2nd gen lack of centre diff

[Tony260Z]

Folks,

I have a 2nd Gen SSR-G which is great fun and I like the look of it, BUT the other day when it was a bit frosty it did slide on a corner and later when braking. I wasn't going fast and it wasn't too drastic, but it did make me stop and think. In the snow last year the Surf was brilliant - I just stuck it into four wheel drive and carried on regardless while laughing at all the heavy german saloons stuck in the slush - but I wish I could leave the Surf in 4x4 mode more often "just in case". I know I can't break the laws of physics but historically I've had an X5 and a Sierra 4x4 and i know they aren't "proper" 4x4's but they did both feel really solidly planted on the road.

So... do I stick with my 2nd Gen and allow for the fact that it hasn't got a centre diff and treat it like a RWD most of the time, or get a newer surf or even a Landcruiser just for a little more peace of mind?

[tashtego]

Folks,

I have a 2nd Gen SSR-G which is great fun and I like the look of it, BUT the other day when it was a bit frosty it did slide on a corner and later when braking. I wasn't going fast and it wasn't too drastic, but it did make me stop and think. In the snow last year the Surf was brilliant - I just stuck it into four wheel drive and carried on regardless while laughing at all the heavy german saloons stuck in the slush - but I wish I could leave the Surf in 4x4 mode more often "just in case". I know I can't break the laws of physics but historically I've had an X5 and a Sierra 4x4 and i know they aren't "proper" 4x4's but they did both feel really solidly planted on the road.

So... do I stick with my 2nd Gen and allow for the fact that it hasn't got a centre diff and treat it like a RWD most of the time, or get a newer surf or even a Landcruiser just for a little more peace of mind?

Get a newer Surf or a Colorado/Prado and enjoy using AWD whenever you think it's needed.
Also, if your 2nd Gen is the 2.4, by moving to the 3.0 L engine you will feel a big difference in power and smoothness.

[slobodan]

Technology upgrades...Airbags ABS All make driving safer.

If you have the money..spend it.

[pasty]

Sliding on a corner or sliding under breaking will not be helped by constant 4x4.

You're not losing forward traction in either scenario.

Drive to the road conditions and within the limits of the vehicle,tyres etc and of cause yours own ability.

[Tony260Z]

Thanks all.

It's a 3.0... so at least none of the stories about 2.4's need worry me.

It'd be a shame to sell though - I like the look of the 2nd gen... it looks a bit tougher than the later version.

Still.... centre diff and ABS are attractive!

Undecided about the Landcruiser. I like it but the bonus of the Surf is that I don't worry about dogs, dirty boots & shoving stuff in the back :-)

Like I said, I wasn't driving fast or braking hard. Just got surprised!

[BUSHWHACKER]

Reducing your tyre pressures to around 28/29psi will help.

[Tony260Z]

Cheers, will do.

How does the Landcruiser compare to the Surf in terms of dealing with snow & crappy roads (and the occasional muddy field)?

[BUSHWHACKER]

The Prado/Colorado is basically a 3rd gen Surf (multi-mode) wearing a different suit.

Not all 3rd gens have the centre diff option by the way.

[shokenore]

Get a newer Surf or a Colorado/Prado and enjoy using AWD whenever you think it's needed.
Also, if your 2nd Gen is the 2.4, by moving to the 3.0 L engine you will feel a big difference in power and smoothness.

Please explain how a bigger engine is going to be better to drive in snow and ice?
How is any form of drive be it 4wd or awd going to help when going into a corner too fast?
All you are ensuring is that power is being transmitted to the wheels with no account of traction available.
With the vehicles that the OP has suggested the scenario will always be the same except that there will be light on the dash telling him he is in 4wd as he slides off the road.
Far far better to be traveling at a speed more suited to the conditions than expecting some magical 4wd system to bail you out of the shite.
I can't believe I'm going to say this but the 3rd gen (with centre diff) would be my choice.

[M8WHR]

Only benefits I see from a bigger engine without knowing figures is, it could be heavier, probably has more torque.

But no matter what your in, going into a corner too fast in snow or ice is really only meant to end up one way.

A lot of articles I've read recently say snow tires are the way forward for our worsening conditions (or lack of regular council gritting and ploughing). I haven't had any experience of them as yet.

[tashtego]

Please explain how a bigger engine is going to be better to drive in snow and ice?
How is any form of drive be it 4wd or awd going to help when going into a corner too fast?
All you are ensuring is that power is being transmitted to the wheels with no account of traction available.
With the vehicles that the OP has suggested the scenario will always be the same except that there will be light on the dash telling him he is in 4wd as he slides off the road.
Far far better to be traveling at a speed more suited to the conditions than expecting some magical 4wd system to bail you out of the shite.
I can't believe I'm going to say this but the 3rd gen (with centre diff) would be my choice.

Having traction to all four wheels makes a huge difference, as anybody who has ever driven a Subaru or Miitsi evo or similar will tell you. Especially at high speed and/or on mud, snow etc. Much more forgiving than normal 2WD.
I drove rally cars for a couple of years (a money pit, wouldn't recommend it) and having an AWD vehicle (in those days it was the Audi 4, Delta S4 and few others) often meant the difference between staying on the road or coming off it. No substitute for careful driving, mind you.
I don't think a bigger engine would make a difference, who said that?

[slobodan]

I don't think the OP was talking about overall agility.
He was saying about the faffing you have to do when the road is a bit slippery.
Do you shift to 4 wheel drive? risk wind-up, or leave it in 2wd
especially when the road is in sunshine for a stretch, then in the shade and icy.
For everyday driving, AWD is so much easier.
And if you have someone who is of the female variety who drives your truck, AWD is a lot easier to explain.

[Evelix]

It's a 3.0... so at least none of the stories about 2.4's need worry me.

Depends what stories you've been reading... don't believe the ones about cracked cylinder heads - they ALL do it. I've had two 3.0L ones fail - they just tend to do it later than the 2.4s.

[Karma Supra]

I though the Colorado didn't have a RWD only option?

It is nice to be able to click into 4wd when you feel like it.

I don't usually because I'm used to rear wheel drive, but trying to pull out of a T junction onto a derestricted road in the wet when there is a gap in the rush hour traffic often ends in wheel spin, even when it was a diesel. The surf seems really susceptible to it (probably because of the open diff).

It also helps stopping kick-down over-steer catching the mrs out

[Dobbslc]

Hmmm step down oversteer...
I had to tell my Mrs that she had just got the back end out on a wet roundabout on the way home after a #### up
Though she didn't realize what had happened (I had to explain) she did instinctively manage to give it some opposite lock and save a spin.
Not sure weather that's good or bad really,
The 3.0's do have a lot of torque and it's quite easy to spin the back tyres in the wet so using 4wd might have helped a bit by dragging the front of the truck around a bit.
I leave mine in 4wd if it snows so if she takes the boy's to school in it I won't get a phone call asking how to do it.