Another newbie looking for advice!

Hello!

Let me start by saying that I'm not car/mechanically savvy, so I'm here for advice & guidance.

A couple weeks ago I traded my spaceship (prius) for a mountain goat (tacoma). I got a 2018 TRD Off Road. I've had trucks in the past, but this one is my dream truck. It's my daily driver for now, so I don't want to do anything too crazy to it but I would like to make some upgrades. 50% for looks, 50% for functionality. I'm an avid solo hiker & climber, and I spend every single weekend tearing up awful forest service roads & logging roads. I plan to do a bit of off roading, but it's all about getting from point A to point B, not just for the sake of driving off road. I'm in the PNW and spend a lot of time in the Cascades, so mud and snow are very prevalent.





Things I'd like to do (but don't know anything about and will not be doing myself):
-2"ish lift
-Bigger better tires w/ black wheels (only slightly bigger, this is still my daily driver for now. I don't need anything crazy, I just don't want to end up stuck somewhere. Functionality 1st.)
-darker tint
-bull bar w/ lights

Toyota quoted me this for a lift:
"All of my prices include a drive side diff bushing replacement as well. If you do not replace this & lift the vehicle.. it will fail & not be covered under warranty. It's cheaper to replace it while doing the lift than late when it fails....
Pro Comp 3/1 ("spacer") lift $1504.00
Bilstein 5100 2.5" lift $1900.00
Suspension lifts - brand & prices vary"

Fair? Which is the better option for off road use? Should I go with something else entirely? Or am I an idiot and shouldn't lift it at all?

 

Congrats and welcome Mariah

 

Stay away from the dealer. Go OME lift with add a leaf in the rear. Tires are up to you since its subjective

 

Will that void my warranty?

 

No it does not

 

You may actually want a suspension lift.

 

Welcome aboard. Beautiful Tacoma. I've kept mine stock and never regretted not giving in to upgrade fever. I've aired down tires when I thought I'd need a tow, shifted to 4WD lo and hopped out of ruts left by trucks that were towed out. Chuck Norris tough

 

Any significant upgrades I want won't happen for a while anyway. I'm just dreaming and trying to get an idea for cost.
Black wheels and darker tint will happen soon though. I love a white truck with black wheels.

 

I’d get a Bilstein 5100 kit with proper springs and an AAL. Less than $800 in parts with strut/coil assembly done. Should be able to get it installed for a few hundred bucks. All-in for around $1100 and better than either option the dealer is giving you.

 

Welcome to The Forum!

 

Check out the wheel and tire forum and show us your dog forum. I love Labs.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld!

 

Welcome to TW...Try to locate a reputable off- road shop to do your work. Dealerships like to take advantage of people, particularly women. Good luck and have fun modding!!

 

Forget the lift. With the right, and slightly larger tires, the truck is quite capable off road.

If you insist on lift, certainly the dealer is not the place to have it done. What they've offered is both bottom tier parts and way overpriced.

Read the manual a few times, try out all the buttons and learn how the truck's electronic wizardry functions. Still confused about a specific function, post back here and some of the experienced crew will lay it out.

Wheel selection should be thought out carefully for proper width/offset/backspacing so you have no clearance/rubbing issues. A good choice would be OE Toyota wheels; they are available in black, fit right and would look sharp on your truck

Study up on why you don't want a bull bar. Besides being super ugly (bulky) on a 3rd gen, they are not structurally substantial. There are many other auxiliary lighting options that fit neatly and do a great job of illumination for those off road situations.

You're off to a great start.

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome!
Just so you know, the more you hang around the more is going to happen.
Here are a few forums to get you started.

These are tire related, you can increase size without lifts for now:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-skinny-on-skinny-tires.529656/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/biggest-tire-w-out-lift.547837/

This is for all terrain tires for you to look through:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/best-all-terrain-tire.522929/

Lift info:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-tacoma-lift-guide.509171/

Bull Bars:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bull-bar-recommendations.428006/

If you aren't looking to spend too much on rims, you can always get vinyl inlays shown here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...cap-inlays-and-tacoma-decals-for-sale.537257/

As for tint, that is state dependent, so choose the level at your discretion.

As for lights on the bull bars, there are many options and vendors around so have a look. If you're looking for something specific I could give you some contacts of the guys here.

I personally won't be doing a lift so I can't give you much input on what options are better.

 

I'm definitely not 100% set on getting a lift. I think it looks cool, but with the right tire/wheel set up I can get the look I'm looking for.
As far as bull bars go, I was think about something like this:


Again, not set on it. I just like the aesthetic. But the whole reason I'm on this forum is to hear from experts so I don't make any dumb decisions based on looks alone!
I'll look into the OE Toyota wheels! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Welcome to TW! If you plan on hiking a set of all-weather floor mats is in order: https://amzn.to/2MZI6Ma

 

Welcome to TW