New Taco Owner -New To Tacoma World

Hi guys, just wanted to share my experiences so far with my 06 Tacoma.

I picked up this 4.0L 4x4 TRD Sport Auto trans with 100K miles and decided to upgrade it a bit.

I have read a lot of the threads here over the last couple months while deciding what/how to mod my truck. I'm NOT into crawling, or much off roading, but do take the occasional trail and logging road up a mountain. I was a bit worried about what size wheels I could fit without doing any serious mods, so I'll share my experiences here.

When I got the truck it was bone stock, like in the photo. I added a rough country 3 inch suspension lift to the front as well as a 1.25 inch diff drop, an extra leaf in the back and a 1 inch lift block. I put on new Freedom Offroad UCA's for 2-4 inch lifts, and KMC KM522 Enduro rims which are 16x8 with 4.488 backspacing and 0 offset. Mounted on these rims are 285/75/16 tires (33's). I had read some guys here talking about how these would not fit with more than a 2 inch lift, but that's not the case. I ran these on my stock UCA's and the new ones, with a 3 inch lift, and there is more gap between my tire and UCA than the stock TRD sport 17 inch rims had. There is no rubbing at all on the cab mount, just a TINY bit on the fender well. Again, I do not do serious off roading, so I couldn't tell you if they would rub in that application. However, I have hit big bumps at 50-70 MPH and they don't rub anywhere. So in case anyone wonders about this combination - it is fine to do, and drives great!

I also read where guys were saying 10 ply 33's would KILL MPG. I still get 16.5 average with mine, and on the highway can get almost 20. I don't find that the transmission goes back and forth because of the extra mass either, and the gearing is just fine for a normal daily driver.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share my experience with this truck, and I am looking into adding some lights to the front as well as a bull bar. I like the skidplate though, and finding a bull bar that is compatible with it seems to be a challenge. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Nice setup and welcome! I ran the same tire size & wheels on my truck for 10 years before moving up to 17" and load range SL. Haven't done real off roading since 2012 so figure I didn't need the 10 ply. No noticeable mpg gain..still avg. 14-16 depending on time of year and highway/city driving.

 

Welcome aboard Andrew

 

@Black DOG Lila Thanks! I actually checked out my frame before purchase, and all of the recalls were done including the rear leafsprings. I have gone through and coated any spots that I can see that may cause any issues with bedliner. But the frame is pretty clean - looks no different than any other car I have had, and definitely no rust rotting going on. I'll be sure to maintain it and not let any rusting spots start.

 

@JoeTacoma02 Nice setup yourself! What bumper is that?

 

Welcome to TW!