How deep of water can I get my taco in?

I have a stock 2011 DCLB Sport on 265/70/r17 (32" I believe). Aside from tires, everything is bone stock. How deep of water can I safely drive my Tacoma into, and why?

 

On a serious note, have you done your rear diff breather mod?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNc7FEJmBZ0

 

no. aside from tires the truck is stock, as is noted in the OP.

 

You can put it through about 24 to 36 inches of water for a short time like a small creek or river. Other than that without lift and breather mods you risk sucking water into the rear axle seals and such

 

I want to say your rear diff is the weakest link in your current setup then. If you wanted to do the mod it's very easy to do and ~$20

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/differential-breather-mod-for-dummies-pics.15686/

 

24-36 inches leaves quite a bit of wiggle room. any idea on a more exact number? or, given no mods, a physical point on the vehicle. how about for extended period of time? how do you define a short time?

 

As soon as you are past your rocker panel water will start is migration into every oriface of your truck. Stick to 50 to 100 feet and the problem is you can't ever really tell how deep it is until your in it for the most part.

 

awesome, thank you. assuming I do this, what is my max depth? I'm more so curious about what there is to ruin under the hood. I am ultimately just curious how deep I can drive this into the local crick.

 

If you start floating you have gone to far. Typically you want to keep water level below air intake inside the passenger wheel well.

 

Ah, that's more along the lines of what I was looking for.

 

Becarefull sometimes it only takes a small puddle, the right angle when turning and tire can also throw water up there too. So it didn't have to be deep, just has to get into the air intake.

 

If you see the top of your wheels submerged and the other side isn't imminent, you should be sweating. OR get a snorkel. Seriously...do it. do it... do it.

 

and +1 to the diff breather mod. It's easy, fully reversible, and will worth while

 

What do you mean if the other side isn't imminent?

 

Yes, just read up on it. Will be doing this sooner rather than later.

 

4 feet with a 6 inch lift kit.

 

Approaching the other bank. If you’re not get getting close to the other side of the creek and the water starts getting that high.

 

other side = the dry side of whatever water you plan on crossing. I think it can be summed up as such. Let the internet correct me if I'm wrong. Your main concerns for water crossings are as follows

- Rear differential: the stock breather is located on top of the differential (big pumpkin in the middle of the rear axle). as the diff fluid heats up it expands, and cools and contracts, the breather allows air to flow in and out. and warm differential that gets submerged will rapidly cool, drawing a vacuum, and pull fluid into the diff. Water + diff oil is bad for your gears. the breather mod puts the diff breather in a higher location. Without this mod, you risk damaging your rear differential any time the rear differential is submerged (slightly above wheel center).

- Air intake: The stock air intake is located in the passenger wheel well. Visible in the venting from the outside, and the intake hose from the engine bay. Your engine relies on compression of an air/fuel mixture. Water is non-compressible. If water gets sucked into your air intake, into your engine, you risk damaging pistons and other critical engine components. A snorkel, or other air-intake relocation can remedy this. Without this, your intake is at risk any time the wheel well is submerged (or exposed to excess splashing water)

- Battery/ Alternator: When critical electrical components are exposed to water, electrical shorting can occur causing permanent damage to the vehicle's computer and other instruments. This is unavoidable with long-term exposure to deep water. Avoid spending any excess time in deep water. If you aren't moving, you're rolling the dice with water crossings.

All considered, our trucks are resilient but you have to take care of them. Be realistic about what your 'stock' truck was designed for, and what your ambitions are asking of it. We mod our trucks for a reason.

I hope this doesn't sound too condescending