Buying a Tacoma in December - Need some help

Here's info on what leaf pack you might get.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/227547-2012-leaf-spring-poll.html

Looks like the SR5 4x4 would have the 3-leaf pack like the TRD Off Road. A TRD Sport would most likely have 4. 2WD PreRunner, 4. A TRD Off Road would not have the silly non-functional scoop, would have the rear locker and other fancy buttons and stuff, but 16" wheels (that look better IMO). I considered the TRD Off Road package worth the extra coin because of all the extras.

And I like the TRD seats WAY better than the SR5.

Again, though, if you go the SR5 route, I highly recommend doing the 5100's. Get them from Down South Motorsports (they are a listed vendor here, you get a discount and free shipping).

 

S1njin, The 2013 and the earlier trucks are mechanically NEARLY identical. Toyota seems to be changing around the number of rear leaf springs without consistency. Some have four leaf springs, some have three. You will have to wait and see just how many leaves are on your truck.

But, you will have no problem finding the correct Bilstein shocks for your truck. Whether you choose the 4600s or the 5100s, both are as good as you can get in quality.

I encourage you to take extended test drives in the various models and see which seats, features suit you best. Buying a Tacoma means you will be driving it a LONG, LONG time, so you want to be comfortable.

Read through many of the posts regarding the mods that are being done by others. A $20 mod can save you $100s or $1000 when it comes time to actually buy your truck.

 

According to Toyota.com, the TRD package on the 4x4 AC V6 is:
TRD Off-Road Package: Off-road-tuned suspension with Bilstein® shocks, electronically controlled locking rear differential, 16-in. alloy wheels with P265/70R16 BFGoodrich® tires, VSC [12] +A-TRAC in place of standard VSC [12] +TRAC with HAC [13] and DAC [13], engine skid plate, front tow hook, 115V/400W deck powerpoint, fog lights, remote keyless entry system, cruise control, variable-speed wipers, chrome grille surround and rear bumper, color-keyed front bumper and overfenders, sliding rear window with privacy glass, Sport water-resistant seats with driver lumbar support (passenger-side fold-flat feature delete), metallic-toned instrument panel trim, leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio controls, leather-trimmed shifter, dual sun visors with mirrors and extenders, tailgate-handle integrated backup camera [11] linked with an auto-dimming mirror with monitor and outside temperature gauge, TRD Off-Road graphics

No Scoop !!!! I thought they both had it - I learned yet another thing today. Can somebody tell me in layman's terms what the A-TRAC is? Since I wasn't considering the Off Road variety I just sorta ignored all the stuff in the package until today.

This is certainly more complicated than picking out a car - good thing I have a couple months to fester on this ...

 

SR5 with tow package should come with a 4 leaf pack I beleive

 

Mine did but canadian

 

Use the "SEARCH" above, between "new posts" and "quick links". Enter

"A-TRAC/Trac/Auto LSD" for the best answer

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MOEZYAv5Q

Now I understand. Sorta like a poor mans Subaru on the back end?

 

This is a true story. My 2012 SR5 came with the four leaf. We have tow pkg as well.

 

Not sure about how the Subaru works, but A-TRAC is a simple concept based on how a differential works. It just brakes one wheel on the axle if it detects some spin, which will then send some power to the other wheel on that axle. If that doesn't work, turn on the rear locker. These trucks are like a mule and do most everything just fine with 4H and 4L, though.

I don't really "wheel" like some of these guys do, but I took my truck over some high mountain pass trails in CO a few weeks ago. My progression through the different modes was 2WD H, 4WD H, 4WD L, 4WD L + A-TRAC, and I never had to engage the locker -- no real mud pits or super slippery stuff. A-TRAC kicked in once when I was going around a tricky switchback, but only because I had a bad line and a wheel didn't have a lot of weight on it. So, I didn't really need it and forgot I had it on -- but it was there just in case I did. I was glad to know I had 2 more options to go through before getting really stuck.

Only the Sports have the silly scoop, but they also have color-matched grilles, bumpers and door handles if that is important to you. The Off Road has a chrome grille and rear bumper with black door handles. I am a form-follows-function guy and don't care about the color matched crap. I don't get pedicures either. It's all the other functional bells and whistles that I liked, plus the better interior.

Drive one of each -- a TRD Off Road and an SR5 -- and then decide whether it is worth the extra coin. There is a difference, significant to some but not others. Don't worry about the leaf pack -- if you get a 3-leaf pack but always carry 500 lbs of stuff in the bed and it bugs you, you can most likely get Toyota to replace them for free.

