How 2nd gen deals with water/puddles

Hello: 2nd Gen 4x4. My truck has a quirk I haven't experienced before on a truck or any other vehicle I have owned over the years.

Going through even a reasonable puddle on the side or center of the road after it has rained (or is currently raining) at slow/moderate speed brings the water straight up and onto the hood and windshield and you're blind until you can fumble to get the wipers on or off intermittent. It's as bad as a good car-wash in full-blast mode. Almost any car I have ever driven drives the water to either side like a boat.

We're not talking about crossing a mountain stream here at 40 mph: just your normal town roads with a puddle in a slight depression near the curb that has collected and maybe 1-2" deep at any speed above about 20 mph. I have learned to live with it, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something: Hood chin, baffle, bug-deflector?? .

All of the wheel curtains are in place nothing looks removed, missing or broken. There are two useless-looking small plastic rectangles hanging down in front a little and on either side of the tires but other than that: nothing. It's a real problem when you're on an Interstate, it's pouring like it did all of last year, and you hit a good puddle and it takes 15 seconds to clear.

Anyone else has this phenom on their truck? Thank you.

 

Definitely need a snorkel, that will fix all your problems

 

This "quirk", when it happens sends the water over the roof and I can see it landing in the bed. The snorkel would get a nice drink too.

Besides: I'm too old for a snorkel.

 

Normal Tacoma feature, unfortunately, I experienced the same with my 2012. I think it's a factor of how little truck is ahead of the wheel wells.

I can't remember if the 4Runner does it (I might just be used to it now).

The real bitch is throwing rocks onto your own windshield. At least that's only happened once.

 

Mud flaps and skirts?

 

Don’t know. I have wipers, ARB bumper, and drive according to conditions.

you can’t go 45 if the road is full of cars going 30.

rainX is good to put on glass.

 

Never experienced or even imagined rocks on the windshield in this phenomenon, thank goodness. Makes me think. Thank you.

Now that I know I'm not alone I can live with it and move on. Certainly not a show-stopper.

 

They are all there and in place: all four corners.

 

Irrelevant: More often than not, when it happens there's no cars and I'm only doing 20 mph on my own cow-path street in east no-where trying to get to the main-drag.

FWIW: If there is deep, sloppy slush: that gets launched too.

 

Never ever experienced this with my truck. The only times I have seen this happen on a truck is when the wheel offset is too low and/or has wide tires that the tire edges are outside the wheel wells. When you have wide tires or/and low wheel offset and you go through even small puddles or mud it throws mud or water on the hood, roof sides, all over.
Had a 4Runner years ago that when I got new wheels the shop installed wheels with way low wheel offset. Every puddle, spot of mud, snow, slush got thrown all over the sides, hood, roof. Was always filthy from this. I had them replace the wheels with the correct offset (higher offset) , problem solved.

 

Drive faster or slower and the water won't hit your windshield. Just have to decide if you're more comfortable at 100mph or 10mph.

 

Answer: lift the truck 8 inches. It’s science, water cannot travel that high


To quote OP, “and you hit a good puddle and it takes 15 seconds to clear.” Uhh, no? Just hit the wipers. There are many things in life to fret over. This is not one.

 

If you extend your flares that will lessen your issue. Garden edging has been used to sccomplish that, or you could get wider fender flares like the bushwacker pocket flare.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ToyotaTacoma/comments/t1ya0a/comment/hyivsx5/

https://www.extremeterrain.com/bush...VYSqtBh33twVfEAQYAiABEgLQ9fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

I made these splash guards from templates provided on this site. They work great! Don't know if they would help with your problem, however they cover much more area.

Here is the link:https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-3rd-gen-diy-splash-guards.820055/

 

Get a Jeep fold down the windsheild problem solved.

 

He'll need a pair of these then

 

Only on Fridays

 

This makes sense. Thank you! The wheels are the stock originals that came on the truck (6-lug steel, silver painted) and the the tires are the the same size as the ones that originally came on it. (245/75R16)

 

this cant be real is it? im from Oregon have never had this problem. have had oversized mud terrains, on the OEM wheels and now a oversized wheel and tire the only time i see any fluids thrown is when im turning ill see the water or mud depending rooster tail up past my mirrors.

also on an ARB bumper... heck my profile pic was after crashing though a depression with like 9inches of water in it

 

It is. 10' L x 3' W x 2-3" deep puddle @ +-20mph along the curb in my neighborhood, right/left/both front tires: Up comes the water and a moment later, you drive right through it: Free drive-thru truck wash. Sometimes you can go around, sometimes you can't due to an oncoming car. It's kinda like when a car on the highway going south hits a puddle and sends a wave up and over the center guard-rail, and surprise-drowns you heading North.