New '22 Off Road or Stick With '21 SR5 and Lift It

Hi All,

First off, Happy Holidays to all of you - I really enjoy this forum, you guys and gals crack me up. Sometimes, it's like car guy talk mixed with a soap opera.....good times

I have, a '21 SR5 Trail Edition 4x4 with 8,900 miles on it. Within the past six months, I've discovered off roading again and go about 1-2 times / month with my neighbors and friends in SoCal. I love my truck, have installed 265/75/16 KO2's, the new KDMax Pro tune (amazing, total game changer, thanks Dave!!!), and a few inconsequential/removable mods. The truck isn't our daily, though we use it often.

Here's the question. I can potentially get a good (well, good for this market) deal/swap on a new '22 Off Road, be it order or potentially something in stock. The only downside of my current truck is that it does not have A-TRAC or the locking rear diff, which would be awesome to at least know I have when off roading.

I'm on the brink of lifting/tires/lights on the Tacoma. Do I upgrade to an Off-Road (for the locker / A-Trac) and start from there, or stick with the SR5 and know if I really need it, I can do an ARB locker. Part of my reasoning is that a TRD will always hold better resale (currently, by my math, it is $2-5k on a 1 year old truck, which is nuts....

Lastly, if I were to order, thoughts on a 6spd manual from the off roading perspective? I love driving a manual, but don't want to terribly inhibit my trail driving. Any manual drivers out there that off road a lot and are happy to shift the gears?

Asking for the technical side of things, not the financial side which I have covered.

Trails I drive are similar to Lucerne Valley, Wildomar, etc... Dry dirt, some rocky, some deep sand and some technical but nothing too crazy. Sometimes I stay at the bottom of the mountain while my neighbors with lifted Land Cruisers and new Broncos on 35's go up, but that probably wouldn't change with a locerk.

Thanks for the input all, and again, Happy Holidays.

 

I’d go for it, but honestly it all depends and comes down to your finances which only you can answer. Is 3-5k going to impact you financially or will it not dent your account? You can’t go wrong with the real locker and an off-road. Also are you going to live with regrets then just go for it 6spd manual FTW!!

 

What kind of trails?

I prefer auto for long water crossings and mud, but for slow stuff manual has more control.

Both have pro's and con's and it comes down to preference.

I think you'd be better off with the beast you know and work from there.

The offroad locker only works in 4lo, and its hard to keep up with others switching back and forth. An ARB locker is more fluid in transition.

 

Thank you! Really asking for the mechanical benefit of an "Off Road" with the locker and A-Trac and whether or not I should just start fresh, and also, if anyone thinks a manual trans is a terrible idea or a great idea when it comes to off roading (my SR5 is an auto).

Thanks for your input!!!

 

That is good to know! Could you elaborate on the ARB locker? i.e. is it useable in 4-Hi? Or, does it simply turn on/off more quickly in 4-lo? I'm not that familiar with it. Appreciate your input, thanks.

 

ARB lockers work on air pressure and a switch. You can engage it whenever you want 2HI, 4HI, 4LO. I wouldn't go over 30mph personally (nonpaved only), but you could leave the rear end locked in 4HI to keep up with the others on a trail depending on how fast they are moving.

You can hack the offroad electric locker to engage anytime but its still a pain to engage.

 

Thank you for that info @Bishop84, that is honestly the most impactful information I have gathered in 2 months of research on my dilemma. Think I'm going to take your advice and stick with the " beast I know", and know I can do an ARB locker in the future if needed (which is potentially "better" or at least easier/more useful than factory?). Thanks again!

 

I sat diagonal in a ditch with 3 feet of snow stuck and waiting for the stupid e-locker to engage.

Buddies kept radioing me if I needed help, it was annoying. It only engages quickly if you aren't already stuck.

ARB is more intrusive, (you need a gear shop to install it) but you get a strong on-board air compressor out of it.

 

Been eyeing an ARB compressor anyways. My poor little Amazon compressor has been working its little tail off and deserves to retire in compressor heaven.

 

The kind of off roading I've done (some but not a lot) didn't require much shifting.

 

Seems like an ARB locker would solve your problems. I’d keep the sr5. If you off-road in deep sand often then the automatic is also the better option. You won’t need A track with a locker .

 

I love the A-TRAC System with the MT, does really good.

 

I bought an SR5 V6 4x4 because at the time I only needed 4x4 for Midwest winters and forest roads. Come to find that driving off pavement and camping without anyone around is like my favorite thing. In June I got a GFC and I just upgraded my tires to some load C all terrains. I’ll see how badly/how often I get stuck. I haven’t needed a locker yet but I do kinda wish I’d have sprung for the OR.

However, the ARB locker is supposed to be even better so if I get into it enough / truly need a locking diff I can pretend I was all wise in buying an SR5 with “none of the bullshit”.

 

That is basically the same situation I'm in, and also agree with you on the ARB - it is very nice to know it is an option and also seems to be easier to use, more capable (use in any drive mode) etc.. We will both tell ourselves we were "all wise" !

 

Manual transmission alone is worth it, everything else is just a bonus.

 

Stick with the Auto. Manual trans is nice n all, but you really cant beat an autos ease of use when the going gets tough on trails. WAY easier to two foot drive and be precise.

Keep in mind, you will be paying taxes AGAIN on a new truck.

 

Hot take.

Now I simply wait for the MT weenies to show up...

 

I would just put an arb locker on it. Youre going to inevitably waste a lot of money swapping out vehicles.
I have never used Atrac. if you think that youll need it because youre wheeling so hard just get a front locker
front and rear locker> atrac and rear locker > rear locker > atrac

 

Keep it and mod it. You’re eventually going to want bigger and bigger tires and regear. Regeared, the automatic is great. I’m on 5.29s and 35” tires and it drives better than factory. I rather have air lockers too than the factory elocker.

 

I prefer the locker over the MTS on my off-road if that helps.