Jeep Convert has questions before he buys...

Hey folks

I'm looking to come over to the other side and get some reliability into my off-road vehicle. I'm tired of something not working most of the time. I'm not trolling here..

What I want out of a Tacoma is something I can take long road trips in and then make it all the way down the trail, so expedition vs rock hopping. Something like Engineer's and Imogene Pass near Ouray/Telluride area is a must. However doing Engineer's pass in an 09 Jeep Wrangler 35's with horrible road manners was overkill. I no longer need to pound my head on rocks. I'll want to go camping with girlfriend and 2 dogs so double cab and long bed. Hopefully with a truck I don't have to put stuff on the top of the vehicle killing MPG.

So my questions are

• For Arizona and rocky trails like engineer's pass.. say a 2.5 to 3 rating... am I looking at 33's? On a Gen 2 what mpg are people getting running 33's and lift?
• I'm willing to spend on suspension if I only do it once. Icon Vehicle Dynamics or another?
• What armor is critical to get? slide rails for break over? In the Wranger 07+ it's diff covers and evap canister shield. Looks like front and rear bumpers primarily for approach and departure?
• Is the 2016 THAT much better than a 2015. Okay it's 3rd Gen but I'm not impressed so far. That crawl technology sounds horrible but interesting at the same time. Now if the gas mileage is that good....

Thanks for your guidance!

Ken

 

3rd gen is pretty much uncharted territory but are pretty badass once modded
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/teaming-up-with-toytec-for-their-sema-tacoma.391808/

Suspension wise - your lower grade would be bilstein/eibach coils, spacer lifts
Mid grade - OME (old man emu), some other brand
High grade - icon, King, ADS, fox
You can't go wrong with either but each has their own pros and cons.

Rock sliders are good to have, especially for your situation since you actually go off roading. There are plenty of vendors that sell here, check out the armor section. For gen 2s the favorites would be demello, BAMF, Cbi, SOS

There's different skids offered for the front, transmission, tcase, gas skid. Yes, there's also diff covers. People also tend to relocate the rear diff breather to inside the gas door.

33's will get you where you need to go, 35's tend to be overkill for most situations but the extra rubber is always nice - keep in mind those usually require cab mount chops.

I drive a 1st gen so anything else regarding gen 2s I'll leave for someone else to chime in on. Look around the site there's a plethora of info!

 

33's,
Icon,
Rock sliders,
any year Taco you want...2016's are growing on me...

Just my $0.02

Welcome!

 

I've seen guys do crazy things on 33's, but it seems like most rock crawler types end up on 35's. What I'd say is that 33's will get you through most things fairly easily, but if you want to go play in some hard stuff go with the biggest tires you can stuff in the wheel wells. 35's will require a cab mount chop and some aftermarket rims with a different backspacing on a 2nd gen. Some guys also end up chopping the body for 35's.

If you want to do it once go with 2.5" coilovers from Fox, Icon, ADS, or King. It doesn't matter who you go with TBH. Each has it's own drawbacks and Icons is that they are somewhat proprietary with most of their pressures, tuning, and materials. When you go to rebuild them it's not anymore difficult to do so other than you won't get as much feedback on what pressures to run on your exact rig. Read around more to learn about each companies pros and cons, but I don't think you can lose going with any of them. Just remember you will want to go with midtravel/extended travel coilovers and new UCA's to get the most travel on the stock lower arms. In the rear stick with a suspension lift like an AAL or aftermarket springs. Don't go with a block for what you are doing.

99% of people I go out on trails with run front differential skid, transmission skid, transfer case skid, and sliders. Upgraded fuel tank skids and a rear diff diaper are good things to have but I've seen people get away without them for a very long time. The weakest point on the Tacoma is likely up front and not the rear differential. I've seen the pumpkin on some trucks take a beating, get some dents, and still have no leaks or issues.

2016 is likely better on the street. The 2015 is better on the trail. I say that just based on which truck has been there done that. If mpgs are your first concern go with a 2016, otherwise a 2015 will likely suit your trail needs better considering all of the aftermarket parts already fit it and some may not fit the new 2016.

This is all my personal opinion of course.