The SR thread, let's see them!

My stock 2.7 4 popper.

 

Is that an upTOP Overland rack?

 

Is this a good look? Trying to figure out how to build mine...

 

If the primary driver for your modifications is appearance, then you should certainly do to your truck what you like the most and find aesthetically pleasing.

I say that because the particular look you're chasing isn't necessarily the most popular on here, but that doesn't mean it isn't right for you.

What you have pictured there looks like a body lift, although the wheels could be skewing perception.

Have you already purchased your truck? Or are you planning in advance?

Edit: Saw that you have purchased, congrats.

 

Thank you! Just got the truck, new stock! Taking some time to make sure this is what I want. Scared about reading about needle bearing, on the forum, but at the 4x4 places they do these all day, and never heard of this problem. Also, they said these Maxxis Tires are cheap, and will be loud and vibrate! Do these wheels look ghetto in your opinion? Just want something simple and clean! I was going for a black on black look with some nice tires like these! Truck is so nice, and rides so great! I really want something that also looks amazing, but need to enjoy driving too without shaking steering wheels, and vibrations. I have 3K saved up for lift, tires, and wheels.

 

I think that truck in the pic looks ok if that is the look you like. That's not a look that will be popular on this site. Would not be popular in the Jeep community either. Those big wheel and low profile tires say pavement princess all the way. They say it's about the look not going off road.

Look at how others here built there's in threads where people post a lot of photos. Ask if you about their trucks if you like something. Come up with something you are happy with.

 

Yes, looks cheap and ghetto. Just my opinion. Save up some more cash and research,research,research. Ask questions and find a reputable shop. In my past experience the moment you start messing with suspension it starts to get very costly very fast if you’re not happy with your setup. I say keep the stock suspension, beef up your tires a bit and go with a 16” wheel. Again, just my opinion but Tacoma’s to me look better with small wheels and beefier tires that DON’T stick out past the fenders or flares. If you do change your suspension remember the phrase “buy once, cry once.” It may cost more up front but you’ll be happier in the long run.

 

Take your time do your research and install quality parts. Careful not to void warranty some dealers are a pain about mods.

 

Buy once, cry once! Yes. I did that when I lifted my Liberty CRD Limited years back. Yeah I could have got a cheap spacer lift but then I realized those suck long term once things wear down. I never regretted what I did with it.

 

If a big factor behind your decision making is ride comfort and quality, I would recommend keeping your wheel size at 18" maximum, which will likely be a bit smaller than what you pictured. Larger diameter wheels will ride terribly. My father has a Lincoln Mark LT and is constantly complaining about the 20" cheap chrome wheels the previous owner put on. Bigger wheels are heavier, they have less sidewall and without pairing them to a quality suspension, will destroy the ride of the truck. Heck, even pairing them will still make it ride rough.

I would suggest looking into a 2.5 - 3" Bilstein 5100 setup. This will not give you quite the dramatic lift that you pictured, but will still put your truck above most. It will improve the ride quality, but it will increase the CV and driveshaft angles which will affect the chance of carrier bearing vibration issues, the need for shims on the driveshaft, and clamshell bushing wear.

These recommendations are if your truck is going to primarily stay on the pavement. What do you plan on doing with your Tacoma? What kind of conditions are you going to take it into? What's the weather like in your region? Pertinent questions to consider for your build.

Here's a link with Tacomas on 18's to get a general idea of how they look. Some wheel designs "appear" larger than others, and color makes an impact as well.

 

That's a -25mm offset for anyone wondering why its rubbing on such a mild tire.

 

Yep, so many here dont understand how much the wheel offset comes into play with the whole rubbing topic !!

 

Welcome!!

First off, I would certainly make sure to purchase quality parts. There are tons of threads on here, as I'm sure you know, about wheels and tires. Generally speaking though, for ride comfort you're going to want a thicker tire.

As far as looks go, who cares what anybody else thinks?! As long as you walk out of your garage and turn to do a double take at your own ride, that's all that matters. Most people on here are all about offroad/utilitarian style trucks so your feedback on here is most likely going to be bias. There's a whole thread on "mall crawler" Tacomas though that might give you some ideas if that is the general style you are going for.

 

Speaking of tires......And i ask because I know this board has a wealth of info.....Can I run 235 85 r 16's on my bone stock suspension 2018 SR TWO WHEEL drive???? I really like the looks of those tires....skinny but meaty...I have stock steel rims........????? Do you know if they will rub? Thanks a lot for the feedback! Appreciate it! Saw them on Bravo 6's truck and they look good imo......

 

So I would definitely get a second opinion just to be sure, maybe check out https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-skinny-on-skinny-tires.529656/ and ask there, but I wouldn't think you would have any problem with them rubbing. I think most issues come from the tires being too fat, not too tall.

 

Just FYI stuff.....Added some footwell ambient lights......They look MUCH brighter in these pics than they are. I bought them here
https://www.oznium.com/led-string-modules/premium-led-module in obviously the BLUE color. I also used a dimmer which is a must if you go with these lights. If I had NO dimmer, I'd probably go with the 6mm blue led bolts you can get here....https://www.oznium.com/led-bolts-prewired-leds/led-bolt

I used a dedicated footwell light switch from CH4x4. I picked up the dimmer off ebay. I don't have a link, sorry. It's a "small motor" dimmer/controller that looks like this:

Now to tap into power I DON'T have the cargo/bed light switch on my dashboard to the left of my steering wheel, HOWEVER I DO have the plug that would go into that switch, SO I just just used POSI TAPS to tap into that dash light source and GROUND so the switch IS dimmable.....On mine, the GREEN is light switch power and tan is dimmable GROUND.




And these are the results......










Oh and I added that USB charger from Amazon...

$20 Cllena Dual USB Port Charger Socket Quick Charge 3.0 & 2.4A for Toyota

Cllena Dual USB Port Charger Socket Quick Charge 3.0 & 2.4A for Toyota and used an Add a Fuse to Power Outlet #2 on the fuse box underneath the dash.....just more FYI....
This was just a FOR FUN kind of addition........

 

Cool! Thanks for the input!

 

Amen on the looks it was just a test haah! It's so subjective! I always go and look at the trucks of the people commenting...Be careful who you take advice from right! I'm not entering my truck into the Baja 1000 or going to be needing to escape from Zombies anytime soon.

Also someone said something about the Jeep people not liking it. Every Gladiator I have seen have been pimped out with big tires and wheels. I don't really care about Dubs, and do not believe that is the look this truck is putting out there. I want this 3" lift because it makes the truck look so much better, and the wheels in tires look great black on black. It is possible that there is a better looking FUEL wheel or XD, and I'm researching that. Yes, call it a bro truck, mall creeper, but almost many of the ones I see on IG look terrible or grampa trucks. Maybe I'm just a ghetto country girl Here is my dream truck below. I'm just going for the smaller version for now...

I like the Ivan Stewart race truck looks, but if I'm building a truck like that it will be full tube frame race truck!

Here is the look I'm going for and my DREAM truck! 1500 RST Z71, 22X12 Wheels, 35" Tires! Want to make a smaller version of this with my Toyota!