First Taco / My BS thread

I guess I should make it official. I've been lurking for a few weeks. I snooped some other Tacoma forums but this seems to be the most solid group of owners and enthusiasts. Having only owned motorcycles and an F-150, I'm new to Toyotas and V6s. I'm the proud owner of a low mileage 2013 Tacoma TRD Sport Prerunner quad cab.

Back story: My first and only pickup, an '04 F-150 STX was totaled when a lady plowed into my in her Chevy 3500. The truck did its job, sparing me completely in the impact. Unfortunately, the lady broke my rear axle clear out from under the truck. It was a shame too. I'd put new Michelins and spark plugs in the thing withing the past six months. I didn't go crazy with mods on my truck. Everything was sensible and I intend to reproduce most of those mods on my new Tacoma. I'm not an anal owner, I just like to take care of my vehicles. Here's a list of mods:

F-150 STX
Dual catback exhaust. No muffs.
Michelin 265/75/R17s
Die Hard gold battery
K&N Cold Air Intake (actually saw improved mileage)
Tinted windows
Kenwood stereo head unit
UWS drawer slide toolbox





Now, FFW to the new Tacoma. I needed more seating because I have a little squirt and another on the way. I went to the dealership to buy a Supercrew F150 STX but it felt 1) too big, 2) too quiet, 3) too much like an Old Man truck (no offense, you oldies). I asked to see a Tacoma on the lot listed with 19,800 miles. I took it for a spin, loved the safety components, size and handling. It actually only had 6,800 miles on the ticker and was 14 months old. I jumped on the Tacoma and brought it home this week. I don't intend to go mod-heavy on it. I'll do some towing (motorcycles), some farm work, some mild off-roading (see: farm work, hunting, etc).

Here's the list of planned mods:
(I expect this list to grow the longer I snoop around this place)

Tacoma Prerunner TRD Sport
MOD LIST:
-Bed lock
-Custom Car Grill mesh insert
-TOYOTA grill emblem
-OEM Floor mats
-Volant intake & scoop
-N-Fab Nerf bar steps
-Magnaflow catback exhaust
-Headstrong Lift & install
-Hurst shifter
-KBVoodoo Bed bars (sold)
-Redline Hood struts
-Low antenna (x3)
-Tall antenna
-Smittybilt Defender basket(sold)
-Spidertrax spacers (sold)
-16x8 FNwheels 5 star
-Cooper Adventurer A/T (x3)
-Avid bumper guard
-TRD center caps
-BPF skid plate +tow hook
-Softopper
-Prinsu cab rack
-Prinsu awning brackets
-Rokblox mud flaps
-Rexing camera
-Mobtown OR tailgate skin
-Malone dual kayak mounts
-SPC LE UCAs
-install & align
-Bed Mat
-Mr Yo Mirror Bracket
-Meso interior lights
-Tinted windows
-Sun shade
-Rear FJ visors
-Coolant flush
-Volant Air fIlter
-ARB Awning
-ARB awning room
-Intake cover
-Battery tie down
-Rear end flush
-Transmission flush
-brake fluid flush
-Thule tilt bike rack




Anyway, thanks for creating this vast wealth of online knowledge!

 

Nice truck! What about a lift? I am wanting that in addition to new wheels/tires, wet okole seat covers, and who knows what else after being on this forum lol. First thing I bought was a TruXport Tonneau cover though. It has come in handy on rainy days.

 

A lift? Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that. I wouldn't need much, probably 2-2.5" max. I don't want to go too big on tires to alter mileage and speedo accuracy. In addition to work & play, this is also the new family commuter.

 

welcome, k&n will lose you 5hp on this truck. get a real cold air intake with the box, not an open one for gains.

 

So something like the Volant setup would be more beneficial? I'm not set on K&N, just used them before and never had trouble.

 

I would not bother with a CAI. If you want power and gas mileage go with the supercharger. There several people on here that claim they got better mileage with it.

As for mods to do I would first do all the protecting mods example weather tech floor liners(not mats), seat covers(I got the wet okoles), bed mat(bed scratches too easily and everything slides around, and http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/306253-g-tek-fab-door-sill-protectors.html. These are mods for protecting your truck. I watched craigslist and got the weather techs for $100 and were only used for like a week.

Last but not least welcome to TW.

 

I agree, the bed is WAY slippery. I had some milk crates back there yesterday and I thought they were going to come through the back window. Weather Techs are on the way. First thing I ordered. Though tempting, I'm not doing the $4500 supercharger. Not looking for a tall hot rod. Plus, I already have a project to get a slug to move quicker:



1975 Honda CB-500T

Dropped the fenders, clunky turn signals, gauges, electric start, stock mufflers, stock airboxes, full size battery.

Added small turn signals, mini gauges, clubman bars, Dunstall style mufflers, bar end mirrors, sealed mini battery, new carbs, fuel lines, filters, chain and an ignition booster.

After a couple times riding in rain, those fenders are going back on

 

Welcome from Hall County!

 

Welcome from Mid Ga.

 

Volant runs rich, so worse mileage. afe I hear is really good.

 

First off: I am really enjoying reading through the threads on here. There is a lot of really informative, hands-on posts and a few well thought out debates.

My floor mats arrived.... after five solid days of rain.

