New Member - in Central, Alberta Canada

Hey TW, well figured I would finally toss in the towel and join TW as I've been stalking as a guest for a while now. And I'm getting to the point where I need a bit of advice on where to get quality aftermarket parts (preferably from Canadian dealers, distributors) as I'm in the mood for upgrading the Stock Taco now that I've had it for about 6-months.

It's my 1st Taco and I'm obsessed with driving it, reading about it, learning what aftermarket accessories I can buy for it and how to dress it up for long overland trips.

A few items that I am currently looking for and hoping to upgrade into by Mid-November.

• Rock rails
  • https://downloads.smittybilt.com/files/SB_M1A2_SideSteps_Flyer.pdf
    
  • would like something that is more designed for sliding on than stepping on, but I find these Smitty Bilts might be up my alley.
  • Any suggestions on rock rails?
  • We tend to do a bit of light off road driving at the moment to get to the necessary base camps for hiking and back country camping. Just want to ensure the sides are in tact for the drive up and back

• Slim line Front Bumper, Light bar & Winch
  • https://www.southernstyleoffroad.co...-hybrid-front-bumper-customize-your-own-copy/
    
  • of course with being in the back country it would be best to have a winch in case of certain situations arise. And from experience it's best to have additional tow hooks and you can never have enough lights for any given situation.

Greatly appreciate any advice guys have out there for a newb looking to upgrade the TRD Sport.

cheers

 

Hello Aaron, Welcome to TW

 

Thx @TnShooter appreciate the , eh!

 

Welcome & Hello.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome aboard Aaron

 

Hey fast eddy! thx for the aloha, eh!

 

appreciate the warm welcome, eh!

 

Krave Automative is great source for parts and accessories in Calgary. They are a good local source for Prinsu racks

https://kraveautomotive.ca/

Greenlane out of Vancouver makes some nice aluminum options for Tacoma’s

https://greenlaneoffroad.com/16-tacoma/tacoma-stump-aluminum-winch-bumper

Danger Customs is a custom fabricator in Calgary for skids, sliders and bumpers that will save you some shipping and lead times, and you can have some input on the design.

 

Hey Aaron, welcome to the forum!
I bought some cheap Amazon step bars, and they work fine for the most part.

$195 5" TI Style Matte Black Aluminum Side Step Rail Running Boards jz Compatible with 05-22 Toyota Tacoma Access (Extended) Cab

https://www.amazon.com/Topline-Auto...7------------1&vehicleName=2012+Toyota+Tacoma

But some of the bolt on rock sliders might be better if you're going off road a good bit.

 

Stopped by 4Wheel Parts tonight after work. Got a quote on a Body Armour slimline front bumper, Smitty Bilt winch and labour to install. Yikes! Think I may have soiled myself. Gonna have to talk to some friends with a garage and a vehicle lift, to see if I can borrow their garage one of these weekends and save on the labour for install. "give it a go" as my Aussie-mates would say.

1. 2016 Toyota Tacoma Body Armor HiLine Series Front Bumper - TC-19339 $809.99 CAD
2. Smittybilt XRC Gen3 9.5K Winch with Steel Cable - 97695 $580.99 CAD
3. Smittybilt X2O 10K Waterproof Synthetic Rope 10000lb Wireless Winch Gen2 with Fairlead - 98510 $743.84 on sale

I was told labour is $140 per hour and it would take 6 to 8 hours, so another $800-ish dollars for that. Or as it says above, do it yourself. It being the first mod-on my own. Think its best to have some guys who've worked on vehicles before assist in the labour. Plus, its a good chance to drink beer and catchup on how their summer's been treating them.

Total price CAD $810 + $581 + $800 = $2200 plus taxes or $1,400 DIY labour
Total Price CAD $810 + $745 + $800 = $2550 plus taxes or $1,750 DIY labour

Other than my rant about funding the aftermarket products. My question, which I will be searching for tonight is about Winch cables. Is it better to go with a Steel Cable or a Synthetic Cable. Its about a $250 difference up here between the two.

Also, 4Wheel Parts, offers a 36-month warranty on Smitty Bilt winches. Int costs $60 and if anything goes wrong whether you did something to it, or it breaks, they will replace it for a small cost of just re-buying the warranty. Thus you'll only ever pay another $60 every 3-years for this product. Pretty sweet deal.

Well... I'm off to see if I can locate the debate on winch cables.

Enjoy your Monday night

Cheers
Aaron

 

Thanks Bodean! Appreciate the links! I'll check them out.

 

Personally, I would avoid 4WP if at all possible.

 

Always go Synthetic in Canada. Any temperature under 10 c and steel cable is a bitch to work with.

The tray bumpers look great but if you ever hit something they're a pain. Trust me, I had one of the first ones released for the 2nd Gen trucks and it didn't help me at all the first time I slipped into anything. Consider a real plate bumper. Buy once, cry once.

I really suggest talking to KRave Auto over 4 wheel parts. KRave is a Toyota specialty shop and can have a real conversation about the direction your build should take depending on your goals and budget. 4WP just wants your credit card lol. Which is fine for a winch but really you should talk to KRave before committing on a bumper.

Oh, and for most trails here your first step should always be sliders. They may not be as pretty as other things or have that "look at me," factor in the parking lot but you are way more likely to do rocker panel damage here than anything else.

 

Thanks Patrick! wouldn't have thought about checking Amazon, as I'm rarely on there. Guess its worth the shot at cheaper prices! I do appreciate the feedback and welcoming to TW! , eh!

 

Keep in mind anything that mounts to the body of the truck becomes a damage multiplier if you bend it offroad. Steps are fine for getting momma into the Taco but most people remove them before hitting the trails.

 

Hey, I AM GROOOOOOOOOOT!

Yeah man! rock sliders! I dig it man!

been looking for those too. Haven't seen anything that I can appreciate at this point. Need to keep searching for the right set. I did however see a TRD OR tonight with a nice set. Might have to stalk him on Instagram to learn where he got his from ???

And appreciate the feedback on KRave over 4WP. Haven't settled on their list of items either.

And appreciate the comment on the slim line bumper vs the full plate bumper. True-true on trail damage! I'm hoping to be a bit more conservative when off-road. But you know how that goes yeah! Once in the dirt you just want to giver... hahaha. Again haven't seen anything I truly appreciate yet. Perhaps KRave will have the right look.

cheers
Aaron

 

appreciate the heads up. I feel limited here in Edmonton, on selection. Figured TW would appreciate the circumstances and point me in a better direction. All advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! Especially when it comes to spending money on quality parts with a reputable distributor.

 

Plenty of good vendor guys on here. Some will definitely play ball when it comes to gettin’ the parts ‘n gear you need. Lotsa good fabricators out that way too or at least there was when I stomped around Alberta.

 

I'll have to talk around on some local YEG forums and see if anyone has suggestions on local shops and fabricators.