Is this a Build?

Short time Tacoma owner and member of this forum. Experience limited to what I've read here, seen on YouTube and researched off the interwebs (so really none). Truck is a daily driver/commuter, with routine travel down rough gravel/fire roads and occasional "wheelin" to the extent that hitting anything hard under the truck makes me unhappy (sad but true). Schnebly Hill road in Sedona, AZ was fun, and I'd do that again any time. I also have an Escapod teardrop trailer on order and will be pulling it throughout the West over highways and fire roads to find good camp sites. Trailer dry weight is appx 1,800#, with a tongue weight of 180#. Also considering the weight of passenger, gear and me.

The mods/accessories done so far have been primarily for function/convenience/comfort:

1. Redline hood struts.
2. Redarc brake controller.
3. Seatjackers: front and 3/4" rear.
4. CPlay2Air.
5. Armrest storage tray.
6. OEM bed lights.
7. OEM Tailgate lock servo.

I'm inclined to leave the suspension and tires stock. Mainly because I'm okay with the OEM ride/look and don't want to compromise long-tern reliability or lose torque-to-ground and fuel mileage. With that said, I'm still tempted to do the following work and wanted your thoughts/input - pro or con. Let me have it.

1. Wheels: to minimize a reduction in MPG, they need to be light, especially if new tires are heavier. They aren't cheap, but Volk Racing TE37XT in "Blast Black" with "0" offset look good and cut about 8 pounds per wheel from OEM.
2. Tires: this is a hard one for me. KO2s look great and seem TWs favorite for lots of reasons, but I cannot justify the weight. Just can't do it. I do like the idea of 265/75/16, as this gives an easy 1/2" lift with minimal increase in weight and loss of torque-to-ground. It then becomes a question of what is the best tire for my purposes. I've been looking at Pirelli Scorpions (+6 pounds vs OEM) or Cooper Discoverer AT3 (+6 pounds vs OEM) as options in 265/75/16, because I can get some size/lift and, combined with the wheels, remain at approximately the same or a little less weight than OEM.
3. Suspension: easy and hard. The easy is Bilstein 6112/5160. Seems the most bang for the buck. The hard is the lift. One inch in front. That's all I want. This is consistent with what Toyota did to the Pro, so I know the engineers blessed it and, if I'm not mistaken, does not require UCAs. Also, I like my truck raked. I like it. So this means a one inch lift in the rear, but I want a bit more strength for pulling the trailer. I've looked but can't find an option for this. Everything I've come across is a 1.5-2.0 inch lift (AAL & full packs). Deaver has the J66, but this pack isn't reported to do well under load/towing. I'm stumped on this one.

I love the truck and look forward to many years with it. It is certainly fun here in TW, and I have to admit to getting the mod bug. Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

I'm running 17" Pro wheels with 265/65/17 Bridgestone Revo-3's. They are an awesome tire and I did switch from the 265/70/17 KO2's. Ride is great, mileage went up, they're quiet, and are rated at 60K miles.
I think they are only about 41 lbs. My KO2's in that size did rub slightly at full lock. Loved the KO2's, but you can't get a C rating in 265/65/17.

Welcome to TW.

G.

 

Yoko G015's or BS Revos like Gary will yield better mileage. The bigger the lugs the worse the rolling resistance is.

Standard load tires will also do better than LT, but for towing and offroad I'd stick to LT.

 

Nice looking tire. Weights are good, too. Thx.

 

Had good luck with Yokohama on my semi, back in the day. Another good looking tire, and 41 pounds light. Thx.