First timer tips and tricks?

Take off your side steps. Air down to like 20psi. And hit some fire roads/some little hills and obstacles to get a feel of your truck. Experiment with the different 4wd controls.

 

This is a worthy add: OVTune, though I would read post 1, then check the last month or so of the Ops posts to get up to date. Lot's of chatter otherwise.

Latest release was today, though you'd have to check your ECU ID to see if your's is currently supported.

 

@ronsenpai10 I'll get you a coherent response in the AM. This weekend's adventures cooked me.

 

This. Always helps to know how to use your trucks features effectively BEFORE you need them.

 

@ronsenpai10 What kind of things are you looking to do with your truck? More rock garden crawly action, or just general wandering around in the dirt? These trucks are remarkably capable stock, so a good set of tires and a little common sense can get you pretty far. Once the weather warms up a little bit, I'd be glad to have you tag along on a few outings.

Things I would recommend for the truck:
a paper map of where you are going and a bailout/escape plan
a short shovel
a 17K recovery strap (ARB makes a good one)
a hitch shackle mount
a tire repair kit (again ARB makes a good one)
a basic set of hand tools to address minor things on the trail/while traveling if need be

Cruiser Outfitters is a great place in Sandy. They can hook you up with a strap, a tire repair kit, and even a set of traction boards. I will say that the $100 Xbull ones I had off Amazon were remarkably capable for 1/3 the cost.

For social groups / outings / general Toyota chat:

UTOR on Facebook
Rocky Mountain Tacomas on FB brought to you by @eltacoutah
The Utah thread here on TW:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/utah-and-surrounding-areas-bs-thread.142717/page-393

 

Thanks Gunshot! That's a big help. I'd like to get into the "rocky crawly action", but for now, probably just the dirt roads with the occasional bumps and whatnot... I believe it's called "Overlanding"? I'll definitely check out Cruiser Outfitters soon. Probably not gonna be decked out by the summer, but definitely gonna check out those items you mentioned.

Also, I have been following the other thread you mentioned: "Utah-and-Surrounding-Areas-BS-Thread", thanks a ton. I'm excited for my first meet with you guys!

 

Reason for the side steps was so that my wife can get into the truck a lot easier. 5'2" pregnant women have a little harder time getting into a truck. Haha. But I've heard that rock sliders are the way to go. I've been looking around for some. Gotta save up some money to replace my steps for sliders though. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

Invest in changing the lights inside the cab and your fog, low beam and high beam to LED worth every penny. Here are the lights I used for the front lights....https://www.amazon.com/H11-Headligh...51&sr=8-4&keywords=led+headlights+tacoma+2016

 

On that note, I went white LED for the passenger side and Red LED for the driver side. Makes reading a map without blinding yourself at night much easier and safer.

 

Eh, there's a lot of difference between the "O Word" and wandering dirt trails for a weekend. Just don't tell the IG crowd that.

But wandering through Utah's fire roads and very mild double track can still get you a lot of amazing places!

 

Lol. I guess I got a ton to learn.
Yeah, I'm really stoked for the Spring and Summer so I can really take the truck out for a spin on the dry routes before risking the snow.

As for the lights, I've been trying to find some good ones. I definitely wanna replace the headlights and fog lights... I'm still debating on the interior lights.

 

Welcome if it hasn’t been said recovery gear was my first purchase enjoy your new truck

 

@ronsenpai10 I have a unused viking offroad 17K recovery strap that I would let go of for a good price if you were interested. A buddy gave me an ARB strap so now I have 2 and don't need the extra.

Edit: One of my friends bought it off me.

 

Byrce canyon and Zion is where I’m at all the time if you ever wanna join

 

It's definitely something I'm trying to invest in before hitting the trails.

@Gunshot-6A, I actually bought a strap and D-ring hitch yesterday, but thanks for the offer.

@evoix4me, Sounds good to me. I'll be heading down that way when the weather gets warmer.