Snow Storm while towing the horses...gotta love ATRAC

[2003Can4runner]

I wish I had a picture or video tonight. I towed my girlfriends horses to a riding arena during a snow storm tonight. When we got to the arena they only had a very small trail plowed for people to pull in...not turn around. I had to pull the trailer into a foot of snow loaded with horses and get turned around. I entered, nailed it, and let ATRAC pull me the 16' trailer through. I was amazed! Love the self levelling rear suspension as well. I was amazed I didn't get stuck tonight.

 

[alaskaman]

Amazing vehicle our 4Runners. We got dumped on here last night and when I arrived in town there was a 24 inch burm put up by the plow. We rolled right over that bad boy in 4hi. Swweet.

 

[2003Can4runner]

I know lockers are superior for hardcore offroading, but I love that ATRAC is always on and available. In a situation like that I wouldn't want to stop, put it in 4lo, and hit the locker. I saw what I had to do and went for it and listened the goofy sounds it makes while it crawled through the snow with a trailer attached. It was awesome! Loved the growl of the V8 too.

 

[eskimochaos]

I know lockers are superior for hardcore offroading, but I love that ATRAC is always on and available. In a situation like that I wouldn't want to stop, put it in 4lo, and hit the locker. I saw what I had to do and went for it and listened the goofy sounds it makes while it crawled through the snow with a trailer attached. It was awesome! Loved the growl of the V8 too.

you still have to engage the CDL and 4lo.

A-trac doenst work in 4hi

If you didnt do that in your original post, than ATRAC did nothing for you.

Locking the CDL allows you to spin the wheels while in 4hi, 4lo & CDL is ATRAC meant to be used with consistent gas at around 2000rpm

 

[2003Can4runner]

you still have to engage the CDL and 4lo.

A-trac doenst work in 4hi

If you didnt do that in your original post, than ATRAC did nothing for you.

Locking the CDL allows you to spin the wheels while in 4hi, 4lo & CDL is ATRAC meant to be used with consistent gas at around 2000rpm

I had the center diff locked going in. I know it was using the traction control. It was making all those crazy sounds and I could feel it digging and crawling. If it was just open diffs I would have been stuck for sure.

I'm pretty sure ATRAC works in 4hi, it just might not be quite as aggressive.

 

[JB.]

I'm pretty sure ATRAC works in 4hi, it just might not be quite as aggressive.

That's correct. The term gets used in different ways and I'm not sure even Toyota has been consistent with it. The manual adds the word "active" to traction control when it applies to 4WD instead of 2WD.

Regardless of the label, the brakes will operate to slow a spinning wheel in any mode but more aggressively in low range. Locking the diff in hi avoids engine dethrottling.

 

[2003Can4runner]

That's correct. The term gets used in different ways and I'm not sure even Toyota has been consistent with it. The manual adds the word "active" to traction control when it applies to 4WD instead of 2WD.

Regardless of the label, the brakes will operate to slow a spinning wheel in any mode but more aggressively in low range. Locking the diff in hi avoids engine dethrottling.

That's exactly what I thought. Thanks!

I had a Tundra with a regular transfer case so I know the difference between 2wd using only TRAC, and 4hi ATRAC and 4lo ATRAC. The engine dethrottling in the 4runner is pretty annoying sometimes, but oh well. I had the center diff locked and could feel ATRAC working...if it wasn't I would have been stuck for sure.