4low-trac

If you do not do the mod, you will find that H4 with TRAC will get you more places than L4 with open differentials. Not sure the logic Toyota was using when they made TRAC disable in L4, but you could be correct.


Edit:
"or is there a real good reason that TRAC automatically turns off when switching to 4L in a truck not equipped with A-TRAC?"

TRAC automatically shuts off in L4 with ALL 4WDs, including those with A-TRAC. The Off Roads push the A-TRAC button to have traction control in L4, and it is MUCH stronger than TRAC... = lockers on the front and rear in that they are non slip and not just limited slip.

 

which TRD do you have? this mod works on 09+ sports and non TRD models but not on the TRD offroad.

 

this wire

(as you can see i accidentally cut the wrong wire the first time. no biggy the truck wouldnt start thats all lol

 

Thanks for the pic Yoytoda. I pulled out the glove box and thought, "OMG. There are like at least a dozen yellow wires!!!"

I have the 2011 TRD Sport 4x4. Double cab, long box, 5sp Auto. No offroad package. Sometimes I wish I had taken the offroad package, but really, this is a dual purpose vehicle and 98% of my driving is on road, so I probably made the right decision in the end... especially if this yellow wire mod works...

I know this is off topic, but I just read in another thread that the TRD Sport has a limited slip differential on the rear. Is this true??? I understood all of the differentials, front, rear or otherwise to be open diffs.

 

08 and older had a mechanical lsd

 

I think someone was reading the mechanical specs on the toyota website and saw "Auto Limited Slip Differential" and took that to mean that the TRD Sport had a mechanical LSD.

I was just exploring the Toyota website again and realized the other big reason I did not get the OR package. It isn't available in the Double Cab.

I still find it puzzling that Toyota disables TRAC in L4. Seems that there has to be something more to it than just marketing....

Can anyone see any potential drawbacks in terms of wear and tear on the brakes? Is the brake system not up to the task? I have read that the A-TRAC equipped models have beefier brake systems.

 

I have a double cab Off Road 4WD... my second... 2005 & 2010. Are you in another country?

 

like i said 08 and older sports came with mechanical lsd

i have 47k of hard wheeling and no issues what so ever with brakes. and the system will shut off if the brakes overheat. happened to me once going through lots of snow

 

he has double cab long box

 

I was responding to this statement he made: "... the other big reason I did not get the OR package. It isn't available in the Double Cab."

 

gotcha! nvm

 

Yup, the brake system is perhaps the strongest part of today's trucks!

The Off Road 4WDs have a hydraulic brake booster (needed to make the A-TRAC work)... so these trucks have awesome brakes.

TRAC/ AUTO LSD & A-TRAC while on and active are not wearing the brakes except for the rare moments when one tire begins to spin free. You riding the brake pedal going down hill may over-heat the pads, but A-TRAC may never ... and if you find a trail where the A-TRAC gets that much use, I want to go on it!

 

Yes. I am in Canada. The only Tacoma with TRD Off Road package is the V6 6spd Manual Access Cab. Not available on any double cab models.
I can't see brake wear and tear being a big deterrent for me from doing the mod as I would probably only resort to it on the odd occasion when I get really stuck. Probably really could have used it this past Saturday (I'll have to post a pic later if ya'll promise not to laugh). But I wonder if brake concerns are part of Toyota's rationale for not allowing TRAC in L4

 

there are plenty around... come to big bear, make sure you have skids and sliders lol

we found the limit of atrac on an FJ on gold mountain trail, hbmurphy got stuck on Dishpan springs on the hard line, brandonh had no issues with f/r lockers. I wish i had atrac on my truck but i didnt want to dish the money.

it seems the jerky action of ATRAC (on surfaces where you just barely have enough traction as it is) makes it a pain because the jerking will cause a loss of traction and the truck can shift. the only downfall ive seen thus far... other than that its great

 

Yah, Paul (HB) has a sweet '09 DC... A-TRAC and a front locker he added...

The lockers work smoothly when you need to climb or crawl over loose rocks...

The A-TRAC is already on the truck, and being free (or included) makes for some allowences, such as the noise it makes when working, lol!

The A-TRAC is superior if you need the full front and rear traction while driving and turning on a mountain trail, as steering is not affected. All the guys with front lockers I trailed with had to unlock the front or both front and back while negotiating the road to Mision Santa Maria... My A-TRAC was always in the on mode.

 

Not at all (IMO), since TRAC is working for you in H2 and H4... Now, what per centage of driving is done in L4 (compared to how often you are in 2WD or 4-High)?

I wish it was more, but I am in L4 maybe 2% of all my Tacoma miles, H4 maybe 6%, and H2 92%. If Toyota isn't worried about the 90 to 100 per cent most Toyotas drive in 2WD using TRAC, I can't se how the few times we are in low range are going to be that significant.

 

You didn't promise not to laugh but here it is anyways...



What are your opinions on whether or not TRAC would have helped me out of this hole? In case you're wondering... that is about 3" of water on top of 24" of heavy, thick, mud.

Sometimes I do things a little backwards see.... I spent the time researching posts on this forum about how the different 4WD modes work and how the TRAC system interacts with the 4WD system only after I had this little excursion. So what you see in this picture is me in L4 with no TRAC or A-TRAC. Open diffs at both ends of the truck. I was doing the "2 wheel boogy" as others have called it. Had I switched to H4 and had the benefit of TRAC (or had I done the yellow wire mod previous to this trip) I wonder if I would have needed that tow after all??

 

Oh... and the worst part was my buddy that was in the passenger seat opened the door without checking the level of the water first....

 

Well, I need to ask... after you got stuck in open differential mode, did you even try H4 with TRAC on?

Mud tires would have made a difference too... what were you running? None of us want to see a stuck Tacoma! I see dry land next to the truck, why were you in that water... a test?

 

all very good questions.... This is all a bit new to me. I only learned the differences between the different 4WD modes after this trip... like I said I do things a bit backwards sometimes. This was my third time out and the first couple of times we went out we made it through mud holes that looked much worse than this with ease (mostly in L4 - I think...). So no, I didn't try H4 in this case. Wish I had. Almost want to go back and try it again.... almost.

No mud tires, just all terrains. BF Goodrich All Terrains. Better tires are definitely on the list.

And why were we not on the dry ground?... perhaps the best question of all. Because we had been on a rather boring trail for a couple of hours at this point and finally found something that looked a little more challenging.... I wish I had a better answer than that. I really do.