A-Trac & Auto LSD

Ok guys it's that time of the year.it snowed over the weekend here in new york city.And its my 4runner's 2nd winter year.I have a 2014 4runner Limited 2WD,and I just cant seem to figure out how the A-trac & Auto LSD works and when I should be using it and not using it.i have looked at many youtube videos and everyone is just giving out different answers.one guy says to keep A-trac on for daily day-to-day driving and others say only turn it on during rainy days or during snow fall then another say turn it on only when your stuck in the mud or snow.i was driving home from work late at night on the highway and suddenly i was "fish tailing" on the road,it was a terrifying feeling but i quickly gain control of the vehicle thank god there were no vehicles on the road next to me and in front.Also,after shoveling the snow early this morning in front my parent's house and went in my 4runner i got stuck trying to come out of a parking position.it was embarrassing as im driving a 4runner !!!.I had to shovel some snow away from the rear wheels and add some salt to gain traction.can somebody with enough experience or who owns a 2WD 4runner please guide me on this.i regret getting a 2WD 4runner,I only went with that option because I read that a 2WD 4runner can get you out of most snow and mud conditions and uses less gas and you only have to worry about rear differential as opposed to front and rear differential and that its overall cheaper than a 4WD model.i have learned my lesson,im seriously considering upgrading to a 2020 limited nightshade edition 4WD!!!....its one sexy lookin beast of an suv oh and by the way the 4runner is now at 110,050 miles and no X-Reas leaks.the undercarriage is as dry as a bone.i purchased it used last year in april.so i dont know if the vehicle's X-Reas system was ever repaired by the previous owner or im just lucky as hell.coz everyone says they start leaking at 60 to 70k miles.Thanks everyone and happy new year to yourself and your family as well.

 

Does the 2wd model have ATRAC?

 

Really should be left as is. ALSD is just going to give you traction to move but does nothing for stability. VSC is for stability. Also sounds like you need snow tires.

 

2WD does not have A-TRAC so does not apply.

Use Auto LSD to get you moving from a stop when one rear wheel is slipping. (such as it being in the air or on ice)

Turn on Auto LSD by hitting the traction control off button.

Otherwise no need to think about it.

Sudden fishtailing when driving is more likely a driving/traction/tire concern.

 

Yes my Limited has both A-trac and Auto LSD.And i have all season tires.i dont wana switch to snow tires coz come spring time I gotta switch back and its costly.

 

2 sets of wheels.

 

Isn’t a Limited all wheel drive (AWD)?

 

2wd Limiteds are available.

 

I gotta get out more.

 

There was also a 1 year SR5 4 banger for 2010 that no one bought because it sucked.

 

4WD 5th gen’s have A-TRAC and Auto LSD isn’t an option you can toggle.

4WD itself and A-TRAC (in 4L) cover that functionality.

Auto LSD as a specific button/mode that can be enabled is 2WD exclusive.

 

So, how does this guy have ATRAC if his is a 2WD? Doesn't ATRAC require you to be in 4LO to engage it? I'm confused.

 

Can you share a picture of the A-TRAC button in your 2wd 4Runner?

 

If “true”, could be a swapped overhead console.

 

I don’t think it has it. ATRAC is specifically for 4wd Toyotas.

 

Your correct,upon checking on the overhead console my 4runner does NOT have A-trac mode.And i sincerely apologize for the confusion y'all.it has Auto LSD and that car icon with the squiggly lines.but im still confused between the two,such as when to use it and when not to use it.Thanks for any advice you may offer,2WD I still love my 4runner.At least it aint a money pit like my old 2010 Altima lol lmao lol

 

Our 4runners use the brakes to slow spinning wheels and push power to wheels with traction.
When trying to get moving when stuck, turning off Traction control (the button with the squiggle lines) gets the brake system activated to help get you rolling. Then turn back on the Traction control.
I agree a shovel, bag of sand/salt and Good Tires will help get unstuck. Steel snow chains and cables grip ice. Rubber, sadly, does not bite into ice.
You might try looking for youtubes on 2WD and snow/ice self recovery.
On a vacation trip to the mountains I once got my 2WD Ford Explorer stuck in a snowy/icy parking lot. I shoveled snow away from wheels AND put on the Z-cables (that were in their box-should have been on the tires). Drove out okay.
The Z-cables I had could be installed without rolling the vehicle-a feature that worked perfect.

 

Life would be so simpler had i gotten a 4WD 4runner.on my next upgrade im getting another 4runner nothing else,I just love them.Limited Nightshade 4WD with 3rd Roow Seating ? OH YEAH !!!

 

4 runners are a great vehicle. I am glad I finally could afford my 2017 SR5 8 years ago. Toyota also is dependent on their suppliers. I used my Platinum extended warranty to fix a rare tranny issue at 48,000 mile and after the Basic Powertrain Warranty expired. My drivablity problem was tranny shudder/chatter due to a small component inside the tranny valve body that failed. Dealers only replace parts so the charges to Toyota to fix my truck was $8k. All covered under my Platinum including a loaner Rav4.

