difference between TRD SPORT and TRD OFF-ROAD?

Maybe its just me, but I would have to disagree. The alloy wheels look good and are also functional at the same time. IMO the scoop is not function, and never will be (fact) and also looks cheesy at the same time (opinion). Now again, this is my opinion, although I know a fair amount of people would agree. I do however like the monochromatic styling, which is the only thing I prefer about the sport over the off road. You don't gain anything performance wise over the base model anymore (with the sport) because the limited slip it utilizes in now standard equipment, and electronic, no longer mechanical.

 

Well I am sold on the Off Road package. I currently have a tC which I am going to be trading in for the Tacoma Off Road cause I use my brothers truck to go off roading way to much and he needs it. However I believe that a person should have what they want... I like the look of the Sport, the scoop and the color keyed everything. But I need a 4X4 for where I go and what I do. So my questions is this. How hard would it be to get everything for my Off Road when I get it to make it look like a Sport? i.e. the hood and the color keyed everything. Where would I get this stuff for a reasonable prices even if I do have to get them painted to match? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks

 

I've got the Off Road, and the body roll is very noticeable, although my other car is a Mazda RX-8 with upgraded (track-worthy, but not quite race-car coilovers) suspension and tires which can probably pull better than 1-g lateral and rides on rails to the extent that I've had the balls to try so far, so I may be feeling it more than it really is.

One bit of curiosity for the OP: you're in So Cal and don't intend to off-road, so why bother with the 4x4 at all? A little weight in the back and maybe a set of chains (if you're heading into the mountains) will get you through a So Cal "winter" and save some $$$ up front plus gas and maintainence costs over the life of the truck.

 

4x4 is for Real Men.. .

 

If you're gonna use it, sure. The freeways in So Cal are littered with high-clearance 4x4s with owners who are proud of the fact that they've never left the pavement, and after growing up in CO and MT, that almost says "douchebag" more than "Real Man" (IMO, anyway).

Even off-roading in many types of terrain, it's more about ground clearance, angles, and suspension travel than having power to all 4 wheels. A rear locker and a little recovery gear will get you about as far as 4WD about 75% of the time. I wouldn't try real rock-crawling in my 2x4, and there isn't often a lot of mud to be found in the southwest.

As I've heard said multiple times in the mountains, "4x4 is best at getting you out of range of your winch", or "4x4 means it's twice as far to walk home once you're really stuck".

As far as driving on snow and ice, 4x4 is nice but not necessary, and too many drivers (especially from warm climates) assume it makes them invincible or will enable their vehicle to do anything in any terrain. In reality it can allow better acceleration, and maybe a tiny bit more control in certain situations, but steering and braking on slick roads is the great equalizer where the main benefit of the transfer case is the added weight on the wheels.

 

Sport looks better, Off Road is better.

 

thank you for all the help....

i'm going with the 4x4 off-road package.

i am as little as two weeks away from my new truck, and my first new vehicle in 20 years!

 

I agree too that having 4x4 is nice but not necessary. It's nice not having to struggle to put chains on while your hands are getting numb from the cold, while getting cold and wet from the falling snow. It's nice not to have to feed the snowmonkeys $30 to put on chains and $20 to take them off if you don't want/can't put on those chains yourselves. Sure that $50 each time for chain install or chain purchase will probably never cost as mush as the upgrade to 4x4 but it's my time and effort which is priceless.
IMHO. 4x4 really is not necessary but if you live in the snow or play in the snow often, it's either 4x4, AWD or swap out for winter tires or bust.

 

Get the Sport, the long bed is awesome!!!

 

So do I. I put a Sport hood ,grille and rear bumper on my 2008 Rugged Trail and for good measure put in the 2009 smoked headlights. It is the best of both worlds!

 

cruda, believe it or not, i axed the long bed option because it won't fit in my garage!!!!!!

here in SoCal, unfortunately, the slightest bit of snow in the mountains requires chains or 4WD. i went up in my honda one day and put on the chains, but the roads were actually 90% clear, and i wound up driving with chains on mostly bare pavement for miles and miles.

 

Rollin in a 2009 4x4 MGM Dub Cab OR... I went up to Mt High yesterday and used my 4Hi w/o any problems. The craziest thing was on the way down when the truck slipped. When I started to rotate, I slammed on the brakes b/c I'm a noob 4x4 driver, but a loud beeping went off and I felt the ABS kick in and immediately gained control. That was bad ass!

