2006 Tacoma 4X4 System same as 4Runner?? (1 Viewer)

[Andrewsreef]

Can somone tell me if the Tacoma with the offroad package is the same 4X4 system as the 4Runner? The Tacoma with the offroad package appears to have a locking rear diff but does it have the locking center diff???? The 4Runner seems to have the locking center diff standard on all 4X4 models which would be very important to me.

I have read that the Tacoma with the off road package is really rock solid so it would surprise me if it did not have the locking center diff?

Thanks

Andrew

 

[Bryan062087]

the tacoma does not have a center diff locker because it doesnt have a center diff. center diffs are for vehicles with full time 4wd, the tacoma has part time 4wd, thus no center diff and thus no center diff locker. when you put the tacoma in 4wd you can think of it as being the same as an same as an 80 (for example) being in 4wd with the center diff locked.

 

[Andrewsreef]

Are you sure about that? Is the 4Runner a full-time 4X4 as it does have the center diff lock. If the Tacoma does not have a locking center diff, what keeps either a front or rear wheel from spinning and loosing power to both axles?

4X4 pickup trucks are usually pretty bad about this. It will keep you from climbing steep inclines as one of the wheels will spin and you are stuck. With the center lock, climbing is much better.

Thanks

Andrew

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

A full time 4WD with the center diff locked is just like a part time 4wd shifted into 4wd. You have at least one wheel on each axle with power, unfortunatly the wheel that looses traction first gets all the power and it goes spinning like nothing else. That is because the differential splits the power into 2, so each side gets 1/2 the power until like I said one side looses traction.

The center diff does the same thing, only it's suplying power to the driveshafts instead of the axles. So a full time 4wd with an open center diff is really only one wheel drive (the one that looses traction first) if you lock the center diff you have 2 wheel drive (one on the front and one on the back).

Then if you have front and rear lockers you get real 4 wheel drive, they all spin no matter what.

Here's a good article:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm

 

[Andrewsreef]

Now I am really confused. My 1997 LX450 (80) will climb up an icy driveway better than any other 4X4 I have seen. It will do this while in low range (center diff locked). Will a new Tacoma (or 4-runner with the center lock on) be able to do this? My father-in-laws 4X4 ranger will never even start the climb as one of the back wheels spins. This, I thought, was because it did does not have a center lock to tie out the front and rear axles??

Thanks for the help.

Andrew

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

The reason the ranger will not climb it is because he has an open rear differential. If a rear tire is spinning and he's not moving, then one or both of the front tires will be spinning as well(assuming he's in 4 wheel drive). The reason he can't climb it is most probably related to weight/tires than anything else. A ranger will not have much weight in the rear, so those tires have less contact pressure, thereby giving less traction. The massive 80 has tons of weight back there, so it has much better contact pressure and therefore better traction. The tires will also play a huge roll. Regular old street tires will spin all day on a good ice patch, whereas tires with sipes will usually get a better bite.

Someone on here said this before, but I'll repeat it, "When comparing apples to apples, one has to make sure that the apples aren't really oranges"

Ary

 

[Jukelemon]

Good to remember that a center diff is not a transfer case and ALL Full time and AWD vehicles must have a center diff. This differs, as stated earlier, from a part time, or traditional, 4x4 vehicle i.e. the system we most often think of when we think about 60's and 70's trucks/suv's.

 

[cedarbarn]

Now I am really confused. My 1997 LX450 (80) will climb up an icy driveway better than any other 4X4 I have seen. It will do this while in low range (center diff locked). Will a new Tacoma (or 4-runner with the center lock on) be able to do this? My father-in-laws 4X4 ranger will never even start the climb as one of the back wheels spins. This, I thought, was because it did does not have a center lock to tie out the front and rear axles??

Thanks for the help.

Andrew

My 05 Tacoma will outwheel a ranger any day of the week, so that is not a fair comparison.

The Tacoma, like the other posts indicate, has a transfer case, no center differential. When in 4wheel drive high or low the front and rear driveshafts turn at equal speeds, regardless of wheel spin. The driveshafts spin the pinion gear, which transfers the energy to the ring gear, turning the axles. In the front and rear diff.

The loss of traction is not caused by the transfer case, or driveshafts, but by wheel spin allowed by an open differential. With an open differential one wheel will spin, while the wheel with traction does not move. With lockers both wheels will spin at the same speed regardless of traction.

