How good is a Prerunner in snow and or off road?

HI all,
I have been looking at getting a prerunner and I have been wondering how well they handle in snow vs a regular 2wd. Yes I know that 4x4 is better, but I'm not paying a lot more money just to get 4x4 its not worth the extra money for me at this time. I have driven 2wd trucks in snow be for so I'm not worried about it being 2wd. I also would like to know what people have done off road with them. Yes I'm going to get one witha locker or I'll put one on it. Any and all opinions and experiences are welcome even if it is that 4x4 is better. Thanks

 

About half as good as a 4x4.


Buy seriously, if you're expecting to drive in snow enough to warrant it as a consideration, you're thinking about driving offroad, and you're going to go to the trouble and expense to add a locker, why not just get a stock 4x4 and be ahead of the game? I think you already know the answer... 4x2 vs 4x4 ultimately comes down the the skills – and judgement – of the driver. I'm sure there are yahoos who can get a 4x4 just as stuck as a 4x2, and experienced off-roaders that can drive a 4x2 in places that amateurs would struggle with a 4x4.

 

If you go the 2wd route, get a TRD that has the e-locker in back. Twice the traction of an open diff.

 

@BuddyS I do agree with you, but when it comes down to cost Its not worth the extra money for me to get 4x4 right now. It comes down to needing a new truck that does not have a ton of miles on it.

 

See i wanted a truck for a good price and what not, and bought a prerunner. After seeing how limited I was in the last blizzard we had, and realizing how much I needed a double cab as opposed to the access cab, I got another Tacoma. As was said before, it can drive in the snow, just more prone to getting stuck on hills. Btw I had 4 265/70/17 blizzaks and 300 lbs of sand in the back of my prerunner. The fact that I had to really think about my route and what not as opposed to just driving where I want bothered me. The 4x4 I have now was amazing in the snow and I'll never go back. This was an expensive lesson to learn. Sorta like measure twice cut once.

Also, miles do not always reflect condition. Service records and crawling underneath tells more than the odometer.

 

Terrible at both. There's a reason trophy trucks need 1000 horse power to navigate off road terrain, and they still get stuck all the time. The biggest difference in snow is that one can steer and the other can't.

 

How do you know if your truck has the e-locker ?

 

I bought a prerunner and I slowly wanted to do more wheeling. I eventually got stuck In a ditch on some wet pine needles and got pissed and traded it in the next week for a 4x4. Just get the 4x4 upfront. I promise it will save you money and you will be happier. I have talked to dozens of people who wish they got a 4x4. Ive never had anyone say the opposite.

 

Sorry but i gotta say it too, get 4x4. Itll pay for itself the first stuck. Youll be suprised how easy one can get stuck in stupid places you wouldnt expect to get stuck too...

As to getting a locker for it...itll help but really only in dry situations. I never use my locker in the snow on asphalt. It becomes real squirrelly!! That rear end can end up all over the place and in certain situations can be worse than just having an open diff.

Plus the cost of a good selectable locker will pry be about the price difference youd pay for a 4x4 equipped tacoma...

 

There will be an electronic motor on the diff with wires coming off of it and a switch on the dash to the left of the steering wheel.

 

Look for TRD sticker on the bedside first off. Though some people take it off or add it even if it's not a true TRD.

On the left side of the dash you will see this RR Diff Lock button.



And a motor on the rear axle housing, where this blue thing is (but it won't be blue, that's just armor someone added)

 

Not all trd's had the e locker too so dont rely on that sticker.

 

which didn't?

 

Last summer I managed to bury my 72" Diesel Hustler and then bury my little JD utility tractor trying to pull out the Hustler. So, I went out with my TRD PeeRunner and hooked on to both and spun out. Unhooked it, moved over a foot, hooked it back up, hit the diff lock, and pulled both right out. Now I did have probably 400 lbs. of misc. landscape crap in the back but I was surprised it even did it. Both hydrostatic drives stuck in mud and, being by myself, I was literally dragging them out of the mud.

I've been driving 4WD for 20 years and [frankly] miss the piece of mind of it but, for just a utility daily driver truck, my PeeRunner works fine and gets the better mpgs. My offroading would be limited to just what happens in the country crossing pastures, a few shallow creeks and draws, landscaping work in the mud, and some fairly deep snow [last winter] and I "ain't got" stuck yet.


Bad news is I had to completely replace the entire suspension with a REAL one as the factory TRD is severely lacking to the point of being dangerous. The ass end will inevitably try to pass you when you hit country road washboards not to mention what sudden unexpected required maneuvers to avoid idiots or debris at H/W speed or hitting potholes rounding a corner will do to your shorts. With Boss COs up front, Deavers in back with some decent shocks, and 18" wheels with much better handling ATRs than the incredibly splashy 16" factory BFGs it came with, it now drives and handles quite nicely.

Even doing all the labor myself, some would argue that just adding the $1600 of suspension parts to the $1200 in wheels/tires added to the price of a decent PreRunner would buy you a 4WD but I would have made the same changes on a 4WD too. These TRDs are very light trucks running on jacked up factory suspensions that are just grossly inadequate. With a little money and effort though . . . even the PeeRunner can be quite nice and capable.

 

It's my understanding that all TRDs were supposed to come with lockers. But Toyota had some funky things going on with first gens occasionally so I've come across some (at least prerunners) that were TRD with no lockers.

 

Toyota did the same with some tundras too, no locker with trd package.
Yota does do some funky things sometimes with their option packages...

 

Tundras never came with lockers...

 

So, you've already said that you are not paying the money for a 4x4.
Why does this thread exist?

 

Mine did not. With that said, I spent 2 winters in a row in Buffalo. Prior to that, Nov, Dec, and part of January 14 I drove almost every weekend from VA Beach to Buffalo through the mountains. Had some hairy white knuckle moments, but never got stuck. Was it a 4x4 equivalent, he'll no. Had to be smart, careful, and know the limits. I've had my PreRunner since 8/05 a D although there's places I would have like to go that I couldn't, it's never stopped me from trying. If I ever got rid of it, I'd go 4x4, but I don't want payments so I'll just keep this. Also, it sees off road many times a month unlike a ton of the 4x4 that NEVER do.

 

You've already made up your mind.......... and we really don't know what your driving mix is

Tires and driver skill can make a world of difference. Right tires for the offroad application, proper winter tires for snow. Neither of which is optimal for daily pavement pounding.

So depending on your use mix, are you willing to possibly have 3 sets of wheels/tires?