what off-road capacity do I need?

D

Deuskid

New member
I do some hunting and fishing. Need to cut across fields, shallow streams, down fire trails and such. No rock climbing really, no desert treks or anything major.

Will a SR5 be adequate or do I need something more?

This will also be a 1/2 time daily driver and used in snow/ice in the winter.

Since it'll be both a road and light off road vehicle, I don't want to over-buy for the off road function but also don't want to skimp if a stouter trim level is needed.

I'll be buying new, and most likely ordering.

Thanks,
 
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ooohh meeee....pick meeee
1 vote for the SR5

the SR5 should be plenty for you sir. You will soon hear from many who want to talk about how any and all trims will do any and all things. the TEs are great off road because of their extras, plus KDSS is wonderful for on road duty as well as off road. the LEs are great for snow because of their Torsen-full time 4WD system, as well as off road. But the SR5 is about 85% of the TE, it doesnt have a rear locker, it doesnt have the crawl control, and thats about it. i have had mine down plenty of muddy, rocky fire roads and level 1 trails, and the thing is hard to stop. Our current moderator and all around expert on all things 5th gen also owns an unmodded SR5, if that tells you about what it can do.

the common quote is that an SR5 can do more than you are willing or skilled enough to put it through.

i hope this helps.
 
SR5 is just fine for your needs. There's nothing stouter on different trims, just a few different features. All are built on the same already stout platform.
 
Ok, let me throw a different vote, Trail. Sounds like you regularly go off-road...Sure you may not be caught figuring out how to deal with 5-6' boulders at the end of the Old Sluice anytime soon...(have any of you seen that lately? :faint2:) However you could get into a potential stuck situation in an almost un-emaginable number of ways. Have a rear locker insures that by pushing that button 99% of the time you wont be left stranded. I have not purchased a new open diff vehicle EVER,(since 88) and nothing with out a stock rear locker since 1992, for good reason. Add a integrated center bumper with winch, and you are good to go with out the stress of stuck in a minor spot over night because your silly open diffs are really 2wd. Or hours of stacking rocks, branches and losing teeth with hi-lifts.....
 
FordyceCreek said:
Ok, let me throw a different vote, Trail. Sounds like you regularly go off-road...Sure you may not be caught figuring out how to deal with 5-6' boulders at the end of the Old Sluice anytime soon...(have any of you seen that lately? :faint2:) However you could get into a potential stuck situation in an almost un-emaginable number of ways. Have a rear locker insures that by pushing that button 99% of the time you wont be left stranded. I have not purchased a new open diff vehicle EVER,(since 88) and nothing with out a stock rear locker since 1992, for good reason. Add a integrated center bumper with winch, and you are good to go with out the stress of stuck in a minor spot over night because your silly open diffs are really 2wd. Or hours of stacking rocks, branches and losing teeth with hi-lifts.....
Click to expand...
OR learn how to drive off road and get the SR5:pop2:
 
Although I'm a newbie here but I've had my 4runner V8 since 03. It's definitely enough and you can do all kinds of mods that will let you rock crawl if you want. Other trims have the nice bells and whistles but you can add those later. If they come out with a 5th gen V8 option, that would be my next purchase.
 
Trail Edition with KDSS

One other advantage to the Trail Edition is the wider rims: 17x7.5". You can put a larger tire on that rim if you want to. Plus the locking rear differential makes getting out of a muddy jamb much easier. Not sure, but I don't think you can get KDSS on the SR5.
 
JEMP1003 said:
SR5 with good set of AT tires is all you need. keep the same size or go to 275 (no lift required)
Click to expand...

This all day. The SR5 is more than enough for your needs so use the money you save getting an SR5 and immediately buy some good tires. Those Dunlops are worthless
 
Your location says "StL"... St. Louis?

From your location and what you described the SR5 is all you need. The earlier SR5's (mine) had low-hanging trim that tended to drag off road, especially if you have OEM running boards. If you are getting a 2014 SR5 or later this isn't an issue. These caused me lots of problems on rocky roads, so I installed a spacer lift. But if I had figured out how easy it was to take the trim off before going off road mine would still be stock.

