This is turning into something that sounds like fun.

Question is, will any 5th Gen owners step up?

that was great, thanks for the confidence

edited the 1st post, Ron is the 1st member of team 3rd gen!

Are you telling me a 3rd Gen will climb a hill without the driver touching the gas? Can it go back down the same hill without the driver touching the brakes?

As for doing anything without touching a brake or gas pedal not being a feat... the point is that my "stock" 5th gen has an advantage: Crawl Control. Going between two trees isn't really a feat either.

As for your "teams" idea, give it up. The only fair test is to have the SAME driver run comparably outfitted vehicles over the SAME course and provide an unbiased opinion. They have to be running the SAME tires in OEM stock size, no lift, no aftermarket gear (winches, bull bars, rock sliders, etc.), on a course they both can complete.

Geez,this is just for fun and we don't need a scientific test for this and it's not like this challenge is the last word between 3rd and 5th gens. We have plenty of stock friendly trails that we can choose from also.

And he did state that it has to be stock out side of the tire size which you are limited on both gens of what will fit. It'll be a fun comparo and fun to do but it might be hard to find several people with 5th gen willing to compete.

Seattlemike,if you lived here would you do the challenge?

This is a fairly useless exercise of showing off. The 5th gen just came out a few months ago...and only a few of those sold are Trail Editions. This competition will have to wait at least a year or two to even get enough 5th gens on the road to compete. So, yeah, for now, it seems like the 5th gen owners are scared with so many 3rd gen owners jumping in. In addition, some of you bought used 4runners and are now off-roading with them. Not many people will take a brand new vehicle rockcrawling in the mountains.

seriously... use your crawl control, thats good, use the crawl control to your advantage, U can use any of your vehicles stock features to your advantage,

saying a 3rd gen loses a point cuz it doesnt have crawl control is like saying the 5th gen loses a point because it doesnt have an elocker or a 96 headlight... seriously, you are missing the point on that one. the fact that the computer has to open the throttle and put gas in the engine is the same thing as a driver opening the throttle, lets not get all crazy here.

No point in same tires, cuz every tire is different, and NO tire gives you that much more advantage in a stock rig...

definitely no lift, no winches,

I dont think that aftermarket or even addable stock features like bull bars make any difference as they are most definitely cosmetic...

The goal is stock vs stock. but again, lets not get crazy...

and again, having teams of 4-7 and doing best 2 out of 3 ensures that no ONE driver or vehicle decides the competition...

Yes, my 96 can with the oldest car technology there is,

its called a manual!! and 4lo!!

That is called, "CRAWL RATIO." I wonder who has a better crawl ratio...3rd gen manual vs. 5th gen automatic????

BTW, crawl ratio = 1st gear ratio x differential ratio x 4-Lo ratio

I would like to know. I know that a 3rd gen automatic has a smaller crawl ratio than the 5th gen. But, i don't know about manual tranny on the 3rd gen. What is the 1st gear ratio on the manual tranny??

yeah, I dont know what the gearing is, but my point is its a "vehicle feature" and not a "challenge" no one gets docked for not having a stock "feature"

now using your "feature" to win a challenge is ok

Absolutely. And my off-road experience is limited to Forest Service roads and a few beaches.

I'm mostly teasing because certain 3rd Gen owners are clearly insecure when it comes to their rides and need to flex to feel like they still have a set. =P

I would have bought a 3rd gen had I the money at the time, but I like the 5th Gen's looks and the TE is the best 4-door off road vehicle Toyota offers.

But yeah, if I lived closer or had the cash (you know, these 4Runners are not exactly cheap) I would roll out there and give it my best shot.

It's also pretty obvious those 4th Gen wussies know better than to bother trying to represent.


(Please, before anyone takes anything the wrong way, understand that I'm teasing people who are taking taking themselves way too seriously)

I agree...i was just interested for my knowledge.

with both points!

cmon we need more 5th genners to represent!!

I think this will also serve the purpose of having fun! and meeting some new people!

Haha, unbias, good one.
No one ever said Trail edition, any 5th gen can compete, sounds like there are a few willing too.

This sounds like fun, but I'm intending on putting a lift on my truck in the not too far future. Otherwise, all I got for modding on my truck are my FJC rims and a little bigger wheels. BTW, I'm putting a lift on cause I like the stance, not for actually going offroading Whenever this gets together I want to come and watch! Should be a blast.