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3rd Gen Traction Control Modes Explained

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by Doggman, Jan 25, 2018.

  1. Jun 7, 2021 at 4:39 PM
    #421
    tonered

    tonered bartheloni

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    We've only been at it for five years or so. :D
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2021
  2. Jun 7, 2021 at 6:42 PM
    #422
    Jeff Lange

    Jeff Lange Well-Known Member

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    I think it’s a safe bet to say the Trail will have the 8.75” diff if it’s getting a locker.

    Jeff
     
    MQQSE and tonered like this.
  3. Jun 7, 2021 at 9:33 PM
    #423
    wilderness4wd

    wilderness4wd Well-Known Member

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    Any web developers here? I started to throw all of this information into a little html file using Bootstrap and some tables and menus, but I'm a little rusty and don't have the bandwidth to learn and fiddle around with it.

    Sure all of the info is right here in this thread but it could be organized and formatted a little bit better on a dedicated web page.

    Some ideas:
    • Put all of this info into a very, very basic but cleaning looking webpage. Keep it simple
    • Give full credit to everyone here who contributed, especially OP. Make it obvious that the website owner is simply maintaining the site
    • Have links linking back to this thread and give props to TW
    • Provide examples, along with videos, as to when you would use certain modes
    • Let user choose their year, make, model, and trim and it'll show them the modes available to them
    • Add the button pictures, describe what the lights mean, etc.
    • Expand on basically everything
    • Etc.

    Meh I dunno.... Just a thought. It would take a pro web developer just a few hours to throw up a little site. It won't need anything fancy like user accounts, a database, forms, etc. Just basically display information and some menus and links and images.

    Maybe http://www.toyotatractioncontrolmodes.com :p

    P. S. Some info can also be scraped from here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/traction-control-everything-you-want-to-know.21697/
     
  4. Aug 16, 2021 at 5:08 PM
    #424
    Tocamo

    Tocamo .

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    Folks with the Pro & Off Road should be testing these functions out approx. once a month to keep things lubed. (rear locker, Crawl control, 4hi, etc..)

    Any Taco model with 4x4 should do the same. On a hard rainy day, is always a good time to throw it into 4hi.
     
  5. Aug 17, 2021 at 7:39 AM
    #425
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    Excellent advice... Use the 4WD (Hi and Lo), even if briefly. The ADD (Automatic Disconnecting Differential) needs some love. The Rear Locker as well, just to keep things 'lubed'. A-TRAC, MTS, CRAWL are all electric devices that use the ABS brakes so they are not things that need to be 'lubed' like the transfer case, ADD, and locker motor.

    My 2010 Off Road 4x4 Tacoma with 131,000 miles, still functions in all modes. That is even when I forget to use the 4WD monthly, as advised!
     
    Tocamo[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. Aug 25, 2021 at 11:51 AM
    #426
    xrider472

    xrider472 Active Member

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    Just got thru reading this excellent thread. Not sure if this pic changes or agrees with the findings? The PDF docs in the first post show VSC & TRAC to be off with MTS engaged. Took me a little while to read the whole thread. I may just be confused. Lol. The pic came from my 2021 owner's manual. I have the TRD Off Road AT. Thoughts?

    IMG_20210825_133418_1.jpg
     
  7. Aug 25, 2021 at 12:04 PM
    #427
    jasmits1

    jasmits1 Well-Known Member

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    Technically what’s happening when MTS(or CRAWL or ATRAC on an MT) is engaged is the TRAC/VSC systems run a different program designed for off-road traction. It’s all the same set of sensors and computers using the ABS system to vector torque around and find traction, except instead of working to reduce wheel spin and prevent slides it’s working to find the most traction. So basically the torque vectoring is much more aggressive and it stops cutting throttle if there’s wheelspin

    So normal TRAC/VSC programs are still not engaged, but that system is doing something else. I guess that’s some weird quirky error message that happens if you try to press the traction control off button while using one of the off road traction modes.
     
  8. Aug 25, 2021 at 12:05 PM
    #428
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    Hmmm, let me try to explain what Toyota means... Keep in mind, much of their written instructions have not translated well into English!

    MTS (like A-TRAC) is a Low Range feature to get you through, up, and over most anything. MTS is the new "active traction control" or A-TRAC (it is adjustable A-TRAC for different terrain conditions).

    So, if MTS is on, you can't turn A-TRAC off (otherwise MTS would be off, also). Now, in my truck, VSC goes off in low range... so since you can't turn it on, you couldn't turn it off! That's the only way I can explain the manual wording.

    What do you think?
     
  9. Aug 25, 2021 at 12:14 PM
    #429
    jasmits1

    jasmits1 Well-Known Member

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    As a software engineer by trade I’m pretty positive what’s happening is the that you’re locked out of trying to defeat traction control and vsc if in MTS or ATRAC or whatever because all of the hardware that makes VSC work is very much active just with different programming. So whether you pressed the traction button in an attempt to turn it off or on it’s contradictory to what you’ve already told it to do.
     
  10. Aug 25, 2021 at 12:15 PM
    #430
    xrider472

    xrider472 Active Member

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    Both answers are helpful & make sense (unlike the manual). Thank you!!
     
  11. Aug 25, 2021 at 12:22 PM
    #431
    xrider472

    xrider472 Active Member

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    Yep, says it right here. Just found it. Thanks guys.

    IMG_20210825_141955_1_1.jpg
     
  12. Oct 14, 2021 at 1:09 PM
    #432
    kperatt09

    kperatt09 Well-Known Member

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    I'm curious, what has everyone found to be the most effective MTS mode at getting the front end to "lock"? I feel like they all aren't as good as the good old simple a trac button.
     
