Super White Nomad Build Thread | 2021 Super White DCSB TRD Sport Auto

'21 Super White TRD Sport DCSB Auto

Current Look





Pics 3 & 4 | The day I bought it (April 2021)

<Pic 3 above>


<Pic 4 above>

Pics 5 & 6 | Picking up my Vorsheer XOC (Extreme Overland Camper) from B&B RV in Denver (January 2022) and driving over Kenosha Pass

<Pic 5 above>


<Pic 6 above>

 

Modifications

• De-badged and De-stickered (Winter 2021)
• Leitner Forged ACS (August 2021)
• Leitner Gear Pods with Zipper Bag inserts (August 2021)
• Rotopax locking mounts, RTT Mounts (August 2021)
• Decked Drawer System (August 2021)
• Recarc Tow Pro Elite (Fall 2021)
• Scan Gauge II (Fall 2021)
• Old Man EMU 2in. Lift Kit (Heavy Load) OME-005 (July 2022)
• SPC Upper Control Arms (July 2022)
• Topo Graphic Vinyl Tailgate Sticker (Winter 2021)
• 1UP Roof Rack - Flush Mount (Spring 2022)
• L 40 (Driver's) Rear Seat Delete (Spring 2022)
• Cali Raised LED Ditch Lights (April 2023)
• NAPA 2x2 LED Spot Bumper Lights (April 2023)
• 4WP Front Winch Bumper (April 2023)
• Harbor Freight Badland 12K Winch w/ Synthetic Line (April 2023)
• CH4x4 Toyota Style Push Button Switches with custom icons (April 2023)

On the list to purchase:

• Setrab Aux Oil Cooler w/ dual fans for Trans cooling
• Victory 4x4 Rear Bumper w/ Dual Spare Swingarms
• Onboard Air Setup
• 5.29 Re Gear with front and rear ARB

 

Electrical







As of April 2023 this is the electrical setup. Below is a schematic for my latest project which is pictured above. Adding the winch and two sets of lights meant a bit of wiring. Please note that for simplicity, I left out the wiring for the mLVD circuit which is the box that is mounted to the relay + fuse box cover.



<Below - winch + bumper install>

Yes, the control box will clear the front grill with slight cutting of the radiator support.








For the switches I cut openings into the overhead console with a dremel tool and surface mounted them in the space provided. A cleaner look would have been to get a custom, 3D printed 3 switch insert which I may do later but this works for now. Rather than tapping into the 12V Dash Light circuit myself I bought a Tacoma Switch Illumination Harness and Daisy Chain Connectors from TacomaBeast to keep things clean and speed up the install.

The switches interrupt ground so the only 12V coming in is from the dash light circuit of the overhead console. One side of the switch is to the relay, the other to the interior chassis ground by the driver's side kick panel.

<Below - Switches next to the stock overhead console | My ABS cutting skills suck so the cutouts look like a blind man performed the job so I'll skip the incremental pics and show you the finished product next>


CH4x4 switches w/ Tacoma Beast Harness and Daisy Chain pigtails installed. A custom 3D printed, 3 switch insert would put the switches a little more recessed and look cleaner, but this gets the job done.


Future Electrical Enhancements:

• Fan Relays to control an oil cooler (Transmission)
• Air Compressor Relay
• Locker Relays (if required)

Reference Documents Attached

 

Towing


My '21 TRD Sport 4x4 Taco and '81 GMC Sierra 3500 2wd 7.4L 4 Speed Manual Dually






Tow Rig: '21 TRD Sport DCSB 4x4 Auto
Tow Rig Tires: BFG KO2s 275 70 17s at F- 34 PSI cold, R-38 PSI cold
Brake Controller: Redarc Tow Pro Elite (install post w/ pics) set to level 5 proportional mode (inertia sensing) on pavement
Suspension Upgrades: ARB Old Man Emu OME-005 (Heavy) - Nitro Charger Shocks, 2886 Front Coils (660lbs), Dakar Leafs | SPC Upper Control Arms
Hitch: Max Coupler - fully articulating hitch
Trailer: 2022 Vorsheer XOC (3500 GVWR)
Trailer Tires: BFG KO2 ATs 285 70 17 at 50 PSI cold

Below: Park County, WY - one of my favorite spots outside Cody, WY | April 2022
Note: this is stock ride height with

$256 Hellwig 980 Leaf Helper Spring

Hellwig 980 Helper Springs - the OME upgrade happened 7/2022


Below: LBJ Grasslands just north of Decatur, TX (Fall 2022)


Below: Walsenburg, CO on the way up to Cordova Pass (Spring 2022)


Below: Washaki County Wyoming between Worland and Tensleep on BLM Land (Fall 2022)



Weight Slips

Data is key/king. You need data and you need a baseline to compare against so plan on spending 12 - 15 bucks (each time) at a local truck stop or certified scale for weighing in.

• The baseline should be a full tank of fuel and your normal, daily driver load out (if you travel with the family have them come along and sit in the car as well). Get the weight and be sure your steer and drive axles are on individual load cells so you can see the weight distribution.
• Once you get your trailer go back to the scale with the same setup as your baseline only now you are towing your trailer (dry / empty). Be sure the Steer, Drive, and trailer axles are on different load cells.
• Finally - weigh again with your trip load out. Gear, food, and water if you travel with the tank filled.