Case in point... my 05 Tacoma has a Lockrite locker in the rear differential. Both tires spin at the same speed, even if one is up in the air, and one is on the ground. This is true even in 2wheel drive, the rear differential is locked, independant of the transfer case, or any other drivetrain component.

Your 80 is a heck of a lot heavier compared to a pickup, in the case of your icy driveway your 80 has more traction due to its weight. The pickup is very light in the rear end, so does not have as much traction as your 80.

If that ranger is in 4x4, and only one rear wheel is spinning, it is open in the rear. If the front tires are not spinning at all, well, there may be something broken in the front differential, or a CV shaft may be broken.

 

[Jetboy]

Now I am really confused. My 1997 LX450 (80) will climb up an icy driveway better than any other 4X4 I have seen. It will do this while in low range (center diff locked). Will a new Tacoma (or 4-runner with the center lock on) be able to do this? My father-in-laws 4X4 ranger will never even start the climb as one of the back wheels spins. This, I thought, was because it did does not have a center lock to tie out the front and rear axles??

Thanks for the help.

Andrew

assuming your lx doesn't have locking axles differentials, a new taco with a rear locker should be noticeably better on the climb. The 4 runner will probably be the same as the lx.

From what I was told at the dealership, the 4runners share a drivetrain similar to the tacoma , however the sport model is based on the landcruiser. Not sure how much difference there is between the two or if the dealer knew a thing about what he was saying.

 

[dealmaker]

no no no...if it is an '03+ 4Runner then the ATRAC performance in ice/snow is HUGE. Get a locked rig on ice/snow in an off-camber situation, and an ATRAC-equiped vehicle in the same scenario and you'll see first hand

... The 4 runner will probably be the same as the lx...

The Sport model has 17" wheels because it has slightly larger disc brakes than the SR5 Runner. No other drivetrain differences. ALso, the 4Runner has part-time 4WD, and the V8 has full-time 4WD (and thus the center idff lock). I believe the new 4Runner, the new FJ Cruiser, the new Tacoma, and the Lexus GX are all based upon the same platform.

...,From what I was told at the dealership, the 4runners share a drivetrain similar to the tacoma , however the sport model is based on the landcruiser. Not sure how much difference there is between the two or if the dealer knew a thing about what he was saying.

 

[Jetboy]

no no no...if it is an '03+ 4Runner then the ATRAC performance in ice/snow is HUGE. Get a locked rig on ice/snow in an off-camber situation, and an ATRAC-equiped vehicle in the same scenario and you'll see first hand.

assuming atrac is similar to subaru's traction control (which I have driven), it works very well for most urban adventures, but wont compare in traction to my fj locked f&R. don't think atrac will be quite as good either, at road speed sure probably better, but at crawl speed (up a driveway) I think a locker will still find more traction. Atrack requires tire slip to engage and once traction is broken ice or a water plane is created, locker does not. Granted with a locked axle when traction is broken both tires spin, but this will not happen until the maximum friction of both tires combined is reached, atrac will break loose when the tire with the least traction exceeds the maximum friction for that tire, and the brakes apply to transfer power to the other side, however the spining tire has already lost what traction it had.

This comparison is not between two locked axles and atrac though. with only the rear locked I think it's a toss up.
A good test for the driveway would be to put one tire on dry and three on ice and see how well they work. I'm certain the locked axle will out perform the brake applied transfer of torque, but if it's a front the a track will be better.

I don't see the locker as a disadvantage in snow and ice, people complain about them, but how many have actualy driven with a rear locker on ice? Never been a problem for me even with a detroit in the rear of a mini and I live in montana and drive in plenty of snow and ice.



The Sport model has 17" wheels because it has slightly larger disc brakes than the SR5 Runner. No other drivetrain differences. ALso, the 4Runner has part-time 4WD, and the V8 has full-time 4WD (and thus the center idff lock). I believe the new 4Runner, the new FJ Cruiser, the new Tacoma, and the Lexus GX are all based upon the same platform

that would then make the drive train in the sport the same as a lancruiser.... right?

