2018 off-road Tacoma with a heavy steel metal bumper

Hey there -

So looking for advice (constructive preferably); I bought my truck about a year and a half ago, and have driven jeeps the last 20 years of my life - so I have hit a few things with the longer bed - when I fixed it I put on a full steel front bumper - the only full steel bumper I could find to cover the front of the truck for this model - as I also live in the mountains, and am learning to drive in the ice and snow in this - and not a 2000 jeep. It added, obviously, a lot of weight to the front end; which I didn’t even consider, and changed the drive. It sucks, because everything on the off-road kit for it is in good shape, there’s 22k miles on the truck, but the drive of it almost felt like the transmission wasn’t operating right (I’ve also driven a manual before this one). I’ve been told leveling kits, but it already has it. A new one? I’m looking at wider rims and tires - I don’t commute it in it, I work down the street - I do off-road; camp; it’s my daily driver in SoCal mountains - and when I leave the hill or go out of town, and loaded regularly from properties I’m rehabbing. So I need a fix that’ll help service these needs - and I’m ignorant to cars, and don’t have anyone here I can ask. Please help ❤️

 

Tacos don’t do the best with weight on the oem suspension. Is too soft. Now with all that weight out front you’re gonna need better shocks and springs. Is not like a jeep where a lil spacer can fix some of that sag. And a winch will add another 75-100lbs

 

I have a the warn ascent front bumper