Tacoma goes on 5,000 mi journey across North America!

About a week ago myself and my family just completed an epic journey. In this thread I will give a detailed account of the trip that spanned from Houston Texas to Anchorage Alaska and beyond!

Truck is a 2007 access cab 4X4 2.7L manual. Her name is Shiva and she climbed the Rockies like a beast.. 5-6 min 3,000 RPM 3rd gear uphill pulls and she never compained, I think she liked it!!!

Stay tuned for pics...
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/<a href=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Casey1300/media/IMG_4116.png.html onmousedown=return linkRedir(this); target=_blank rel=nofollow>[ATTACH=full]2078915[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=full]2078917[/ATTACH]Okay, let's get started. Change oil, brakes pads front and rear (god damn you drum brakes) brake fluid, idler pullies, belts, new headlight. Get 5X8 and hook it up. Take off and Hpe didn't forget anything!
[ATTACH=full]2078919[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=full]2078921[/ATTACH]
We all know not much to see in Texas. It took us a day in a half just to get out of the state! Big and flat but great weather and smooth sailing.

[ATTACH=full]2078922[/ATTACH] Encountered rain and strong x-winds in WY and MT

[ATTACH=full]2078924[/ATTACH] Making energy from the winds......very nice

[ATTACH=full]2078926[/ATTACH] New country, they don't like guns(particularly hand guns); told them I didn't have any but promptly searched my U-haul for an hour, nice ppl though.

[ATTACH=full]2078928[/ATTACH] Shit gas is 116$ a gallon. I'm going to go broke! Wait it's liters...what is that conversion rate again?

[ATTACH=full]2078930[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078932[/ATTACH] I'm diggin' the terrain

[ATTACH=full]2078934[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078936[/ATTACH] Banff National Park.

[ATTACH=full]2078938[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078940[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078942[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078944[/ATTACH] Food Stop

[ATTACH=full]2078946[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078948[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078950[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078952[/ATTACH] Light flurries my ass! Damn you weatherman. Side story: Another couple from El Paso also pulling a trailer lost control on road and jackknifed trailer which de-tatched and both truck and trailer slammed into parked semi, which is the only thing that stopped them from running off side of the mountain (no guard rails in many places)

[ATTACH=full]2078955[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078960[/ATTACH] With no snow chains (left in garage, doh!) and no-season tires and pulling 5x8 trailer we starting sliding so I put it in 4x4. It was binding bad with snow packed roads then dry for 1/4 mi. then snow packed for 2 mi etc.

Later, I found out I had bad pass. side wheel bearing and lower ball joints and truck was out of alignment which probably contributed to 4x4 problems. Needless to say myself and spouse were white knucklkn it the whole way with Semi's passing us at 120km, it was a scary 5-6 hours. At this point I am wishing I had a 4-runner with full time 4wd that you can run on dry pavement or my wife's Subaru outback AWD with Blizzaks on it. My fault not right tires but was not expecting snow storm in beginning of OCT. I corrected this mistake as you will see later.

[ATTACH=full]2078961[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078963[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078964[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=full]2078966[/ATTACH]

 

Thanks for starting, I'll be following your progress thru pictures

 

love me a good road trip.

 

You have my interest Can't wait to see pics

 

Awesome! Looking forward to it.

 

Cool! I love these.

 

2.7?! I'll need to see those pics.

 

Sweet! Sub'd

 

Awesome!!!!!!! Lets see pics......

 

Welcome to alaska

 

I'll be interested to see how this progresses. I am wanting to plan a trip from the panhandle of Florida, all the way to an off-road area that is supposed to be by Snake River in Alaska. Will be interesting to see how your trip fares!

 

OP's still in Texas lol

 

Cool pics!
Can't wait to hear the rest

 

You drove right by me! I live in those mountains in the background! Those are the Big Snowy Mountains, I also own a 4 cylinder access cab, but, am upgrading to a V6 double cab automatic, I need the power and space. Looks like a fun trip! Me and the wife might be moving up to Alaska for a couple years as well.

 

Sweet. Man those x-winds were crazy we stopped to get gas around there and when I got out of the truck I thought I was going to get blown away. haha.

If I lived there I probably would want the 6er as well. The 2.7 did just fine but really had to work the gears.

 

Snowy roads are a passion of mine. I live in TX too. Makes you feel alive.

 

I like driving through snow but in the city. This was a little hairy 7 degree decline with no seasons and pulling a trailer. And then at night going over these hills not knowing how steep the other side is.



I had trouble in the snow honestly. But I had the wrong tires for the job. And it was the kind of conditions where It was snow packed for 2 miles then 1/4 mi of dry roads, then snowpacked for 1/2 mile, then dry for 5 miles then snow packed again.

I had hard time with driveline binding and it didn't want to kick out of 4wd easily. I had to stop a couple times to get it to disengage as it was binding and causing trailer to sway. I think if I had VSC and TC (2009 models on I think) it would have helped tremendously.