I guess this could go into the driveline section, but to me it is definitely a performance mod.
Those of you with supercharged trucks and those with stock trucks in cold/snowy climates know how hard it is to get any traction in 2WD on take-off. I have an S/C truck in Canada, so I find that most of the time, if I want to race somebody, I have to quickly shift it into 4WD, otherwise most guys easily get a jump on you. That is all fine and well, until a corner comes up and you start running a risk of damaging your driveline on dry pavement. Also, once you kick someone’s butt, you are likely going much faster than 60 mph, so now you are stuck in 4WD, and if you are on a highway, it is not very convenient to slow down to shift back to 2WD. Even during daily driving, when there is a lot of snow/ice in the neighborhood, I always use 4x4 to get out, and then once you hit the plowed road, you have to switch back again, so another inconvenience.
For these reasons I have been wanting to add AWD option to my truck for some time now. I have seen a guy named BJowett on the forum who installed a Landcruiser T-case into his truck and he was my inspiration. Finally I had a few bucks in my pocket, and after doing my research, I ordered the transfer case I wanted. I decided not to go with the JF2A transfer case found in the Landcruiser and the LX570 because it is a full time transfer case with no option of 2WD, so instead I went with the Torsen LSD equipped multi-mode JF3A t-case found in the 2008+ Sequoia. That transfer case has all the options you can ask for: 2HI, 4HI free, 4LO free, 4HI lock and 4LO lock. So now, when I am driving somewhere in the summer on the highway, I can have it in 2WD and save on gas, if I am driving in winter or wanting to race somebody, I can put it in 4HI free, and when I go off-roading I can lock the center diff and have it in 4HI lock or 4LO lock.
Here is the video of the system operation:
Those of you with supercharged trucks and those with stock trucks in cold/snowy climates know how hard it is to get any traction in 2WD on take-off. I have an S/C truck in Canada, so I find that most of the time, if I want to race somebody, I have to quickly shift it into 4WD, otherwise most guys easily get a jump on you. That is all fine and well, until a corner comes up and you start running a risk of damaging your driveline on dry pavement. Also, once you kick someone’s butt, you are likely going much faster than 60 mph, so now you are stuck in 4WD, and if you are on a highway, it is not very convenient to slow down to shift back to 2WD. Even during daily driving, when there is a lot of snow/ice in the neighborhood, I always use 4x4 to get out, and then once you hit the plowed road, you have to switch back again, so another inconvenience.
For these reasons I have been wanting to add AWD option to my truck for some time now. I have seen a guy named BJowett on the forum who installed a Landcruiser T-case into his truck and he was my inspiration. Finally I had a few bucks in my pocket, and after doing my research, I ordered the transfer case I wanted. I decided not to go with the JF2A transfer case found in the Landcruiser and the LX570 because it is a full time transfer case with no option of 2WD, so instead I went with the Torsen LSD equipped multi-mode JF3A t-case found in the 2008+ Sequoia. That transfer case has all the options you can ask for: 2HI, 4HI free, 4LO free, 4HI lock and 4LO lock. So now, when I am driving somewhere in the summer on the highway, I can have it in 2WD and save on gas, if I am driving in winter or wanting to race somebody, I can put it in 4HI free, and when I go off-roading I can lock the center diff and have it in 4HI lock or 4LO lock.
Here is the video of the system operation: