Pin 7 Mod to the rescue

[mikgrail3]

I knew this mod would come in handy, but little did I know it could be useful out on the main roads. While en-route to our camping destination this weekend, the last few miles of our trek had some serious elevation gain and tight switchbacks on pavement. I was towing my little BT3-C trailer, maybe 1,000 lbs loaded, plus I had my wife, 4 kids, our dog and more gear in the truck. Running 315's with the 3FE and stock gears makes even the smallest hill a challenge to maintain any speed, this climb was killing me. The truck couldn't decide between 1st gear and 4k rpms and 2nd and lugging. The switchbacks eliminated any chance to sustain any momentum.

Solution: pull over, put it in low range and drive up in comfort. With the CDL unlocked I had no concerns about binding around the corners, the speeds were 25mph or less and it didn't feel like the truck was lugging and hunting for the right gear. I really like that I now have this option. Thanks Mud!

 

[greentruck]

In the distant past, I was leery of full-time 4WD and the fact that Jeep kicked off the mass market trend with it did not help. I'm still someone who would prefer a stick over the auto, but I like the way that Toyota integrated a truly tough full-time 4WD into the 80 series Land Cruiser. Your account is a reminder that the 7-pin mod is very useful, even on the road.

 

[Eicca]

So how does your 3FE do with 35s in normal driving? I'm looking to upgrade and that low range trick just pushed me closer to buying 35s

 

[mikgrail3]

In the distant past, I was leery of full-time 4WD and the fact that Jeep kicked off the mass market trend with it did not help. I'm still someone who would prefer a stick over the auto, but I like the way that Toyota integrated a truly tough full-time 4WD into the 80 series Land Cruiser. Your account is a reminder that the 7-pin mod is very useful, even on the road.

I agree. Toyota has a pretty decent AWD management system in place. Although mine came from the factory with the CDL switch. It's nice to know they left the capability there to manually override the system to suit most needs.

 

[mikgrail3]

So how does your 3FE do with 35s in normal driving? I'm looking to upgrade and that low range trick just pushed me closer to buying 35s

I'm not going to win any races except for the number of stops to the gas station. I think the 3FE does alright with the 35's if you are willing to keep the rpms in the engine's power range. Around town unless I lay into it, it's slow to get up to speed from a stop. On the freeway, it's fine around Phoenix since it's fairly flat. But as soon as I leave the valley it's all uphill, some of it pretty steep. I'll have to keep it in 3rd gear with an occasional down shift to 2nd to maintain 50-65. I get passed by everyone on the steep hills. Just enjoy the scenery.

 

[Eicca]

I'm not going to win any races except for the number of stops to the gas station. I think the 3FE does alright with the 35's if you are willing to keep the rpms in the engine's power range. Around town unless I lay into it, it's slow to get up to speed from a stop. On the freeway, it's fine around Phoenix since it's fairly flat. But as soon as I leave the valley it's all uphill, some of it pretty steep. I'll have to keep it in 3rd gear with an occasional down shift to 2nd to maintain 50-65. I get passed by everyone on the steep hills. Just enjoy the scenery.

Oh don't worry, I've already adopted that mentality I drive my mom's Hundy when I want to go fast in a tank