2002 Tacoma for Autocross

Congrats! Way to go on the award, you're definitely earning it. That understeer gave me flashbacks to my first couple races with my taco before the big meats...

Did you try grabbing third for the latter half of the course on any of your runs? Sounded like you were buzzing the limiter a lot and may have been able to ride the torque curve in third a bit.

 

Thanks a bunch @BananaMan!

I tried third gear a couple runs but it didnt do any good for me time wise so I ended up leaving it in second and saw my times improving slightly as I made more runs. I dont really notice too much understeer out there unless I come in too hot and braking late on a really bumpy gravel-ly dirty section on the lot, when I push the truck too hard it normally will oversteer and even spin out.

The Nankangs grip like crazy and seem to hold up pretty well, but the sidewalls are softer than the old Bridgestones and roll over easier even with 4-5 more psi and less sidewall on my 18's. I think this added pressure may be contributing a bit to the newfound understeer as well. I am hoping the lower center of gravity is going to go a long ways to reduce the body and tire roll.

I am curious to know, how much clearance do you guys that auto-x have between your rear axle and your bump stops? Do you ever bottom out? Trying to gauge how much drop I am going to be able to get away with in the rear...

Check out that outer tire wear:

 

Thanks for your input as always @Hayrider!

I am hoping to avoid modifying my frame, but I guess we will see how things go.. I would like to drop at least 2" to align with the front and keep weight in the rear as much as feasible. I did not make it to the alignment shop as I got sick by the time my appointment came up. The only "good" local guy is always busy of course so I need to reschedule that one.

The truck was actually set at 2 degrees negative camber when I did the alignment a while back however. Again I am hopeful the extra drop will help reduce the tire rollover without having to go too aggressive on my alignment settings. Oh yeah, and Addco still owes me that front sway bar too!

 

Small world. I showed up at the autocross yesterday and met a nice guy who also had a tacoma. My 2002 regular cab 5spd did OK for a stock truck but the clutch is getting tired. I had so much fun I looked up "autocross tacoma" and found BananaMan here. Seems to be the very person I met yesterday. I can't wait to do more autocross. It was a blast.

 

That was me! Very small world indeed, and you did awesome with that taco! Hope to see you at more events, even if it's just riding along and getting passenger seat time.

 

Yes the world is certainly small.. plus there are only about 10 guys that actually autocross Tacoma's in the known existing universe!!

I took a "break" from auto-x after the 2021 season - got my old 4Runner up and running and hit some trails, had some large home projects jump up and get in the way, got into rc drift cars, etc..

However, I am also currently working to get the truck ready to see what I can do with the remainder of the 2022 season! Since the Tacoma gets tossed into the STX class I decided I would build the truck out to maximize the mods allowed for the class just to see what more we could do.

Upgrades from my last run in January include:

Mk 2 Supra Limited slip differential - The "game changer" mod and the best all around upgrade I have found to the Tacoma other than the high performance wheels/tires. Feels like a new truck, no more inside tire spinning-out coming out of every turn. The truck is not quick at all, but this should make a huge difference and help maximize the grip them fat 265 tires offer.

Addco front sway bar- I installed this in March and found it to reduce the body roll another notch better than the factory v-6 sway bar over my 4 cylinder stock bar. The design does not have the same curves as factory, and I found this does rub my meaty tires on full lock now, but does not interfere with "normal" driving. Rides just as good down the road as it always has, but notably more level when turning hard. Less body roll should give me more contact/traction, better handling, and even out my front tire wear.

2" drop - I just installed 2" rear drop blocks the weekend before last, and decided to give it an extensive test drive to see how the truck felt with the rear drop while leaving the front as is. The extra drop looks sexier and visually stimulating, but even better the truck felt very stable and poised at highway speeds. Then I went for one spirited canyon run where I did not push it too hard, but it sure felt nice and very composed. In the curves the truck does seem more balanced and gripping closer to the Earth, while the steering has a lighter feel I suppose due to the less weight up front now. I was a bit concerned about bottoming out with my 5" drop and having only about 2.5" of clearance to my bump stops, (3" from re-arching springs + 2" blocks) but after driving really hard and diving into the largest potholes I could find on the highway and canyon roads, hitting huge railroad tracks without slowing down, and smacking speed bumps harder than normal, I can report have not bottomed out or rubbed a tire one time to date. Maybe if I loaded up the cab, the bed, and/or tried to tow something large I may run into issues, but this is not a work truck it is my sports truck after all!

