I am planning to go to Uwharrie this Saturday for the maiden voyage offroad with the GX. I have only been a few times with my Dodge, which had true/regular 4wheel drive and no computer aides what so ever. My questions are:
1. Once on dirt, do i leave the center diff locked or turn it on and off as needed?
2. How and when do I use Down Hill Assist?
3. Any other tricks?
I am going with a buddy who is very well versed in the offroad world but he isnt very knowledgeable about Toyota's.
1. lock it when offroad
2. never
3. Learn to use L/L with one foot on the brake and one on the gas. Keep it under 2000. Let the ATRAC eat. Slower is better. You won't realize you are making progress then you will...then use the brake to modulate your speed and keep the gas steady.
4. If you get hung up and need to "bump it" don't SEND IT...just use enough rolling momentum to get over the obstacle and apply throttle once you crest vs. the whole time.
once you get #3 you will go places that don't even make sense.
^^^^^ Yup! Hardest thing to get used to is not panicking and allowing ATRAC to work. First instinct is to go heavy on the skinny pedal! Learning to left-foot brake and stay steady on the gas will allow you to crawl right through.
Item #3 above is the key...I know that from experience...and from a broken shifter that doesn't hold L on its own. So, be in L and L in the tough terrain.
Just a heads-up, Olde North State Cruisers' Relic Run is this weekend. You're going to be witness to one of the most amazing collections of old and rare Cruisers on this side of the country.
Agreed with points above. However, try downhill assist going down the trail that starts by Flintlock shooting range (the one w/ all the moguls) just to see how it works and if it's for you. I also encourage folks to try an exercise: try to not use your brakes unless you actually have to stop or it's an emergency. This will get you in the habit of using low range and your tranny gears to control the GX.
I had a great time and the truck did great (a few battle scars on bumpers). There were really interesting rigs including an LR3 with a diesel swap.
Something I experienced and I am not sure about is, can I use other gears when in 4x4 low with diff locked? The Nissans that I was with were both manuals and they walked a way from me on some of the easy trails leading to the fun stuff. I used 2nd and 3rd a few times but 4Low is really low/slow and I don't want to over work the transfer case.
Yes, as the trail flattens out or opens up, you can still up-shift to 2-3-4-D (use whatever is best suited for the conditions in front of you) while still in 4L. Staying in L-L on easy sections either results in what you experienced (others walking away from you) or you'll spin too many RPMs trying to keep up with them which you don't want to do.
Glad you got a good, first run in. You'll be used to this in no time, that's when the fun begins and you really start to enjoy offroading!
