I've got around 1K to spend, what to do first...

Not to be an ass, but you don't have experience with this, do you?

 

Those grill guards are no better and often damage multipliers in crashes. There's no free lunch with armor and protection. Think about it, even if those things weigh 50 lbs traveling at 5 MPH your over 2 tons of truck has a lot of energy so hitting anything more than a cardboard box is probably going to move it enough to impact your sheet metal. Unless it's designed to push around cattle or take off road rubs against rocks it's just for looks.

Tires and lift, it's really a question of how you use your truck. Don't base your build on the 0.1% of the time you're using it for hunting. I personally use chains for those times since it's usually muddy and starting to snow, so it's a lot of muck that would require very aggressive mud tires that just aren't right for the other 99.9% of the time I use my truck.

A stock Tacoma with BFG ATs is pretty capable. As far as lift, a little bit goes a long way. The stock suspension isn't terrible but @58 Siesta's advice is what I'd go with, too. Keep things firmly within the factory envelope and just enhance it.

 

This x1000

 

Not a whole lot. Just going by things I've read. I'm open to sound advice as well. I in no way consider myself an expert.

 

Thanks for the advice!

Like I said in my second post, I wouldn't be getting a grill guard for any sort of major accident protection. It's mostly "wife protection" if you catch my drift. But I'll probably forgo it for now. I do help my parents with their cattle on occasion, but I'm mostly on foot, haha.

I'll take a look at those tires, and the 5100's

 

Yes. do the bilsteins, and if you want an aggressive all terrain tire go with the BFG KO2's. i just did this set up and absolutely love it. im in the same boat as you, not much off roading but wanted that semi aggressive looking stance. however the KO2's are somewhat expensive.. maybe just do the bilsteins and put the rest away until you have a few extra bucks to spend on some nice wheels and tires.

 

I regret going with 265/75s , look into 285s if you're going to lift it

 

I've done mine twice. The first time, I set the 5100s at 1.75". I immediately got the front diff vibe. I'll spare all of the other details unless you ask for them. I just put in another set of 5100s with OME885 coils. I also put in UCAs to get my alignment where it should be.

265/70/17 is the biggest you can fit without starting to get into more serious modification, and stay with the stock rims.

 

@58 Siesta

Could you be a little more specific, I just want to be clear and to understand. 4 5100's and set them to .85? That'll even the front out to the rear? Or will I be able to do a little lift.

I'm trying to keep up, but this isn't my area of expertise

 

It's not unusual that those grill guards can leave a little dent in your fender after hitting a shopping cart in the parking lot. That's why I say damage "multiplier". So after a kiss with the garage door jamb or parking lot light pole it's not just a new bumper skin but also maybe a headlight, fender and some paint.

 

Or bent frame rails

 

Noted! I'm following you now...throwing out the idea. Thanks

 

The fronts are adjustable, the rears are not. Any time you do a suspension lift, the springs are doing the actual lifting. With the 5100s you are squeezing the coil into a tighter area to preload it, which is how you get the lift without putting different coils in. I would just hold off on doing anything to the rear for now.

 

It's cool, I figured I wasn't clear. Brush guards have been debated since Moses drove the first Scout II through the desert.

 

285 width tires will require new wheels ($) and aren't any better off road - though they do look good. You will also have to remove the mud flaps, cut chunks out of your wheel well edges, and probably have to cut your cab mount. This is not first mod type stuff, unless you know that's the direction you want to go.

 

Here's a couple pics of my truck. I've got 255/85/16 Toyo M55 load E tires, 5100s with 885 coils and top plate spacers, and Light Racing UCAs. In the rear I have OME Dakar leafs with Billstein extended shocks. I have extended brake lines all the way around too.

 

Good looking rig @58 Siesta.

 

are those the OEM steelies? I painted mine flat black also. I'm not convinced I like it on my red truck yet but it looks really good on yours.

 

Thank you.

I really like the steelies. I had some offset alloy wheels for awhile, but they created steering issues when my caster numbers weren't so great - I was lifted 2.5" on stock UCAs. The alloy rims chipped really bad too (I wheel). The narrow 255 tire and beefy steel rims were, and are, a great option for my needs. Plus they're cheap on Craigslist, so I run multiple sets for seasonal tire switches.

 

The 255s are a true 33" tire, unlike 285s. They also air down to a really nice footprint for mud, sand, and deep snow. The biggie, though, is that I haven't had to trim anything. I am running low profile mudflaps, but no rubbing when wheeling now that I put in the UCAs,