Too much power? How can I get better traction?

It surprises me how many guys are reluctant to use 4Hi in slick conditions. That's what it's there for, and it makes a big difference with traction. I wouldn't get up my steep driveway for most of the winter without 4Hi.

Matt

 

Better tires, sand bags for ballast in bed, experience with winter driving.

Weight distribution on any pickup truck particularly a 4WD is very front biased because of the extra weight on the front of the vehicle.

 

What about using the Auto-LSD feature? Works great on my 2019 and appears to be a feature on the 2024 as well.

 

Once can still easily get them to spin in conditions that one feels does not necessitate the need for 4Hi.

 

Toyota has a performance differential in their parts box. The Lexus LX600 comes with a 9.7” rear diff, just like the non hybrid Tundra. The F Sport package has a Torsen rear differential. It’s very expensive when purchased through USA dealers at $3k - $4k for the complete 3.30 differential… but one can probably land one out of Japan for 1/2 the price.

Complete chunk # 41110-60D20
Diff alone # 41301-60240 (makes no sense as it costs as much as the chunk)

 

Compared to my 1/2 ton Ford and GM trucks, the new Tundra has terrible traction in slippery winter conditions. Studded tires, sandbags in the box and run ECO in winter is my bandaid. Still not as good traction control as Ford or GM, not even close. Have to learn to drive with the weaknesses.

 

One *can* get them to spin on dry pavement, too. But that's not really what we're taking about. There seems to be a segment of owners who think 4Hi is only for off-roading. No amount of sand bags, or winter rated tires, will provide the same traction and control as 4Hi in slick conditions. Of course, 4Hi does require the driver to be conscious of road conditions, as it can cause binding and damage on dry surfaces, especially with low speed maneuvering, but I don't find that particularly difficult to deal with. I'd take 4Hi over auto 4WD any day.

 

Add in the laggy throttle response and the light rear end and the slippery roads. It is hard to ease into the laggy throttle as it doesn't go and then once it catches the power going to the rear tires will easily break loose.

 

Ah I see. I assumed it was like Land Cruiser/LX570/GX460 that only had 4WD. So in theory you could drive your Sequoia in 4Hi all the time with center diff unlocked and the torsen acts to lock the diff when slip occurs on any given axle.

 

Umm…. Maybe don’t hot rod it every time you step on the gas? I’m wondering if your tires have like 90 psi in them.

 

I don't know about everyone else, but I run my tires at 100 psi cold (90 psi is too soft) and I have added some 104 octane boost because NOS is too expensive! I have my launch control set to maximum too

 

When you wear inside of tread smooth you can lower pressure and work on outside of tread.

 

You realize the gas pedal isn’t an on/off switch. Right?

 

No kidding, people act like the front drivetrain is made of glass. If it's wet enough to slide at all, the drivetrain won't care at all. Hell I turn 4wd on if it's raining half the time since the truck just does a burn out otherwise

 

The ole post and ditch

at least trucks are easy to control a fish tail when you do slip with all the weight on the front end

 

Throw an AWD case in there already!

 

Thank you DIY, I do know how the pedal works but unfortunately the guys/gals that made this system didn’t program a smooth resistance curve into the pedal armature (drive by wire system) based on how mine takes off. This is probably fixable with a software update which I will ask for when I get my fuel line patch. If I switch to a different mode, I can get a better throttle response. However, every time I start the truck, it defaults back to Normal. So these programmers want me to use the Normal mode! It is like a dead spot in the pedal, then if I push past it, I get the power at the appropriate place in the pedal which is sort of like popping the clutch in the old 6.6 Trans Am.

I am confident that the pedal internals are fine as it works properly in other modes.

Do I need to install an aftermarket pedal commander to make the truck better behaved? Or just use Tow Haul mode all the time?

 

Ok now I wonder if the lag people are reporting is just a v6…and the not-lag is when the turbos spool up…cause to me it drives great, (maybe from all my turbo 4cyl wrx driving).

 

My VW turbo vehicles have been very smooth out of the gate. To me it doesn't feel like spooling, it feels like a flat spot in the program. I guess that is why we got the Multi Terrain knob. From what I have read about others using Sport mode, it seems to be a better program and doesn't affect the fuel economy. I will try that and see how if I can get it to be more responsive in slippery conditions.

 

“There is never enough horsepower......just not enough traction.”
-- Carroll Shelby

 

I'm not having any luck with these numbers. If I could get a limited slip from an LX600, I'd do it.

