Which mods to prioritize?

Great input. Thank you!

 

Important question OP - what color?

 

I might get booed off this forum (LOL), but leaning with the red metallic.

 

I like the red, looks good. I mean, not as good as cav blue but nothing else is .

You should look through the red thread, get some mod ideas based off of looks.

 

just go long travel on 40s and be done with it

 

I AM retired now, so there are options!
: )

 

Learning more each day! Didn’t know there was a “red thread mad”. Will check it out. Thanks.

 

More time to look through TW and find things to spend your money on.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-barcelona-red-tacomas.399327/

There ya go!

 

LOl! Truth!

 

Nice! Thanks! Will check it out!

 

Serious question, are you worried more about aids to make your rig easy to get to difficult spots or aids to help get you out of problems if you make a mistake and get in trouble?

A friend with experience could really make a big difference with the later. For the former, half your mods listed don’t seem to help and some may hurt.

The rack, tent and steel bumpers, while they establish a look, may not be your thing at all and will add weight affecting what is already a pretty light payload limitation.

 

New wheels and better off road tires are the top priority mod IMO.

Also, adding a TRD pro grille gets lots of hate here for being something that “everybody” does, but 90%+ of the 3rd gens I see on the road have their stock grille. I think people on TW think more people have the pro grilles because they see all the pics on here, but you gotta remember members here are not necessarily the “average” Tacoma owner. Folks on here are more or less enthusiasts, and much more likely to change their grille and make other mods to their truck.

other top priority mods that are easy and affordable:
- LED interior lights (factory lights are super dim)
- center console organizer of some sort
- Agree with others on the bed mat
- factory bed lights ($50 for the lights if you install themselves, while they are $179 as an option. Buy them after the fact, they are completely plug and play, easy even for a non-wrencher).
- Meso chrome delete, if you aren’t a fan of the interior chrome

I went with the TRD lift kit for my truck, as I like that it is OEM parts and maintains the bumper to bumper warranty. 2” front/1” rear. Lots of lift options, though.

 

Great question. Not too proud to admit that I’ll be a “newb” and will have a learning curve as far as the “driving tough spots”. I plan to take it easy and some of mods (i.e. - rock sliders and skid plates) are to protect the investment.
I LITERALLY plan to drive this thing until the grave. Thoroughly enjoy backpack camping and adding this ability to “get out there” will be a huge plus.

 

If wanting to off-road here is the suggested mods in order. Rock sliders, skid plates, bumpers, lift, gears, tires. Try and use aluminum as much as possible for weight reduction. Also somewhere in there before the lift just go ahead and have to cab mount done and pinch weld smashed.

 

THANKS!

 

Since you asked for an opinion, I'll give you mine. I also use my truck as a means to get to difficult trailheads/back country exploring, and honestly these trucks are great stock for that purpose. My advice, take it on a few basic trips and keep a notepad with you, as you go driving/hiking etc just jot down ideas of things that would make your life easier and go from there. For example, I'll be putting in some organizers for the center console and glove box, and I've added a better tire wrench & fire extinguisher. My first two "mods"/changes to the truck probably cost no more than $200 but improve the daily usability.

Whenever you see another person offroading/on trails, if they appear friendly, go and bug them about what they like/disklike, I've found every driver I've met offroad is more than happy to geek out and explain what bits they liked and didn't, you'd be surprised that often their favorite bits are the cheaper things.

Things like skid plates, lifts, new tires etc are all well and good, and there are plenty of people who need them, but I'm impressed with how good these things are stock.

 

Thank you, Islandhiker. Great advice and much appreciated!

 

RGB Rock lights and a flatbed. Might as well pull the engine for a v8 swap too

Just get the truck and drive man!

 

Hahahaha