New trucks and 4low...

[rho]

I don't know that 4.46 1st in an NSG370 is silly low. It's reasonably low. But even with 35" and 4.56 I'd still personally use it to start, if for no other reason than to keep the clutch happy. Your 2nd is 2.62 and that's fairly tall.

What was super low is an SM420, which had a 7.05:1 1st gear.

Oh, its fine trust me.... Its easier to start in 2nd now than it was when it was new with 29" tires, 3.21 gears and 1st gear. Even now 1st gear is only good to 5mph or so on the street. The NSG370 is a POS and its a pain to shift into and out of first gear. Or any gear. Unless I have a hill or a bunch of crap in the truck I try to minimize use of it as I already had the synchros and shift pads and input shaft wear out from use on the first transmission in that truck.

And yeah, 7.05:1. Thats low... The old iron is kind of fun for that reason. Yeaaarsss ago my dad and I swapped some top-loader 4sp into his '66 Bronco that had a granny 1st and it was great for putting around on our property with. It'd walk up all kinds of stuff. No idea what trans it was, but it was lightyears better than the 3-on-a-tree it had.

 

[STREGA]

Very true. "Granny low" was common. My first 3 vehicles (1957 International Travelall, 1967 Travelall and 1971 Chevy Blazer) all had that transmission. The normal way to drive it was to think of it not as a 4 speed but as a 3 speed with a "granny low." So under normal driving conditions, you'd start in 2nd, then shift to 3rd, then 4th. 1st was only used from a complete stop (no synchromesh in 1st) and typically only when carrying a very heavy load.

Also known as compound low IIRC. My first vehicle a ‘62 Chevy half ton had it, truck had to be completely stopped to engage first gear or bad things would happen. I learned a lot about driving in that old truck a lot of what not to do really. Drove a school bus with a 6 speed manual that had a “granny first gear” had to use it whenever I took off on a uphill, on a flat start 2nd worked fine.

 

[Highlander]

I have once witnessed a horrible tragedy when a guy who didn’t engage the low gear on his Nissan patrol. It was a quite a stiff hill and the truck didn’t have enough power so the engine, the garbage 2.8 diesel, shut off right in middle of the hill and then truck rolled back. He was unable to do anything and car basically flew off the cliff.

Since then I always put vehicles in low. Not so much for pulling something but rather for safety and more control.
Low range is a must unless you are absolutely sure that you will never need it, which is impossible to tell.

Also I don’t think that the low first gear will replace the t case low gear and the mimic the same results. IMHO.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I'm not terribly surprised by the disappearance of 4L on mainstream trucks, but I am surprised how often vehicles are equipped with "auto 4wd" (2wd until a slip happens then begins engaging the other axle through a clutch, no actual center diff) modes instead of an "awd" (power is already distributed to all wheels all the time through a center diff) mode - it seems the vehicles would be safer with a true AWD as the default condition. Might be a fuel efficiency vs. complexity thing - it's probably tough to make a fully automatic transition between 2wd and true AWD, easy to make a reactive auto-4WD.

Some trucks do, Toyota 4Runners have had a multi-mode transfer case. Regular 2WD high, full time 4WD, locked 4wd high and 4wd low. They have a differential in the t-case. Land Cruisers since the 80 series have been full time 4WD with a center diff lock for true 50/50 4WD high. Aren't some Trailblazers and Rovers the way, too? I don't know why it hasn't filtered into other trucks.

 

[rho]

Some trucks do, Toyota 4Runners have had a multi-mode transfer case. Regular 2WD high, full time 4WD, locked 4wd high and 4wd low. They have a differential in the t-case. Land Cruisers since the 80 series have been full time 4WD with a center diff lock for true 50/50 4WD high. Aren't some Trailblazers and Rovers the way, too? I don't know why it hasn't filtered into other trucks.

The first XJ I owned was an '89 and it had a NP-242 tcase which had a 2hi, 4wd full-time with a center diff, 4hi with the diff locked out and 4low. That truck was a beast and drove a lot better than you'd expect. Too be quite honest I wish I had a similar transfercase in my JKU.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Some trucks do, Toyota 4Runners have had a multi-mode transfer case. Regular 2WD high, full time 4WD, locked 4wd high and 4wd low. They have a differential in the t-case. Land Cruisers since the 80 series have been full time 4WD with a center diff lock for true 50/50 4WD high.

Yes, 4runners had the "multi mode 4wd" from I think 1999 through the end of the 4th gen in 2009. They dropped it with the 5th gen models, though I never understood why (I also never understood why Toyota didn't capitalize on the, IMO, superior multi mode 4wd system they had.) The only way to get a center differential with the current 5th gen is to get Limited model with full time 4wd, which is nice, I guess, but with no 2wd option.

Personally I like having the 2wd option because on dry, clear roads I see no point in driving all 4 wheels.