As of yesterday I started tearing down the front end to install some 2" drop spindles (with new wheel bearings, seals, upper ball joints, brake pads/rotors while I'm at it) to bring the front down along with the new rear stance. Hopefully the wrenches will be swift and I will be out testing in time for an upcoming event within the next month or two...

 

She's coming along..

2" drop spindles installed to match the aforementioned rear drop.



Need to knock out a couple loose ends next (trim those extended u-bolts, bleed the brakes), but she is looking much more serious for the the 2022 season!

 

Oh man, I didn't think that truck could look any cleaner than it had previously.

 

Thanks a bundle, I got pretty horny when I saw it too!

I actually just got an email from TORC yesterday as well that Trudy has been accepted into Toyotafest in June (large Toyota car show in So Cal), so it appears I will be spending some time getting her even "more cleaner" in the near future!

 

That's awesome! I can't imagine you'd have to do much beyond blowing dust off her... not gonna lie, I'm a bit jealous of the car scene you guys get on the west coast. New England is a bit tougher. No doubt you'll be taking home some hardware from that show.

 

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen!

The quick answer is them fat juicy tires are Nankang CR1's in 265/35/18. They are wrapped around Enkei PF01's that weigh 19 lbs per wheel. And loving the Bilsteins still after spirited driving and rough road testing with the rear drop.

They do rub a bit on my Addco front sway bar at full steering lock, but were fine with the factory v-6 extra cab sway bar and 2/3 drop I had previously. I will report any issues now that I am running a 4/5" drop front/rear with these meaty rollers!

Edit: I do have a supercharger in my shed, and with all the traction it does seem it could actually use some more power now. Although I am actually having so much fun with the autocross I am going to give this season a run with the mods allowed in my class I am thinking... the s/c would knock me into another class.

 

I would have a conservative guess that a bit of fender/inner well rubbing under hard loads on the course. Coilovers here we come!

 

This thing looks much different than from what I remember. Super clean!! Hows the handling on the drop spindles?

 

Ahh thanks for the nice words!

The drop spindles are great, they do not alter your suspension geometry or ride quality at all so it rides and handles much better now thanks to the lower center of gravity. It feels smoother and quicker on the highway too oddly, I guess there is much less wind going under the truck at higher speeds now and I can drive relaxed cruising 85+ mph.

After the extra drop I have been getting some rubbing on the top of the inner fender well and also some of the plastic fender liners when running hard through some twisty, rough, and rugged canyon roads I use for testing. I trimmed the liners everywhere I saw rub marks, and also I have been massaging the fender metal with a dolly I picked up at Harbor Freight and the OEM floor jack to gain clearance.

Here is my method, basically jack up where ever I find black rub marks.. big hammers are too much work for my liking! You can see the cuts too in the liner made with a box cutter, especially where I left the mounting buttons to keep it secured.




At first the rubbing was pretty bad, but luckily there is not much stuff mounted on top of my inner fender inside the engine bay so I can bend the metal without impacting anything above. I have gone a couple rounds of bending and testing, and after tonight I found I only have some slight rubbing in only the drivers side now. I am hopeful doing this I should be able to iron out the kinks into "tack ready condition" with another round or two!!

Oh yeah, I also ordered up a set of super slender 3mm wheel spacers in hopes I can alleviate the tire to sway bar rub at full lock u-turns, as well as maximize my wheel track to get a dash more width and stability in the turns.

Also, I will be detailing old Trudy tomorrow to get her all shined up for Toyotafest Saturday!! I will try to get the obligatory pics of the new stance once she is cleaned up to share with the "world of Tacomas".

Then of course, the moment we are all waiting for.. back to autocrossing hopefully this month if I can get that rubbing tire situation resolved in time.

 

Just finished "blowing the dust off" her.. and fell in love all over again with Trudy's new look!!

 

Thanks for the compliments! I went and installed some 3mm spacers yesterday to get a bit more width and see if this resolves the rub at full lock. She feels as good as she looks!!

 

I want this truck, or one similar

 

Any tips on buying one of these mini trucks? Been looking for one but don’t know much about the 4bangers