/h) yes many drive quite fast- myself included, often around 130/140km/h on 401. Many others don’t, but it seems everyone wants to be in the left lane. My thoughts on why…..

With 3 lanes in each direction, the right & middle lanes are usually full of transport trucks. Many in the middle lane set it & forget it in that lane cars and trucks alike. Faster Drivers are sick of changing lanes every 2 mins to go around a car or usually a truck from my observations, hogging the middle lane when they should be in the curb lane. So everyone just gets into the left lane and stays there. It’s annoying!

it’s so bad now that I regularly see tractor trailers pull out into the left lane to pass a middle lane hog - always another transport. Even staying there after passing is done, blocking the lane holding up traffic. Last I checked in Ontario if it’s 3 lanes in each direction transports are relegated to the 2 outside lanes. I often am one of the faster drivers, & regularly use the curb lane because nobody is in it, they are all in the middle & left lane! Nobody wants to change lanes anymore, because drivers Ed instructions are again, ‘safety based” so statistically (apparently) your are more likely to get in an accident when changing lanes. So it’s “safer” to set & forget it in one lane. There also seems to be a belief that ‘if nobody is in my rearview mirror I’m ok to stay there’ assuming they check the mirror regularly, they move over when you come up behind them, then back into left lane after you pass them. Of course not until you had to slow down, let them see you, they move over then you have to speed up again to pass them.

My 2c & rant!

 

Maybe there will be auto 4wd in the Capstone. Seems like the other manufacturers put it in upper trims. Maybe 'yota will do the same.

 

For reference, you can switch to 4HI while driving at speed. I don’t know the max speed but I know it can be done up to 50 mph.

 

If your spinning off the road on the regular I don’t think 4x4 auto is going to prevent that from happening. By the time she’s spinning and it locks into 4x4 shes all ready lost control. I would buy whatever truck you Like and teach her she needs to slow down when conditions require it. It’s not hard to tell when there’s ice on the road. Maybe invest in good winter tires.

 

But again, this is not how any of the other half ton's 4Auto works. It's a full time AWD system with a clutch that constantly varies torque to the front tires whether slip is detected or not. Ford has been using this system since like 2011 and GM before that. I don't know when Ram started to, but at least since 2013 when they went to the 8 speed transmission I believe.

The Raptor use a clutched AWD t-case and the Ram TRX uses a full time AWD(IE, no 2WD at all) case.

And its not how Toyota's full-time mode works either. Toyota's system with the Torsen center diff is fantastic. The fact that they put it in the Land Cruiser/LX600 means they have a case that bolts to the 10 speed transmission and are just being cheap about it. And Toyota is using a Borg-Warner transfer case in the new Tundra, which is what Ram and Ford are using. Maybe GM too. They had the option to use a 4Auto case for sure.

 

In my 2017 Tahoe and 21 Ram work trucks, when in 4A neither put power to the front tires until slippage in the rear. It is quite noticeable when it engages. Very different than my old 2015 AWD Explorer work rig.