Gas Cover popping off while Off Roading?

I haven’t heard anyone mention this, and I haven’t had this issue before. The gas cover keeps popping off as I’m off road, anybody else get the same thing?

I went off-roading and it was weird it felt like my suspension was getting worse longer I drove. I took the same trail twice, and second time was 3 times as bumpy.. Truck bouncing around like crazy. That’s when my gas cover popped off for the first time ever. Not big deal but I’m curious.

I also dented the shit out of this little metal part under the truck. Anybody know what this part is?

The road really wasn’t that bumpy but my truck was bouncing around like it was falling apart.. I’ve been off-roading plenty times before this felt definitely rougher than normal.

Also anybody know why Traction Control constantly turns itself back on even after I’ve manually turned it off 1000 times?

 

My god man, what size tires are you running? Way too low profile for offroad.

 

Did you press the trac off button? Or did you hold it down?

 

If you are still on stock coil overs and shocks you probably roasted them in the first 30 mins and lost all of your dampening resulting in the harsh ride.

 

Traction control can only be fully disabled while stopped. You have to hold it down for 5 seconds or so.

As @hiPSI said, those tires look a little low profile for running trails. More sidewall would give you a better ride, especially aired down a bit.

 

When you say gas cover, are u meaning the fuel door? I've been with drunk friends that beat on their stock Tacomas and even jumped them. Never once seen a door pop open. Maybe u just had the right resonance to pop the door open.

 

Drunk friends lol...

 

You just need to bend the tab out a bit so it bites the lock properly.

 

Scary shit man. Sliding sideways into a tree is not cool lol

 

Been there, done that... got the shirt.

 

Lol, the picture is another Tacoma. Was my failed attempt at drawing out the part of my Truck I dented. That round metal piece right under the skid plate. No idea what it is. I have stock tires btw need to change them out

 

At first I just clicked the button, then after a bit I held it down and I think it may have worked. Thanks man

 

That definitely feels like what happened.. Lol Most likely why, my gas cover is popping off, the truck was riding rougher than a school bus off road. The back feels weaker than the front, doesn't sound like its dampening anything.

Is it an expensive fix? Not sure why they have a TRD off-road with such shitty shocks and coil-overs. I was going 5-10mph all the way down this mountain.. Went faster on the way up and it was a smoother ride..

How much would it cost just to switch them out?

 

It only happened once the truck started driving really rough. Obviously drives great on flat off roads, but it was absorbing none of the hits...

Thats when my gas cover popped off, I feel something is wrong but nothing looks damaged. Speed bumps are a little more rough but that's it

 

During washboards it happens? I've never seen that before. That's curious.

 

Because the trucks can only cost so much.

I spent 1.5 hours doing 40+ in a sandy river bed on the Arizona Peace Trail two weekends ago, truck loaded for an overlanding trip, and didn't experience any fuel door opening. Stock Bilstein suspension too. IMO the ride wasn't that bad for what we were doing.

 

The washboard roads were the WORST. It was like the truck was jumping up and down and sounded like the bottom of the truck was hitting the road when I know it wasn't.

Like I said the way up, was pretty normal. The way down, was like the truck was absorbing the road like shit. Sounded like a truck from the 70's

 

Well definitely something is off with my truck. I never had this problem till last weekend, on the way back from a trail..

Would you just replace the coil overs and shocks?

 

You have to understand a bit more about how your trucks suspension works:

It has the capability to modify the trucks center of gravity, i.e. it can lift the truck vertically depending on what it's driving on. Think driving up onto a curb with one front wheel, the suspension flexes and the trucks COG goes up a bit.

Sometimes, depending on your speed, your suspension will have the ability to absorb the bumps in the road while lifting the trucks COG at the same time. This is not ideal, resulting in a bumpy, jarring ride.

However, if your speed is modified (usually raised), all of a sudden your suspension can only do the job of eating up the bumps, without pushing the trucks COG up into the air. The truck stays 'flat' basically, while your suspension works like crazy. This, counter intuitively, results in a much more driver friendly experience.

I'm guessing, based on the terrain and your speed, that you were encountering the first situation (as you were headed downhill, less work for the suspension) on the way out, as opposed to when you were gaining elevation and the suspension had more 'work' to do, on the way in.