AFAIK the only Toyota that still has multi mode 4wd is the Sequoia but even that I'm not 100% sure of. The Sequoia has all but disappeared from the market, they used to be as common as weeds now you might see one Sequoia for every 10 or 15 Tahoes, Suburbans, Expeditions or even the Nissan Armada (AKA The Patrol.) I know the 1st gen Sequoia's (2001 - 2007) all had multi-mode 4wd with a lockable center diff.

Aren't some Trailblazers and Rovers the way, too? I don't know why it hasn't filtered into other trucks.

There were some AWD trailblazers (the SS for sure, not sure about others) but there was no 2wd option on them. Other vehicles based on the Trailblazer platform like the Oldsmobile Bravada, Buick Rainier, GMC Envoy and even the Saab 9-7X had the AWD system with no low range and no 2wd option.

As to why there are not more vehicles with a "multi-mode" option, my guess is that it comes down to (a) cost and (b) the fact that 99.9% of potential buyers either don't know how 4wd works or just flat out don't care and it won't make a difference in whether they buy or not. Sad but true.

I LOVED the multi-mode 4wd on my 2007 4runner and used it a LOT (for example, if it was raining heavily, I'd switch to 4wd, unlocked center diff and basically I had an AWD vehicle.) It was probably my favorite feature of that vehicle.

 

[CodyY]

98% of owners have no clue about Low range.
In 5 years as a Lexus service advisor; not a week went by without a phone call from someone saying their truck was messed up because they put it in N or LO.



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[luthj]

... Too be quite honest I wish I had a similar transfercase in my JKU.

You could retrofit a 242 into the wrangler. New driveshafts (front might swap with the right yoke), and possibly an input gear swap depending on donor.

 

[TrailWhalePowerwagon]

Powerwagon with locker bypasses and youll have the most capable commuter barring heavy towing...

i sure know i dig it. My hellcat ate more gas anyways.

 

[MOguy]

I thought all Chevy Trucks had granny low and 4 low, mine does.

 

[F8LZ71]

That's odd. All of the 4wd Colorado/Canyons have 4Lo as well as Auto4wd.

The GMC Sierra AT4 has it too along with terrain management. Maybe the 2spd transfer case is only available with a specific package? https://www.gmc.com/gmc-life/trucks/all-new-sierra-traction-select-system

 

[shade]

That's odd. All of the 4wd Colorado/Canyons have 4Lo as well as Auto4wd.

The GMC Sierra AT4 has it too along with terrain management. Maybe the 2spd transfer case is only available with a specific package? https://www.gmc.com/gmc-life/trucks/all-new-sierra-traction-select-system

Thanks for the link. Maybe someone else will dive into it, but I don't have the patience to wade through that much ad-speak.

Auto4WD systems have been around on cars for years, so I'm not surprised to see them showing up on pickups. Honda had it on the Element and 1st gen Ridgeline, and Suzuki offered it on the SX4 line. I'm sure there are many other examples. They're not a bad idea at all, but not a substitute for a traditional 2-speed transfer case under more demanding conditions.

 

[F8LZ71]

Thanks for the link. Maybe someone else will dive into it, but I don't have the patience to wade through that much ad-speak.

Auto4WD systems have been around on cars for years, so I'm not surprised to see them showing up on pickups. Honda had it on the Element and 1st gen Ridgeline, and Suzuki offered it on the SX4 line. I'm sure there are many other examples. They're not a bad idea at all, but not a substitute for a traditional 2-speed transfer case under more demanding conditions.

Agreed. Auto4wd is labeled as useful on road when conditions are unpredicable like severe rain or snow but when 4hi is overkill. Because it doesn't fully lock it makes steering easy and doesn't cause bind like 4hi or 4lo do. I find it VERY helpful during winter when roads are slick, especially with an empty bed. But the AutoTrac (GM) system isn't new. My old '01 GMC Sierra Z71 had it.

 

[Superduty]

Yeaaarsss ago my dad and I swapped some top-loader 4sp into his '66 Bronco that had a granny 1st and it was great for putting around on our property with. It'd walk up all kinds of stuff. No idea what trans it was, but it was lightyears better than the 3-on-a-tree it had.

It was likely an NP435 which has a 6.69 first gear. Or another popular Early Bronco conversion was the T18 which has a 6.32 first gear. I recall being out on the trail with fellow bronco buddies. The ones with the NP435s would put their rigs in first gear and 4 low and then get out and walk beside it on the trail....Why? Because they could.

 

[02rangeredge]

Forgive my ignorance but as far as most trucks having some sort of setup that acts as an awd/auto 4x4 isn't that basically what every truck with a terrain selector is? They say 4hi and 4lo but once they're occompanied by the terrain selection its closer to a sedan with ground clearence than the previous definition of truck as far as driveline are concerned