A-TRAC Videos (Active Traction Control in Action)

My wife and I took her '10 6 speed Off-road out today to try some muddy hill climbs with the stock tires. I took some videos on my cell. All but one are to long to upload so we will take the camera and try again tomorrow.
Here is our conclusion. For the muddy hills climbs is locker and A-TRAC is the best combo. I think it is better because once progress is slowed the front kicks in to help. The A-TRAC alone did bog down progress! It may be because it is grabbing brakes but it definitely bogs down. You can see in this video it brings her to a stop and you can hear the engine bogging. Once stopped she was able to get wheel spin back and get traction. I thought she might have turned the locker on but she did not. I realize ideally second gear and more throttle would have helped but we were experimenting. If we had "real" tires and had been aired down I doubt we would even had an issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0y44lTNMzg

 

Listening to that video suggests gear choice was the issue, not ATRAC, as the truck either stalled or nearly, but in a lower gear, you can hear / see ATRAC working. Auto trans sure are convenient off road.....Nice vid!

 

Thanks Rubi...

My thoughts on what I saw...

Automatic transmission or just going slow and steady in low gear instead of taking a run at it, may have been smoother. With 4WD, the beauty is the abilty to climb with traction instead of momentum (that's for 2WD). The fact that she stopped the truck and was able to easily drive from that point from a stop proves the effectiveness of A-TRAC.

The same run done 4 times, slower and in Low 4 (no A-TRAC), and again in Low 4 with RR Locker (no A-TRAC), then A-TRAC, then finally A-TRAC + Locker. To see the difference in the 4 drive modes you have in Low Range 4WD.

Another run could be done in 4-HIGH, with TRAC.

Very visual! I wish I was near such a hill so I could do the various climbs... what fun!!

Thank you!!

 

With the hill being muddy we needed wheel spin and momentum to climb it. You just can't crawl mud even with 4 wheel drive. The dirt is clay and it gets really slick. If it were dry we would get totally different results. She did try to climb it with lower speed but it bogged down more. With out A-TRAC the truck could not have made it up that slow. For the record the truck was in first gear with moderate RPM's, until the truck bogged then she floored it.
I will get more video tomorrow with a camera I can link to my computer and take the vids of the different modes again.

 

Crom - I haven't read this whole post - I hope to when I have time, but you have done a great service to everyone on this board and to that point, I am grateful!

 

Yeah and unless you are prepared to drop serious cash to upgrade drive train you will be replacing everything under that Jeep. One of my runs with jeeps turn into food fest since half of the jeeps broke on the trail (granted it was one of the toughest trails out there. Toyota guys run out of food and drinks since we spent driving for 10 min and sitting for a 1 hour waiting for Jeeps to get mended I am not gonna go again with these cars on joint run.

 

Funny stuff... it gets my friend with a Rubicon upset when I point these facts out! I do love Jeeps, but after owning a new one that had nearly everything fail on it... I am spoiled by Japanese quality.

A friend of the Jeep group has an Isuzu Trooper, always goes out with them... Parks and watches them take turns climbing one tire up a boulder for photos and then is there to pull at least one of them out of the hills each trip! Too funny... I experienced this when (with my first Tacoma) I lead a Jeep club in Baja to a canyon and when they saw a boulder they could each drive a tire up on, well the day was over... and they were happy. I had much more to show them, but I nearly died laughing at these weekend Jeepers doing what they thought four wheeling was all about!

 

Hey, hey, easy now some of us drive Jeeps too! long wheel base Tacomas would have a hard time on a trail like this.

But you sure wont see me jumping my Jeep or hauling ass down a wash board road. Hell even the street is a way better ride in the Tacoma and I am sure it will only improve with the mid travel suspension.
Anyway back to A-TRAC, cuz thats where the partys at! You can see in the vid where I have the locker off, it is such a tight spot i needed it off to make the turn. Thats really where A-TRAC comes in handy.

 

Thank you Sir.

Me too. It was quite a few months after I had the truck before I realized what A-TRAC was and how it works, let alone where the button was. I'm so glad I have it.

I agree. The Tacoma would need a good suspension lift, larger tires/wheels.

Jeeps definitely have solidified their place in the offroad world.

Yes tight turns A-TRAC works well.

 

If she could dig it in, and then re-start mid climb, it was either not in first gear, or she let off. The video shows that she was able to re-start half way up, and there was ample traction. She either ran at in in the wrong gear, or let up. Did she start in 4H maybe?

Bogging down would be the result of being in too high of a gear. Even my old 4 banger could not be bogged in 4L, no matter how hard it was stuck. Now way the 6 was bogging, do you realize that the Tacoma lays down almost 6000ft/lbs of twist in first gear? That's enough torque to tear the tread right off the tires..........

 

I can tell you there is no place with dry rocks around here. Imagine that same trail with all rocks covered with slime and over wash with butter like mud. So none of the rocks have any grip unless you spin all 4 tires on them to clear slime. And to climb each set you need rock your truck back and forth. So as you climb to the pivot point by spinning wheels,there is a point that truck reaches top of rocks and now is falling on the other side of pivot point and slamming to the rocks in front.Its brutal to the drive train. One run and the skid plate looks like aluminum can that got run over by the train.
Thats why no ATRAC works in those conditions. There is no grip unless wheels are in constant motion to remove mud and slime and clear the threads out of build up.

 

We may have a harder time getting our school bus sized trucks through there but as long as we don't get too upset with a dent or two, we certainly can have a lot of fun!!!

 

Does anyone know if the ATRAC system will still be as efficient with larger tires? I would like to get larger tires for more clearance but if its going to compromise the ATRAC system I will have to think twice about getting bigger tires...

 

The truck was in L4 first gear. As the truck was climbing the wheels started to spin, since A-TRAC was on the spinning wheels were slowed to allow the non spinning wheel to gain traction. Because there was no traction to be had the brakes kept grabbing trying to obtain traction thus bogging down the engine. Since the truck stopped and restarted it could take off due to the A-TRAC not slowing the wheel speed down enough so the truck could gain traction. I know you don't think A-TRAC will bog the truck down, but it will. It may not cut engine power but it is holding the brakes enough so they will not spin.

 

It may have been quite different with an automatic transmission...

Bigger tires should not be a problem, as A-TRAC uses the brakes, not gears or engine.

Thanks for the details!

 

Well what I am getting at is that with bigger tires it takes greater force to stop them from turning. Is the ATRAC system set up to run optimal for stock tires. I am just curious?