I have done some not to hardcore offroading but I would love to hit up the rocky trails yet I just don't know if I should spend a bunch of money for a manual swap....so anybody out there that has a auto or had an auto that has rock climbed can ya help me out? thanks


94 toyota 4runner 152k stock except tires!

 

Never done any rock crawling myself, but I do know that an auto can make life a lot easier on the trail. Just make sure you have a good tranny cooler.

 

 

my trany was just professionally rebuilt and i have only had the light come on one time about the trany temp should that be fine or is that one to many times?

 

i hate to say it, but auto's are great for crawling. they are easier to operate. and they work well for not wanting to spin your tires.

but i prefer revlimeter clutch drops on a regular basis.

ps on mud, not rock!

 

haha good point. i had a post going the other day though and it looks like it is going to run me about 600ish dollars to do the swap so if this were ur guys 4runner wat would u do?

 

Auto in the rocks. Stick in the Mud.

Mines backwards

 

I wheel the auto, and love it! It makes life wonderful. In my club we are split just about 50/50 and all the manuals wish they were auto when they see us wheel.

 

ok well one of the main things that i don't like bout the auto is the look of the shifter i've seen people do rebuilds and make them almost look like a stick does anybody know were to get one of those? in case i end up not swappin it

 

well said!

 

Stick all the way IHMO...

I know many guys that have gone to a manual but few that have gone to an auto...

 

people that wheel perfer auto people that perfer stick drive on the street

 

Manual with crawler 4TW.

There have been many threads where this topic has been quite hotly debated, lemme esplane - no, there is too much, lemme summup:

AUTO:
- Pro: Can't stall it
- Pro: Only need two legs (but make no mistake, you need both of them at the same time)
- Con: Little control over wheelspeed (the torque converter engages at a certain speed, can't start in anything but first gear)
- Con: Little/no compression braking

MANUAL:
- Pro: Much better control over wheelspeed by gear selection
- Pro: Effective compression braking
- Con: Stallable
- Con: Sometimes need 3 legs (but clutch-start-cancel minimizes those times)

Doing dual tcases behind a manual gives you all the pros of both without any of the cons of either.

 

If I had a V8 then auto but with smaller than a V6 always manual. Manuals more fun anyway!

 

Hehe I put my stick in her mud..

 

Oh - two things if you have a manual on the earlier trucks:

- A tranny cooler is MANDATORY. I wouldn't say once is too much, but if it's turned the light on once, what's to make you think it won't come on again?

- Bigger tires can be a problem if you drive on the freeway as the overdrive is so damn tall. I recommend gearing 2 steps lower than a manual for the same tire size ... which pretty much limits you to 33's.

 

so its mostly a preference thing?

 

Well yeah, I like my stick but sometimes when hillclimbing on loose rock it makes yer @$$ pucker.. its nice when you come down off a hill though in low gear, just put it in 1st and let the engine brake.. plus mashin gears and redlining are fun when yer in the mud too... Autos are lame in my opinion.. unless your bracket drag racing.. thats a different story...

 

I'm gonna say auto, though I have never driven an auto 4runner as mine is stick. Maybe standard with low gearing would be equal, but stock gears and standard makes rock crawling hard.

Auto would also be great of slippery (snow) hill climbs were you need a little speed. You absolutely cannot change gears on certain hill climbs with standard.

 

i wheel at least once a week and i cant stand auto and would never have aything but manual.

yotaman804: if i was building a rock crawler, i would put an auto in it otherwise id go with a manual.