Off road controls are confusing!

Great point made on the environment, but I cannot agree on the snow part of the message. If you dig in to the snow you are done. you need to rock out and if you dig in you cannot do anything but wait for a tow.

 

You should come down to Baja and really give it a test as I have! What you noticed was not engine power cutting, but perhaps the braking of a spinning tire that lost traction (feels like engine regulation).

The VSC activated, not the 'ABS' (but ABS is used)... you heard the beep-beep-beep alerting you that your driving behavior is putting the vehicle into a slide, but not-to-worry because VSC prevents spin-outs by braking tires that will put the vehicle on the course your steering wheel is aimed for.

Sure, I agree it is annoying when I was 'fish-tailing' in a dry wash south of San Felipe or driving like a teenager on the beach... but the truck doesn't get stuck because the limited slip traction control works.

I live near Vista, and would welcome you to join me on a desert or Baja run!

Remember, if you just got to have a 'lower traction' 4WD (where only 2 wheels actually do the driving... if they have traction)... just go into the VSC OFF MODE! It will only re-activate if the truck is about to flip or each time it is re-started.

 

Hey David, you may be right about it being braking and not engine dropping power. It would be the same as if you had the brakes locked up at a stoplight and tried to give it gas.

Sometimes offroading, you dont want a truck that will drive 10 mph but not get stuck. You want to drive it 60mph and not get stuck. I should have diabled the vsc and gave that a shot. As I stated I'm still fiddling with all the controls and figuring out what each mode will do for me but quite honestly I dont think all that is neccesary.

I have not gotten stuck in my truck so thats a plus, but I have been driving things offroad for 30 years (starting with dirtbikes as a youngster) and have not been stuck many times and never where I couldnt get out with a little digging.

It is just my opinion that Toyota went totally overboard with the controls, buttons electro gizmo's etc... I am all for technology but I think its just a tad overdone on the truck.

Anyway I dont go down to mexico anymore but we go out to borrego/ocotillo fairly regularly and havasu, laughlin etc...

Wouldnt it be so simple to just make a truck with open diffs, no other do hickey's and lockers front and rear? I mean from a traction standpoint as well as a design and cost standpoint not to mention simplicity of operation.

I see the controls as being designed for someone with limited offroad expereince who actually probably does not really intend to offroad so mach as just needs the capabilities for emergency use if you want to call it that. Perhaps I will change my opinion with more expereince using the systems but I can't help but feel like they took something simple and made it complicated.

Oh almost forget, I dont want my truck to try and correct my skid for me I can do it myself and that skid is something I anticipate as well as sometimes want.

 

For those who have the 2009 or later TRD Off-Road packages, have you been burning through your rear brakes as much as I have? I'm about to put on my 3rd set of rear brakes. I do a fair amount of off-roading (once every 2 or 3 months) but I always clean it up, including the brakes to rid them of dirt and dust. Nothing seems to help and Toyota claims it's due to the dirt and mud so they won't cover it.

It always seems as though the right rear brakes burn out quicker than the rest. Any thoughts?

 

Well TRAC/ATRAC modulate slippage using the brakes. I imagine some good off-roading causes faster wear.

 

I have a 2010 Off Road 4WD with 24,000 miles on it... and just came back last Sunday from yet another incredible off road trip into Baja, Mexico! NO REAR (OR FRONT) BRAKE ISSUES, what-so-ever! I use TRAC and A-TRAC all the time... and have used AUTO LSD a few times (mostly to see how it works and provides a 'Posi-Traction'- like effect on the beack tires).

 

Dang. That's what everyone else says. I've even quit using them to some degree and I'm still burning through them.

 

I always thought it was kinda funny how it is against the law to remove an airbag from a vehicle that came equipped with airbags, unless you have some kind of a doctors excuse for a medical or old age type reasons but it is legal to have a switch to turn the side bags off when you need/want to.

Wow that was a long sentence.

So lets say you're off roading and you're at an extreme angle but not worrying about flipping. Lets say you shut them off so they don't blow up in your face (side whatever). Then you roll the truck and get injured or killed because they didn't go off, who gets the medical or funeral bill, Toyota? The gov?

Now just the opposite. Lets say you're offroading and you lean the truck so far that it goes off and causes you to go deaf, blind and or snaps your neck, even though truck didn't roll. Who do you sue, Toyota, Gov?

 

I know they could pull a rabbitt out of their ass for explaining and protecting their ass' for the 1st scenario.

But what about scenario 2?

What if Toyota's awesome rad air bags blow up and you didn't roll? lets say their air bags cause you to loose your hearing in one ear, partial loss of eyesight and burns on the side of your face? It's the drivers fault for not knowing the exact cutoff point (angle) as to when Toyota's airbags go off?

For that matter what if the front airbag goes off in your face for no reason. Is that the drivers fault for the malfunction? Would Toyota say oh you have a 3" lift and that's why the airbag just went off out of the blue and you're blind, deaf and burned now.

I'm not argueing with anybody always just curious how that shit would work out in a courtroom.

 

And those airbags are why im happy i got an 08. Im much to forgetful about little things like that. I'd decide to go for a little wheelin before work, and BAM there's a few thousand bucks in damages and possibly medical payments.

 

Yeah, I thought that too. I quit using it unless it was a last resort. Still didn't help. Talked to Toyota again today and they want to see it and look it over. I'll keep you posted.

 

yap you need to remember to turn thim off. they are 1200 a side and the rip the headliner structure
course i wouldnt know that from first hand experience

 

im taking them out and leaving them out. ill jumper the connectors and reset the comp.

 

How did that work out for you?