Manual or Auto for off road?

[EarlJ]

I'm considering a 05 Tacoma Dbl cab 4x4 with the off road package. Do I need to get the manual to keep from burning up the brakes on the steep stuff or will the auto in low range do the job. I couldn't keep brakes on my Ford 250 with the auto. Thanks!

[F014tomcat]

Did you ever try downshifing with the auto? works the same way, almost. Well, you will always have better engine control with a manual, you get a tad more torque with the auto, but less power to the wheels. In my opinion get what you would want to be driving every day. I like manuals, but I have an auto because they didn't offer it in the long bed.

[Toydude]

I'd prefer a manual cause of the engine control and they also are better for off-roading I hear.

[EarlJ]

With my Ford even in low range with the auto transmission shifted down, I pretty much had to ride the brakes to keep from running too fast downhill on logging roads etc. of course it's a lot heavier than a Tacoma.

[reb]

You can start a big debate overwhich is better for 4-wheeling. I prefer a stick. However, my T100 has an auto. Engine braking is fantastic. The truck has almost 130k miles and still has the original brakes, still in good condition.

[Toydude]

Overall, the facts point to the stick for the best performance, but there are "some" autos who are in the same playing field and maybe better than some manuals, but with toyota transmissions, the manual transmission is better than the automatic ONLY if you know how to use it, if not, then the auto would work much better for you since it's not too far behind the manual. Hope this helps

[ttownjoeshow]

if you like to Gasser ya should go with the auto just because you can have both hands on the wheel and its one less thing that you haveto pay attention to when it gets hairy

[bkirchner81]

I have read many timesthat an AUTOMATIC is hands-down better for low-speed offroading such as rockcrawling, and maybe some gnarly deep mudding/swamping.


I do believe, however, that the throttle control you can have with the manual would be an advantage in almost any other form of offroading, especially if you are going to be experiencing some speed.

[greasyjeep]

I love my auto off road (Jeep), I do mostly rock crawling and avoid deep water and mud whenever possible.
If you plan on doing a lot of deep water, you will need to figure out how to rout the tranny vent up high or into the cab (may want to do this with your TC and your Diffs also).

I feel i have more control with a auto as long as the stall speed on the torque converter isn't too high.

[black93DX]

I think a stick is better for crawling....especially with our trucks. You control your power output more directly and can rev or drop for deep mud holes.

[87yotaGOD]

I definitly say stick, firstly, I have a small engine (22r), so having some control of my RPMs is nice. Also, engine breaking on steep hills, or in snow and ice is a great way to keep traction. Anyway, good luck with your new truck, whatever you decide to get.