New to the Truck world

New to the truck world. Previously owned a Subaru STI. I don't know anything about lifting or any off road acronyms. I have a few questions.

1. What should I do first to my truck?
2. What is the best tire size and brand?
3. Anyone know if there is a programmable chip out there?

 

1. Nothing you don't know you need.
Drive it awhile and determine for yourself what you want.

2. Subjective
3. No

 

Unichip makes plug and play kits but i dont think they have them out for the GEN 3 tacos yet

 

what part of CA you in?

 

Buena park

 

Welcome & congrats on your new truck!

1. Drive it. Enjoy it.
2. Everybody has a favorite tire brand and size. I like Michelin tires. The size is going to depend on whether or not you lift truck.
3. Not sure, but I'm not familiar with chip for the Tacoma.

Good luck.

 

Nice, I'm in Garden Grove. Knew it looked close. Check out the Socal section.

 

I'm planning on lifting the truck

 

Cool thanks

 

1. What should I do first to my truck? Go to the build sections of this Forum; 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen and get yourself some ideas. We have no idea what appeals to you so it's nearly impossible for a stranger on the internet to tell you what you should do first. My first mod was window tint.

2. What is the best tire size and brand? You'll get a million opinions on this. All depends what type of terrain you'll most frequent and what fits your budget. BFG KO2s, GY Duratracs and Toyo Open Country A/Ts are some of the most popular. This thread...https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tires-tires-tires-tires.38333/

3. Anyone know if there is a programmable chip out there? There is no chip available on the market yet.

The build sections especially on 2nd gens show all the possibilities of what we can mod on our trucks.

 

Wow, you didn't tip-toe into the Truck World. That's a great truck.

It will take a while for the aftermarket to catch up with the 3rd gen, but the Tacoma is such a wonderful canvas to apply your customization. There are so many things you can do to truck that it can be overwhelming. If you see another owner with mods you like (either here or IRL) they are probably happy to talk about it, so ask away. When I finally get mine, it will be my 5th truck and I still don't know exactly how I'm going to set it up.

Personally, I plan to start with some interior tweaks for more efficient storage and day-to-day use. I'll work my way though a few minor cosmetic mods to improve or remove things that aren't quite the way I like them. After that, I may or may not mod the suspension. I need to see how the 3rd gen suspension does under my usage before I can make that call. Somewhere along the way I will upgrade tires and get a shell.

One thing I have learned, if you can make it work financially and you know what you want, it's best to save up and get what you want than go cheap. Though, if you like wrenching on your ride, by all means try all of the things.

Enjoy your journey. The US economy thanks you for embarking down the path of moding your truck. If you have a significant other, I hope they are understanding.

 

imo, I would leave it stock and upgrade as you get bored. In 2013 I bought a Jeep Wrangler and within 8 months had dropped at least $8k into it and got bored pretty quick bc there wasn't much more to do, not to mention my wife was ready to kill me. I don't wheel my new vehicles so all that was done and all I had was a bad ass mall crawler haha. Within 10 months, I traded it for a new Ram 1500. Always regretted that decision mostly bc of all the money I lost. I plan on slowly adding mods to the Tacoma but it will be payed off before I do any major mods like lift, etc...

All in all, it's your truck, and your money so do whatever makes you happy. These things are plenty capable off road stock(as was my Jeep). Enjoy the ride!

 

First off, congrats and welcome! Make sure you fully understand the difference between AWD and part-time 4WD. Another member didn't and could have easily damaged things. You don't want to leave the 4WD engaged on dry pavement, or if you find yourself in a situation where you cannot avoid it, limit your turning as you'll feel binding and that a bad sign.

 

Chances are you will never see a chip.

Toyota ECU's are nearly impossible to chip.

A few manufactures have tried and all have failed and left the scene. Go fast parts are very few and far between, even on the old 4.0.

I would wait for some headers to hit the market, likely the only worth while investment.

 

Congrats on the purchase.

What to do first...Pay it off if you have a loan. Why pay the interest, adding options can come later.

 

I have the TRD Sport - First thing I would do is change out the tires if they are Firestone. Those tires have trouble getting out of their own way in wet weather. I changed to Nitto Terra Grappler G265/70R17.
They just fit without rubbing but I changed to a wheel with -6 offset (pushes tire farther away from truck).

 

Thanks fellas.

 

great looking truck! put some matte black inserts on the tailgate and you should be good to go!

 

^^^This is an important one!!!

 

1. what ever you like it is your truck.. no one will judge you.
2. are you looking for off road tires? racing tires?
3. its brand new enjoy it =P