I do a lot of driving on desert dirt roads to get to hiking trail heads. Most of these only require 2wd with high clearance, but the occassional road is 4x4 recommended. These are not really hard core roads, although sometimes sandy. Even if I have 4x4, I'm just not willing to go on crazy roads as I'm often by myself.
Question - I'm looking at the basic 2006 Tacoma 4x4 with the SR5 package, not the TRD. This does not have the locking differential. Do you think this will meet my basic needs of light 4x4 use?
I think you are fine with the SR5 truck, although I would advise getting a limited slip rear differential option on it. That makes all the difference, especially in 2wd. A locker is a neat thing but for light wheelin' it's unnecessary.
True with the clutch-based ones, like the factory Toyota, but there ARE gear-driven units that will last as long as the differential. The Detroit Tru-Trac is what I had in my Jeep front and rear. That's a heavy-duty, gear-driven unit that requires no special lube or maintenance.
I've had trucks with and without an LSD, and having one is much, much better even if it only lasts 10 years!
Yep, I had one rebuilt a few years ago and boy, I didnt realise how bad it was till I replaced the clutches. Driving on wet roads with Muddies became a task and a half.
They are kinda over rated. There is a mentality with some that it is a must have with 4x4 but this is really not the case at all. I have been owning and driving 4x4 for over 35 years now and most with open diffs and never been stuck of stopped because of it. Actaully I prefer open diffs in my snow plow trucks because a LSD can have directional control issues (fish talling) on ice and such. In a 2wd you have more arguement for having one since you only have one drive axle. The best locker would be a selectable one that you could lock on demand not when it wants to.To no buy a 4x4 truck those because it does not have a LSD in it is kinda foolish if you like it otherwise as at the end of the day it is your abilty to read the road and drive it that will get you through, not whether you have a locker or not. I have been some pretty hairy places without them and did okay.
Not always true because weight distribution and axle ratio (axle wrapup to drive shaft input) plays roll here to I have a few 4x4's with open diffes and if you crowd them on a gravel road it will spin them both and I even have a old J 20 jeep truck that will spin both tires on dry pavement regulary in surface is about equal traction wise.
I've got it in my TRD and I've used it exactly once in 4 years. Middle of February, when everything had been frozen solid for a month. Drove into a parking lot covered with a foot of snow, but the area was apparently sitting over the only source of natural heat in all of upstate NY because under the snow, there was 6" of UNfrozen slippery mud.
On Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:55:35 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom" found these unused words floating about:
OTOH, I have it in my 2002 DC. Use it for coming up out of dry washes _ loose sand/gravel. Use it for steeper hillsides with loose rock or lots of debris. Use it in sand to maintain stability.
Probably put it on (switchable) about 2-3 times per off road run. Had -=one=- case where I'd probably still be in a wash. The front had NO grip and one wheel wasn't going to get me up and over. Locker 'walked' the truck out.
I know what you mean about the squirreliness, too... I had a Jeep TJ that I had regeared to 4.11 and while he was in there I had the guy put the Tru-Tracs front and rear and that thing was SCARY the next year up at elk camp, on the snowy and frozen ridgeline roads up to the trailheads... the Goodyear MT/R's didn't help; those things suck on ice.
A well-implemented AWD with a limited slip between the front and rear tires, like my '95 Land Cruiser has, is my favorite on slippery stuff... that thing is just amazing.
Next time get you a set of tires chians for rear to use up there (or all four tires if you want to get extreme) and you will really see a difference and turn it into a little tank. I have a old J20 Jeep that I have had for over 21 years that has Quadratrac (a LSD between front and rear) and it is awesome off road at times. I plan to restore it one day. Also my "theory on diffs is that sometimes you want it to spin a little bit to try to find a better bite rather than just drive on other wheel fully. Granted maybe in rock crawling or with one tire in air this is not cool but it seems to work for me the rest of the time. Also one winter about 10 years ago we had a teriibe ice storm that left a few inches of ice everywhere and roads were basically impassible. I put 4 tires chians on the old J20 and was driving it all over pulling people out of ditches for hire left and right. It wa a noisy and ruff ride fo sure but it was basically unstoppable and would easily extact vehicals from ditch while on solid ice. Not even the tow trucks were getting around that day unless they had chains.
I had chains! Only one set though. But the problem was, the trailheads we hunt off of are up higher than our camp. Down by our camp, the roads are usually clear unless it just dumped or something. So it is always this game of when, or whether, to chain up. At 5:30 am and 15 below, putting chains on sucks...
But yeah, that TJ with the LSD's front and rear and new MTR's was a bottom-finder that year. If there was a slope, that Jeep wanted to go down it.
This year's rig is my new Tundra, with an LSD in the back and BFG AT's. Those tires are fantastic on snow, decent on ice (which is saying something!). We'll see how it goes. I drove the Tundra up to the ski mountains a few times last winter and it was great, much less tendancy for the rear end to want to break loose than my last truck, an '86 Nissan 4x4. The road up to the trailheads is worse than any mountain pass I've done skiing, though. It's literally death if you go off the one-lane dirt road in many, many places 'cause there was a big fire up there a while back and so there's no trees to stop you if you get off the road.
'scuse me.. my wife needs help falling asleep! :-)
If you have room keep a extra set of tires and rims already chained up and mount them. I keep some for my plow trucks as well as loose chains to mount.
Yes that is the problem with LSD's or lockers on slopes. A open diff helps here some.
The best snow tires I have found to date are some old style bais ply tires that are 10 ply rated mounted on some 16.5 rims. THey are traction grip and I have them studded too. I have them on two trucks and they are awesome in snow and the stiff sidewalls with big cleats molded into them from tread edge dig in good and resist side slipping more than radial truck tires seem to do. They also have very heavy sidewall because they are bias ply (same strength as tread basically) and the danger possiblyn damaging one on a curb or hidden object in snow is about nil. They are noisy those but I keep them on extra sets of rims that I mount on trucks during winter plowing season. I have chains that will fit them too but I have not used them yet nor have I had to use the mounted set I have either. Studed tires also got rid of the "white knuckles" you can get when driving on glare ice from site to site in winter and make it very preditable. I know that bias ply tires are lo tech these days but they are still great off road and in snowplow duty.
That's, Yes, the SR5 should serve you well for light 4 wheeling. You do not need the TRD package for what you describe.
Having said that, you never know when you need the locking diff. If you get to where you need one, AND you are alone with out one, you'll wish you stepped up to the TRD. Having said that, if you need help and have a TRD but are alone, you'll wish you wheeled with a friend.
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