TRD Sport vs TRD Off Road

Damn - I thought with my "color matched parts and fake hood scoop" I could win the Baja! What a mook. Dude, not everyone that buys one of these trucks intends to purposely take it into the craziest shit they can find. I'll give you the fact that the guy who said the "sport is far superior" is wrong - it is not - if you do intend to off road the OR is superior. But, I've noticed that you take a dig at the color matched parts and the fake scoop every chance you get. I think you're pissed that the most expensive and off road capable Tacoma - doesn't look the coolest. Just letting you know that you sound like a douchebag.

 

LOL... that comment was for the person with the superior comment... Let me be clear: A Sport Tacoma is superior to a Nissan Frontier! In fact all Tacomas are great... I wheeled with a bunch of Sports yesterday, and nobody broke down... Just a tire failure on the lead truck (helped us behind to avoid that root)!

I also have said that the SPORT is the truck if LOOKS are important to you, and there is nothing wrong with a good looking truck. Yah, I do rag about that hood scoop... I guess because of the view obstruction for something that doesn't do anything, but try and fake people into thinking it is some kind of super charger engine in there?

That's okay... if it helps Toyota to sell a truck, then fine. Would you still buy a Toyota Sport if it didn't have that scoop?

The extras that come with an Off Road are actually things to improve your ability to go places off road. If you don't want or need those, there is nothing at all wrong with that!

Peace... Keep On 4-Wheeling!

 

I agree about the how well A-TRAC works, but I still use my locker a fair amount. Those rear drums get hot pretty quick if the system is working a good bit. I like the fact you can use A-TRAC up front while the rear is locked at low speeds. Locked or unlocked, with A-TRAC you actually get the use of all four tires.

 

Thanks for your reply!

I would to ask you how you determined the rear locker is still a benefit... I have only used A-TRAC on places where I used to use the rear locker (on my '05 & '01 Tacos)... and I got through with ease.

I would like to know why you are not depending on just the A-TRAC, or what it is the rear locker gets you over better than the A-TRAC's 'smart locker' action. Is it just the concern over heating up the rear brakes?

Sound like you got some cool 4 wheeling trails! Photos?

Many thanks!!

 

Hi David, we have a mile and a half trail on some hunting property that is an old, washed out clay and black mud logging road. It'll crawl it in A-Trac, but if the trail is in bad shape, you can smell the brakes after the system has been kicking on and off for half a mile. I just engage the locker and poke along. Seems a lot let stressful on the whole system. I do have a pic of the one time A-Trac just would not cut it, and I absolutley had to use the locker. The rear drums just could not hold the spinning wheel after they got soaked. It made a god-awful racket trying, though!

 

Thanks fishshooter, you may have seen that I am trying to have the best understanding of our traction devices, so your input is appreciated! Most of my four wheeling in on dry land, desert, and beaches in Baja. The big exception was the 3 foot deep bog going to Mision Santa Maria, last May! I now have the differential breather up high so no more contaminating the gear oil with mud and water (I hope you have alos extended your breather based on what I see above!).

The A-TRAC does make a lot of noise pulsating the brakes, but I think I now see that (in your case and others) if there is a prolonged underwater run or a long slippery mud road... just lock the rear, and also have A-TRAC on so if you start to get stuck, and speed drops to 3 mph or less, the A-TRAC will turn the front end into a locker and pull you on out!

As far as this thread goes... ONLY 'OFF ROAD' TRDs HAVE the REAR LOCKER and A-TRAC... The hood scoop or colors wouldn't have helped one bit.

 

lol i dont think the scoop obstructs the view at all, coming from owning 6+subarus and 5 of them having hood scoops you need to take one of those for a spin before bashing the tacomas scoop, i dont even think the subarus scoop is really that bad, i dont even notice the tacoma's it just looks like a bump in the hood from behind the wheel

edit, mabye a bug deflector, but not that dinky scoop

 

Oh, I drove a SPORT with the scoop, I saw what it blocked... As an off roader for nearly 40 years I can tell you that visibility is extremely critical when your off road TRD is climbing up mountain sides... like we did last Saturday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG3KhKR0NJk&feature=player_embedded

 

Exactly, I mean look at these TRD SPORT Tacomas on this hill. They're about to crash at this extremely critical moment, all because of that damn hood scoop!







Then look at this TRD OFFROAD, I mean if he would've had a hood scoop he would've surely rolled his truck!




Where's the rolling eyes icon when you need it...

 

Maybe!!?? LOL

It is better to see more than to see less, that's all... Obviously it is my opinion... and shared with others, I might add (ask HB Murphy, who wanted to figure out how to mount his hood upside-down to improve visibilty even more!).

Have fun... don't let my fake hood scoop feelings bug you... afterall we both still have the best truck brand around, right?

 

lol

 

They should make an Off Road Sport

 

They should make a model that comes with lockers front and rear from the factory.

So much cheaper to do it at the factory than to do it aftermarket.

 

SR5 non-TRD FTW!

 

They do, it is called A-TRAC and it constantly monitors wheel spin and locks tires for traction, and releases for steering. Like front lockers, if only one tire in front (of all 4) has traction, and the others want to spin... that one tire will pull your truck out or up.

Also, there still is a rear locker for emergencies, but because a locker wants to make your truck difficult to steer, it is only for getting unstuck and not over 5 mph. A-TRAC has no such limits, as it allows you to steer easily.

On a trip to Mision Santa Maria (that requires lockers to get through) the front and rear locker rig owner marveled at the A-TRAC and admitted it was a better system for what we were driving over... Oh, what a feeling!

My previous two Tacomas had the rear locker, and I used it often... now, with the '10, I only use the A-TRAC in the same traction situations.

To learn more about A-TRAC, see the link below...

 

A-TRAC is not a locker. You keep saying this, it's just not true. It STOPS a wheel to transfer power to the other. That is NOT the same thing as driving BOTH wheels.

It's a great piece of technology, but it is not as capable as a locker, especially on the rocks. Lockers are not limited to 5 MPH. Toyota states that for safety reasons, as a locked differential will negatively affect handling at speed.

 

Right... 'negatively affect handling'... not the case with A-TRAC... and it is all about traction...

I love having lockers on 4WDs... but, what is the difference of actual power to the ground coming from a 'locked differential' forcing torque to a traction wheel (and a spinning wheel equally) and the brakes doing the same thing by stopping the useless spinning wheel?

Actually 100% of torque goes to a traction tire with A-TRAC and only 50% with a locker... Isn't that better?

 

It matters on the rocks, where neither wheel has enough traction to overcome the obstacle, but both wheels spinning can clammer up enough traction to get through.

 

Well, I am happy to let you know that A-TRAC doen not stop both tires from spinning... only ONE per axle IF the one has no traction so that the other tire gets all the torque.

Look at this video of A-TRAC in sand, with tires at 32 psi, and watch closely how the front and rear... as well as left and right tires are ALL 'locked' and spinning together with the A-TRAC on. You wanted the action of front and rear lockers? You got it... Toyota!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VHxslTiQug&feature=player_embedded