Trail Edition vs TRD Off Road

I do some local back roads once a month. Most of it doesn't even require 4x4 but I use it anyway and always engage the 4 low and crawl control just to keep the mechanical parts moving

 

Sold my 21' OR for a 23' Trail. Very happy with the swap but loved my OR as well. The extra lift does considerably lower MPG and there is a slight drop-off in ride quality on concrete but on the trails, that extra inch in the front is NICE, (that's what she said.)

One thing I just noticed... The front recovery points are different than the OR. The Trail doesn't have the passenger side hook, it's just an eyelet with 3 bolts. According to the manual, it is the "tow recovery" points but it does look and feel pretty weak. You'd think that a truck marketed for off-roading would have better recovery points, (the OR as well...)

Strange.

 

Why would a truck made for trails not have fog lights?

 

I believe it has something to do with a factory lift making the fog lights being higher than allowed for new vehicles. Some federal law for new cars/trucks. Easy enough to install on your own if you want them.

And/or because the Trail is an SR5 minus the finer things in life like fog lights and crawl control.

 

Same reason rigid industries fog lights on TRD Pros are in half, so to speak. Full ones were too high (w/ pro Lift) for certain laws. Kind of ridiculous.

 

Well, "kind of ridiculous" until you encounter someone with a lift who also has their fogs ablaze on the roads; I have been blinded more times than I can count from such a scenario.

 

but an inch? Ridiculous.

 

Too high is still too high.

 

I had the option to buy either truck. They are close to the same price when you factor in the same add ons.

For me the trail was the better choice because:

The black seats are far better looking than the grey TRD seats.
Color matched rear bumper(I have the tech package so both trucks would have this)
SR5 tails look better than the TRD clear tails.
Small lift that DOES NOT affect warranty.
Trail wheels look better than the stock OR wheels
Pro Grille.

The only thing I dislike is the stupid bed boxes the trail came, lack of fogs, and none of them seems to come with the better headlights.

 

If you want to mod you get the offroad. If you don’t want to mod. You get the trail edition.
You get the offroad, swap out the grille and wheels for the trail edition. Done and done.

 

It all depends on the mods. I got the trail, the mods I want to do are fog lights and heated seats to start. Otherwise leaving the wheels and the suspension alone.

 

Meh, I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't count a few basic cosmetics as real mods.

 

Dealers lift these SR5, Sports and Off roads over 2 inches up front and some 285s and bigger. The last thing anyone is worried about removing is the fog lights which I don't think any fed law exists nor state laws. Look at the full size truck that sit higher and have fog lights, I could be wrong but until I see some laws I think the excuse is because of a lift as why the Trail didn't get fogs and also I don't think the Rigids were made smaller to accommodate the pros stance. Again I could be wrong, but I disagree.

 

It's actually a law. Same with headlight height. Goes for too tall and too low.

Toyota needs to build the truck to suit laws in every state. Every state has different rules in regulations. What the dealer does after doesn't matter to Toyota, the liability is off their back.

Toyota isn't really saving much by not installing the fog lights. Few dollars for the lights and a few dollars for the stalk switch. All the wiring is still there.

Here is part of the headlight law in my state.

Connecticut. Two headlamps are required to be turned on, and they must be mounted at least 22 inches above the ground but not more than 54 inches. Headlights must display either a white or amber light, which is visible at least 1000 feet in front of the vehicle.

(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two fog lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than twelve inches nor more than thirty inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands and so aimed that, when the vehicle is not loaded, none of the high intensity portion of the light to the left of the center of the vehicle shall, at a distance of twenty-five feet ahead, project higher than a level of four inches below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes.

 

Thank you but whats the federal law code section that shows this? I'm looking and as of now I have not found anything. I think that law is enforced about as much as removing tags from a mattress.

 

Federal law has nothing to do with it. Toyota wants to make sure everything that rolls off the assembly line is compliant with all states regardless of how corny the law is. They have zero interest in trying to bend the rules for the sake of fog lights. Not worth it to them when something stupid happens and the law works against them in a lawsuit.

Tons and tons of state laws are enforced Everday that have zero mention in Federal law.

 

Who know really? I got my Rigids so I'm good to go and was just curious. I'm not worried at all. Oh well, just asking.

 

Most of the time you find the strictest state laws and make sure all of your cars comply to them. Much easier than building cars to comply to individual state laws but sometimes that happens. I know in 1988 CA had stricter emissions laws and Ford made special models for CA only that year that had mass-air flow sensors instead of speed density like the rest of the country got. In 89 mass air became standard across the country. This is very much the exception though.

 

I believe you are wrong.... sorry can't put my hands on the source at the moment on why the Pro rigid lights are in this "odd" configuration and my TRD OR premium LED fog lights (no lift from factory are not)... but "reverese engineer" it. Just look at this blank space - who on earth would design it that way if not for Toyota (the potential big target) compliance concerns as @fourfourone details? Rigid sells nothing like this on their website - half "blank"/filler. Silly but nanny state wins much of the time....