 

I'm leaning heavily towards the SR5 w/ the Billy 4600 upgrade.

Now I'm just reading about how these things do in snow/ice/slush. If my commute is mostly highway, and I'm out in snowy or slushy conditions, can I just put it in 4WD-H and take my time?

I've pretty much only driven Subarus in the snow. I respect the road, drive like a old lady, and say a prayer before I get moving.

 

I have a '12 Sport also. Liked the controls on the wheel & I planned on pulling a travel trailor (18' & 3200#). I didn't know about the "Bilsteins" tho...once out of warranty, I'll be changing. Forgot & left the windows open 1 nite & after a hard rain, just wiped the water off. The seats are very waterproof & seems like they'll wear well. Kinda wish the back bumper was chrome instead of body color, it shows scratches more. I had the chassis undercoated & it does ride quieter. Toyota bundles their pkgs. together so it's hard to customize. Good luck chosing!

 

S1njin, I had a 98 Tacoma with the "locker" differential. In 250,000 miles I engaged it twice. The first time to see if it actually worked, it did. The second time I was stuck so bad that even a full track bulldozer would have been spinning and I had to be pulled out.

I live on top of a steep hill in snow country, on a backroad (wayback) and that is why I have the Tacoma with 4X4. If you primarily drive on paved roads and want the 4X4 for snow, then you will do fine without the $4000 TRD OFF Road package and it's Locking rear axle.

 

They say not to drive in 4-hi faster than 60 mph. I switch to 2wd on the on-ramp and get along fine.

 

A large reason to buy the SR5 vs. the TRD Sport would be financial. Although I believe the TRD Sport (or Off Road) packages are a pretty damn good value for the few thousand bux it costs.

There is a pretty good list of features & equiptment that comes with the TRD packages.

Having said this...my 2010 Tacoma was a SR5 and I was very happy with it. My 2012 is a TRD Sport and I like it more...of course, it's new and has more features.

 

I agree. After seeing what the truck can do in simply 4L (which is awesome, by the way), I will probably never need A-TRAC nor the locker, and I have only engaged mine a few times to make sure things work right. Again, it is still nice to know that they are there just in case, but I will probably never use them. Kinda like those rich parents I never had. But all the extras together, for me, made it worth the package price.

I've had both, and the TRD OR package was just plain better for me this time around. I could afford it and felt like finally treating myself. I skimped on it my last 2 trucks and went SR5, and I am happy I didn't this time.

MSRP on the TRD Off Road package is actually only about $2000 more than the SR5 package, not $4000. For that you get (in addition to what the SR5 package has):

Locking Rear Differential
Better Tires + Aluminum Wheels
Power Lumbar Support (new option I think)
Bilstein Shocks (fake maybe, but arguable)
Engine Skid Plate (not the aluminum one, though)
Sport Bucket Seats
Offroad Suspension (progressive front springs)
115V/400W power outlet in bed

Not really a bad value, and if you start cherry picking items from that list, you quickly get close to that 2K cost even if you did them yourself. The stock Dunlops are terrible, upgraded Rugged Trails are mediocre but worth spending a little more on.

I guess my point is that it is a big investment in something you will have a long time. I am always happy with a new truck, but this time around I don't regret not spending that little bit more to get the full package.

 

agree

it's why I went with the Sport

plus the Sport gives you color matched grill/bumper/mirrors/handles and scoop (love it or not)

and, my Sport came with a set of Bridgestone's that I really like so far.

 

Yeah, I forgot to mention the SR5 tires. They're shit. Dunlap grandtrek terrible tread wear, tiny-ass shit tires.

 

If the SR5 tires are crap ... that's yet another reason to bump up to the TRD. If I got the TRD off-road, I'd be using the standard shocks until they needed replacing (300 dollars saved over upgrading to the 4600s on the SR5). So now the price diff between the SR5 w/ Alloys and the TRD Off Road is only 1200 (for me since I was getting the shocks). Now that I know the tires are upgraded, that makes it even easier to swallow.

 

I forgot about the dunlops, yeah, those are terrible. I was lucky and had a year old set of michelins on my old truck that I was able to transfer to the new one, so I only had to drive on those dunlops for a day or two. My truck only had 14000 miles on it when I bought it but the dunlops were nearly used up already.

 

Well, looks like its TRD Off Road for me ... between shocks I can put off buying, tires that seem to be much better than the Dunlops, seats, and NO SCOOP. Done deal - now I just need December to roll around ...