Topic: 3rd Gen Tacoma on 35's take on the Rubicon?

[Bajataco358]

Hello, I am really interested in attending this year's Marlin Crawler Round-up in September. I have a 2016 Tacoma 4x4 DCSB TRD Off-Road, on 35 Yoko Muds. Running 4.88 Gears, all pro sliders, and a high clearance rear bumper. Appreciate any info or advice on the subject.

Thanks in advance,
Andres

[daniresch]

Hello Andres,
Auto or manual transmission?
Only thing I'd be worried about is your crawl speed in low range.
And burning up your clutch if you have a manual.
And your axle shafts, bring a spare..

[Bajataco358 [OP]]

Auto tranny, and noted. Will bring a spare front axle shaft and tools.
Should I expect body damage?

Thanks!

[camhays556]

yes on body damage, and make sure you have full belly skids because you will be dragging over everything

[Bajataco358 [OP]]

OK, have engine, transmission, and transfer skid plate kit on its way, 1/4" steel. I am debating wether or not to get a rear diff skid... it is expensive around $500. If I am going to invest serious money into my diff I am leaning more towards waiting and investing in a welded truss that won't only give me rock protection but more rigidity/strength over all. The truss would not be installed in time for the round-up. Unless someone knows a place in the Bay Area I could get a professional job done before September.

Appreciate any thoughts on the subject.

Best,
Andres

[Gnarly4X]

Hey Andres,

I've done the Rubicon twice in my 1986 22RE automatic long bed with 33s.

Unless the Rubicon has turned into some kind of rock bashing monster, I think your vehicle will do just fine.

Bringing extra parts is not a bad idea, its just that the part that breaks will be the one you don't have.

In 20+ years of wheeling, seeing an axle shaft break was rare.

As far as body damage, I don't recall getting any body damage on the Rubicon.  If the obstacle requires a spotter, ,make sure you are hooked up with or you are near a person that is an excellent spotter and you trust them.

I've seen guys standing and shouting commands that were clueless and had no business telling someone how to negotiate an obstacle.

I remember one idiot was spotting and he would guide the vehicle into a rock until it banged the rock, THEN he'd say "OK, you need to back up!"

That's just my opinion - it may be worthless.

Gnarls.

[Bajataco358 [OP]]

@Gnarly4X Thanks for the wisdom on your part! I never saw this...

Reading your reply makes me feel a little more at ease to go and try the Rubicon.

I was planning on trying it out at the 2021 MC Round up but it got canceled. Definitely want to go this year.

Here is a couple of pictures of my truck doing some rock crawling at De Anza Borrego a couple of weeks ago.

Cheers

[Gnarly4X]

Hi Andres,

Wow.. it’s been nearly 2 years.

NICE TRUCK!!

I am happy to share my “wisdom”, although it's just “my wisdom”.

From here my comments are just my thinking out loud, you probably already know what I comment on.

I assume the photos are in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park?

I spent MANY days ALL over that area in my first 1986 22RE long bed.  As I remember it is over a half a million acres. It is, by far, the most interesting terrain I’ve ever explored.  I’ve been all over Death Valley as well, and it’s a very close 2nd.

The photos look like you are not aired down?  Without airing down, your traction will not be adequate for rock crawling. I’ve been on many trail runs with guys who don’t air down or don’t air down enough.  It’s every driver’s choice.  Airing down from my street pressure to trail pressure was based on lots of experiences.  In 1985 short bed, my daily driver street pressure on my 33’s was 25 psi front and 20 psi rear. That truck only weighed 3200 lbs.  My average trail pressure for rocks was 10 lbs.  In snow and sand dunes, it was 4 lbs.  If the trail was not long and only a few rock obstacles, and we had to get back onto a highway for some reason, I would go down to 15 psi.  Why 15 psi? … because I could drive on the highway at 15 psi at 55 MPH and not be overly concerned about the tires heating up and delaminating.