Anyway, I also went to Mammoth last April when it dumped 3 feet of snow and 4Hi was able to get me to the slopes and back to my hotel room w/o
any problems too. IMO, the Sport is good enough for snow.

I bought the Off-Road b/c the extra $500 is worth it for A-trac, Hill Start/ Descent assist, rear diff lock, skid plate for oil pan. Anyway, I really hated the hood scoop on the Sport and the resale value for the Off-Road is much better than the Sport later on (if I decide to sell it and upgrade to the newer body style Tacoma). I haven't done any serious off-roading (yet).

Here is a pic of Mt High on the way up the back side and not through the town. Used the 4Hi after I passed the pond.


4th row from the front! Closest I've ever been... (took off the 4x4 mud flaps and V6, SR5, Toyota badges... and debating on whether to take off the Tacoma badges and TRD Off-Road stickers)


as for making the Off-Road look like a Sport, it's really easy and cheaper than trying to make a Sport perform like an Off-Road.
- hood w/ scoop: $300 - $400 (hardest to find)
- color matched bumper and grill: $50 do it yourself. I've seen people use Herculiner and it actually looks sick!
- 17" 5 star wheels w/ 95% tread on tires: $600 to $800 take-offs. (easy to find in TW)

then you can sell your 16" wheels w/ tires for $500 - $700, stock hood for $200. So grand total is around $300 - $400 for making your Off-Road look like a Sport. And people will think you got a Sport, but little do they know that you got the OR w/ all the OR goodies!

 

So this is all I have to say.

7 months ago my journey started, buy a Toyota Tacoma TSS 4x4 black with everything I ever wanted in a truck except good gas mileage, super charge and the TRD Exhaust. Go to my Texas Army National Guard Drill for two weeks then move to the Southern California area for a new job. So I leave my best friend "worlds best pit bull" back on Texas with my parents, few months after that my girlfriend doesn't want to move to Cali and live with my so we broke up, yes we all know in probably lost a good sum of money in that investment. Then my TV died next my laptop and I think we all know what is next. My beautiful Toyota Tacoma TSS 4x4, so there I was and I hate anywhere near LA now because all the traffic in front of me slammed on their breaks so I ease into my breaks so the person behind me doesn't hit my baby then I slowly apply pressure till I'm hard on the breaks and stop short of the car I front of me, I'm home free woohoo then I look up to see a car that pushed me into the car in front of me. She hit me and my truck destroyed her rental car, she pushed me I to the car I front of me and that car was damaged along with the car in front of her that she damaged. My truck only had about $25,000.00 worth of damage done to it. And for some reason Cali has a bunch of white TRD sports but no TSS or TRD off road in black and for the first time in my grown man life I feel like crying. At least I was deployed to Iraq 4 times and never got hurt and I was combat infantry living in the cities, not the green zone. But when I'm home the last thing I expect is to be in danger and here I am and my Tacoma took the hit for me allowing me to walk away with my life. Thank you Toyota.

 

+1

Did anybody mention the Sport has a stronger rear suspension too?

I tow with mine, so I'm glad I have the extra leafs in the rear.

 

I've had both....

'06 Off Road was great, the locker is better than just the electronic LSD IMO, loved the chrome bumper, the painted rims were crap and peeled twice, liked the chrome grille shell, the 5' bed was 1 foot too short almost every time.

My '13 DC/LB has a hood scoop.. I'm pretty sure it makes the truck go faster , turn signal lights in the mirrors, a 6' bed, and color key door handles. The Electronic LSD with no locker sucks IMO, 17" polished wheels are real nice but really limits your tire choices, don't really care about the lack of skids for my use, the painted grille shell and bumpers are just OK, I'd rather have chrome. As soon as someone rear ends me, and I know it will happen, I'll be sportin' a chrome bumper.

A DC/LB is a really L O N G truck, takes a short while to get used to. After driving a DC/SB for 175k, it takes a lot to get used to the look, but I love it.

DC/LBs that are not sports I'm told are available in fleet models only.

Not sure about the above comment of their suspension being stronger, but I can tell you that my DC/SB bottomed out the day I bought it and I had to install TSB springs and airbags, my DC/LB Sport has never bottomed out even with my utility trailer loaded or my 16' boat in tow.

 

Holy thread resurrection

 

No shit?, this should have been in the New Members, or Prayers and Support.

 

Whats better for towing 18 ft basscat bassboat sport or offroad?

 

they're both good. Offroad just has some added traction features etc. I would have taken either truck. The offroad showed up first...

 

i think they both have the same tow rating??