First Truck (off-roading anyone?)

I'm 16 and for my birthday my grandpa gave me his 2003 red tacoma. Its a stick(so he cant drive it anymore) with 4 wheel drive, its sick. I want to take it off roading and im looking for some advice to make it look good and drive well. Also I live in LA, Califonia, are there any good places around?

 

i mostly only go in snow there are tons of stuff you can do to your truck the only thing i would sugest is waiting till you have the $ to re gear before a lift and bigger tires i have done some of my best off roading with my truck stock but i have a long list of future mods other than that lockers are sweet and my next mod also winch and an off roading bumper
my tacoma stock could always go further in snow than any of my buddys trucks and or jeeps

 

Hey you can go to Gorman. . It's pretty fun off roading there . I live in the san Fernando valley and been there a few times .

 

There's a whole lot of places to go. depends on how much you want to spend.
If it's your first time, Know your trails. Because if you go hallen ass around bends and stuff you could end up in a bad place.
That and how big is your wallet, Witch means, if you can afford to fix the things you break then mob it. If you cant take it easy, Trust i learned the hard way.

 

Welcome to TW from Sparks, NV
Take it slow and easy until you get a feel for the truck & what it can do.
If possible go with someone else that has experience both 4 wheeling and the area.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Thanks to everyone for such a quick, warm welcome

I would like to add somethings that look cool and are functional. I was thinking a bull bar or hood scoop. Are those good or is there a better place to spend my money for the truck

 

Hood scoop is not at all functional. And there are more functional front end protectors than bull bars. Take a look at some build threads (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-builds/) to get ideas of what you might want to do to your Taco. My first big expense was a 3" lift, it allows me to go places I couldn't go before.

 

yeah bull bars and hood scoops are not functional.

check out the deck plate mod and look into some armor (skid plates, sliders, etc).

Welcome btw, make sure you get competent driving a manual (I mean very very comfortable with the clutch and 4wd system) before even thinking about going offroad. There are a lot of retards out there that think they can drive a manual when in reality they have no clue how they work and end up burning the clutch.

 

And just say no to spacer lifts!

 

X2 on deck plate mod. That should your first mod!

 

In 4lo start in second unless you are trying to crawl over something.

 

Well, it is not that new, I have had been driving it since march, when i got my permit and am pretty comfortable with it now. Also my driveway is a hill so i have gotten pretty comfortable with the clutch. This summer I took it up to the mountains so i have some windy roads and steep hills under my belt. there was also some dirt so i put it into the 4wd just to try it. I mean it is not like i got it yesterday, but now i am just starting to really have any kind of time. My buddy saw the truck and was siked he said i should really learn about it and keep it good. I want to learn how to do some work on it and take it off roading sometime.

 

Sorry i was on my phone when i wrote that, i didn't want to take the time and go threw all of it.

 

A brush guard?
http://www.customtacos.com/gallery2/data/500/MikesDCab-1415a.jpg

I would say that you will just end up tearing them up. If your going out every weekend. I go threw them a whole lot.

 

Practice, practice... avoid mud bogs and deep water, try and go with other 4x4s if possible...

In deep sand even a 4WD can get stuck, but deflating the tires to about 15 psi does the trick to get out or not get stuck in the first place. Have an electric tire pump and a dial gauge (0-60 psi) to set your tires correctly. Refill before driving on pavement... or on rocky roads (stay above 20 psi there).

Low Range is for steep crawaling up and down bad grades. High Range for most 4 wheeling.

On hard dirt or pavement, don't use 4WD, as steering is difficult because the front and rear are 'locked' together, and cannot slip easily on pavement (as all tires need to turn at different rates when turning). Off Road, the dirt/ snow/ sand permits the 4 tires to slip when in 4WD.

 

Hello neighbor

 

x2!!! Have fun kid!