New to Tacomas, Lots of Questions

I don't have a Tacoma (yet) but I'm in the early stages of planning a 3rd Gen TRD-OR. I intend to use it for camping, "overlanding" and basically a "bugout-ish" vehicle (don't roast me ). I'm coming from the Jeep Wrangler world, and know nothing about Tacomas, other than they are a capable offorad vehicle and have a truck bed (which is the main reason I'm switching from my wrangler, and as much as I love my JK it just feels cheap). I don't intend to do any extreme rock-crawling, but I would like to play on the rocks a little bit. That being said, I need to know what mods need to be done to meet those expectations.

I plan to run 33" KO2s
I plan to run a tonneau cover & RTT as well as any camping/hunting gear.

Any specific lifts/shocks/upgrades that are highly recommended? This isn't a "budget build", but I also don't have unlmited funds either. Thanks!

 

Get at less a 2.5in lift get HD leafs in the back to support weight in the back.
I personally went with ADS 2.5 extended travel with reservoirs, OME HD Dakar pack. And total chaos uppers.

 

Going to have to do a little trimming in the front to fit 33in

 

Don't change anything suspension or wheel wise and you can run a 255 85 16 stock.


Otherwise be ready to lift at least 2"and plan to trim the body mount

 

Shocks - Bilstein 5100s are a popular shock replacement for a budget friendly lift. Step up would be to go 6112 in the front and 5160s in the back - this is what I plan to do eventually.
Tires - I've never been a huge fan of KO2s (but some folks love them...) and have seen some recent comparisons between KO2s and the new Cooper Discover AT3s which can be purchased in C or E load in the LT version of the tire. Take a look at them.
Tonneau - It's expensive and there are alternatives, but I can certainly speak to the quality of the TruckCoversUSA rolling tonneau with rack system... I can load up an RTT if I want, but I generally use the rack space for bikes and kayaks and keep the bed clear for gear which will stay bone dry, out of sight, and locked up.

biggest advice is to try and keep weight down if you want to maximize the power in the truck. lots of folks go and put 60lb tires on their truck and weigh it down with hundreds of pounds in armor and whatnot then complain about how slow and doggish their truck is...

 

You might get plenty saying 285 75 16 or 285 70 17 fit with just lift and no cutting but they're likely pavement princess because my 285 70 17 rubbed like fuck.

If you search a little you'll find plenty of stuff on this as this thread is posted weekly

Oh and if you're banging around you might want to do bed stiffeners as the bed isn't the greatest when it comes to carrying lots of weight on the rails.

Skid plates you'll have to decide if needed same with sliders

Overland has become so generic it can be slight gravel roads and national parks (majority of it) to actual off road use which could warrant some upgrades.

Realistically though the truck is hell of capable stock with just upgrading to a 32" tire which fits no problem

 

CBI skids offer a door to service for oil changes they make great armor.

 

This.

Run it stock for awhile until you get a feel for what you really need. A stock Tacoma is capable of doing a lot.

 

And OVTune

 

Thanks for all of the replies guys. In terms of what I consider overlanding, I definitely want to do more than gravel roads and National Park roads. Honestly I want the vehicle to be more capable than I am so that I can grow with it, so I set up that might be Overkill to start with would be okay for me.

 

You still don't need much.
I'm not knocking doing it. I've done more than I need but I'm just saying if you don't have lots of money to do it right it's capable as is.

Could always save up till you can afford to do more.
Depends on what your budget is.

 

My observation sofar is that the difference between 2" and 3" of lift up front can mean the difference between diff bearing issues or not.
Many on here seem to have vibration issues at 3". Many are fine at 2".
I think a 33" tire and 2" of lift is a good conservative yet effective combination.
I also see alot of shortbed guys having pinion angle issues that longbed guys dont have.
I would definitely go for the TRD Offroad for the crawl control and e-locker though, regardless of what cab/bed/lift/tire combo you choose.

 

I've had no rubbing issues on Bilstein 8110s, 285/70/17 BFGs, TRD T4R wheels, about a 2.5 lift.

I think a lot of rubbing issues have to do with offset. Stock wheels have the correct geometry.

 

I'm going to guess you don't wheel much if any.

Problem with wheels is to much + offset and you hit control arm . To much - and you hit body mount.

 

Stock 18 OR on 265/70/17. Trucks are very capable out of the box. Keeps impressing me the more I go out. Armor would be a solid upgrade to start.

 

Hey!

1. Running 33’s you will need some wheel spacers to keep the tire from rubbing the factory upper control arms. Spidertrax offers some nice ones and you’ll be able to squeeze some 33s with some light trimming.
2. I recommend the Dobinsons 2” suspension system for the new Tacomas. I switched from OME to Dobinsons and I’m super happy with the decision. They’re an Aussie company and very well known out there for making great suspensions that ride great. Lots of different coil spring and leaf spring options. You can check out the kit here: https://www.mainlineoverland.com/products/dobinsons-2-0-lift-kit-toyota-tacoma-2005-15

We’ve installed a bunch of these kits and everyone loves them. The 4Runner and GX guys are all over them too.

Dobinsons and OME also manufacture great leaf springs as well to help your Tacoma handle the extra weight.

Hope this helps!