Critique or criticize my first mod plans, please.

Hey guys,
after a somewhat disconcerting side slip off a rock and not liking the feel of the stock shocks too much when driving along dirt roads with a lot of water bars (which I do a lot) I waded through tons of forum threads, trying to decide what's right for me in order to give me more peace of mind and comfort.

I am very new at this, so a lot of stuff feels over my head and the new vocabulary - oh boy!

Anyway, the goal was to find stuff that would give me a safety margin, but wouldn't be overkill for my use - which is getting me to places I'd like to explore on foot in Northern Nevada - rocks and sand is everywhere.

I don't think I'll ever go rock crawling or off roading just for fun, but I am probably going to be driving many miles on washboard roads in the future. I read that the stock shocks aren't really up to that job either.

So here is what I think would work for me - and please correct me if I am wrong; that's the reason I am posting this!

This is for a 2020 TRD OR short cab, stock tires.

Rock sliders:

https://caliraisedled.com/collectio...020-tacoma-0-degree-bolt-on-step-rock-sliders

I am thinking bolt on, weld on seems just a little too permanent... or is there a compelling reason to weld?

Shocks:
https://eibach.com/us/e80-82-069-01-22-2016-2020-toyota-tacoma-pro-truck-lift-system

Mainly for a stiffer ride and better durability, but a bit of lift (minimal, i.e. 2" front, 1" back if I understand correctly) will be fine. Would I need to order anything else to have this kit installed?

Again, I am totally new to this and trucks in general, so thanks for any enlightenment!

edit, because nobody reads the end of the thread:

I'm back - confused and starting to get very frustrated with this modding business.

I am trying hard not to do anything stupid with my truck and just have it perform better. So I got the Eibach Pro Truck lift kit (the springs and shocks for the front and shocks for the rear.) I wrongly assumed, due to my ignorance, that that's all I need to lift 2" in the front and 1" in the back - to make sure there's a bit of rake left or at least no chance of the front being higher if i put some weight in the back.
When I realized that shocks don't add lift (probably a very basic concept) and that I either needed another leaf, a new leaf spring or a lift block to get that 1" in the back I called Eibach, tried to explain my situation and was assured that the block would be a good match and ok for my use, then ordered one.

After that, I kept googling and THEN learned about axle wrap and how lift blocks are very bad for off-roading. I am getting tired of this. Seems like every time after I make a decision a whole slew of things that should have been taken into consideration pops up.

What should I do? Is the 1" block ok? Should I go without any lift in the rear? Cancel the order and get an added leaf?

Can anybody please shed some light on this in a way that won't confuse me even more?

Edit - also, I talked to another welder and he flat out refused to put sliders on. Said the steel of the frame was heat treated and welding on it would crack the frame. When I googled about THAT it seemed to turn out his opinion was bullshit. And that coming from a licensed welder. Sigh.

 

Just bigger tires.

 

No reason to weld just get some bolt-ons.

I have no experience with that lift kit but anything will be stiffer than the stock Off-Road suspension.

Are you getting bigger tires? If so one of the first mods should be gears. 4.88's are fine for stock size tires, anything bigger than 33's I would do 5.29's, and even just 33's would be good with 5.29's. I have 4.88's and if I wasn't eventually going some forced-induction route I would have wished I got 5.29's.

 

I think your plan looks fine. I'm a bit of a contrarian about tires. You don't need bigger, just better. The OEM tires are not very good off-road.

 

No plans for bigger tires for now. Stock size hasn't been a problem so far and really, I am trying to start with the minimum I feel I need to get until I know more about the subject matter!
Also - budget...

 

Right, so I've heard. But so far they haven't been a limiter. When they do, I think I would stick with the same size.

 

Id agree with @kwill , don't necessarily need bigger, especially if you are staying on the flatter terrain, you just need better than OEM

Bolt on sliders will be solid for your needs. No need to get weld ons

 

A small lift, stiffer suspension, sliders, and tougher tires is a good list to shoot for. That’s all you really need for your described uses.

I would also be equipped with some minimal recovery gear. A snatch strap, a receiver D-ring for the back. A tire repair kit as well.

 

Stronger, lighter, cheaper, less chance of rust between the slider and frame (chance of rust inside the frame though since you will burn the inner paint off when welding) I got weld on, couldn't be happier.

My sliders cost 280 shipped. Installation cost was pizza and beers to my buddy who could weld.

You're doing it right. Sliders were the very first thing I got, because I know how easy it is to bang up the cab on the trail in the PNW from the previous XJ I had. I got suspension 2nd and tires 3rd.

 

Already got snatch strap, tow strap, shovel, receiver, a few D-rings, tire pump and last but not least - gloves!

Thanks!

 

Where I live it's pretty desert-like. Also, garage parked.

Wow. I haven't seen anything even remotely close to that! What brand is that?

 

Mine is garage parked as well, but no salt on the roads here so we don't worry about rust too much either. The nice part about the weld-ons is that you can customize how far they stick out, the location and the angle of the sliders.

The sliders are from 4x innovations.

Weld on
https://www.4xinnovations.com/2005--2020-Double-Cab-Short-Bed-Tacoma-Rock-Slider_p_74.html

Bolt on
https://www.4xinnovations.com/2016-2020-Tacoma-Bolt-On-Sliders--ACLB-or-DCSB_p_166.html

 

Awesome bro. Bolt on sliders sound perfect. Exactly what I’m looking into. IMO a 2” lift looks good with 265/75/16. To do 33’s right you need do gears , taller lift etc. You know how it goes. Good luck keep us posted with pics

 

Great looking sliders. Thanks for posting. Good price as well

 

You really don't though. I have ~2.25" lift, and stock gears. I still get 18-19mpg in the summer even with front/rear bumper and sliders. It's different for everyone. Also, you can get skinny 33"s with require little to no work to fit and better gas mileage.

 

Traction boards would be a good investment.

 

If you’re not on a tight budget I would spend a little more on better suspension. The Eibach Pro truck gets good reviews but it’s a pretty entry level setup.

My opinion is spend the money when it comes to suspension and tires. They’re required to perform 100% of the time. Lots of other mods are part time or even just luxury items.

 

Get tires. Other than that start going to these places with stock shocks. Then when you find yourself going down washboard roads like you say, you'll have time to really think about what you're doing. If you already are crushing washboard roads now then by all means send it.

As for sliders get weld on. I got bolt on because I didn't want to weld to a new vehicle. Looking back I'd rather weld that shit on.

 

If your driving washboard roads with speed for long periods of time you might need to look into shocks with reservoirs for better cooling.

 

I waited on gears for a while, but I'm glad I got them and they are quickly becoming the best mod. I'm still in the break in period, but my city mileage has gone up to be about 17-18. I would now recommend gears to everyone, with or without bigger tires. The taco really is geared poorly.