Crawl Control

a lot of noise and banging

i used crawl control for the first time today on my 2015 TE in a flat surface on the beach. At first i thought my rig was broken all the noises did not sound "normal" at all. that's what made me come to t4r.org to do a search on the issue. After reading all the posts in here my runner did exactly what everybody else in here is mentioning. i think it would work right if i was going down or up a hill. just on a flat surface i think it is confusing the truck. just my thoughts
 
samsung said:
i used crawl control for the first time today on my 2015 TE in a flat surface on the beach. At first i thought my rig was broken all the noises did not sound "normal" at all. that's what made me come to t4r.org to do a search on the issue. After reading all the posts in here my runner did exactly what everybody else in here is mentioning. i think it would work right if i was going down or up a hill. just on a flat surface i think it is confusing the truck. just my thoughts
Click to expand...

I hate to assume, but if you had it on the lowest setting on a flat surface, even on sand it will hunt for the proper speed for conditions.
On the same surface, try to increase the crawl speed and it will perform with less noise.
 
Saker said:
I hate to assume, but if you had it on the lowest setting on a flat surface, even on sand it will hunt for the proper speed for conditions.
On the same surface, try to increase the crawl speed and it will perform with less noise.
Click to expand...

yes i found that out after playing with the different settings on that rotary knob. the higher the speed the less noise it made. at the highest speed there was almost no noise at all just a slow crawl.
 
If you really want to hear some bad noises, go from the fastest setting to the slowest one, in one quick motion. Thought the Runner was a goner......lesson learned lol
 
when ive used mine, it usually stays at medium to high speed.. usually if slow speed is needed, i'm doing the work myself
 
I tried it out in front of my house and immediately thought I had switched on a self destruct device... I was like OMG WTF IS HAPPENING I AM SO SORRY 4RUNNER! Then I youtubed it and didnt feel as bad.

EDIT: it literally sounded as if all the car's hopes and dreams were leaving in as much agony and pain as possible. Hilariously chaotic when I think back to how mad I was that Toyota gave me a busted vehicle haha.
 
Not sure why we have so many different places for this discussion but here it is again (trying to find the right place for my question)


I have a 2013 TE and this past weekend went out with a group. It did really well but I tried using crawl control to go down a steep slope which was a bit wet due to recent rain a little earlier. It started off going down fine even if it was a bit scary trusting it however when it got a bit steeper and started to lose traction sliding forward it would like sped up then slow down again and each time it slows too much and would start to slide then it would repeat after about the third time I was really moving and I thought screw this and took control and made it down.
Is crawl control not meant for downhill or did I do something wrong?
 
Thank god for this forum and for this thread. Wife and I tried out the crawl control in the mall parking lot and immediately heard the crazy noises. We thought we broke our brand new baby. Came home immediately and searched the forum...I can rest easy now...LOL.
 
Something I didn't know, and was jealous of new Tacomas, but apparently 4Runner's Crawl Control can get you unstuck:
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lwQWjDaPgjM" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EFe4WhDgZZw" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I wonder why this was never advertised by Toyota?
 
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Yep. Crawl control sounds crazy. It’s the abs modulating the movement. I have quite a few movies on my YouTube channel where we use it - a few in Moab as well. This video, at around the 3:40 mark you can really hear it as I’m playing on a rock pile.

https://youtu.be/W1FrGgF8NkY

It’s super handy and I’ve actually used it to get unstuck a couple times (although it’s not an end all/be all solution).

My favorite application for it is when going up or down a semi technical hill as it modulates the accelerator and brake for you. But sometimes, depending on the terrain, I prefer to feel the accelerator and brake myself.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
glocke12 said:
I just checked out ATRAC, and it did not make any noise....DOnt think I was doing anything wrong as it seems fairly straight forward to engage. Vehicle in 4-lo than hit the atrac button right?
Click to expand...



Yes that’s correct. It won’t make noises like crawl control. ATRAC will brake the front wheel that spins so the one that has traction will get the power. Think of it like a locking from differential. It’s NOT the same, but it’s meant to simulate it and it’s pretty effective.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have found it to be very useful. I have experience driving old manual mechanical trucks without any computerized nannies in some pretty hairy trail conditions. The first time I used it I had driven down a steep hill into a river valley that was very muddy after a few days of rain. When I went to return I sat the bottom of the hill looking up at all this slick wet clay and thought there was no way I was going to get up, that my tires will just spin. I figured this would be a good opportunity to try out the crawl control. I kicked it in at about medium speed and sat back with both feet flat on the floor and laughed my ass off as that truck clawed its way up that muddy hill. I could feel each wheel individually shifting from braking to acceleration in order to get purchase as it clawed its way right up that hill.

