The FNG's Taco

Okay guys I am sort of new to the offroading world. My dad used to do it and I loved it but during the building the truck process I either held the flashlight and got yelled at or was too stubborn to help, which I regret now.

Sooo... my question is Where do I start? I know I want an overlanding type of Rig but what is first?
Should I start with the lift and suspension, should I start with tires ? I don't know. Hopefully you guys as the experts can help me out and anyone else too shy or prideful to say they don't know anything and need the help!

 

3" lift, then tires....

 

Welcome to TW. Take your time and do lots of research. Good luck.

 

A couple things I've learned since I started a little over a year ago.

- Don't rush this shit. Truck stuff is expensive, so do your research, and buy once, cry once.
- Identify the stuff you want to do before you start modding the crap out of your truck.
- In line with the previous, so far as offroading capabilities, your stock truck will go A LOT of places without issue. I recommend learning how to use it in its stock form, find areas you want improvement (ride quality, clearance, armor, etc.) and THEN start thinking about modding.
- When you lift, it helps to know what you're going to put on your truck ahead of time because it affects your spring rate. If you're going to put hundreds of pounds of armor, camping equipment, water, gas, etc, you will use different springs than if you weren't.

As for me, I started with the Leer cap on the back because I intended to sleep in the bed. Then came the cab rack because I wanted a place for recovery gear that was out of the way because it's not going to get broken out as often as my camping gear. Then I moved on to rock sliders because I figured the truck gets me most places, but having a little protection is nice. That said, those sliders have earned their rent in spades. Finally I just installed my awning because we go camping in shitty weather a lot and I wanted something quick and easy to set up (previously using a tarp). Next on the list is my lift/wheels/tires. It'll break the piggy bank though, so ditch lights will probably be done before the lift because the setup I want is more affordable.

 

Any suggestions on the best lift kit? A lot of people are saying the 5100 but is it more worth it to just buy once cry once like Teegs said and go with King or Icon ?

 

Lift is the last thing to think about. First learn how to drive off-road, then recovery equipment and armor. Then any weight you want to add (like tent / sleeping platform / winch / bumpers) once you have the weight on the vehicle and protection, then get the suspension that suits the driving your doing and vehicle weight. Doing suspension first when you don’t know exactly what you want / ultimate weight of vehicle is done purely for show.

Tacoma is exceptional capable in stock form, with just decent tires. It becomes less so when you add lots of weight. (Armor bumpers winch RTT etc).

 

You answered your own question.
5100 is a basic lift kit perfect for 99% of the mall crawlers on this website.

King is the best

Do with that what you will. You need to consider if you want strictly looks or actual function

 

Honestly I'm still doing a lot of research on this, and since I don't feel like working today I'll help ya out.

If you're planning on overlanding/offroading/whatevertheywannacallit then you will probably want a kit that's more than blocks and spacers. But you also might not want a racing suspension because unless you're gonna rally the baja you probably don't need high speed offroad performance. Again, I recommend taking the truck out and finding out what type of stuff you're into, and your trucks limitations before doing anything. For my lift I'm going to try and find a kit that is more focused on reliability then raw performance because I prefer the low and slow approach to offroading. Im leaning towards Blisten because I've heard they tend to require less maintenance and have a longer interval between shock rebuilds. That said, not sure exactly which one I will get. But then again its going to be months and months before I have the cash for it anyway, so I have time to research.

Also, this guys video explains some of the more overlooked items when lifting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twp_NQZgQzQ&t=11s

 

Nice...That makes sense and I love the buy once cry once method, it hurts but it's worth it. I have hit a couple trails and I am thinking ride quality is one thing I want to improve. She is a bumpy ride but so I am thinking a whole suspension kit cause that could kill two birds with one stone. I also am thinking camper shell and eventually a rear bumper on the back so I'll take that into consideration.

 

I will check that video out. Thanks man!

 

It sounds like I need to hit the trails stock and make a list of what I wanna do then think about the lift and suspension so I can base it around the weight.

Thanks for ther reply. You guys are helping me out and saving me money.

 

If you end up going with a truck cap (not a camper), and plan on sleeping in the bed like myself, there are some MAJOR issues you need to take care of first. One of the first things is that when you add a cap, you create a low pressure zone in the bed of your truck, which can then actually suck dust/water in. So if you want to actually weather proof your stuff you'll need to do a lot of prep before installing the cap. Here are some links to help you out:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/please-how-to-seal-my-tailgate-w-camper-shell.582984/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/leer-cap-gaps-along-bed.582944/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bed-cubby-caps.491909/page-35#post-19511550

Edit: another link about shells:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/water-leak-in-camper-shell.474287/

 

Believe me.... we'll fix this right good.

Your bank account (and spouse) is going to HATE tacomaworld.

 

Cool Cool. Appreciate. I will check these out. I meant to say truck cap vs. an actual camper.

 

HAHAHAHA. Oh yes I have already explained to her that my Tacoma build has become a bill and money must be put into it once a month much like a regular bill.