Learn how to use 4Lo and A-Trac... it's impressively useful.

If you find yourself spinning in mud more than you like, the absolute best upgrade you can get is a good set of AT tires. Sell your highway tires at a used tire place if you upgrade before they are bald. You can stay stock size, or go up one size to 275-70R-17 without any problems.

Edit: Yes, a Trail Edition is better (both on and off road) if you can find one and afford it. But an SR5 will do what you need. Just don't get a Limited.
 
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It's hard to over buy when really going off-road.

The sr5 is totally adequate, but the trail might be a better option depending on where you live and what you want to attempt off-road.

There is basically no major difference between the two except for one key feature... The rear locker. To me it is worth the small price difference for someone not planning to modify the truck. Both the sr5 and trail come with an electronic brake activated differential system called A-TRAC. It works really well in most situations, but there are scenarios where the mechanical locker works much better. One of those situations is mud that requires momentum and relatively high wheel speed to get through. Even a typically tame off-road situation can become a major challenge when things get muddy..

No matter which one you get, you need to get some experience off-road with it and the various 4wd systems... plus learn to use self recovery gear.

The skill of the driver is a major factor it what it can do without getting stuck/damaged...
 
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I have a trail - because of KDSS. Otherwise - if you like the ride of the sr5 - go for it. It will probably go everywhere you point it. I would however do a quick calculation on cost of ownership. All have good resale. I haven't compared trail edition to sr5 since I bought mine, but it may be possible the Trail has a lower 5 year ownership cost due to higher resale value. I really don't know on that issue.

If I were buying again - I hate to admit it - but I'd probably buy a Limited. Why? Because I want a smart key. In terms of everyday, day to day convenience, I really like having a smart key. I can build a KDSS alternative. I can't add a smart key that's like the OEM version.

All the off-road stuff is easy to add at a later time if you really need it. But my guess is the SR5 will do just fine. ATRAC really is pretty darn capable.

If your dealer is up for it - they might let you borrow a used one for a day and you could go see if it will go where you want it to. The salesman might even have a little fun with you.
 
I have a pro (trail would have been fine). I wanted the rear locker and crawl control because both offer some peace of mind in a jam. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
 
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SR5 will do more than likely anything you will need as others mentioned. Tires are a first, ditch them and put them up for sale asap.
If you are in any doubt, you can always step up to a trail to get the couple extras that they come with.
Look around here, there are some quite capable SR5's that meet the challenges you mentioned.
 
There's a good example of ATRAC in the video:
https://youtu.be/l30uuTJarP0?t=182

I did a trail once with a friend who didn't have ATRAC (he had a Tacoma, and I thought they have it, but it didn't seem to be working). He had A/T tires, a few inch lift, and a rear locker. I was in my 4th gen 4runner all stock with highway tires (LTX M/S2). I had an easier time getting up some of the slippery roots and large rocks thanks to ATRAC. The biggest difficulty I had was lack of clearance, which wasn't a problem for him. I scraped the skid plats and one of the running board brackets a bit. I made it through a steep section of snow without losing momentum, and ATRAC was pounding away the whole time.

A 4runner with a rear locker would be even better than one without (as long as locking doesn't disable ATRAC in the front), but you probably don't need it.

The Limited is expensive, but the center differential gives it incredible handling in snow. Part-time 4WD tends to understeer in snow (goes straight when you are trying to turn), but the center diff gives you much more neutral handling. I've tested this driving in a snowy parking lot with the center diff locked and unlocked. I also went on a drive on snowy roads with the same friend mentioned above. He has snow tires for his Tacoma in the winter, but I run the LTX M/S2 year round. He couldn't keep up with me on snowy turns despite him having better tires. The weight distribution for the Tacoma vs 4runner could be a factor, but he has a truck topper, so it's not that much different.
 
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