Stock SR5 Off Road Capable

Went for a Sunday drive and turned right when I should have turned left. The dirt road turned into logging road and then a snowmobile trail and everything in between. I have stock SR5 down to the tires. I scraped bottom a couple of times and puckered my butt hole more than once but my truck took it all with no problem. Just throwing this out there to anybody like myself that questioned the capability of a stock SR5.

 

I wish I could find trails like that here in CT when making a wrong turn.

 

You can. They just have a big “No Trespassing” sign in front of them. My brother in law recently retired from the DEEP in CT (formally DEP) he always referred to it as the Department if Enjoyment Prevention... all he did when he was in the field was stop people from having fun outdoors :-/ for what it’s worth he retired as a Captain and immediately took his family to Maine. Lot more public access up there.

 

It looks like it was a nice day for a ride in the woods, I too would like to find a few trails close to home like that.....which aren't ruined by dirt bikes. Glad to hear your truck handled it all well. Thanks for posting the pics - Bill in MA

 

Plenty capable, you have some good trails to test her out. I've only used my locker 3 time and in one day near wilmont in the Winter.

 

I've seen 100% stock tacomas wheel circles around highly modified jeeps, or even other tacomas. 90% of it is driver skill.

The other 10% is the fact that these trucks are perfectly capable off road 100% stock, as you have found out.

The only thing I'd suggest getting is some decent all-terrain tires. Then just go out and drive the thing. The more you drive it off road, the more you'll discover what, if any other modifications you may need that suit your driving style and terrain (like a lift, bumpers, etc...).

The salesman will tell you that you "need" the TRD off-road or Pro to go wheeling, but honestly, the only "off-roady thing" my '17 SR5 4Runner doesn't have that the TRDs have is crawl control and a locker. That said, my old late 80's 4runner did the Rubicon with open diffs and 32's. I think it's a crime that the new TRDs (even the Pro's) don't come with better tires and better off-road protection (rock sliders, bumpers, etc)...

 

I am planning on upgrading tires when it comes time for new tires. The practical dad in me can't justify new tires if what I have works. Sliders and a beefier skid plate would make me feel better next time I wander so far from pavement. I would like to say it is my driving skills is how I made it out with no damage, but I know it was mostly luck because last time I was on trails that looked like that I was on a mountain bike.

 

If you still have decent tread on your tires, you could sell them and make a little money back.

Or, just find an empty parking lot and do some donuts to wear the tread down faster, lol.

Other stuff you should get no matter what, though:
>Air compressor (so you can air down and maximize traction) - Viair 400P is great and is plenty powerful if/when you upgrade to larger tires.
>tire patch kit
>first aid kit/safety/survival gear
>tow strap (not as useful if you travel alone, though)
>cheap home depot shovel (I like the short ones just because they take up less space and I don't use them a ton)
>tool kit with box wrenches/ratchets, etc.. (toss these in one or two of those roll-up bags)
>anything else you think you might need.

I come at it like buy the minimum stuff that you need. The more you drive, the more you'll figure out exactly what you need. I always keep a list on my phone for that stuff. Like if I find myself needing a particular widget, I'll jot it down and get it before the next trip. I just don't like going out and buying a whole list of stuff because I saw some youtube overlander dude has it.

 

Well I continue to make bad choices and go where I shouldn't. Still bone stock but had to do a recovery today as I got stuck in the mud. Popped a dent in the plastic on the front bumper cover, tore the chrome off the back bumper and have a respectable scrape on the passenger side... starting to think about some armor.

 

There you go down the rabbit hole lol. 1 mod after another .

 

nah, you got those first few scratches out of the way now. You're good to push harder! No need to hammer and cut, just let the trail to all the clearancing for you!