Yahoo Autos Best Flex: 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro vs. Trailhunter Suspension Test
The third generation of the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro was always a tarted-up version of the TRD Off-Road. Sure, it had pretty trick Fox shocks and a skid plate, but that was about it apart from badges and baubles. The tires were the same, and the track width was nearly the same. OK, there was a 10-mm difference in wheel offset, but you could get those wheels on a TRD Off-Road if you really wanted them.
But now there’s more to it. The fourth-generation Tacoma TRD Pro still has trick shocks, but it also has 33-inch tires and a wider track width to the point where it needs wider fender flares. There’s also something going on at the rear end with Fox bump stops, and it has a standard stabilizer-bar-disconnect mechanism. It comes with the hybrid version of the 2.4-liter inline-four engine—and don’t get me started on those IsoDynamic seats. The point is, there are more real differences in the mix, more that might play a role in the RTI score of the beast.
In addition to the TRD Pro, this year there’s a new model at the top end called the Trailhunter. It has the big 33-inch tires and the Pro's meatier flares, but instead of trick Fox shocks it has trick Old Man Emu shocks. The point of these shocks is not the wide-open desert-running ability of the TRD Pro, it's more of an overlanding play. These shocks are made for technical rock crawling, simple washboard roads, and load carrying. In fact, the Trailhunter is available as a crew cab with a short or long box. It does away with the IsoDynamic seats and replaces them with a snorkel and a Sport Bar. The point is, we could not ignore this truck either, and its revised dampers gave us a reason to measure its RTI score as well.
In this video, I’ll show the similarities and differences between the two trucks’ suspensions. I’ll also drive both of them up the ramp for a close look at their RTI performance. Which one will do better? Will it be a tie? Inquiring minds want to know.
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