Does anyone actually use DAC?

[AKmoney]

I've had my truck for over three years now and I've never really used DAC. When I'm off-road and descending something steep I always find that simply putting the transmission into 1st gear, combined with 4LO, maintains a nice, slow, crawling descent. It's pretty much exactly what I want.

To make sure I wasn't missing out on anything, I decided to legitimately give DAC a chance yesterday while I was wheeling in Anza Borrego. Engage 4LO, engage DAC, feet off both pedals and the truck starts making all sorts of loud clunking sounds while the system does its thing. Eventually it starts going faster than I want given the rocky terrain I was descending so I get on the brakes. The pedal feels awkwardly rock-hard and unnatural as if the system is trying to tell me, "Dude, let me handle this, I know what I'm doing." Can't say I was impressed. Off went DAC and I went back to my usual 4LO+1st gear goodness.

So the question is.. who uses DAC and why?

 

[Ron4RNevada]

When it is REALLY STEEP and the terrain is REALLY LOOSE and you are likely to have all four wheels sliding (no way to stop, slow or steer) DAC is the only way to go....

Basically, Dac is tapping the brake on each wheel independently so that you don't induce sliding by stopping all four on the loose stuff.

It is rarely needed but if you're in the situation where you are in a four wheel slide it's already too late to engage it.

Especially handy when you have tried climbing a very steep loose hill and cannot make it - engage the DAC to back down. That's when it really shines.

 

[AKmoney]

Independent wheel braking makes sense. I can see the advantage of that but perhaps only over terrain that's relatively smooth. The stuff I was descending yesterday was "loose and chunky" - If I let DAC maintain speed I would have been bouncing off the front skid plate the entire time. It's almost as if a "reeeeallly slow" DAC setting might have worked.

I'm still new at this

 

[Knight-Errant]

It's almost as if a "reeeeallly slow" DAC setting might have worked.

Doesn't apply to the 4th gen, but Crawl Control does have a "reeeeally slow" setting. It sounds like Toyota may have realized this.

I haven't used it on the downhills I've experienced thus far, but perhaps one day?

 

[having fun]

I used to HATE it as it felt like shit was getting tore up in there. Now I love it,( hate trying to get used to new technology at my age). I even will have in 4lo and put shift in 1st when engaged going on steep stuff like your photo with rocky.

Edit... Also can tap your accelerator in above gear select to engage and disengage while driving.

 

[CXS]

I hate DAC, while it may work just fine I always found myself holding my foot over the brake pedal just in case it didn't work as intended. Nothing like being on a narrow, rocky trail at 12,000 feet with steep drops and letting DAC assure your safety. I trust myself, not DAC, but that's just me.

 

[thndr8]

I'm in the market for a 4runner. Is there a way to test or engage DAC to make sure it works before buying? I've looked at a few, and when I engage it i just get blinking lights. I'm really not familiar with the system and new to the 4X4 world.

 

[AKmoney]

Not sure if there's a way to test it short of putting the truck into 4LO on a steep descent. DAC is basically a software extension of the ABS and traction control systems. My guess is if there's a failure there you'll know it by all the lights illuminated on the dashboard.

 

[Code2]

I'm in the market for a 4runner. Is there a way to test or engage DAC to make sure it works before buying? I've looked at a few, and when I engage it i just get blinking lights. I'm really not familiar with the system and new to the 4X4 world.

The truck needs to be in 4lo for it to work thats why otherwise it will just flash

 

[2003-4x4runner]

Never used DAC not once since I owned the Runner. I just hope it still works when I do decide to use it.

 

[chompster4runner]

I use it just to show off my passengers...haha

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I've used DAC in the past, it works well. The only problem I had with it is that it is PAINFULLY slow, it does the job; but it's so slow... lol

 

[RaceTRaCk]

I use mine on long slopes when I need to crawl. Just don't use it on icy hills. My truck spun around when I made the mistake to use it at that time. :lookout:

 

[bergs]

I use it more often than I care to admit............. which is every fricken time my GPS cord gets caught between the fold out armrest tray and the DAC button.

Otherwise not used.

 

[HiVel-JR]

I use mine on long slopes when I need to crawl. Just don't use it on icy hills. My truck spun around when I made the mistake to use it at that time. :lookout:

Ah - ha.... i was waiting for someone to admit this. It happened to me in the ice storms we had a few years ago.

We had a steep hill iced over in the hood and no one would go up or down it... so i said. f-it and put it in 4-low, turned on the DAC and viola ended up in the neighbors yard spinning out of control. Scared me to death. Had zero control of the vehicle.

SO... i drove up the icy hill in 4 low and turned around and went down in 4-Hi and put the shifter in Drive and just rolled down the hill.. no problems...

(DAC probably not intended for ice, but i wanted to try it)

 

[chmura]

I do not have the DAC button. Maybe because I have the Trail Edition model?

4LOW is all you is really need IMO.

 

[JB.]

No, don't use.

I suppose it can work well in it's element (ice? apparently not) but that element is rare.

Basically, very steep and loose/slippery where a speed of 3-4 mph is not too much.

The vast majority of steep hills have rocks, bumps, or holes too big for that kind of speed.

What I'd really like is a way to reduce or turn off brake boost. Now that would be useful.

 

[dchild]

What I'd really like is a way to reduce or turn off brake boost. Now that would be useful.

I'd like this too...

I don't use DAC much because it's so loud, but IIRC the gear shift acts like a speed selector with DAC - if you have DAC on in 1st gear it will go slower than if you have it in third. I don't think the OP mentioned one way or the other where the gear shift was in DAC. It has been a while but I do believe I have had DAC take me down a hill slower than 4Lo+1st w/o braking.

 

[m85476585]

I would probably turn on DAC if I was going to drive down something like Lion's Back in Moab, just to make sure there was no way I could lose control and end up going too fast. But I would never trust it there, so I'd use the brakes to go a speed I'm comfortable with, and DAC would be a backup.

I've used it on a snowy hill, and it was fine. I didn't try again with regular brakes.

For anything where ground clearance is a concern it's too fast. I want to crawl super slow over stuff like that since I don't have any armor.

I think one time I found a situation where it was helpful, but I still would have been OK without it. I don't remember what the situation was.

There is a Toyota demo video that shows how crawl control maintains a constant speed when you transition from flat to steep (such as stepping down a ledge) because it reacts faster than a human driver on the brakes.

I wonder if it can be used to unstick stuck brake calipers?

 

[CXS]

I would probably turn on DAC if I was going to drive down something like Lion's Back in Moab, just to make sure there was no way I could lose control and end up going too fast.

If you run Lion's Back in Moab you'll be famous, it's closed. :yo: