some confusion about 4L and trac off and VSA

I just got a 2013 OR and was messing around at a local mud hill and noticed when i shifted to 4L the TRAC OFF and the VSC lights came on, and everything worked fine but i couldnt do anything about the vsc light, whereas when im in 4H i can pressh the VSC button and get it to say "trac off" or not. which is weird because it says TRAC when i press the ATRAC button in 4L

Basically, should i be concerned that my VSC goes off in 4L and cant be turned on?

all the drive modes can be a bit over whelming...

 

Maybe this will help

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...vsc-trac-hac-dac-alsd-atrac-explained.184784/

 

@David K did a great job of breaking the drive modes down here:


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...lsd-trac-off-vsc-off-a-trac-rr-locker.577229/

 

this is great info but for older models..

Simply put the VSC button, (the light that is like a little burnout trail behind the car) does nothing in 4L and i cant find if this is normal or not. holding for 3-5 seconds does nothing, it just shows that VSC is off ( which i dont think means much for 4L applications.)

just wondering if this is normal

 

Yes, it's normal. When you're in 4Lo, it shuts off all traction control, if I recall correctly. In 4Hi, you might be rolling down the road so you still have the option of having traction control.

 

Yes, it is normal. @GHOST SHIP 's link above is relevant to your truck and it is definitely worth taking a few minutes to read and understand how your truck's traction systems work.

 

but isnt traction control controlled by holding the VSC button down? im saying that when im in 4H i can get the little burnout icon to come and go with a quick press of the VSC button, but in 4L it just stays lit up (the little burnout icon)

never thought id be so confused by a vehicle. i just got back from some light mudding and im impressed, just want to know if this is normal

BASICALLY in 4L i cannot get the dash to clear, there is always one icon on and its the VSC little "burnout fishtail" icon

 

well right in the top of the link it says if your truck is newer that 09 than it might be different so.....

the link is great info! im just a bit confused on my year specifically

 

sorry, im on my phone and cant read it well, the link is relevant
i miss read

 

No worries. The traction systems are not as intuitive as they should be on this truck. It's a head scratcher.

 

yeah i was confused. so does anyone reading know why? im assuming they are figuring 4L is more for off road driving where vehicle stability doesnt factor in as much and thats why its available in 4h?

 

I have no idea. The cynical reason is to get people to buy the OR trim which comes with A trac. Since I have an SR5, I did the yellow wire mod which fools the computer into thinking it's still in 4H, so that I have the option to use traction control in 4L. But, you have A trac, so you would have no reason to do the yellow wire mod.

 

Thanks dave! Atrac is cool but havent exactly figured out why i would /woudlnt use it. are you in colorado as well? im in weld county

 

Yes I am in Colorado, cheers from Denver! Hope you are staying well.

A trac uses the brakes to simulate locking diffs front & rear. Without it, you would get stuck if one wheel on the front axle & one wheel on the back axle lost traction. With A trac, you will be able to keep moving as long as any one wheel has traction.

 

FWIW, I did the yellow wire mod on my old truck and found it better in deep snow than ATRAC, at least that was my experience. I thought at one time that I just had to have ATRAC and bought a new OR but frankly was underwhelmed and no longer use the function. I did install a front elocker and along with the factory rear elocker I am most pleased.

 

Thanks for the response guys! i didnt mess with ATRAC when i was in the mud the other day, i just made sure it was engaging / disengaging. i think if manipulated in the correct drive mode it could be useful. I do kinda find it hard to believe that a driveway wire mod would work better than a factory setting, but maybe its that by modding it and making it less intuitive it actually did better in a specific scenario... kindof like how traction control when you need free spin doesnt help? i will be reading more on this for the sake of learning more about these vehicles.

thanks a lot guys, i am very new at this forum and you guys were very helpful, i am excited to be moving forward and using this forum to have fun with the truck!

 

Sorry to be late in responding... in brief (2nd Gen):
VSC button does NOTHING in L4. You have basic low range only.
If you have an OFF ROAD, then in L4 you have A-TRAC, Rear Locker, or both, to add traction assist in low range.
I recommend you always use A-TRAC in L4. Only use the locker if you get stuck.

 

no worries on the late response, this is all good info.


ive also been researching about the diff lock and why it seems to never want to activate without being messed with a little in terms of slowly rolling the vehicle. ill do research on that before i post a question.... seems like theres tons of info on here

 

The yellow wire mod is for those who do not have A-TRAC (ie. all non Off Road TRD 4x4 models) so they have some traction control (because to have none when you can, is silly).

The traction control in H4 (TRAC and TRAC OFF modes) helps power get to the tires that have traction rather than the tires that just spin when getting stuck. TRAC cuts power to prevent spinning and can add brake force to a spinning tire. TRAC OFF (called AUTO LSD in H2) does not cut the power and only uses brake pressure to stop spinning tires. 2009-2012 models have no TRAC to TRAC OFF selection (quick button push) as they are automatically in the stronger mode.

The traction control in L4 (Off Road TRD) is called A-TRAC and it is more like lockers acting on all 4 tires as it matches tire rotation across an axle using spin sensors and the brakes... Lockers match tire rotation by cutting out the differential action using gears.

The benefit of A-TRAC over lockers is that steering is not affected, it only actually works when there is tire spin, it easily engages and disengages, and it comes on the truck from the factory. Lockers make steering difficult since wheel rotation is frozen together, it is usually difficult to engage and disengage, and no front locker is available from the factory.

A-TRAC is not as instant as being locked as the sensors need to detect the spin, but it costs nothing extra when you buy an Off Road 4x4... and there still is the rear locker for the old die hards who don't trust technology.

 

this is great info. i find it odd and somewhat comorting that the locker is difficult for most, as it has been for me. is this an industry standard? is there an off road vehicle that can just snap in and out of the rear locker?