Questions for all of you in these videos: What drive mode are you in? 4 LO? Center Diff Locked? Descent control on? (when descending, of course) Anything else?
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What a memorable trip to get to take with your 74 year old mom and kids.
indycole
GOLD Star
I'd assume everyone is in 4-Lo. Locking the center differential tends to vary driver-to-driver. Some folks default to turning it on when driving offroad while others use it selectively as they want more traction. Generally, I fall into the former category; however, in Moab, I tend to use the center (and front/rear if needed) selectively based on obstacles/terrain. Simply getting to the right offroad tire pressure (18-25 PSI for me depending on the trail in Moab) and 4-Lo was enough 99% of the time.
More specifically, though, I use 4-Lo + center locked on extreme uphill or downhill climbs (like those on Hell's Revenge). I like having the center locked going downhill in case I need to reverse.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
I'm in 4-Low any time I know my speeds will be sustained under 10 - 15mph due to terrain and certainly anytime I am dealing with an obstacle. I lock my center diff basically anytime I am off-pavement. The truck is just more sure-footed, especially at higher speeds on dirt/gravel/washboards. I think of the center locker as a safety feature. If I'm in 4-Low, the center diff is already locked and will stay locked. I haven't used any descent control, but played with CRAWL on "Behind the Rocks" and its was amazing for descending over obstacles. It felt like cheating.
Is there a speed limitation with the center diff? This question is really aimed more at "super heavy rain" or "heavy snow" and obviously safe driving habits apply here too. I'm really just curious if I shouldn't have the center diff locked when I'm traveling faster than say 40.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
I never think of it as a speed issue, but instead a traction issue. I would hesitate to use it at high speeds in rain, on pavement as traction can come and go. With snow, I’d be more comfortable using it at higher speeds. I generally don’t use it at all on pavement, though. If conditions were bad enough to engage on pavement, I wouldn’t be reaching those speeds anyway.
IIRC, you can switch the center diff lock on the fly to about 60 mph. That's just switching, pretty sure if it's already on, it stays engaged from my experience running on sand even past that speed.
I would caution its use in certain low traction situations. It turns VSC off, which is beneficial to most drivers in adverse conditions. Locking also forces slip of tires in turns and could cause a loss of traction in itself in something like rain or snow on road. Sand and certain deep snow situations are different in that it's beneficial to keep momentum in low traction situations, and locking with VSC off allows distribution of power more evenly to spin tires without VSC shutting down the party.
Since CDL can be switched on the fly, I generally don't engage it unless I'm traversing an obstacle, very steep uphill or downhill.
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This! I spent about 2 hours recently trying to self extract myself from an open field of snow with maxtrax and didn't make any progress until I unlocked my center diff. Sometimes you need wheels speed and VSC.
turbo8
Supporting Vendor
Just wondering if you also tried to use crawl control?
I did, forward and reverse and just couldn't get enough wheel speed to get a bite on the maxtrax to pull it under a wheel.
I'll go against the grain a little bit here and say I rarely use my CDL when wheeling except when I know I am about to go up a long, loose, steep hill, and I only activate it for the climb and turn it off right after. For trails where I know I will be doing a lot of climbs, descents, or crawling and know my max speed will rarely go above 10mph, I am in 4 low. In the 13+, the 200 automatically goes into Multi Terrain Select/MTS mode when in 4 low, and I generally have it set to the least aggressive setting which is "Mud & Sand". As I approach climbs or obstacles, I will turn the MTS dial clockwise to increase how aggressive the system responds and use the most appropriate setting for the situation, and then as soon as I'm done with the obstacle I turn the dial back to "Mud & Sand".
MTS works by pulsing the brakes very quickly to stop wheelspin and "send" power to the opposite wheel on the same axle, and "Mud & Sand" responds the least quickly/aggressively whereas "Rock" responds the fastest and most aggressively. The reason why I'm constantly adjusting the settings is to be as gentle on the vehicle as possible, and that is also why I try to use the least amount of throttle as possible. The saying goes something like "As slow as possible, as fast as necessary", and on a big heavy 200, that will go a long to preserving it mechanically - mechanical sympathy if you will. To answer your questions, there is no one magic setting for all off road situations, so it's important to try them all out and see what each feels like and when to use it. Side note - I do not use CRAWL or Turn Assist unless someone wants to see how it works and I'm not in a dangerous position.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
Totally agree on the MTS usage. I was running in "Mud & Sand" mode on Wipeout Hill and forgot to switch it up to "Rock & Dirt" on that obstacle climb. Obviously the bad line is what caught me up on the rock, but I don't think I would have smoked the back tire if I had been in "Rock & Dirt". There is a much bigger difference between the MTS settings than I think most people realize, and that setting can be the difference between making it and getting stuck. I need to do more research on how CDL couples with MTS in different terrain varieties. I suspect there are more combinations of technical wizardry than could be distilled down to a usage matrix, but I might try and put something together. I'm sure it won't be controversial at all.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
Anybody ever see this color in the wild? I definitely have not.
www.dchsubaruofriverside.com
Used 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility Base For Sale in Riverside CA | Stock:84000145P
Search for a Used 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility for sale at DCH Subaru of Riverside in Riverside, CA. Call our Subaru dealer for our current offer on VIN:JTMHY05J084000145.
Pacific Blue Metallic. Our 200 is this color. It’s rare. Like Amazon Green. If accident free and some records, This looks like a very nice example with only 115k miles. Wonder how much they’re asking.Anybody ever see this color in the wild? I definitely have not.
Used 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility Base For Sale in Riverside CA | Stock:84000145P
Search for a Used 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility for sale at DCH Subaru of Riverside in Riverside, CA. Call our Subaru dealer for our current offer on VIN:JTMHY05J084000145.
View attachment 2654362
Markuson
SILVER Star
Too much skinny pedal?? 
Awesome. I've looked into this Moab thing among others. There's plenty of off roading to be done here in the east, but it's not all wide open spaces where you pretty much won't screw up the paint.
Trails
windrockpark.com
My question is where the hell is the nearest gas station when you're so far off the beaten trail out West?
If anyone from the area wants to meet up at Windrock, LMK. I haven't bought off road tires yet so I'm not going to push it too hard but they have something for all levels there.
Awesome. I've looked into this Moab thing among others. There's plenty of off roading to be done here in the east, but it's not all wide open spaces where it's not easy to screw up the paint. This place is right outside Knoxville.
Trails
My question is where the hell is the nearest gas station when you're so far off the beaten trail?
You should ask @ga12r1
Just to jump on the discussion about Locking center diff earlier, do you guys ever use the ECT Power button? On road or off road? Maybe whole towing?
