Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

I am new to this forum and 4 wheel drives so maybe my question is stupid. Well here it goes.....When I put my FJ Cruiser in 4H or 4L and have the front wheels turned full right or full left it feels like it doesn't want to move. It takes a lot more accelerator pedal to make it go and it feels a bit rough. It does not do this with the wheels straightened out. Is this normal?

this is completely normal. you should avoid 4wd on dry pavement as this can damage the front drivetrain components. there needs to be some wheel slippage when the wheels are turned in any direction.

This is probably caused by your ATRAC which uses sensors to detect the position of the wheels. You should be able to turn ATRAC off when in 4WD so it disconnects the sensors that slows you down.

__________________


Onward and Upward !

Thanks for the reply however, A-Track has not been engaged when I have notice this. It feels like the brakes are applied but it is only when the wheels are at almost full left or right lock.

Ok, let me expound a little on what nccaveman said. What is happening is that both of your wheels are getting power. However the inner wheel travels less distance. The binding you feel is the wheel trying to travel farther than it's path allows. For this reason you should not use 4 wheel drive when driving on good, dry surfaces. It will eat tires, bind the drivetrain and cause more wear. On the FJC it will cause your CV joints to wear out quicker. (Hard-core off roaders have switched out the front diffrerential config with straight axles.) When you are driving on wet surfaces (snow or mud) your faster wheel slips and you don't feel the bind. These stock differentials, both front and back are locked while in 4WD, which means in basic terms, you get power to all wheels instead of one wheel stopping altogether and the other wheel spinning like mad. Locking differentials make both wheels spin at the same speed and do not allow any compensation in relation to wheel-to-axle ratios. Anyway what you feel is normal, and will be beneficial when off-roading, but not on dry pavement.

Did I make sense this time? Sometimes I babble...

__________________


Onward and Upward !

Thanks for your response.

Maybe I don't understand full how it is supposed to work. My understanding is when you shift from 2H to 4H and/or 4L the VSC is disabled. You have the choice in 4L to activate A-Trac and/or the Rear Diff Lock. If neither is activated and the VSC disabled in 4H for example, nothing is there to prevent the differential from doing it's job allowing the inside wheel to turn slower than the outside. With this being said, I don't see where the binding (for lack of any better way to describe it) comes from. Assuming this is normal I would just like to understand what is happining mechanically.

ptrnfan,

Basically, it is the difference between all wheel drive and 4-wheel drive. With a true 4-wheel, there is no compensation between the wheels when you turn. On mud, gravel, & slick stuff, this is a great benefit. On pavement however, you will get what you just described. All-wheel drive vehicles will compensate for this, so on dry pavement, they can be better - but not in the really nasty stuff.