Advice for a new modder/taco owner

Hi y'all,

I recently bought a '15 TRD sport. I want to beef it up a little. I am not a serious offroader but I like getting out in a field and getting her dirty. Here's my questions.

1) I wanna lift her a little. I'd like to avoid replacing the driveline for now. I just want a little bit of ground clearance and some beefier tires. What lift kits/tire sizes should I be looking at?

2) Is a cold air intake worthwhile for a tiny hp boost? Or not even worth my attention right off the bat?

3) What else should I look into as a beginner for a beefier, truckier truck/ good returns on investments right off the bat?

 

Bilstein 5100s for your lift. There is some reading to do on TW about coil spring options to go with them. You don’t want to go over 2.5 inches. The stock Tacoma air intake is essentially a CAI and no aftermarket will improve it so save your money. Tires are your next purchase. Choose a set with tread that will aid in dirt traction but avoid the really heavy tires and don’t go too big. Check the sticky section of the forum for the diy mods that help improve the utility and longevity of your truck.

 

Indeed, skip the CAI. Tires, and Crosis gave good advice on the mild lift.
I'm seriously considering the Falken Wildpeak AT3W next time. My son has the BFG KO2s on his Rubicon. We got into some good snow coming home from Iowa in December and I honestly wasn't impressed with them. I was driving. I like a little more siping in a tire for a good highway ride and snow capability but if you're in Alabama, it won't be much of an issue for you. A lot of people really like the KO2, but they are pricey.

 

5100s up front and rear and maybe an AAL for the rear too . Falken Wildpeaks are great ! Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW! Good advice above, I've had Bilstein 5100's on both my tacomas and they work great. Not sure if you would consider it replacing driveline parts, but something to keep in mind is if you lift the truck you may run into needle bearing vibrations and require an ECGS bushing (if it's a 4x4). 265/75/16 or its equivalent 265/70/17 seem to be a popular size for stock height/small lift, I'm running 265/75/16 Falken Wildpeak AT3's and I like them a lot.

 

Welcome! I agree with everyone else. Skip the CAI and go with some Falkens I have them in the slightly larger 265/75/16 they fit great with no rubbing without any lift. However I'll likely do the bilstien lift upfront eventually.

Also catch up on any neglected maintenance!

 

Absolutely LOVE my WildPeaks you would not be disappointed if you went for em!!

 

After I got the bilstein lift (tbh best bang for the buck and should be the first mod budget build does) and AAL, I added 1.25 spidertrax spacers to widen the stance a bit. They smoothed out some of the issues you get with any lift and yes - reduced my fear of tipping over when taking sharp speed racer turns lol

Plus, it def makes the truck look beefier

Edit: If you do get any spacers, just make sure they are hub centric.

 

If you wanna off-road what kinda terrain you wanna do mud, rock crawling, dirt trails tires make a big difference don't go cheap on tires buy a good tire depending on what you wanna do

 

It depends all on your budget and what you consider beefier. Always costs more the bigger you go. Search different tire sizes here to get an idea of what tire size/lift combo you would like to achieve. The most common larger tire size is 285/75's (33" tire) but you will need a minimum of 2.5-3" lift. Biggest mistake would be to go with a smaller tire size just to regret it and buying/lifting twice. Welcome to TW.

 

285’s will also get you into cab mount chop territory if I’m not mistaken, just something to think about

 

Even with 2.5-3" lift cmc may be required. You will rub the swaybar without spacers and even more rubbing will occur with spacers.

I am at 2" with armor, winch, sliders a buncha gear +285/75r16 Wildpeak at3w and 16x7 0et w/1.25" spacer front. I have no issues BUT have done..

1. Cab mount chop
2. Pinch weld flatten
3. Fender liner delete
4. Front bumper trim (when I had one)
5. Fender flare trim

Don't let all of that scare you though, 285's look great.

The biggest issue from running 285 isn't so much fitment but for most users the loss of power and or MPG loss. Wildpeak at3w in 285 are LT E load so they are very heavy, about 60lbs each. Coupled with too heavy of a rim and you will really feel the difference.

For reference my 16x7 Enkei RPT1 run 18lbs and Wildpeak is 60. 78lbs.

Stock is 60lbs 16x7 sr5 with 245/75.

Best bet is stock size tire for the least amount of headaches and faster on road readiness.

 

It may but not always the case since everyone experiences are different. Depends on different factors such as lift, tire width, tire manufacture AT/MT, wheel BS,level of offroading, etc.. Some may need CMC or UCA's but not all. I run 285's with CO's set around 2.5" with no CMC and stock UCA's. Alignment good and rides very smooth. You just have to lift it and go from there. Likely not needed if the OP doesn't plan on extreme offroading.

 

Been there done that I first did a 285/75 ran with it for a year now my running a 315/75

 

Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus. I had heard good things from ranchers that use them off road 75% of the time, snow included. They all had only good things to say about them and they are very good on road. I'll never go back to a E rated tire (BFG KO2) for on road use, what a regret that was. I gave the Nokian a descent workout this weekend with 1900lbs in the bed (retaining wall blocks and sand) and had to climb a steep-ish grade of wet grass and roots and dirt at the top. Not a single slip. I'd guess that they might not do well in loose/deep mud. The on road ride is as good as the stock Bridgestone touring LT tires. No regrets