N-Fab steps arrived today. I hope to bolt them up this weekend. I went with the 2" verses 3" main tube. I want this truck to look sprightly, not chunky. I get in the truck fine but my wife and the critter complain about climbing aboard.

Found a deal on the Volant + Scoop kit. I'm monitoring my mileage and look forward to doing a comp here. I'm not a WOT type guy. I drive like a grandpa. I've only gotten the thing up to 2900rpm merging onto the bypass twice. I did enjoy the "whoosh" of the K&N on my F-150. We'll see what this Volant does in application. If anything, my 16 yo brother will foam at the mouth and the engine bay will look a little neater.

EDIT:
I'm eying a low-cost lift for around 2.5" and leveling. Looking at Rough Country kit here that gets good reviews. Also considering that Bilstein 5100 adjustable setup but my truck came with Bilsteins?
I'm not making a crawler or a mudder here; I'm mostly on pavement or clay/ sand roads for farm work. It gets a little messy during rain season but we have the tractor if anything gets really stuck.

With the mats, bars and intake stuff done, I'm looking down the line and prioritizing future mods. Up next is exhaust & lift followed by aesthetic endeavors: Grillcraft or Satoshi mod, TRD emblem & FJ-style TOYOTA lettering. That FJ-TOYOTA lettering is going for $80 on that auction site. I think that's nuts. We could do a group buy on alibaba (200 minimum, and get them much cheaper straight from the factory). There's a lot of tread left on the oem Dunlops so wheels & tires are near the bottom of the list. I'm going back and forth between black and bronze. Probably bronze.

1) Flowmaster Catback Dual Exhaust
2) Rough Country 3" lift
3) Grill Craft Black Mesh Grill + TRD & TOYOTA emblems
4) FN Wheels Five Stars 16x8 Bronze
5) 265/75R16 tires to match wheels
6) Bed Extender




*Toytec discount code thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/toytec-lifts/95119-toytec-tacoma-world-coupon-code.html
Rough Country link: http://www.roughcountry.com/toyota-suspension-lift-kit-745n2.html

Volant CIA + Scoop image: http://www.carid.com/images/volant/air-intakes/38240.jpg

FN Wheels Five Star link: http://www.fnwheels.com/new-products/fn-wheels-five-star/

Flowmaster link: http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/?...del=998&engine=2096&category=Exhaust Kits&kw=

N-Fab steps: http://www.n-fab.com/products/sfID1/60/sfID2/106/sfID3/107/productID/117

Alibaba TOYOTA emblem link: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2014-New-Style-TOYOTA-ABS-Car_1800974406.html

Tire size calculator: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php?tires=265-70r17-265-75r16

 

VERY sharp looking rig there, Gym Jamz!

 

Congrats on the new baby and welcome to TW!

 

2" N-fabs installed. Easiest job ever at ten bolts.

 

Washing & detail + N-fabs. VOlant kit arrives Tuesday. researching lift kits...

 

Can't wait to bolt this up... Tonight maybe

 

Well that was a surprising cluster of fitment eff ups.

Everything came out of the engine bay fine.
Converting stuff over was okay.
Mounting stuff was a bit of a hassle. Thankfully they included an elbow and a few extra inches of tubing.
Getting the Donaldson Powercore in the box was a major B. I let out several strings of profanity I'm not proud of. It basically can not fit the adapter inside the box. I couldn't find anyone else having this problem & a solution online. I saw some VW and Dodge guys chucking the Volant filter and mounting a K&N filter on the end.
Anyway, I wound up the Powercore just to get it to fit on the adapter base inside the box.
Oh, and those rubber mounts for the pump? Make sure you wear some gloves, reach through and tug 'em. Just treat 'em like big ol' cow teats.

After the HOUR LONG Powercore debacle, the scoop was a five minute job, except for the fact that NONE of the holes lined up correctly to the truck. This was a quick and easy fix with a drill and a bit (on the plastic only). Still, after everything I'm left with two nuts & bolts hat were never mentioned in the downright terrible instructions
link: http://www.volant.com/3dkls/iddb/Tfile/FILE/Instructions/Trucks/18000_Toyota/38240_3.pdf

Anyway, it's all mounted up. Looks decent. I wish I could mount the engine cover back on top. it seemed to block some engine noise. I noticed the engine was loud (not in a good way) after cranking it up. Granted, it was 32 degrees outside and it had been sitting for three hours. SO anyway, idle was HIGH (1400-1500) for a while before settling down to 1100. I took it for a spin and yep, there's a motor under the hood. I wasn't prepared for one shift which knocked me back into the seat. The exhaust note is slightly different too. Mind you, I'm still on stock exhaust. That's the next step

 

Welp, was snooping the late-night internet and stumbled across a significant price change on Amazon for the single outlet Magnaflow cat back system. I bit the bullet at $380. These are normally $650 online.
I'd originally considered Magnaflow but Flowmaster was closer to my price range. The Flowmaster catback dual kit was $550 but I recently found one for $420.

There are 6 (now 5) left in stock so go grab one if you need one:

$860 MagnaFlow 2013-2015 Toyota Tacoma Street Series Cat-Back Performance Exhaust System, V6 4.0L

http://www.amazon.com/MagnaFlow-153...d=1421901207&sr=8-3&keywords=magnaflow+tacoma

 

Welcome, how are the n-fabs treating you? looking for a similar type. do they sit nice and possibly provide a little door ding protection????

looking nice