Upgrades to '17 Tacoma Limited 2WD for light off roading

Hi! New to truck ownership and to Tacoma! I have recently swapped my Mercedes E250 with my parents' '17 Tacoma Limited 2WD (they are in their 70s so I thought the sedan would be more comfortable for them.) I must say I am impressed by the fuel economy of the truck -- averaging 25-26 mpg with regular!

I live in the Houston area and plan to use the truck for daily commute and some light off roading (e.g., outdoor gun ranges and road trips to Colorado in winter). Any recommendations on mods? Many thanks in advance.

P.S. my first mods are to take the air dam off and add the OEM bed step.

 

Congrats..have fun with it.

If I was tuba fouring I would buy some decent tires for sure. Maybe a winch to help get yourself out of trouble.

 

Tires.

 

+1 on tires, but expect to give up a little of that 25-26mpg. Once you find yourself in tougher areas and getting stuck, perhaps a rear air locker might be an option to squeak out the last bit of off-roading capability. At that point, I’d consider a minimal lift too.

 

Tires are your best bet. Maybe some armor if you plan on doing rocky areas. Putting a locker will cost $$$ and probably not worth it in your case.

 

Thanks everyone, what are great forum for information! Will go tire shopping over the next couple weeks.

 

I'm in New Braunfels just north of San Antonio. I have Bilstein 6112 and 5160, UCA, AAL and larger tires and I do well driving around in the hill country. It cost me $2300 for everything.

 

Love the way your truck looks!

 

Why not go for a full pack? what kind of UCA?

 

I didn't want to spend the $700 or so and the AAL was only $150. The three leaf does just fine for me even with loads from Home Depot. I went with Camburg UCA using Moog ball joints.