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Team O’Neil driving instructors published a video demonstrating how to manage a high-center-of-gravity vehicle on loose surfaces, using an older Toyota Tacoma. Their guidance emphasizes slowing in a straight line, steering smoothly and avoiding excessive drifting; the techniques do not remove the rollover risks inherent in tall vehicles.
Team O’Neil, a New Hampshire driving school, has released a video demonstrating how to manage a tall vehicle on loose surfaces, using an older Toyota Tacoma to show braking and cornering techniques. The advice is relevant to drivers of performance off-road pickups, but instructors stress that a high center of gravity still makes fast cornering risky.
The video focuses on lateral weight transfer: when a vehicle corners, its weight shifts toward the outside of the turn. In a truck or SUV with a high center of gravity and substantial suspension travel, a rapid or excessive shift can increase rollover risk. The report describes the video as a demonstration of techniques that can broadly apply to tall trucks, rather than a guarantee against a rollover.
Team O’Neil’s instructors recommend doing most of the braking in a straight line before turning. A driver can then ease smoothly off the brake while beginning to steer, a technique called trail braking. If entering more slowly, lifting off the throttle before steering may provide enough speed reduction without braking.
The instructors also recommend using four-wheel drive in 4-Hi where the truck’s system allows it, saying it can support more stable braking and cornering than two-wheel drive in the conditions shown. They caution against relying on a slide to get through a turn: drifting can build lateral loads quickly, and all-terrain tire sidewalls may catch on loose surfaces and contribute to a vehicle tipping.
Why Tall-Truck Cornering Is Risky
The guidance addresses a trade-off built into fast off-road pickups: models such as the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX are designed to cover rough ground at speed, while their height and suspension travel can make abrupt weight shifts more consequential. The techniques offer drivers practical ways to manage speed and steering, but they do not change the underlying physics or make high-speed cornering safe in every situation.
For readers who use trucks on loose surfaces, the central takeaway is to prioritize controlled speed and smooth inputs over dramatic slides. The report presents the video as driving instruction, not as a substitute for professional training or an assessment of a particular vehicle, tire, road, or driver’s ability.
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A Tacoma Demonstrates the Techniques
The original report by The Drive describes a new Team O’Neil video about driving vehicles with a high center of gravity. The demonstration uses an older Toyota Tacoma rather than one of the newer factory performance trucks. The report says the school’s instructors have previously shared driving lessons in online videos, including demonstrations involving different kinds of vehicles.
The video’s recommendations distinguish between entering and exiting a corner. Drivers should reduce speed before turning, then steer smoothly. The instructors say oversteer may be useful when exiting a corner that does not lead directly into a straight, since rotation can help a driver unwind the steering before accelerating. They advise waiting to apply throttle until the steering wheel is straightened.
“The report says they recommend braking in a straight line before turning, then smoothly easing off the brake as steering begins.”
— Team O’Neil instructors, as described in The Drive’s report
Limits of the Demonstration
The source material does not give the video’s exact publication date, test speeds, course conditions, or detailed vehicle specifications beyond identifying the demonstration truck as an older Toyota Tacoma. It also does not establish that the advice applies identically to every truck, four-wheel-drive system, tire, or surface.
The techniques are presented as guidance, not as a controlled safety study. The report does not quantify how much the recommended approach changes rollover risk, and it cautions that fast cornering in a tall vehicle remains risky even when a driver uses the described methods.
Apply the Advice With Caution
The next step for readers is to watch the Team O’Neil video for the full demonstration and consult their vehicle’s manual before selecting a four-wheel-drive mode. Drivers seeking to practice at speed should do so in an appropriate controlled setting with qualified instruction, rather than treating the video as a reason to test limits on public roads or unfamiliar terrain.
No further tests, updates, or follow-up findings are identified in the source report. The practical guidance remains to manage speed before a turn, make smooth steering inputs, and recognize that tall vehicles retain rollover risks.
Key Questions
What does the Team O’Neil video demonstrate?
It uses an older Toyota Tacoma to demonstrate braking and cornering techniques for tall vehicles on loose surfaces.
What is the main cornering advice?
Reduce speed while traveling straight, then begin steering while smoothly easing off the brake. At lower entry speeds, lifting off the throttle before steering may be sufficient.
Why does the report caution against drifting?
According to the report, drifting can build lateral loads quickly. The sidewalls of all-terrain tires may also catch on loose surfaces, adding a force that can contribute to tipping.
Does using 4-Hi prevent a rollover?
No. Team O’Neil recommends 4-Hi for more stable braking and corner control in the conditions described, but the report does not say it prevents rollovers. Fast cornering in a tall truck remains risky.
Source: thedrive.com
