Crawl Control & Multi-Terrain mode Benefits

The three pedals are my crawl control and terrain select.

 

For me, sure I would love more low end torque in the Tacoma and maybe a little more power over all but, I knew exactly what I was getting into before I traded in my Tundra for it. I've owned and driven daily for the past 25 years a Toyota whether it be a 1st gen Tacoma, FJ cruiser, 4 runner and a Tundra. Out of every one of those vehicles the only problem I had to deal with was a wheel bearing in the FJ. I love the FJ so much I kept it and still drive it about once a week. It has over 210k on it now and still runs hard.

EDIT: Only problem out of warranty.

 

Totally agree, took me where only others with front and rear lockers would go. It does take a while to learn how to use it effectively though.

 

Now I’m going to have to give it another chance. Thanks for the post and the information y’all.

 

The OR with a manual trans gives you about $7500 to upgrade before you get to the PRO and it comes with a locker, no skewp, no gimmicks except a go-pro mount.

Think about all the silly aftermarket crap you can bolt onto your truck with that money. I bought a 23' boat on an aluminum dual axle trailer to stick in the hitch reciever

 

Try using it with the speed control on on of the higher settings, the first and second speed settings liked to make me need a neck brace haha

 

x2

People that say it’s a gimmick have simply never taken their trucks into situations extreme enough for it to be beneficial.

I got burried halfway up a 300ft tall sand dune and my rear end kicked out trying to back it down. CC saved my ass, sure I probably could’ve done it myself but I’ve experienced rollovers before... not fun and was happy to have the aid.

I’ve also used CC as a replacement for not having a front locker and it’s done wonders... I don’t think people understand the benefit of independently controlling each wheel, something that’s impossible without the computer doing it for you.

There’s situations I’d still love a front locker but there’s other situations where CC is the perfect tool.

 

Perhaps Toyota should call it the Sand Dune control then. That seems to be the only instance some people found real use for it.

“Crawl” control, in my mind, refers to crawling slowly through heavily rutted, rocky terrain. I tried using it in those conditions and it did squat.

 

Except the non-locked vehicle in this example isn't just open diffs, it has an advanced technology with an array of sensors that actually increases potential over lockers in certain situations (mainly deep sand/mud/ice). CC allows pulse control down to 1/30th of the turn of a wheel, thats precision thats simply not possible with analog inputs no matter how badass you think you are lol.

Although CC can be used as a substitute for a front locker its not an actual replacement for lockers, its a complementary technology to them, just another tool in the toolbox.

 

MTS is Atrac, but the user can now dial in the amount of spin before intervention. The 12 has atrac right? Not worth the upgrade for just cc

 

All it's really doing is using the computer to maximize traction at all times as well as control vehicle speed. There are some situations where crawl control won't work to get you unstuck, but these situations would be pretty severe, and chances are even front and rear lockers wouldn't help you either.

That being said, it's a system designed primarily for maximizing traction, not maximizing torque to all wheels. There's only so much pressure the system can apply to the brakes to distribute power around to other wheels. This is why in very challenging situations (i.e. rock crawling over large boulders) where you need a lot of torque on the wheels with traction, crawl control may be inadequate. This is where you use the locker.

Mud, Sand, Snow, Light rock crawling = MTS or Crawl Control is all you need
Hardcore rock crawling or very steep hill climbs with ruts = Rear locker

 

Sell your Tacoma.

 

Very cool man! I didn’t know your clutch and gas pedal could redirect traction to particular wheels that have the most traction. I guess powering through and stressing the CV is the real way to do it.

 

Yup.

 

CC and MTS weren't necessarily selling points for my decision to buy an OR instead of any other trim. I was aware of them, but didn't buy the OR to get them. All that said, my few experiences using CC and MTS have made me a believer in their usefulness, no matter how clunky or gimmicky they might be.

A couple weeks ago, I came across a spot on a mountain road where I decided to attempt passing over a fairly difficult uphill, suspension-flexing, lopsided rut. 4x4 low started spinning tires. Rear locker engaged, no further progress. CC engaged, and the truck suddenly became this angry animal that gnawed into the earth to fight forward, with so much flex on the suspension that my RR tire was probably 18 inches off the ground at one point.

That's my banner experience with CC. Did I need to go over that obstacle? No...but can I? Hell yes I can.

 

Does 4-L burn more gas than 4-H?

 

Yes, 4-L’s gearing reduction elevates the RPMs.

 

I would say "it depends." Obviously, if you're in 4Lo, you must be on steep terrain or at an obstacle, or both. Revving the crap out of the engine in 4Hi to get up and over could waste more fuel than chugging up in 4Lo. Not to mention tires/suspension/drivetrain/body parts destroyed using 4Hi.

 

They haven't found a use for it outside of sand since only a small fraction of people on here actually rock crawl their trucks. Those that do think crawl control is a joke and would just say get front and rear locker and learn how to use them.