Needing lift advice from the experienced

You would have to be running a dedicated offroad trail to cause any real damage and you would likely tear up everything else along the way.

The truck can handle moderate trails and some difficult or trails rated up to 5/10. Beyond that you begin to deal with rocks and ledges that require additional skill or modifications.

I would actually take your truck out and play with it to see what you really need and what wheeling you want to do.

 

Ok so now for the true newb in myself... have any links to the items needing purchased? I’m sorry but finding it myself I’d then have a million questions on top of that probably. Also would this setup still allow for decent towing and not level the truck? Thanks for taking all the time from everyone’s responses.

 

I took it off road once. Only had truck for 13 days now and never owned a 4x4 til now. Since no true need of 4x4 in my life thus far being 38 years old, took into account when buying a more expensive off road truck that I’d plan on going off road for enjoyment purposes other than just having a truck to do only typical truck stuff. Once is nowhere near any inclination of what I want by any means but going through easy trails with huge ruts and some larger drop offs onto rock, when I started hearing metal grind I knew then I needed something better hence the reason I’m looking into lift and larger tires. Not a daily driver so not extremely worried about 3-4 mpg lower than stock. Since I’ve owned it, it’s average between 20-22 in the 1000+ miles I’ve driven thus far. 16+ I can accept the drop off. And to answer an earlier question I do also like the look

 

Stock can handle this. Here's a base line for you.

 

Was it really metal grinding or just the suspension flexing and the coils binding? If you had rock ledges, huge ruts and metal grinding then you werent running an easy trail.

Easy trails are basically dirt roads or moderately maintained mountain passes that can be traversed in stock vehicles.
Moderate trails are OHV trails, Forest Service roads and what not that can be ran in high clearance stock vehicles or vehicles that require minimal modification.
Difficult trails are dedicated offroad trails or poorly maintained roads that require a modified vehicle at a minimum, lift tires, recovery, skids etc. This is where rock crawling comes in.

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/254-china-wall

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/475-t33-plane-crash

I ran these stock

 

Yes I’d have no fear at all for that but unfortunately being new to off off roading I have no clue if any locations near me that offer terrain like that. The ohv park we went to last weekend, which I didn’t stop to take any pics, is all clay. As the clay washes out it reveals nice large cratered sand rock that have ledges or just major humps which is where I experienced the loud metal grinding.

 

Check out Trails Offroad and Alltrails websites for local trail information.

 

Everything you say makes sense to me, anything you can afford to do to protect your truck is money well spent. Have fun with your build and stay safe on the trails.

 

More you invest. More chances you are going to take. If you want a toy don't start with a daily driver.

Just a thought.

 

Probably the first best mod is to get 265/75/ r16 tires since that will give you a little lift and you can get higher quality tires

 

That came on my truck stock.

 

I was all gung-ho to get my truck lifted for off-roading because I figured that was the best thing to do. Then I took it on a few trails and realized how capable it actually is stock. I plan to get some aggressive 265’s until my warranty runs out and going to go with the metal bumpers and sliders for now. These trucks surprise you how capable they truly are stock off-road. The difference between stock and 3” lift vs high clearance bumpers is probably a bigger difference. Just my opinion. If you want it for looks then hell ya lift that puppy up. But if your doing it for the off-road aspect these trucks are unbelievably capable out of the box.

 

Nah you have 265/70/16

 

It’s not my every day driver typically. Back and forth to work is a Nissan Altima for the 33 mpg it gets and I don’t worry about getting in it at the end of the day with whatever debris or grease/tar/paint or whatever I may have on me.

You guys probably get these type of generic questions a lot and I understand anyone who has varying points of views. For myself, at this very point in time, I am not purchasing something this weekend. Reason I say this is I’m a heavy planner/researcher. The type of guy who reads and reads and reads then sees videos and watches them many times over. After that I ask questions then read and read more. After I’ve come to a conclusion which direction id like to head in, I save various options on my phones notepad and leave it alone for a while. Down the road I reinvest my time reading the saved info I’ve gathered then start venturing off more and trying to learn more.

Long story yes but I’ve recently started a 32x40 addition to my home that I built from the ground up. After months of planning I started hunting discounts and deals on all material I’d be using for the build and getting price matching at many many places. Rafters I needed alone were over 3500 anywhere I found near me then found a company in Tennessee where I paid 1850 for exact same rafters that used number 1 grade lumber instead of traditional number 2.

I have a ton of time just interested in everyone’s experience and even going to take the advice given about being swayed from lifting at all while I learn more. During that time I’ll be testing various areas that I can find within 1-3 states away to drive my truck off road as it sits and see which direction I’ll head. Until then I gather as much info as possible and go from there.

Thanks again to everyone who has taken their time to respond. I truly appreciate all the info

 

https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/c113/Tacoma_16__Complete_Kits.html


Looks like they may be open this week after their move. I would shoot them an email. I don’t recommend spacer lifts/ready lift or going cheap. The bilsteins and OME are both bolt on and not too bad of an install and can be done on a mod day if in your area.

I would recommend uca’s in case you do want to increase your tire size to help get your alignment #’s a little more spot on.

This is my daily driver..

 

Thanks for the link. Definitely cheaper than any site I’ve viewed so far or I’ve just been looking at wrong sites and different parts. Anything I’ve seen so far with Billstein name on it from other sites for complete front and rear kit was double the prices here. Definitely saving that link!

 

Oh and another thing is I don’t know anything about mod day or what that is or where. I do know that I like doing things with my hands despite lack of experience. With the exception of setting my rafters with a boom lift and having family members use their skills to do the foundation everything else was done 100% by me other than wife and kids handing me things from time to time. Everything I do I enjoy looking back and saying ‘I did that’ regardless of how big or small the project is. Granted I’m still working on the addition but have taken a break for 2 weeks while on vacation away from regular job.

 

Omgitsme said it right. And yes they’re stock on my 2019 trd off road.

 

Third gen SR/SR5 came with 245/75/16. TRD Sport with 265/65/17, OR with 265/70/16.