Thai said:
Falls, i am not sure what your experience is with locker(s), but a rear locker is superior to rear ATRAC off-road. One can make an argument about front locker vs. front ATRAC for steering reasons, but a rear locker is better than rear ATRAC over most (if not all) off-road terrain.
The nice thing about Toyota ATRAC + rear locker combo is that the rear locker is selectable. That is, if you don't want the rear locker, then turn it off and you have 4-wheel ATRAC...so, you won't sacrifice anything if you don't want to use the rear locker. But, i can tell you that once you have use rear locker, you will want it ON most of the time while you're off-road. The rear locker ON + ATRAC in the front is pretty ideal for most off-road terrain.
I love it when Toyota offered this combo on the FJ.
Although one can argue that one can go aftermarket and get most of the "modifications" on the Trail Edition, it is nice to have it straight from factory with a warranty. Remember, the water resistant seats are very nice. If you buy aftermarket water-resistant seat covers, then it will likely NOT be compatible with the seat-mounted front side airbags. Bilsteins shocks are not cheap aftermarket either...correct me if i am wrong, but a set of Bilsteins probably runs around $500-800...and probably close to $1000 including labor. In addition, supposedly, Toyota spec out the valve adjustment in the Bilstein shocks...so, i am not sure if the aftermarket Bilstein is the same as the Toyota Trail Edition Bilsteins.
If the Trail Ed. uses 16 rims, then does it mean that it has the smaller front brakes??
Thanks Thai , I did not know the ATRAC was on both axles and you could just select to lock the rear. Best of both worlds . I agree The aftermarket modifications are nice and one could argue that but coming from the factory is a major plus for me , since this is my little expedition vehicle AND my daily driver . I like that Idea . Though finding that balance between the 2 is always a challenge
There should be no reason you could not upgrade to a 32" 265/75/16 tire , but who knows , it would be tight maybe. I like the 16" rim idea. I also love my V8 to death, but the V6 is a good enough engine that I wouldn't bother me if I decided to but one . I wonder what rims it will have on it ? I also heard if the offset / back space is different on a 16" rim they would clear the larger brakes , don't know what truth there is to that though.
Hopefully it will be out by Feb. atleast it will be worth a look.
To bad I have to spend money and put new tires on this one , but really have no choice. The modified 4R's here are some really nice rigs , but for me I need the reliability and ride comfort to an extent since I drive so much.
This would all be nice and good if it's out when my lease is up (feb.09) because I was just going to buy mine out since I have a cheap buyout , I know the vehicle history , I like it ALOT , and I have very little of my own money into it. ( long story ) . If it wasn't for this trail edition coming out and my options were basically the selection I have now , I would just keep it.
With the black trim its supposed to have I would love to see it in white or silver and see what it looks like . I still love the look of the White FJ with the black trim trail team edition it would be sweet if the 4R was similar .