What offers more control off roading?

Fact . The AT gives you one useful option MT doesn't. Why would you void a good warranty and spend more money than what you pay for the warrantied factory locker? Having said that I would guess your leaning heavily toward the MT . Do what you think will make you happy .

 

Hopefully you know it was kidding.
I’m loving my 4x4 MT. Forget the hood scoop. Haha.

 

Oh at first I thought you were trying to decide . I see now you have the sport .. It's still a killer truck . Congrats.

 

All I could think about...

 

I have only wheeled stick. MOST of the time I prefer the stick. But in some situations I wished I had an auto. Slick yet contact cement sticky mud for instance. You just can’t fling the mud out of the tread fast enough with a stick and it always seems to be in too high or too low a gear. When in the rocks there are times when I love to just chug along in 4low. Then there is that one situation where you need to stop and start while climbing over something and you just can’t heel toe enough pedals at the same time with a stick. Now I have run an auto in DEEP snow which often uses mud techniques and the auto can dig like a MOFO and go from crawling to insane wheel spin in an instant if needed.

So IMO buy what you want for the daily driving parts of your life and learn the proper technique for whatever transmission you bought. Unless you are building a dedicated off road machine then it comes down to PERSONAL preference and not what some guy off the internet told you.

 

Wait a second......... are you buying what you want or what the local dealers lot is offering? Either ORDER what you want (as long as they make that configuration) or buy what ever colour, trim and model they have on the Tuesday you walk in to buy.

I just don’t get it. I made my list of what I wanted and then searched a few dealers to see the different paint in person and then made a decision. I had 3 Tacoma’s on my local dealers lot and the colour I wanted was the same truck I had test drove 4 to 5 times already. Otherwise I was going to wait as long as it took to get EXACTLY what I wanted. They make new trucks every day of the week.

 

I've always found that lots of amber lights gives me more control off road.

 

Transmission is up to personal preference. Auto is easier for sure off road but the manual gives you greater control. Stock suspension OR wins. Tires stock OR also. Locker is also a plus. I don’t have any experience with using crawl control. But the MT has way better gears and you don’t get the tranny woes.

Also the auto has push to start and keyless touch entry, the manual has normal fob and crank key to start. If that matters to you at all.

 

Ah, but he also didn't ask about capability. I believe the question was "which offers more control".

The manual transmission clearly offers more control. It's reaching its little arm out to you, begging you to take control. The automatic doesn't think you're good enough. It's damn sure you're not good enough to crawl.

"But Billy, Crawl Control tm is all about the ultimate control while crawling"

Oh my dear deluded child, that control is not offered, it is taken away from you.

 

Was thinking the same thing, anything that did not lead to his preferred answer was shot down, not countered with relevant supporting information.

Even the title is a little misleading unless he's defining "control" means having to do everything yourself, not "control" to get out of or avoid a tight offroad situation.

If so then having to do it yourself doesn't make it more capable. When comparing the two trucks in the first post the AT OR is more the capable truck with the locker and CC and easier to drive offroad without a slipping clutch or stalling.

 

I think it's pretty interesting that no one here is talking about the skewp factor.

 

Absolutely.
You've also got a skewp. Don't underestimate that factor.

 

I figured it was pretty obvious, who wants to look around the ass pimple?

 

CC to me is useless. Maybe one day I'll find a time that it can actually help but so far it hasnt been useful and I wheel my truck at least once a month. Now your talking about adding a locker, not which is better stock with the exception adding better tires like your original post. I will say that I find MTS to be pretty nice in an Auto OR and way more beneficial than CC.

 

Yeah, but the performance gain...

 

Oh yeah, there's that.

 

I've owned 15 different 4X4 vehicles going back to the 1970's. Nine were manuals, 6 have been auto's. Doing farm and construction work I've driven quite a few company trucks and SUV's off road and about 50/50 AT vs MT with those.

In 2017 I'll take an auto ever single time in a stock vehicle. The biggest reason is the gearing. Back in the 70's common axle ratios were in the 4:1 and near 5:1 ratios. Newer trucks are lucky to get a 3.73:1 axle ratio. High gears, even in lo range, suck off road in a manual. It is much easier to control the vehicle with an auto. For the guys who regear the MT starts looking a little better, but even regearing I'll take an auto.

Even years ago it was pretty much a wash. An auto was always easier to use going uphill, but a manual does a better job of slowing you down going downhill. You're going to go up and down about the same number of times. Years ago a manual was more durable and got better fuel mileage. That is pretty much a wash anymore.

There are no practical reasons to choose a MT anymore. But lots of guys just enjoy stirring the stick and that is justification enough. I wouldn't call a MT a handicap. It is just that I can no longer see any advantages.

 

Yes, I like dogs.

They keep my pots from falling off the launcher.