I'm so tired of spinning the tires (or is it tire?) all the time. My last 2 chevy trucks had limited and didn't spin as easy at the Tundra. I'm running 275/60-20 Michelin Latitude Tour HP which should be stickier than an all terrain but it spins easy. I'm thinking of going to 305/50-20 to get a little better stick. I'm trying to avoid LT tires because of weight and deep tread depth but that may be the only option if limited slip isn't available.

 

The 41110-60D20 and 41301-60240 come up as a good parts through Lexus USA. Expensive though…. The complete differential is less expensive than the bare Torsen. Foreign sources are significantly less expensive.

 

I didn't think to check Lexus parts. I wonder if the carrier assy is just the housing.

 

Carrier assembly is Toyota speak for the complete chunk ready to drop into the axle housing.

 

Just remember to put the truck in reverse for 3 miles after your spinny fun is done if not your axle could seperate and it won't be covered under warranty. The manual calls for every 3 miles since it's a third gen, second gen guys gotta do it every 2 miles I do recall them doing a mid cycle refresh to bump up that number to 2.5 miles.

 

If you said "forward acceleration" instead of "same traction and control", I would agree with you.

But the best highway all seasons in 4Hi can't compare to winter tires in winter conditions at highway speeds in RWD/2Hi. There have been quite a few 4wd pickups with what I presume to be non-winter tires that have tried to keep up with my RWD sedan with Michelin X-Ice winter tires on highways covered by hard packed snow and have almost lost it. Conversely my SO's rear biased AWD SUV with Michelin X-Ice winter tires is faster than my car because you can get on the throttle earlier and the transition to oversteer is more gradual and thus slightly more predictable at the limit.

Tires, generally, make the biggest difference on slick surfaces for most driving conditions. The exception to that is what I alluded to earlier. My SO's rear biased AWD SUV on Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires would be able to climb a significantly steeper slope covered by snow than my RWD sedan with Michelin X-Ice winter tires from a stop. It's really hard to beat the forward acceleration of a AWD/4WD drivetrain.

 

We can agree to disagree. We live in Colorado and spend a lot of time in the high country during winter. My wife has driven all sorts of RWD and AWD SUVs, with snow tires, that couldn't make it up our driveway at times when my trucks could in 4HI.

 

You are misunderstanding how the "auto 4wd" on LC's and 2nd gen Sequoias works. As explained above, it has a torsen unit in the transfer case to differentiate front and rear driveshaft speeds. When the Sequoia is placed in 4wd (and in standard 4wd drive mode on the LC), your transfer case is distributing power to the front and rear drive shafts, both shafts are turning, both differentials are engaged, all four wheels are being driven and delivering power to the road. It IS 4wd. The big difference is the torsen unit in the transferase that allows for different front and rear driveshafts speeds - up to a certain ratio. This is what allows you to drive in 4wd on dry pavement without drivetrain bind or having one axle push or steer you around on slick surfaces. It is superior to both traditional 4wd and the other 4Auto offerings from other manufactures in every situation except, perhaps, mud bogging or rock crawling where you want 100% power to all four wheels. Even so, the Sequoia T-case can be locked in 4Hi so it behaves identically to 4Hi in the tundra. (and as a bonus, you can get 4lo Unlocked for easy low speed trailer maneuvering on dry pavement). So it really is superior.

4Auto from the likes of Ford and GM disconnect or slip power to the front driveshaft when all four wheels are spinning close to the same speed. When slip is detected, it engages that front driveshaft via the clutch pack that it disconnected. You are essentially running in 2wd then trying to play catchup with the front drivetrain when needed. If throttle input is too abrupt, it causes issues and can be hard on the drivetrain (like dropping the clutch in a stick shift car). It is an inferior system. The Torsen system toyota uses is far superior. The previous posts above about using 4Auto is a jab at toyota for discontinuing the Torsen system in the sequoia and never having introduced it in to the tundra in the first place.

As an aside, I was under the impression that all gen 3 tundras came with the same rear end - the beefed up 10.5 which is now a 10.6" or 10.7" or whatever? The last time I looked for that info was shortly before/after the 2022 release when they did the body off frame walkthrough with journalists and such and showed the bigger chain in the t-case and noted the larger differential. Is the non-hybrid the new 4.6L drivetrain equivalent and the hybrid the new 5.7L drivetrain equivalent? If so, that makes sense why the posted axle rating was lower on another member's truck in one of the towing threads. I was baffled whey a beefier axle would have a lower payload rating than the outgoing 5.7L/10.5" combo and chocked it up to softer springs...