Part of the “resistance” to air down is having to air back up!  THAT is typically a big issue. Many of the guys I ran with had on-board compressors. Because of the limited underhood space I decided not to install a custom compressor system.  I bought an aluminum 20 lbs. CO2 tank and a coiled hose and used that for many years.  It would air up all four tires (33s) in less than 10 minutes from 10 to 25 lbs.  One tank full of CO2 would last me about 6 to 10 fill ups… about 6 months of very active wheeling. The little cigarette lighter air compressors do not have enough CFM to work fast enough.

The first time I ran the Rubicon was with a group and we had spotters.  The 2nd time was by myself and a co-pilot/spotter.  We ran it in one day.  You might consider getting comfortable with someone you trust who knows how to spot.  This will give you a sense of relief when negotiating some more difficult obstacles, and most importantly, greatly reduce potential body damage.

Two hot tips…. Don’t allow anyone to make you feel like you have to rush over an obstacle.  Take your time and enjoy the adrenaline-inducing challenge.
If you have a passenger, have them take photos or video. You can’t go back in time. The photos and videos will be priceless in the future. If you know that someone is taking lots of photos or videos, offer to buy them lunch if they will send you copies, and get their name, email address and phone number.  I regret too often that I did not get more photos and videos of my adventures for 20 years..

Gnarls.

[Bajataco358 [OP]]

Hahaha, you are right about us not airing down enough.

We aired down to 25PSI for this trail, mostly for a better ride on the faster sections. (We run 32-35PSI on the road.)

The front tires struggled a bit to get traction but fortunately, it wasn't too bad. I recently purchased a CO2 Tank myself, but have yet to use it, definitely want to try it out.

I am amazed that you would run 25PSI for street pressure, that must have driven really nicely. I usually do 30-32PSI when I know I will be in the city for a while. (Roads are super bad where I live) And then I will air up to 35 if I am doing a lot of highway driving.


We should hit a trail together this year, are you in California?

[Gnarly4X]

Hi Andres,

In both vehicles, 1986 long bed and my 1985 short bed, I ran off-road tires.

It didn’t take long to figure out what the wear pattern was for each tire brand and size.

I frequently experimented with tire pressures.

I learned that I could run my street pressure down comfortably and with acceptable wear on the tread designs.  The trucks were modified for 4-wheeling so they road stiff on the street and both were also my daily drivers.

With all the different off-road tires I ran, there was uneven wear on the tread – more on the front tires.  It didn’t matter what tire pressure I ran.  I rotated my tires every 5,000 miles to even the wear on the front and the rear tires.

The street ride comfort between 35 PSI and 25 PSI on 33’s was VERY noticeable.

In all my wheeling days, I NEVER once blew a tire on a trail or on the highway.  And to this day I have only experienced one time with having a tire go flat while driving – that was
in 1972 in my 1967 Corvette – I ran over a piece of metal at night.

Here in AZ in the summer the asphalt can easily get to 170 to 190d F.  So, tire air pressure can become a serious issue running down the freeway at 70 MPH.  Thermodynamically, higher tire pressure absorbs more heat from the tread contact with the asphalt.  Too much heat and the tire can delaminate, blow apart, and cause a serious accident. 

Regarding getting together for a trail run, I’m retired from any serious 4-wheeling. I miss those days. During the “peak” season, I did a trail run nearly every weekend for many years.  And at least once a month in the “off-season”.

On your CO2 tank, mount it very securely when wheeling – very important. Compressed CO2 is very cold (-110d F), when you air up your tires, by the 4th tire the CO2 regulator will start to freeze up and restrict the flow to the hose.  I wrapped a rag around the regulator to help reduce it from freezing up.

I am looking forward to more great photos of your wheeling adventures.

Gnarls.

[Bajataco358 [OP]]

Very cool! @Gnarly4

I will keep in mind what you said about the CO2 tank.

Hopefully, I'll end up going to the Rubicon trail this year, I will definitely share some photos.

Cheers