The second time was in winter I had to drive down a short steep snow and ice covered hill on jeep trail. Even in 4lo first gear I would have been cramming on the brakes and sliding all over. The crawl control maintained traction and when it started to slip I could feel it braking and sending power to the other wheels which kept the truck from sliding.

The third time was deep in the mountains on a narrow track on a steep downgrade that was dry with loose rock and dirt. Again I would have just been riding the brakes and sliding all over but the crawl control helped the vehicle maintain its composure and made going down this hairy decline much easier.

Like others I prefer having control of the vehicle myself but in situations where traction will be compromised I feel the crawl control has its place to keep from having to ride the brakes. It can make decisions to brake or accelerate each wheel individually quickly, which is something I can't do, eliminating some of the stress so I can concentrate on steering which I find to be very helpful.

And yes it is noisy, but it works.
 
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wfo9 said:
They renamed it to Mall control. Specifically used to get unstuck in mall parking lots. :bored:
Click to expand...

I've heard that mall trails have gotten a lot less technical than they used to be because of the decline in brick-and-mortar retail.
 
HMMM I guess I'm just lucky, the sales person that helped me with my 4Runner also had a TRD Off Road with KDSS and a lift, and she told me all about it!! she warned me before we turned it on that it would sound like an MRI machine, which I guess only helps if you've had an MRI. we demo'd it in the dealer lot, she explained how all the off road features worked and gave examples of when they would be applicable. Super helpful and super well informed. Again, she was a 4Runner owner and an off road enthusiast glad I lucked out.:thumb3:
 
Just played with crawl control until Saturday. Out hunting on top of ridge and snowing all day. Coming out, came to extremely step grade on dirt road. Road itself a piece of cake. Now covered with 5" of wet snow, another story. 4 other 4x4 lined up in front of me. One guy chains up his big Chevy and goes down. I popped into low and crawl control (With KO2's), put left side on rough and down I go. Very minor sliding from back wheels, but all very controlled. Worked like a charm. The other two 4x4's had to be chained up to come down.
 
Hi Fellas, just want to ask if it's fine to press gas pedal while in Crawl control? When I was going uphill, like 50-65 degree angle, I've setup to 4lo, activate MTS(switching loose rock and dirt), activate crawl control mode but was on lowest setting. I didn't feel moving so I use the gas pedal and it's going just fine. That's what I've done for the entire uphill wheeling.
Did I just made a mistake?
 
stockrunner_owner said:
Hi Fellas, just want to ask if it's fine to press gas pedal while in Crawl control? When I was going uphill, like 50-65 degree angle, I've setup to 4lo, activate MTS(switching loose rock and dirt), activate crawl control mode but was on lowest setting. I didn't feel moving so I use the gas pedal and it's going just fine. That's what I've done for the entire uphill wheeling.
Did I just made a mistake?
Click to expand...

You didn't hurt anything but you can't use MTS and CRAWL at the same time. You were in MTS which simply controls how much throttle and brake you have for each setting. In CRAWL as soon as you exceed 5kph/3mph (setting 5) it disengages automatically, so it's best to just keep your foot off the gas when using it and control your speed with the knob. I usually engage the CRAWL at the 3 setting because that is the least noisy slow mode and adjust my speed from there. You actually have to disengage MTS to use CRAWL. I have discovered this the hard way by having too many buttons engaged and having to foot throttle up a steep slope myself.

Bye the bye, no dig on you, but I really doubt that was that steep a slope. 30 degrees is pretty stiff for one of us and 45 would probably need a run at it to get up depending on how long the slope is. Bear in mind it only takes about a 6 degree slope on the highway to make these things downshift to maintain speed. I know it can feel that steep but experience will gain you more insight.
 
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Maybe I miscalculate how steep that slope, my bad, thanks for correcting. Is it when you’re in crawl, there is small suv green lighting on your dash? I had that, pressed also MTS, lights on, I thought both was activated?
 
stockrunner_owner said:
Maybe I miscalculate how steep that slope, my bad, thanks for correcting. Is it when you’re in crawl, there is small suv green lighting on your dash? I had that, pressed also MTS, lights on, I thought both was activated?
Click to expand...

The small SUV is your MTS. I can't remember what light comes on with CRAWL at the moment, but the little green SUV is definitely MTS. This is a video of me climbing what proved to be a 30 degree slope at some point due to another vehicle's clinometer. I tried to use CRAWL, but I already had MTS, the rear locked, and A-trac engaged. I ended up climbing it with the rear locked and A-trac because I had too many buttons pushed. A Tacoma had just climbed it ahead of me using his CRAWL just to see how it worked. We were the first 2 to make it up without winching, but an FJ came up right behind me with no problems.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/490h8bw-bdE" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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