What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-premium-upgrade-kicker-key-180-4-amp.541375/
Take a look at this. A lot of useful information in the thread.

 

Threw a gently used Extang Solid 2.0 on. Yes, one of the panels has a slight dimple on one side and another may develop on the other but I'm more concerned with keeping the bed less accessible than bone dry. For the price I paid, I am not going to complain.

Also, not as much as what I did to it but with it... went apple picking at the heritage orchard at Altapass NC. Drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway which has some incredible views (hidden by fog a lot of times). Took NC 226/226A home through a lot of turns and steep climbs; truck drove great. Even with softer OR suspension there really wasn't much body roll and power was there when needed. Those were some tight steep roads; love the mountains though.

 

I'm not doing an air locker, so no manifold. I added the air chuck after I took the picture.

 

See above for link. I used the Slee Offroad tray.

 

I had one on my 2006 Tacoma... well actually I had 2 because the first one blew off at 70 mph one night. Actually, only one corner blew up and flapped around to scare the hell out of me I had it on the truck for about 3 years before it blew off and when I tried to pull the rest off, the bug shield kinda shattered. I bought the truck used and it had a lot of paint chips along the front of the hood. I have to say that the paint did not look too good after the bug shield came off. No real fading (dark red) but the paint didn't look great where the tape connected the bug shield. I just put a new one back on and it was there when I sold it.

I ended up putting one on my 2016 when I replaced the 2006. I figured that I liked the look and wasn't concerned about really protecting the paint except from chips and eventual rust.

I guess my recommendation is not to buy one of the tape-on bug shields if your goal it to one day remove it and have great paint to maybe show to a new owner - you can get clear protective film for that if that's your goal. But if you like the low profile look of the tape-on bug shields; then don't worry too much about the paint and plan to replace the shield if it ever comes off. I suppose you could probably go for a month or so without any damage if you decided that you didn't like the look

 

I like the one you have on your 2016. I got a kick ass Amazon open box buy ($15) for the same one you had on your 2006 but I might upgrade. Unless of course a sport hood lands in my lap sometime soon. I’m not holding my breath though

 

The reason why you have to crank it up now is because most aftermarket speakers have a higher power handling, and are in turn less efficient. So with the few watts of power of the internal amplifier in your head unit, they sound quieter. For real bass (beats, kick drums, bass guitar) you really need a dedicated sub. The back speakers will not give you what you are looking for. You can get a bit more bass and a better sound by completely covering the metal of the door, which makes the door more like a speaker cabinet and isolates vibrations that take away from the speaker's response. Ultimately, for best sound you want an actual amplifier that powers the front speakers and a sub. The power going to the fronts will have the bass clipped out of them (built in crossover in the amp), and just the lows go to the sub. Time to break out the card and make it happen.....
FYI- I was a car stereo installer for 20 years. Less expensive is always less performance, just sayin....

 

Added some Raptors

 

That flip phone pic though

JK, Looks good

 

Looks like maybe a few too many adult beverages this past weekend?

Edit: My vision seems to be a little blurry and crooked this morning.

 

How tough was it to install the tailgate lock? Is it worth the money?

 

That I am scared off lol. I don’t plan on taking it off but we will see how it last. I’m sure AVS would pay for paint damage if it did cause it, I’m hoping lol.

 

Not bad at all. Straightforward instructions, and very plug n play. Totally worth it imo. I like being able to lock and unlock ALL the “doors” with my key/fob and not have to remember the extra step of using the key.

 

The manifold also helps dissipate the heat from the compressed air and allows the compressor to run more efficiently. There’s plenty of room on the Slee mount for it if you change your mind.

 

Is there a switch to turn them on? I’ve been going back and forth between oem, matt gecko or just try and DIY it...

 

On a 2020 its prewired (super easy pnp) and they are controlled with the same bed light switch that controls the third brake location lights. In models where it’s not prewired it doesn’t seem like there’s as much of an advantage to the OEM kit.

 

I might change my mind. I'm just doing things a little bit at a time. I am going by the instructions right now. It is adequate without the manifold if I'm only airing up my tires. They recommend an air tank if you are going to air up yours and your buddie's tires and/or run air tools. It was mentioned somewhere that an air tank will also help dissipate the heat. The manifold might come into play with air tools and the tank.

 

Looks sick!

 

Did some camping over the weekend in our new tent.

 

I did the same thing, took max 10 minutes to install. Looks great, especially with a tonneau cover on. They're extremely bright.