 

[dealmaker]

Yeah, a locker will definitely have more traction as long as it doesn't break traction. If/when it does, and where the front/rear end will go as result is anyones guess. Thats why most peopel will disengage their front locker if they're on a narrow slippery trail in an offcamber situation, to avoid getting crossed up if they lose traction in the front. Once you break traction in a locked vehicle, gravity takes over and that end of the vehicle will usually head downhill. ATRAC won't have that problem as only one wheel will lose traction at a time, allowing the other wheel to hopefully keep the respective end of the vehicle in line and maintain directional control. I think the people who know what they're doing drive their locked vehicles carefully on the slippery stuff to avoid spinning the locked axle. Others who are not aware of the possible consequences are the ones who get on the skinny pedal too hard and end up in problems.

I know the drive train sounds the same for the Sport and the LC, but I've never compared the actual part numbers for the two. Some knowledgable people have told me that the tranny, axles, etc. are different althought they both run the same V8 and both have 5-speed tranny's. Personally, I'd like to think it was the same drivetrain. Its nice driving a truck that is 7/8ths Land Cruiser at 1/2 the price!

assuming atrac is similar to subaru's traction control (which I have driven), it works very well for most urban adventures, but wont compare in traction to my fj locked f&R. don't think atrac will be quite as good either, at road speed sure, but at crawl speed (up a driveway) I think a locker will still find more traction. Atrack requires tire slip to engage and once traction is broken ice or a water plane is created, locker does not.

I don't see the locker as a disadvantage in snow and ice, people complain about them, but how many have actualy driven with a rear locker on ice? Never been a problem for me even with a detroit in the rear of a mini and I live in montana and drive in plenty of snow and ice.



The Sport model has 17" wheels because it has slightly larger disc brakes than the SR5 Runner. No other drivetrain differences. ALso, the 4Runner has part-time 4WD, and the V8 has full-time 4WD (and thus the center idff lock). I believe the new 4Runner, the new FJ Cruiser, the new Tacoma, and the Lexus GX are all based upon the same platform

that would then make the drive train in the sport the same as a lancruiser.... right?

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

however the sport model is based on the landcruiser. Not sure how much difference there is between the two or if the dealer knew a thing about what he was saying.

No, no...NOTHING (except the V8/tranny) on a Taco or 4-Runner is based on the Land Cruiser platform. Not even close. The UZJ100 is it's own creation.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

assuming atrac is similar to subaru's traction control (which I have driven), it works very well for most urban adventures, but wont compare in traction to my fj locked f&R. don't think atrac will be quite as good either, at road speed sure probably better, but at crawl speed (up a driveway) I think a locker will still find more traction. Atrack requires tire slip to engage and once traction is broken ice or a water plane is created, locker does not. Granted with a locked axle when traction is broken both tires spin, but this will not happen until the maximum friction of both tires combined is reached, atrac will break loose when the tire with the least traction exceeds the maximum friction for that tire, and the brakes apply to transfer power to the other side, however the spining tire has already lost what traction it had.

This comparison is not between two locked axles and atrac though. with only the rear locked I think it's a toss up.
A good test for the driveway would be to put one tire on dry and three on ice and see how well they work. I'm certain the locked axle will out perform the brake applied transfer of torque, but if it's a front the a track will be better.

I don't see the locker as a disadvantage in snow and ice, people complain about them, but how many have actualy driven with a rear locker on ice? Never been a problem for me even with a detroit in the rear of a mini and I live in montana and drive in plenty of snow and ice.



The Sport model has 17" wheels because it has slightly larger disc brakes than the SR5 Runner. No other drivetrain differences. ALso, the 4Runner has part-time 4WD, and the V8 has full-time 4WD (and thus the center idff lock). I believe the new 4Runner, the new FJ Cruiser, the new Tacoma, and the Lexus GX are all based upon the same platform

that would then make the drive train in the sport the same as a lancruiser.... right?

Not the case. A TRAC controlled 4-Runner or GX or Land Cruiser will toast a fully locked 80 on slippery surfaces. Experience with all vehicles will show that. My 100 can do things my 80's and Taco can't dream of in the snow, rain, and especially ice.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

Its nice driving a truck that is 7/8ths Land Cruiser at 1/2 the price!

7/8th's? Really?

 

[Good Times]

No, no...NOTHING (except the V8/tranny) on a Taco or 4-Runner is based on the Land Cruiser platform. Not even close. The UZJ100 is it's own creation.

Actually the 2003+ 4runner, 2005+ Tacoma and 2007+ FJC are all based on the TLC120 series (Prado). I believe the 120 is still considered a LC right? If that is the case then Pierre is correct on that comment. The engine and the tranny are the same but the drivetrain is not. Actually the 4runner and the FJC (Manual tranny) has the revised ATRAC that works much better than any current version (including the TLC100 series). Unless the TLC100 series upgraded their ATRAC recently, that's probably one of the key drivetrain differences. Frames from the 4runner/FJC are the same (boxed) while the Taco is C-Channel (from the firewall back, boxed front to firewall).