  13. Oct 14, 2021 at 4:26 PM
    #433
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    'Lock' is not a very good term... but I get that you mean "Least amount of tire spin". It also applies to the back axel, so not just the front. Hard for me to say since I have A-TRAC and not the adjustable MTS & Crawl. MTS 'Rock' Mode is supposed to be the least amount of slip. So, get into L4, with or without the rear locked, and MTS Rock for the front to be the most "locked". Let us know what you discover... Photos of what kind of cliff you drove up, too!
     
  14. Oct 14, 2021 at 4:34 PM
    #434
    jcampbell474

    jcampbell474 Well-Known Member

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    Could be wrong, but I understand it to be Rock. Here is a decent demonstration: https://youtu.be/vYY1x47IP3I?t=309.

    Watch the whole video for additional context.

    FWIW, I sent TFL Truck an email last year asking Tommy to do the slip test on all MTS modes. He replied that it was a good idea, but the video never materialized.
     
    kperatt09[QUOTED] likes this.
  15. Oct 14, 2021 at 7:10 PM
    #435
    ShimStack

    ShimStack Well-Known Member

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    The highest grip surface setting will be the most aggressive mts strategy.
     
    kperatt09[QUOTED] likes this.
  16. Oct 15, 2021 at 9:05 AM
    #436
    kperatt09

    kperatt09 Well-Known Member

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    Headed out in a few weeks to do a pretty narly trail, I'll post results :p

    I usually just leave it in rock, and dont dick around with it too much.
     
  17. Oct 17, 2021 at 9:15 PM
    #437
    H3llRid3r

    H3llRid3r Well-Known Member

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    I’ve had Crawl let me down twice now. This last time was on a steep angle. I was close to creating when the wheels just dug in and sprung. The truck was bouncing all over the place.

    I made several attempts. I did not think to try MTS, but honestly not sure what the difference is. I did try both front and rear locked and still couldn’t do it.

    In hindsight, the only combo I should’ve tried was airing down to 10 or 15 psi. I was sitting around 30 psi.
     
  18. Oct 18, 2021 at 5:20 AM
    #438
    David K

    David K Well-Known Member

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    Crawl is 'cruise control' for low range... all you do is steer.
    MTS is the adjustable traction control that you dial in the road surface you are on. You press the gas pedal to move and hit the brakes as needed.
     
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  19. Oct 18, 2021 at 7:51 AM
    #439
    jasmits1

    jasmits1 Well-Known Member

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    I mean if there simply isn't enough mechanical grip between any of the tires and a surface to be found no matter how advanced a traction control system is it can't create traction out of thin air. Systems like CRAWL and MTS are much more automated than traditional lockers and can make things easier than open diffs for inexperienced drivers but at the end of the day driver skill is still the most important ingredient. Knowing how to pick a good line helps no matter what you're driving, and on well equipped 4x4s with multiple mechanical and electronic traction aids like ours knowing when to use the right combo of lockers and electronic systems for a situation and how to get the most out of each of those systems makes all the difference.

    Now, if one tire does have some grip but the system isn't succeeding in sending power to that tire CRAWL is indeed letting you down. If you've picked an impossible line with aired up tires you're letting it down.
     
    H3llRid3r[QUOTED] likes this.
  20. Dec 29, 2021 at 8:19 PM
    #440
    Canadian Caber

    Canadian Caber R.I.P Layne Staley 67-2002

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    Thanks so much to all whom toiled away to decipher Toyota’s poor explanation of what all the traction features are and what they do. Such an awesome post. I think the general consensus is to just take the truck out and see what it can do in various scenarios.

    Had a chance to mess around in a un-plowed snowy parking lot just the other day. First impressions was how robust the VSC is in preventing the truck from going out of control. Me and my wife really noticed it and thought it was quite good compared with it being turned off. VSC and the engine cut was an odd sensation but I can see the value with this in driving on city streets and highways. This will be the majority of our use. Driving off road and what to select gets a little cloudy as I’ve not been able to get out and away much. Experimented with 4Lo a little bit but it was on easy logging roads.

    The excellent entry by @Doggman below helps to try and rationalize what’s going on. However, with my TRD Sport, I have added to his list of when and how many times to press the “Override” or “VSC” switch below to try and digest it all. The entries in bold, I was wondering if they are accurate looking?

    With the Off-Road’s and the Pro’s they get a few more tools in the tool box which don’t apply to my Sport of course.

    I’m coming from a brand new 1992 Toyota extra-cab 4x4 V6 I had for 14 years. Straight forward using four wheel drive. Open front and rear diffs. Next was a 2003 Pathfinder. Drove that for 15 years. Same open diff’s but I’m fairly certain it had a mechanical rear LSD.

    The 3rd gen Tacoma 4x4 Sport is an entirely different world for me.


    All Models
    1. 2Hi TRAC ON and VSC ON
    2. 2Hi AUTO LSD. In this mode VSC is off from 0-30mph and on over 30mph. (Press VSC switch once while stopped).
    3. 2Hi TRAC OFF and VSC OFF (Press and hold VSC switch for 3 seconds while stopped).

    4. 4Hi TRAC ON and VSC ON.
    5. 4Hi TRAC OFF and VSC ON. In this mode TRAC is off from 0-30mph and on over 30mph. (Press VSC switch once while stopped).
    6. 4Hi TRAC OFF and VSC OFF (Press and hold VSC switch for 3 seconds while stopped).

    SR/SR5/TRD Sport/Limited
    7. 4Lo TRAC ON and VSC OFF.
    8. 4Lo TRAC OFF and VSC OFF (Press and hold VSC switch for 3 seconds while stopped).

    4F84BCCB-85A1-43B6-AB04-03771BA97DCD.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2021

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