Who needs lockers when you have ATRAC?! Videos Demoing ATRAC (1 Viewer)

[KraziAzn]

UPDATE: ATRAC in the mud




When I was looking for my 100, I narrowed my searches to 98-99 w/ locker, but after reading this a-trac 101 . I was sold on ATRAC! I ended up picking a 2000 LC, single owner, full maintenance records.


Today decided to make a video of how awesome ATRAC is. In California, we don't get a lot of rain, so the trail is mostly loose dirt and ruts. So it is not being tested in an extreme condition like mud or snow.

I apologize for the wind noise, I'm a total newb at filming. The video is my LC going through the rutted area of the trail and letting ATRAC do its thing.
[ Side notes: I wouldn't mind having lockers though ]

Started off with a built Taco leading.

 

[Ninja Cruiser100]

Looks good.

 

[Kabanstva]

Man, great video! Your truck was one of my favorites at HIH8!

 

[Surelok]

Great video, is that the Cleghorn Trial by the way?

 

[KraziAzn]

Man, great video! Your truck was one of my favorites at HIH8!

Man, great video! Your truck was one of my favorites at HIH8!

Thanks!

Great video, is that the Cleghorn Trial by the way?

Yes it is!

 

[95Fantasma80]

I'll have to check this spot out.. looks nice!

Nice job with the atrac.

 

[droppn brass]

Thanks for the confidence booster. Great video!!!

 

[FxFormat]

Nice vid bro, good looking truck and bonus points for manifold tick, i have that too.

 

[nukegoat]

I usually dont like tacomas but that was a pretty nicely built one. Driver looked exactly like what I have come to expect though. To a T

 

[MountaineerLC]

Nicely done! ATRAC is a very impressive system for sure.

On a side note, the articulation on that Taco was crazy!

 

[Live to Ski]

Heave to chime in: attractive is worthless w/o driver skill (ask me how I will know). Hat's of to to krazyasin for great demo of skill

 

[Spike555]

I am a fan of ATRAC. It’s not perfect, nothing is, but it is nice. Will not work if the check engine light is on though.

 

[FxFormat]

I am a fan of ATRAC. It’s not perfect, nothing is, but it is nice. Will not work if the check engine light is on though.

Interesting, never knew that! Could you clear the light with a scanner and then Atrac will work again?

 

[bucfl]

Attac has gotten me thru some gnarly stuff.

It really helps to build experience with it also. Once you get a feel for the rpm range and engine noise at that range you can focus on your line better.

That being said....I still want a locker and winch. Neither will help getting you out of a situation like a winch though.

Hats off to a good decision on that obstacle! It’s sometimes to hard to make the right choice when alone. Good for you stopping and assessing the situation.

 

[MuseChaser]

@FxFormat My '05 LX has thrown a few codes VERY occasionally (twice in 2000 miles) for an evap VSV, and when it did it disabled the ESP/ABS and ATRAC systems as Spike stated. Some sort of "failsafe" mode; the car still drove fine, but they were inactive. Clearing the code w/ Techstream restored everything, and the codes have not come back. I pulled the two VSVs in the engine bay, cleaned the contacts and blew through the airways, but they tested fine so I doubt I really fixed anything. If they do come back, I'll check the one on the canister.

 

[half k cruiser]

3:27 mark, that little sideways slide you did that knocked you off of your original line, that's one thing I really don't like about the A-TRAC. Not such a big deal where you were at as everything your going to slide into is soft and sandy. I have seen my buddies 4runner do this several times where it drug him out of his line and put him in a bad spot. The last one was on Hell's Revenge in Moab where it slid him over onto his unprotected ( at that time ) rocker. We had to winch him sideways and up to clear the obstacle and not do any damage. I can't remember if the other 4runner in the group went up that wall but I know an 80 series did it locked with zero issues. Admittedly the system is pretty decent once you learn its quirks, which it looks like you have.

 

[KraziAzn]

Nice vid bro, good looking truck and bonus points for manifold tick, i have that too.

