De-Hulking my Tacoma

I read about a lot of guys here modding their trucks to make them look even more muscular. I have the opposite problem. When I started searching for a truck, I wanted as basic as I could find it. My needs are simple. I'm not going off-roading, and I just wanted something practical, and I prefer to drive under the radar, so to speak.

Well, I stumbled onto one pretty sweet deal, getting twice the truck I was looking for at about half the price I was thinking I'd pay. I have a 2013 TRD Sport with only 85,000 miles and it's loaded.

So far I've removed the TRD decals from the back of the fender panels and I swapped out my original hood with the ornamental scoop for the standard design. Now I want this thing lowered, if possible, and I'm wondering if there's anyone in the Philly area with 16 inch weeks who might like to swap for my 17-inch wheels. I'd like to do this before I need new tires, which will probably be by early this spring.

Hell, I saw someone the other day driving exactly the same truck as mine except it looked like it was a just a basic Prerunner with a 4 cyl engine, but same color and an extended cab. I was tempted to jump out and ask him if he wanted to just swap trucks!

Anyway, here are pix of my wheels.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

 

Shoulda just got a 5 lug instead of what your doing

 

Had I passed up the deal for this truck, I can assure you I would have paid almost twice as much for half the truck.

 

Check Facebook Marketplace. The 16" alloy from your vintage of truck are going for next to nothing on there all day long. Saw a set today WITH tires for $200.00.

I'm refering to this wheel... (PFA)

 

Yea but by the time you get done screwing up the one you bought it will be useless and you’ll have just as much money into it

 

I actually have a set of those , the finish is bubbled and I’m throwing them out

 

no kidding? How old?? These are 7 and I kinda wish they’d show their age. They still look new.

 

4 banger prerunners have the same suspension lift as your truck. 5 lug trucks are shorter, however fail to use any components from 6 lug trucks. The thing about those 16" wheels is the stock tire size will compensate for the difference in overall height from the 17" wheels with a taller sidewall so you're back at the same height although I like the 16" better.

 

If wanna run undercover, just stay stock. I'd definitely noticed if it was modded, but wouldn't bat an eye at a stock Sport.

 

If you're de-hulking it, perhaps get rid of the 17" and put on stock 16" with smaller 245 tires. Get rid of the mud flaps. You could cut back your tail pipe so it's hidden by the rear axle. If you don't need the room, you can take out your rear seats too.

 

This - any messing with things outside of just keeping it with an OE look will lower resale and stand out to most if not all guys on here (and anyone who knows what they're looking for when purchasing it when / if you decide to sell it)

 

seeing your tires and wheels isnt drawing me the correct picture. how about a pic of the entire truck in its current beast mode?

 

+1

Seeing the entire truck is going to help with any advise we might give. Otherwise we're all just guessing about what it does or doesn't have going on that would require de-hulking.

Other than that, these two guys know what they're talking about (not that their insight needs my approval).

 

They are original from my ‘07, I replaced them because they are pitted and f’d up . I was due for tires and I had a TPMS sensor go bad (they are original from ‘07) , so I replaced everything with new .

oh and your weird lol you want them to show their age lol

 

These are the ones I’m talking about ...




There are two more , but that’s what I mean pitted. Pretty common from what I understand.

 

looks like an awful lot of rust on those calipers for a 2013

 

Living in the rust belt'll do that to ya. My father has an 08 Tundra in the North East just like my 08 Taco in SoCal. His truck could have been sitting in the ocean for 12 years from the rust on it compared to my brand new looking frame.

 

yea that shit always eats me up , you west coasters got perfect frames and a underbody you can eat off of . I had my frame replaced and it killed me to spray it with fluid film . It kills me to see it covered it crap lol but I do know I don’t have rust lol

 

I have a hard time spending money for purely cosmetic reasons. If they start looking like shit, then I have a legit reason to replace them. Any ‘mod’ has to meet a need...

 

x2. Defining Hulk mode is in the eyes of the beholder. Which hulk mode Tacoma are we getting? :


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