Off road power

Looking for advice to get a little bit more power and performance off road.

I have a 2017 sport 4x2 and at the time I purchased it I was in dire need of a vehicle due to my 1990 ford ranger being super unreliable and causing me to miss work. I love my truck but regret not getting an offroad 4x4. but at the time the sport 4x2 was what was in the cards.

I like to get offroad now and again usually on hard packed dirt never sand but ive found myself climbing hills and not being able to get a lot of power as I climb, to the point where I get a little nervous I wont make it up. I don't want to push too hard and get myself stuck but I still want to get out and enjoy myself. I have AT tires and am looking into getting a fox suspension set up but I'm curious what I can do to get more performance and strength out in the dirt.

any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, thank you gentleman

 

Short of trading for a 4x4, maybe air lockers would help get you out of trouble.

 

Put it in 1st or 2nd in Sport mode. Or get a 4x4 tacoma. I put mine in 4lo and it climbs like a mountain goat

 

2nd Taco I purchased was a Prerunner. I was super jazzed with it, particularly in the desert. Damn was that a fun truck locked. Talk about the fun meter pegged to the max. But then I took it to Hungry Valley and the 2WD Taco couldn’t climb short steep hills. I was bummed.

Yup, lost a ton of money trading in a practically brand new truck, took a couple of years of heavy payments to level out, but damn was I happy with the 4x4. If you like climbing hills (get a rush) I’d suggest possibly trading up. SR 4x4?

 

Steep climbs, loose dirt, snow, mud, etc. are going to be killers for your 2WD. You can do it, but there will be price to pay. Shredded tires and stressing out your drivetrain. What 4WD can slowly crawl up, you will need speed to bounce your way up. There's not a real good way around this. You will just need to realize the limitations of your truck and either go on trails that are more accommodating or bite the bullet, and trade for a 4x4. Good thing is, Tacoma's resale value is ridiculous.

 

This!! Even my 2.7 pulls like a goat in 4lo!

 

Sorry, I know that's not much help considering you have a 4x2. Manual shift and lots of skinny pedal should get you up as long as you have traction!

 

Try turning off traction control fully and put it in 1st or 2nd.

 

Just a little technical nitpick, but all Tacomas have the same "power" from the same engine. Even switching to an OR 4x4 will give you the same power. "Performance" is a different story, as you prob know, as there are key differences in features. For what you sound like you want to do, I think your best bet is to bite the bullet and trade for a 4x4. Good luck.

 

Technically you're right, but the transfer case in 4lo does multiply torque a great deal.

 

For best possible 2wd traction, install an aftermarket rear locker with a set of good AT tires. Momentum is key when you're only working with 2wd so you should definitely upgrade the suspension to handle the abuse of hitting obstacles at greater speed than someone with 4wd normally has to.

 

Without 4x4 your best bet is ECT ON with manual shifting (S1-2). Most of the offroading I've done so far has only required a little bit of 4x4 engagement and I haven't had to use 4lo except for one water crossing that I had no business doing.

 

Good tires and sandbags for some more weight above the rear wheels. A rear locker also after you have the other two.

 

This was my thought and was gonna try that exact thing next time I head out

 

I keep weight and tools in the truck so I'm good there

how do I go about getting a rear locker and who makes them?

 

4LO is especially useful on steep offroad declines, keeps you from having to ride your brakes. Much more so than 1st gear in 2wd or 4hi.

 

Unless you have an ECM tune

 

ARB makes the most popular aftermarket option, it's air activated so requires an onboard air compressor (which doubles as a way to air up your tires).

Harrop makes aftermarket e-lockers that engage electronically. Both are pricey, ARB is probably a little cheaper but still over $1200 for the locker + install

There are also "lunchbox lockers"...much cheaper but they are not selective, they engage automatically whenever the wheels begin to slip. Great for offroad, not so great if you drive your truck on the street like most people do. Worth mentioning though.

 

And that still doesn't amount to much performance gain. $2k+ for a rear locker could be money better spent on trading it for a 4WD.

 

Solid info thanks man

definitely not in a place where selling and trading up is an option for me and ive had my truck since before it had 100 miles so her and I are in this together haha