Advice for driving in gravel?

Hello TW,

Lately, I've been going to a job site where i traverse through a field of gravel. Usually it isn't a problem, but today, i had to stop by the field office which sits right in the middle of this gravel field. Getting to the office was fine since I already had momentum going into the gravel field, the problem is moving from a stop once in the gravel. After I got my paperwork signed, started the truck, shifted into first and tried driving away like normal. Truck didn't go anywhere and nearly stalled. Tried again with more revs, kicked up some gravel, slipped around a bit, but the clutch won't catch and keeps slipping. I back off a little bit, but then it wants to stall again. It seems like the only way to get it moving is to give it high revs and slip the clutch. I am worried about it burning it out. I tried going in 2nd, but it's even worse. I will be going back to the office daily and I don't want to draw too much attention to myself with all the reving or get stuck.

I am familiar with mud and sand, but this gravel stuff is something else. I have a 2013 regular cab 5-speed, 2wd. Any tips? Any advice is greatly appreciated...

 

Put some weight in the back of the bed, never had such an issue in gravel even when I had a ranchero for a daily driver

 

Can you just avoid it and park nearby and walk there? Seems like a rock and a hard place. So park on the hard place and avoid the rocks.

 

Pin it, drop the clutch.

 

Put some weight in the bed and drop your tire pressure by a couple PSI in the rear.

 

The clutch won't catch and keeps slipping? That confuses me.

 

Was engine regulating TRAC cutting in due to wheel spin ?

 

Not trying to be rude but it sounds like the OP isn't the most experienced manual driver. That or the clutch is bad. The gravel should not cause your clutch to slip....especially when it is fully engaged... You're more likely to spin your tires in gravel vs slipping the clutch.

 

^^what OZ said. what traction control system is on your truck? I'd read up on those and see if you can determine if one of those features is playing a part. you could also air down a bit.

 

You know what, I didn't even think about the traction control. There was some wheel spin, but it was cut short. The light did come on intermittently. Should i turn traction control off?

 

Yes, this is my first manual :]

 

I could be confusing clutch slip with wheel spin.

 

I could, but in case if i run into this situation somewhere else, I would like to be prepared.

 

Double check on the wheel slip or clutch slip. Even with traction control, the truck should not be that sensitive. Also make sure you never sit on the clutch for too long. Fully disengage and give additional throttle accordingly. You should be able to feel the contact point. If you are experienced with a man. tranny, my apologies.

 

Man tranny

I'll put money on engine regulating TRAC due to wheelspin

similar to snow

 

How deep is the gravel? There a mountain bike trail near me and the parking lot is deep gravel and is a PITA to get out of. Almost like driving in sand and I've been driving a manual since I started driving. My tip is just to start slow till you get a little momentum. If you dump the clutch you more than likely will just dig in and spin.

 

Man tranny...haha.

OZ T could be right as this is my first tacoma...it is also my first auto tranny. My comments are just assumptions based on my experience and information provided above. Hope you get it figured out.

 

yeah if the wheels spun and then power was cut, that sounds like traction control/engine regulation is kicking in. honestly, I'm not familiar enough with the system to advise. there are like 9 different combinations of settings. maybe someone else can chime in. a different combination of settings might be ideal for what you're driving in. but if it was me and it was happening right now- yeah I'd shut it all off. then it'll run like a normal truck and should respond the way you probably expect. wheels will spin when you lose traction in the gravel and stop spinning when they catch. if it's not too deep, you'll probably spin briefly and then be off and running. weight in the back end would help. If after shutting all the trac stuff off you are just spinning the tires, try rocking it (Forward, reverse, repeat). get some momentum built up until you can run with it.

 

Have your employer buy you a 4x4 taco.

 

If only...