How Does The Lexus GX All Wheel Drive, Four Wheel Drive System Work?

Certain Lexus models come with a permanent four-wheel drive mechanism that can allocate power to all four wheels continuously, both on and off the road, without any input from the driver. This system includes important elements like an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case, which automatically manages the distribution of torque from the engine to the front and rear wheels. This process is facilitated by a patented torque-sensing Torsen center differential.

The center differential is crucial because, during turns, the wheels of a vehicle do not rotate at identical speeds. Therefore, in a full-time four-wheel drive vehicle, a center differential is essential to ensure smooth cornering on dry roads. It allows the front and rear axles to rotate at different speeds, avoiding any binding issues. The Torsen center differential, in particular, generally splits the power as 40% to the front and 60% to the rear wheels in most driving scenarios, and it can adjust this distribution if wheel slip occurs.

Furthermore, the center differential can be electronically locked to enhance traction when the vehicle’s wheels are stuck, or when driving on extremely slippery or uneven surfaces. Activating this lock involves pressing a button, which triggers a corresponding indicator light. Releasing the lock is as simple as pushing the button again after the wheels regain traction or when moving onto a surface with better grip.

The full-time four-wheel drive system of Lexus also offers a low-range mode designed for challenging off-road situations, such as steep hill climbs or descents, as well as navigating through sand, mud, or deep snow at very low speeds. To engage this low-range mode, the driver needs to shift the four-wheel-drive control to L4 while the vehicle is stationary, the brake pedal is pressed, and the shift lever is in neutral. An indicator in the gauge cluster confirms the activation. Returning to normal operation is achieved by stopping the vehicle, shifting to neutral, and moving the control back to H4.

A notable feature in Lexus’ full-time four-wheel-drive system is the four-wheel Active Traction Control (A-TRAC). A-TRAC applies gentle braking force to a slipping wheel, thereby transferring torque to the wheels with better grip. This system provides a consistent smooth on-road experience along with driver confidence, while also offering impressive off-road capability when required.

While the Lexus GX doesn’t come standard with front and rear locking differentials like some other offroad vehicles (like the Jeep Wrangler) it uses smart applications of power and technology to deliver impeccable traction on and off road. And if you really need locked-in traction for the most aggresive trails aftermarket systems are available to provide front and rear locking differentials on the Lexus GX.

– Page Contains Affiliate Links – Why? (click here to expand)

We lose money every month producing the TX:GX Overland website and YouTube channel. Creating content takes time and money – we have to pay for:

• Website and WordPress hosting
• Trip videos that cost money for fuel, admissions fees at parks/events, and wear and tear on our vehicle
• An enormous amount of our time producing this site and the videos (I won’t even begin to calculate that cost!)

Basically, we lose money every month. We use affiliate links and YouTube monetization to try to reduce this monthly loss but they don’t pay much. We lose about $20 per month just from our website costs (not including trip costs). Purchases made via this website using affiliate links sometimes result in us making a small commission (usually 2-4%) that we use to keep the lights on. But since we lose about $20 per month (not including trip fees) you can see we are definitely not “in it for the money” – we do this out of a love for helping other people enjoy the outdoors and overlanding, to help people get started and find gear to make their trips more successful, and to produce videos that inspire and entertain our viewers. Even though we lose money each month, we are committed to helping the world we live in. Please read “Who Our Affiliate Links Benefit” to see a list of the causes and charitable organizations we donate to. Thank you for your understanding!

– Who Our Affiliate Links Benefit (click here to expand)

TX:GX Overland is about experiencing the outdoors and doing so in a responsible, sustainable way. Without the trees, the forests, the clean babbling brooks and the open trails we enjoy while overlanding we simply couldn’t exist. Therefore, we are committed to helping organizations that support our outdoor adventures. Though we do not make a profit from the TX:GX Overland website or YouTube channel we still make donations to worthwhile causes. We make donations to the following organizations:

• OneTreePlanted
• Tread Lightly

We have reviewed these organizations and determined they fit our purpose. We do not have the resources to do an exhaustive background check of their prior/current activities, partnerships, board members, etc. so if they are “doing something bad” we’re not aware of it. We hope our donations to these organizations is doing the world some good – if you disagree with these choices we respect your decision, please respect ours.

Overland Videos

4×4 Off Road Trails

4×4 Off Road Overland Equipment

Overland Equipment