That gimmick called Crawl Control...

Try turning up the speed, I did the same thing and as I increased the speed, it smoothed right out

 

Front and rear lockers for the win. I’d trade my CC for a front locker in a heart beat, but you know what, my OR comes with a rear locker that the SR5 doesnt.

 

I’ve used it in similar situations in similar fashion and has worked well for me too. I think it’s just a matter of knowing when and how to use it. Although I don’t use it much on descents.

 

Nice feature I give you that, but I can say I will never use it or need it. I just wont ever be off the beaten path too much. Oh, but when CC breaks, Its going to be expensive!

 

I'm on that lsd.

 

We used to need 4wd in SE Pennsylvania when we used to get snow. Now we don't.

 

That's where I'm at. Yep, almost bought a new snowblower a couple years ago. Glad I didn't, the old one is fine.

 

I'm old enough to remember naysayers say "I don't need a computer applying the brakes for me" when ABS started becoming the norm. I remember the same arguments then about ABS, that I hear now about features like Crawl Control. Admittedly the CC is not a everyday use feature, but would have loved to have something like this on a few scary trails over the years.

 

Pretty sure Crawl control is just software controlling brake application and throttle. I don't think the CC itself will break. I thought it was a gimmik too until I tried it. It simply can control multiple areas of your powertrain in a way a person couldn't. It's pretty cool.

What I would like to see Toyota use in the front is something like a Detroit Tru Trac. I used them front and rear in my last truck and they were awesome; far better than the Track Loc (clutched) differential that came with it. They drive like an open diff normally but will lock as needed. A little brake drag will lock them right up which is what craw control will do. Yeah, you could use an e locker but Tru Tracs lock and unlock very quickly which is a benefit on the front. Also, they are great on a daily driver. anyone who has used a Detroit Locker or any other hard locking differential knows that while they are great on the trail, they are a pain in a daily driver; you chirp tires around corners and slide around when turning on a wet surface.

 

I hate clutch pack style differential-based LSD systems with a passion. More components to wear out. Brake limited slip is arguably one of the best inventions for off-roading... its faster, smarter, and uses the existing braking system for simplicity.

 

My truck has 4 wheels? WOW who knows these things?

 

I love crawl control, not afraid to admit that it has saved my ass on 2 occasions. I am a hunter first and truck driver second. I need to drive my truck through some very nasty clay up VERY steep hills in WV and through extremely deep mud in FL during deer season. Any technology that can get me out of a stuck situation and back to driving to or from hunting is great for me. Now I can understand that a pure 4x4 driver would not like the technology as they may view it as cheating or perhaps they are skilled enough not to need it. For me, however, it is great.

 

So I'm quoting myself here because the few times I used CC, it did jack but I realized that it's situational and used in the right situation it's awesome.

I actually have found CC to be quite impressive when it comes to climbing grades. It makes noises and does weird things when you are going downhill or on flat ground but up steep grades and slippery situations it's great.

I have a funny video on my IG with it working.

We went up "Waterfall" along Gold Bar rim which is one of the harder obstacles. Half the group had to be winched up (Rubicons made it) so when I pulled up everyone expected the "Tacoma" to be winched and we all prepped for it. I gave it a shot but couldn't find traction to just climb straight up so we said, heck let CC try. Turned it on and what do you know, that thing climbed it no problem and everyone's jaw just dropped, crawled up at like 3mph no problem, no slipping. Was awesome.

It's definitely in how to apply it and very situational, it wont work 100% of the time but it does a pretty darn good job. My hat's off to Toyota, with more time it will be better with updates.

 

Wished Toyota would implement a selectable brake torque vectoring in 4WD in the future without having to go into crawl control. The tech is already there, just needs some coding options I assume and a button.

 

You mean like A-TRAC for 4-HI?

 

Looked good, the slipping stopped right away.

 

Maybe this is a naive question, but why can't they implement this on a manual transmission? Or something similar?

I understand the 4-Lo and rear locker and A-Trac, but as I understand it CC is cruise control at a very low gearing. Or am I misunderstanding?

In any event, though I will probably never be in any tenuous situation like in the videos, would anyone say the the CC is far superior to manual for such maneuvers, or can one "get by" with manual?

 

Correct, it's low range cruise control that uses the computer to optimize traction and keep the truck directionally stable.

 

How close to crawl control capability is just applying light braking in an SR5? Not saying cc doesn’t work just thinking that regular anti lock braking will do quite a bit. I know it has the smaller booster so I’m not talking about doing this for extended periods of time.

 

I think CC applies brake pressure to individual wheels as needed. When the driver hits the brakes, it actuates all of them. It also modulates the throttle as needed. All the driver does is steer. It's doing more things at once than a person could. Most of the time, the driver can't detect a very minor slip of one wheel. Many people I have seen go whiskey throttle when they start to slip or dig in making it even worse; then they blame the truck for their poor skill set, bad line choice and inability to understand when to back up and take another swing at it.