Interior refinement might not be as par to the LC but it's quite up there. They've really upgraded significantly from the previous gen 4runners. Getting a 4runner with all of the perks found on the 120 series definitely makes it more attractive

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

Actually the 2003+ 4runner, 2005+ Tacoma and 2007+ FJC are all based on the TLC120 series (Prado). I believe the 120 is still considered a LC right? If that is the case then Pierre is correct on that comment. The engine and the tranny are the same but the drivetrain is not. Actually the 4runner and the FJC (Manual tranny) has the revised ATRAC that works much better than any current version (including the TLC100 series). Unless the TLC100 series upgraded their ATRAC recently, that's probably one of the key drivetrain differences. Frames from the 4runner/FJC are the same (boxed) while the Taco is C-Channel (from the firewall back, boxed front to firewall).

Interior refinement might not be as par to the LC but it's quite up there. They've really upgraded significantly from the previous gen 4runners. Getting a 4runner with all of the perks found on the 120 series definitely makes it more attractive

We know what "LC" he was referring too.....right? ;p

The Runner/GX/FJ were not designed to be the same vehicle-type a true 100-series was. MANY components hang down low (especially the gas tank), are of MUCH lighter duty, and overall build-quality is of lighter-duty. This should be the case as this platform costs far less than a true 100-series Cruiser. The 100 is a completely different bird being made from such heavy-duty componentry and with all tucked way up inside for supreme ground clearance.

Not sure if you've driven 100s and Runners, though from what I've seen (and read) the programming of TRAC in the Runner is not as biased for crawling compared to the 100. Too much wheelspin before it works....but then it's real good. Now the FJ? I've read the programming in that seems REALLY GOOD.

 

[dealmaker]

This is true, but I can buy alot of replacement skidplates, mods, and 33"s for $5k of the $25k price difference. And I'll still have the V8, 5 speed auto, ATRAC, VSC, fulltime 4WD, Hi/Low 4WD, 4 doors, Made In Japan reliability, blah blah blah. Fact is, here in the US most of us can't get more than 50-100 miles at most from civilization. Its not like the Autralian Outback here. Both vehicles are great for the weekend/ weeklong wheeling adventures that are teh limit of most our wheeling vacations. I don't think there are going to be too many trails one can make that the other can't, unless you throw lockers into the equation.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a 100, I personally just don't see the value in the extra $25k that it would cost me (new vs. new). I do have my eyes open for a used one though, for my .

...The Runner/GX/FJ were not designed to be the same vehicle-type a true 100-series was.... The 100 is a completely different bird being made from such heavy-duty componentry and with all tucked way up inside for supreme ground clearance.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

This is true, but I can buy alot of replacement skidplates, mods, and 33"s for $5k of the $25k price difference. And I'll still have the V8, 5 speed auto, ATRAC, VSC, fulltime 4WD, Hi/Low 4WD, 4 doors, Made In Japan reliability, blah blah blah. Fact is, here in the US most of us can't get more than 50-100 miles at most from civilization. Its not like the Autralian Outback here. Both vehicles are great for the weekend/ weeklong wheeling adventures that are teh limit of most our wheeling vacations. I don't think there are going to be too many trails one can make that the other can't, unless you throw lockers into the equation.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a 100, I personally just don't see the value in the extra $25k that it would cost me (new vs. new). I do have my eyes open for a used one though, for my .

Oh....absolutely agree. For most the buying public the Runner or Sequoia are better choices than the expensive UZJ. The Runner is a great four-wheeler and the Sequoia is a better and more roomy people hauler.

My focus is running trails...and that driver's side gas tank...it's low and even Four Wheeler Mag destroyed it on their GX Trailex with 3" lift and 35's. My 100 was even scraping the undersides and sliders on this pic. A Runner'd a been stuck and taken a strap. Notice too those rocks are on the driver's side. I guess you'd a rock-stacked if you'd been in a Runner and been OK. There's always something better off-road. GoodTimes Jeep would have slapped my 100 silly on that spot in this pic. Damn Jeeps and Jeepers! OK, my 5.5" lifted 80 would have done better too. 100's suckaroo.