Where Do I Even Start?

Hi all! I got my ‘19 SR5 nearly a year ago. I love it. I’ve loved Tacoma’s for a long time and even after a year I get excited to drive mine to work every day.

I really want to get into modding and eventually into off-roading. Problem is, my knowledge is right at zero. I was never a car guy. Not from lack of desire, but my Dad was a computer nerd and was never trusted with tools by my Mom. I watch Off-roading videos and I feel like I’m listening to Spanish. And the overwhelming amount of mods out there makes my head spin.

I really want to learn as much as I can so that I can work on my truck, mod it to my liking, and go off-road without ruining my truck from inexperience. If anyone can offer any resources; YouTube channels, social media accounts, websites, books; I’d be very much appreciative.

 

Welcome

 

Try off roading first before you spend money on mods.

 

Welcome to TW...you can learn a lot hear if you search enough threads.

 

Learn your truck! It can handle a lot of shit LOL.

 

Welcome! Your SR5 is well equipped. Hit some trails, some sand, some snow, and see how your truck performs before you decide what you want to do with it. Stock up on recovery gear and watch some videos, or better yet talk to people in local groups about off roading to see what you need for your area.

That said, since you don't have a TRD off-road, lockers may be in your future. The ARB Twin compressor will be a good add-on as it can provide quick air-ups and pressure to front and rear lockers. Slee Off Road makes a great mount for that compressor. Also maxtrax and treds make a solid sand/snow recovery board.

 

Mods are trendy. It's more about the driver and their skill than the vehicle. Flame away, but I took this over Rubicon stock. And I assure it was a tougher trail 37 years ago than it is today.

 

That's a gorgeous long body.

 

How do I go about knowing the limits without smashing up the truck

 

I worry about the limits. I don’t want to find the limits to the tune of a multi thousand dollar repair bill

 

See, that second part sounds like a foreign language to me lol

 

Well because you don't have a factory rear differential locker, you may need to look into an aftermarket locker depending on what your off road needs are. Take it out on the trails with friends, and see what your needs are.

 

I'll be honest this hobby ain't cheap. You will know your limits trust me. I learned mine the hard way but it was worth the experience.

 

start slow and go with people who have more experience. Drive on bad dirt roads, fire roads, pastures, fields, or in a creek bed. This will let you learn some skills and all the 4wd abilities of your truck without the risk of doing much more then getting a little stuck in the mud.

try it all in 2wd, then 4wd high, then 4wd lo. It will teach you the difference and what you need for the different terrain.

 

Welcome aboard new member

 

Welcome. Just do some Fire Service roads or mild/easy trails and gain some experience. Things like armor, winches and recovery gear are the basics if you're going to be crawling over things. Maintenance or install wise, there are lots of 'How-to" threads on TW.

 

I doubt it. It’s not like the Sport has an open differential. The type of situation that a locking differential will get you out of, but a limited slip won’t are pretty few. Especially if you know how to use the LS.

 

LS?

 

Limited Slip (Differential)

 

Ok so I'll jump in because this is fun for me. I'm a nerd too but I was a gear head in my youth and only recently got a 2018 TRD Off Road so I'm kinda back in the game.

Perhaps what might make sense is just a video or two with a truck in the air and someone pointing out all the parts and what they do on your rig.

Some Component Terms:

Axle: This is the part that turns the wheels. It's like "house" in that there are a lot of other parts inside it and attached to it. It's function is to transfer the energy from the engine/transmission all the way to the wheels. You have an axle in the front and one in the back on a 4-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle.

Open Diff(erential): An axle arrangement where only one wheel is being driven when driving around. This is normal for most vehicles since all 4 tires are on the ground and when you turn, the outside wheels roll faster than the inside wheels. An open diff allows this to happen.

LS: Limited Slip. This axle will detect that one wheel is turning WAY faster than the other and force both wheels to turn. It gives you better traction off road but sometimes it takes a second or more to 'kick in'.

Locker: Locking Differential. This is (usually) an axle that can be engaged by the driver or the electronics in the vehicle to directly lock both wheels together. Very few vehicles have front lockers but a fair number have rear lockers. You can buy one for your vehicle but for light off roading you probably won't need it.

4-Wheeling Terms:

The biggest terms you need to know are your approach angle, departure angle and break-over angle.

Approach Angle: Line from edge of your front tire to whatever sticks out the farthest on your truck. This tells you how steep a hill you can get at without scraping. For you, this is important because you have a little plastic air dam on the front of your Sport. This will reduce your approach angle by quite a bit and you need to be careful of breaking it.

Departure Angle: Same as Approach angle but in the back. Once you start climbing an obstacle, this tells you if you're going to scrape your butt.

Breakover Angle: The lowest angle between the front and rear wheels and the lowest part in the middle under your truck. For us that's the frame usually.

High Centering: This is when you come to something and try to get over it only to find that both your front and rear wheels are off the ground enough that you cannot get traction. A locker sometimes helps. It doesn't mean that your wheels are in the air, just that they are lifted enough not to grip.

Dug In: This is when you have a wheel that spins to the point where it digs a hole and the weight of the truck is on the axle beam and not the tire tread. Locker sometimes helps. Sometimes you need to get pulled out or dig yourself out.

These are starters.

Skills:

If you want some fun skills development, you can use a riding lawn mower. Put some rocks or dirt piles in a place where you can drive over and around them. Learn how to steer around obstacles and learn to watch where your front tires and rear tires are all the time. Learn to get right up to a rock with the front tire and then slowly creep over it, feeling how the steering wheel pulls as you come over the rock. Watch how close the center of the mower comes to the rock as you drive over it and do the same with the back tire. Put the mower on a hill and give it just enough throttle to go up but not enough to spin a tire. It might seem a litle goofy but you will learn how to judge the direction your wheels are pointed and the feel of going over things and what it feels like to lose traction.