 

That sounds like a recall issue.why you spent so much ? You could of used that money on a downpayment towards another 4runner

 

ALSD is simply TRAC without throttle control and more aggressive brake clamping for more power transfer. It's really to get you moving and does nothing for stability.

The squiggly line button is your VSC/TRAC button. It will turn off TRAC with a button press to give you one tire fire, no throttle control and no VSC up until 15ish MPH. Pushing and holding while stopped turns off TRAC and VSC for no traction or stability aids but VSC lurks for when you get too crazy.

You should just drive without touching anything. Maybe ALSD on when you encounter a lot of slip when accelerating.

 

I thought auto-lsd on older 2wd 4runners was a regular mechanical limited slip diff, and automatic in the sense you don’t need to do anything to activate it. But are you saying you have a button for auto-lsd? If so it’s probably a more aggressive form of the electronic traction control (applies brakes to each wheel independently to maintain traction).

The button with the squiggly line is probably either regular traction control and/or vehicle stability system (to keep you from spinning out). The manual and should have that info for each of the buttons (how to activate things and how they work).

The 4runner is a solid vehicle, and probably the most trouble -free as a 2wd version. Traction and stability in winter can be a problem for any rear-wheel drive vehicle if it doesn’t have good tires. Tires with a 3-peak winter rating are not snow tires, but are a a good option if you don’t want the hassle of winter tires. I’ve got all-terrains that are 3-peak rated and they are excellent in rear wheel drive in snow.

Traction control and LSDs don’t create traction, they just let you better manage the traction you do have. An increase in traction only comes from better tires.

 

Auto LSD in Toyota-land (usually written out as “Automatic electronic limited-slip differential”) is an open differential with individual wheel braking. (at least that’s how it is in the trucks and the 3rd gen 2WD RAV4.)

I don’t think we’ve seen mechanical rear LSD’s in Toyota’s since the early 2000’s.
Not sure if it was even an option for the 3rd gen 4Runner at that time but definitely not since. the RAV4, Highlander, RX definitely did have that optional (not common) before traction control was added.

 

There used to be an interactive flash presentation by Toyota called 4wd simplified but I think it was removed when flash when down. It explained everything depending on the vehicle.

 

Do nothing, then trying the Auto LSD button (one press) is the order I'd go (from a former 2wd Tacoma owner).

Tires will be your weak link here. What kind, how old, and how many miles (or tread depth) do your tires have?

Fishtailing on the highway won't be fixed with any sort of differential upgrade. And by the way, a locker is not much help on icy roads (often makes your back end slide worse).

 

I lived with that error for 11 years after buying a 2WD Xterra. My must-have list when shopping for a 4th Gen had 2 items: 4WD and a sunroof (assuming obvious things like a clean frame). Didn't care about color or trim b/c there were so few for sale. Looked for a year in metro Atlanta, no luck. Finally asked a guy at a dealer about it. This was 2013. He said, "We get a trade, we don't even get it washed and prepped for pics before somebody driving by stops and buys it."

This went on so long that I finally found one in 2014 by calling every Toyota dealer we passed on the way home from the Outer Banks to Atlanta. Toyota of Greenville, SC had just taken a mint '07 with 96K miles as a trade-in. Got a great deal and it was even the color and trim (Sport Edition) I was hoping for. Eleven years later, now at 280K miles, it's still hands down the best vehicle I've ever owned. I'll drive it until one of us can't make it out of the driveway anymore. My money is on the ‘Runner winning that one. LOL

 

The only one is the 2nd gen Tacoma Sport, through 2008 I believe. Once they got the electronic traction control rolled out, everything went to the brake-controlled Auto LSD.

 

Some 05-08 SR5s and all 05-08 Sports.

 

I really think a 2wd 5th gen 4runner has its place if you’re not looking to do 4x4 stuff. It really can’t be beat if you buy it for the purpose of having reliable, comfortable utility wagon, with a dead-simple, cheap to maintain drivetrain. That combo hasn’t existed since the gm wagons of the late 90s. I might even say they’d be more durable. If you ask me, a 2wd 4runner would make for a perfect general purpose vehicle if you don’t need or want 4wd.

True, there are more dangers with a tail-happy rear wheel drive vehicle in snow, but when paired with good tires, the stability control system pretty much tames most of those bad habits.

I’m not sure I’d extend the same thoughts to the a 6th gen 2wd 4runner, since long-term reliability and durability is unknown at this point. But if it shakes out ok, it may also end up being a good alternative for general purpose utility vehicle. Although, one negative is that the seats don’t fold flat in a 6th gen. And no power seats… Also, I’d want to verify a 2wd SR5 6th gen comes equipped with a radio and air conditioning, since Toyota is really playing the “option bundle” strategy to it’s maximum lol.