Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Late last year I was invited to attend a lecture and then a 4x4 training exercise hosted by Mitsubishi Umhlanga. Despite my vehicle being 9 years old and a Gen 3, I was impressed that they considered me for this excursion.

What made the evening discussion most informative was that it was geared towards Mitsubishi products and of course the Super Select 4x4 drivetrain.

The discussion of driving on tar in 4H rather than 2H came up and we were told that it has no adverse effects on consumption or wear and tear but improved traction.

I decided to put this to test and have driven in 4H since then. My fuel consumption has not changed and yet the vehicle feels more sure-footed in rain and muddy roads (as expected)
Who else drives in 4H for 'everyday' driving ? Comments please.

There was a discussion a few years ago and it was mentioned that the front diff could heat up too much.

Maybe give your's a good old feel one day after a long open road stretch.

I liked to use 4H for the smallest reason though. When you throw in traction control it just increases the car's versatility exponentially. Now that I'm without it for the first time in 21 years do I realise how much I miss it.

Dirty Boy,

To the best of my knowledge you can drive in 4H till kingdom comes. A few years ago we did a Namib tour from Klein Aus Vista to Walvis bay and I basically drove the whole 5 days of the trip in 4H, 4HL and when needed 4LL without any problem or longer teerm problems. My diff lock was also "ON" the whole time - pse note my Pajero is a traction control version but I fitted a lock diff as well with it's own ON/OFF switch.

Cloyd

I drive in 4H when ever it rains or when we tow

I use 4h when towing or if it rains.
I am sure there would not be any long terms problems with using 4h all the tine as they made it to be used on long distances etc

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Using 4H full time will not damage anything but it will wear some components more than on 2H. Purely by the fact that it is being used.

I have definately found that measured over a long period of time that 4H DOES in fact use more fuel than 2H and also robs the vehicle of a few horses power wise. Marginal yes, but still measurable. Which is exactly why they fitted the option in the first place, to save fuel and power. The pay off is of course a much more sure footed and save vehicle if left in 4H.

So one need to make that choice for yourself but neither one will cause damage as such.

CATS

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CATS wrote:Using 4H full time will not damage anything but it will wear some components more than on 2H. Purely by the fact that it is being used.

I hear you Cats but by the same token you could say that you are saving wear and tear on the 2H parts because they are not having to work as hard as when driving in 2H. The load is spread front and back.

I think for me, the big gain is the sure footed feeling when on anything less that perfect conditions.

The parasitic power loss and fuel economy gain is marginal.

I don't know why they don't make all Pajeros permanent AWD from the get go. Remove the 2H optional together IMHO. The AWD means power from the engine goes to 4 wheels so drivetrain components should wear evenly. The rear parts slower and the fronts faster. But, when have you heard of mitsubishi drivetrains wearing out?

Stick it in 4H and leave it there. It's safer and nicer!

Like others I use 2H on dry tar but 4H when it's wet. I find there is a slight harshness in the transmission that isn't there in 2H, almost imperceptible, but it is there.

I'm just using 4H in wet conditions and if I approach a off ramp interconnect with another highway on sharp corners. The ideal speed to change to 4H is 120km/h but I'll slow bid down and shift it in.

They say is better to put car in 4H if going around corners as it will force the front wheel that's turning to run slower to give the opposite wheel to run faster (feel must stable) and out of the bend on straight will disengage. If in 2H you will feel that you losing the car with wheels screaming.