Stupid question about wheelin with an automatic

I stand corrected. Just field tested and it does shift. What was throwing me off is that compared to the Chevy Colorado I drive for patrol, the shifting in 4LO in the Tacoma at lower RPM's is very subtle, almost imperceptible.

Of course my truck is a Double Cab Long Bed Sport and I can't see over the hood scoop so my observations probably don't count.

 

It's on page 168 in my manual:

 

Interesting , it is definitely not in my manual under the transmission or 4 wheel drive sections , nor does it seem to be a correct statement

 

Come to think of it , my manual is also in metric and has a sprinkling of french .

 

Yeah I am wondering if 4th + low still does tow mode. If I use 4 instead of D each of gears holdsz longer instead of tranny trying to shift immediately to highest gear for fuel mileage.

 

Ban

 

WTF happened here? To answer the op you have two options, leave it in D and let the trans do the work or shift it yourself. I have done it both ways when I used to off road and saw no real differences, only difference is how many up shifts it does to your input example you put it in 2 and it goes from 1st to 2nd, etc.

 

Thanks for taking the time to make that video. I always just assumed the owners manual was right and that while in 4lo the tranny didn't shift on it's own. Being that I only use 4lo for slow crawling it's never shifted out of the gear I had it in.

 

I did the same experiment as Christian this morning with the same results .

I , however , was on a gravel road , could not see over the hoodscoop and had no ATRAC to rely on .

Needless to say , I got stuck .

 

Usually leave mine in 2-3 depending on how fast I want to go, just like you'd do with a M. Drop it to 1st for the technical stuff

 

Thank you... after four pages of replies... I have a simple answer..

OK... So what's ATRAC?

Also...what different models of Tacomas are there. Are some better for offroad?

 

Ah whippersnapper you are you now my hero...haha

 

I only shift out of D in 4lo for 2 reasons. One to limit my speed on a downhill descent, and two for when I'm pulling something like my dad's tractor and don't want to go over 2 mph by it shifting to 2nd.

 

In my 2006 PreRunner I used the diff lock for it's best feature, to shut off the ABS. I've had it up to 65-70 blasting down the dirt California Aqueduct service roads. Never grenaded anything.

 

The reason for suggesting a speed limit of 5 MPH isn't one of durability (as if the rear end would explode)... it is of control (safety).

When the differential is locked, the tires are forced to rotate at the same speed... which is fine if going straight. However, when you turn all tires must rotate at different speeds... You loose some steering abilty... and the faster you go, the more sudden or dramatic that would be in avoiding hitting a tree, boulder or driving off a cliff.

The A-TRAC system gives the Off Road Tacoma the traction of front and rear locking differentials, but does NOT affect steering.

To get the traction of A-TRAC in a truck without it would mean to add front and rear locking differentials.

The Off Road 4WD Tacoma (2009+) has both a locking rear differential and the A-TRAC device... so you can select one, both, or neither when you are four wheeling in low range. CHOICES!

 

You are 100% wrong

the rest of your post is just as correct as the first part.