Best 4th generation off road
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Casper421
New member
X2. If im not mistaken, the Trail Edition came with a rear locker opposed to the center differential lockers that came on the other 4th gen models. All 4th gen's, let alone all 4runners, are very capable off road with decent ground clearance and a small, nimble wheelbase. You will not be disappointed with any 4th gen model off road. Im very surprised and pleased with where in the high sierras ive been able to venture with my stock 07 sport.
Good luck and enjoy!! :cheers:
Thanks for the feedback. I am new to off roading, and have wondered how much I really need. I plan to do moderate off roading, no rock climbing. I gather that all the 4th generation 4runners (except the trail edition) have central lockers?
This is true, but the 2009 Trail Edition is a rare bird because it was only available in 2009 and Toyota cut down production big time during the 2009 model year.
I wonder how many 2009 Trails were even produced. Probably a very low number.
All 4th gens have a center differential lock. The 2009 Trail has both a center diff lock and a rear diff lock. You can't even get those two things together on any 5th gen 4Runner.
4Runner8
New member
technically the 5th gen does.... it locks when you put in 4wd. in other words not selectable which means you cant run full time 4wd or what some call awd. the 5th gen does have this option but only in the hideous limited trim.
any 4th gen will do quite well off road with a lift and some good at's or mt's. also you can add a rear locker if you really want to but being new to offroad as you are i dont think you will want/ need one at first because you will be learning
another thing to consider is why pay a lot for a brand new trail edition when you can get a 4th gen for A LOT cheaper and you wont feel so bad if you scratch it up, plus no payments if you save up or do a trade plus cash with your older car
rear locker over center locker:
center locker locks the front and rear diffs together in the transfer case. this means real 4wd and not awd. rear locker locks the rear diff together so that both wheels turn at all times creating great grip. so one tire can be completely off the ground and the other one will still get equal power. usually with an open rear diff if this happens, the one off the ground will spin and the one on the ground will get no power. thus you could get stuck
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kai920
New member
A center diff locks the power split 50/50 between front and rear. Equal power going to front and rear. Without it locked power is split between front and rear based on slippage. If front slips more power goes to rear and vice versa.
A rear locker locks rear wheels together, they will spin at same speed. Its good for rock crawling and things like that. Same concept without it, or when unlocked, power is sent from side to side based on slippage. When locked it doesn't matter if one side slips, both wheels still spin at same speed.
Synister
Member
This is true, however, the 4runner does pretty well without a front locker due to ATRAC, which essentially senses wheel slippage and engages the brakes on that wheel to ensure the wheel with traction also gets power. ATRAC for most 4th gens is automatic in 4wd but the 09 TE also included a separate switch which is supposed to increase its sensitivity/effectiveness. Ive only ever engaged it in soft sand and it seemed to do the trick.
Chris Sandstorm
New member
I found an 09 4th gen trail edition with 15k miles on it 3 weeks ago..It just appeared at my local Toyota dealership.. Probably not another one available in the country...
But it had been a smoker car, the wife hated the interior, stereo and cloth seats vs the limited and it was silver exterior...Nice color but not our favorite color..They wanted 36k for it..
So reluctantly, I passed on it..Found an 07 limited v6 with 58k miles on it in really good condition..Clearly no kids...I know because the back seat was immaculate-no wear...I have 2 small children and they can demo a back seat of a new car in a matter of days....
Anyway, picked up the 07 limited for 28k and it is the color and interior, we really like best. Installing the ARB rear diff locker at some point.
Really unless you live near an area that your off-road use requires a rear diff locker and you plan on wheeling features that require a rear diff, I believe the 4th gen with center diff lock will meet 90% of your off-road needs. But I am new to a 4runner, you guys that have been doing off road with 4th gens certainly know better then me.
I just traded my FJC in for this 4runner. I go to Moab and Southern Utah about 3-4 times a year. I have used the rear diff lock sparingly and probably could have used it less, if I learned to wheel with out it.
The one thing I will miss is the off-road tuned A-trac button. That I used all the time. I believe the 4th gens have a version of A-trac when we go into 4 Low but I am not 100% sure. There is no button.
It would be great if we could install the A-trac button and add some kind of mod to the computer to make it work. Theoretically, my 07 is the same as an 07 FJ...
Anyone know more about a potential A-trac mod?
I believe you get the A-trac and rear diff lock buttons with the 5th gens but they are spendy..And to learn off-road with a 40K rig might be costly...hmm, I did that with the FJC, I would not reccomend it. But if someone told me not to spend the money for my new FJC in 08 and by used, I would have scoffed..So take that with a grain of salt.
Personally, I like the vision out of the 4th gen better then the 5th gen. I am not a big guy and the 4th gen seems to be less cave like then the FJC (probably very obvious)..It appears to me the 5th gen is similar in cock-pit to the FJC..Just my opinion...
I think the 4th gens are ripe for good wheeling rigs, if you can find low miles and color you want. Also you can pick up plenty of slightly used suspension mods, wheels, tires, skid plates, etc.. from the FJC forum, since all that transfers over from the FJC.
But it had been a smoker car, the wife hated the interior, stereo and cloth seats vs the limited and it was silver exterior...Nice color but not our favorite color..They wanted 36k for it..
So reluctantly, I passed on it..Found an 07 limited v6 with 58k miles on it in really good condition..Clearly no kids...I know because the back seat was immaculate-no wear...I have 2 small children and they can demo a back seat of a new car in a matter of days....
Anyway, picked up the 07 limited for 28k and it is the color and interior, we really like best. Installing the ARB rear diff locker at some point.
Really unless you live near an area that your off-road use requires a rear diff locker and you plan on wheeling features that require a rear diff, I believe the 4th gen with center diff lock will meet 90% of your off-road needs. But I am new to a 4runner, you guys that have been doing off road with 4th gens certainly know better then me.
I just traded my FJC in for this 4runner. I go to Moab and Southern Utah about 3-4 times a year. I have used the rear diff lock sparingly and probably could have used it less, if I learned to wheel with out it.
The one thing I will miss is the off-road tuned A-trac button. That I used all the time. I believe the 4th gens have a version of A-trac when we go into 4 Low but I am not 100% sure. There is no button.
It would be great if we could install the A-trac button and add some kind of mod to the computer to make it work. Theoretically, my 07 is the same as an 07 FJ...
Anyone know more about a potential A-trac mod?
I believe you get the A-trac and rear diff lock buttons with the 5th gens but they are spendy..And to learn off-road with a 40K rig might be costly...hmm, I did that with the FJC, I would not reccomend it. But if someone told me not to spend the money for my new FJC in 08 and by used, I would have scoffed..So take that with a grain of salt.
Personally, I like the vision out of the 4th gen better then the 5th gen. I am not a big guy and the 4th gen seems to be less cave like then the FJC (probably very obvious)..It appears to me the 5th gen is similar in cock-pit to the FJC..Just my opinion...
I think the 4th gens are ripe for good wheeling rigs, if you can find low miles and color you want. Also you can pick up plenty of slightly used suspension mods, wheels, tires, skid plates, etc.. from the FJC forum, since all that transfers over from the FJC.
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