Haha. It sounds a locomotive when I'm heading down the trail. Literally, every LC I encounter have the tick issue.

I usually dont like tacomas but that was a pretty nicely built one. Driver looked exactly like what I have come to expect though. To a T

lol. He was a total "bro", but super friendly and informative. I believe he built that truck out of his shop.

Nicely done! ATRAC is a very impressive system for sure.

On a side note, the articulation on that Taco was crazy!

Seriously! He was literally mall cruising through the whole entire trail.

I am a fan of ATRAC. It’s not perfect, nothing is, but it is nice. Will not work if the check engine light is on though.

Question. If the vehicle throws a CEL, can I clear it with a normal OBDII scanner? Or is tech steam needed?

Attac has gotten me thru some gnarly stuff.

It really helps to build experience with it also. Once you get a feel for the rpm range and engine noise at that range you can focus on your line better.

That being said....I still want a locker and winch. Neither will help getting you out of a situation like a winch though.

Hats off to a good decision on that obstacle! It’s sometimes to hard to make the right choice when alone. Good for you stopping and assessing the situation.

Agreed! I tried to keep my RPM around 1K -1.5k and let the Cruiser creep up. Locker and winch would be super nice to have. I wheel alone most of the time and thought about investing in a winch. But most of the trails near my house are treeless, there is nothing to winch off of.

Haha yeah, I was definitely caught up in the moment, I'm glad I did not Rambo it.

3:27 mark, that little sideways slide you did that knocked you off of your original line, that's one thing I really don't like about the A-TRAC. Not such a big deal where you were at as everything your going to slide into is soft and sandy. I have seen my buddies 4runner do this several times where it drug him out of his line and put him in a bad spot. The last one was on Hell's Revenge in Moab where it slid him over onto his unprotected ( at that time ) rocker. We had to winch him sideways and up to clear the obstacle and not do any damage. I can't remember if the other 4runner in the group went up that wall but I know an 80 series did it locked with zero issues. Admittedly the system is pretty decent once you learn its quirks, which it looks like you have.

Yeah, the trail I filmed at was great for newbies, bypass on every obstacle, and no immediate danger if you pick the wrong line, tons of room for error. But wowzor, I'll probably need a change of pants if that happens to me on Hell's Revenge. It looks so steep on YouTube, literally looks like a vertical wall. Nevertheless, I want to tackle it one day, when I can find a solid group to go with.

 

[RedHeadedStepChild]

Lockers should be the last upgrade you make. I've seen more field breakage due to incorrect or poor locker use than anything else. ATRAC is a nice system. Gen 1 was decent but quirky and as stated above, requires some practice to get comfortable with how it behaves. The latest generation is amazing. All this said, you should not rely solely on it. As pointed out above, it may not always be there for you. Learning to properly drive with 2 feet is an invaluable skill that will render ATRAC and lockers irrelevant in all but the most extreme circumstances. As it reduces will spin to near zero, it is also friendlier to the trails you're on, and less likely to result in sideways slides in off camber situations.

 

[KraziAzn]

Lockers should be the last upgrade you make. I've seen more field breakage due to incorrect or poor locker use than anything else. ATRAC is a nice system. Gen 1 was decent but quirky and as stated above, requires some practice to get comfortable with how it behaves. The latest generation is amazing. All this said, you should not rely solely on it. As pointed out above, it may not always be there for you. Learning to properly drive with 2 feet is an invaluable skill that will render ATRAC and lockers irrelevant in all but the most extreme circumstances. As it reduces will spin to near zero, it is also friendlier to the trails you're on, and less likely to result in sideways slides in off camber situations.

Can you explain more on "2 feet" driving? I'm assuming I'm holding the brakes and accelerator pedal at the same time?

 

[Somebodyelse5]

Can you explain more on "2 feet" driving? I'm assuming I'm holding the brakes and accelerator pedal at the same time?

Basically. The ATRAC system uses the brake system to limit wheel speed indepentendtly, you could accomplish a bit of that manually, by using some brake pedal.

Real detailed write up on the atrac system in the faq for anyone interested in some more reading
a-trac 101