Question: "I have never weighed in. How do I do that?"
Answer: It is no big deal. Find a local truck stop or gas station with certified scales and pull into the big rig area of the stop; many large truck stops have diesel islands dedicated to the big rigs and tow rigs - the scales are usually right next to the diesel island and are situated in the high traffic areas. If you are unsure, just park and go inside to the counter and ask someone how to weigh in. No biggie.

1. Pull up onto the scale - they're usually 60 or so feet long and you will see the load cells as you are pulling up. Those are the individual scales and you want to make sure your front tires are on a different load cell than the back so you can get front and rear weights.
2. If you are short, you may have difficulty reaching up to the call box. Push the call box button and wait for the attendant to answer. Tell the attendant you are a private driver, give your truck an arbitrary number like 786, say you have general goods, and tell them this is just for your own research/information. I typically say something like, "Hi this is Michael, my truck number is 087, and this weight slip is just for my personal information. It is a new weigh in and you can just mark it as general goods."
3. Make sure you are standing on the load cell or in your vehicle when you are talking to the attendant because you want your weight (and any passengers) to be reflected on the slip. It will take less than 10 seconds for the attendant to capture the weight and they'll usually say, "Got it, come on in."
4. Move your vehicle (and trailer) off the scale and park in a spot that doesn't impede traffic flow. Remember: truckers are professional drivers that earn a living on the road so don't fuck with their deadlines. Go to the professional driver side of the truck stop and find the person the counter, give him or her your name and the vehicle number and they'll print out your slip. Pay and you are done. Easy enough.

My baseline: Tacoma, Leitner Rack with Pods and Rotopax Full + Decked Drawers 5300# (2780 / 2520)


Below are two slips where I screwed up and had my Tacoma on a load cell and the trailer on another. This is decent information to have as I know what my trailer weighs dry but it would have been better to have Front - Back - Trailer numbers.






Below is what you want. A slip with your Front - Back - and Trailer weights so you see the distribution from steer to drive to trailer axles. Keep in mind, some of the weight that is on your drive axle is the tongue weight from the trailer.






Recommendations

• I believe a trailer brake controller is necessary for anything heavier than a 15' Jon Boat. Opinions on TW vary so I will say two things: my personal preference is that any trailer that has brakes will be used - I don't care how light or heavy I am towing - you are required by law to use trailer brakes once you are towing over a certain weight. Check your local statutes or call your department of motor vehicles. Anywhere I have lived, the threshold is 3000 lbs. or more.

I recommend the Redarc Tow Pro elite and have towed my XOC through Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming in high winds, on the freeway, in the city and in traffic without issue. Check out my installation thread.​

• I use a scan. .gauge 2 to monitor TP1 and TP2 transmission temp readings in real time - I highly recommend some sort of ODBII display app or device to anyone who tows so they can see, in real time, how transmission temperatures are effected as driving conditions change. Invest in an app or device first and program it to read the transmission temperatures then drive around and get a good baseline for how your Taco behaves normally so you have a good baseline for comparison.

• XOC stands for Extreme Overland Camper and it is meant to follow the tow vehicle over any sort of terrain. It has a max coupler articulating hitch. It sits on 285s and has ~26 inches of clearance. I am at stock ride height on the stock 265 Toyos so I bought an 8 in. drop hitch and flipped it upside down so the XOC would sit level/neutral. When you are towing you need to consider what the position of the trailer tongue needs to be to sit level.

• My XOC is 3500 GVWR on Timbren 5000 lb rated suspension and I have a max coupler articulating hitch. I have been over Kenosha Pass in high winds and didn't even know the trailer was behind me. I have towed my XOC across I 80 at freeway speeds in strong headwinds with big rigs and have had zero issues with sway. Also: ignore anyone who recommends a weight distribution hitch teardrops do not need them.

• ECT mode just moves the shift points in the electronically controlled transmission to hold shift points longer to accommodate towing. ECT = Electronically Controlled Transmission

• For those of us with an automatic transmission, the overdrive gears can be problematic in certain towing situations because the torq converter does not lock in 3, 5 or 6 which generates a lot of heat when the vehicle has to work to maintain speed. With stock gears I never go into S6 when towing and only use S5 in downhill or flat situations where the Taco doesn't have to work to maintain speed. If you are in OD gears and the Taco is working to maintain speed you will see the temps leaving the torque converter (TP2) get hot quick and is why most people run apps or buy a scan gauge then program the two transmission temp sensors to display on the app.

• Don't be afraid to run your Taco in the 3-4.5 K RPM range. Through the Colorado mountains (285S) from Denver to Salida there were parts of the drive where I had to drop down to S3 and S2 in a few steep cases to maintain speed. Our V6s have more horsepower than torque and peak HP happens at or about 5K RPM so these engines need to rev to get the most HP and TQ out of them. Some people get uncomfortable when their motor goes over 3.5K.

Threads - before posting a "Hey, can I tow this?" thread read the following:

• Towing Bible - excellent general resource that all members should read
• Transmission Coolers - Discussion about cooling w/pictures from an expert
• Brake Controllers - this thread may be helpful, and here is my setup

 

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Bookmarks

Electrical / Battery Related

• Group 31 AGM Battery Install
• Dual Battery Setups! Let's see them

 

Can you tell me more about the bike rack and mounting position.

 

Check out this thread. I bought a Kuat rack for my trailer which serves as the primary bike carrier now the 1UP is now my alternate carrier. I typically use it when I'm just going for a day ride and just taking the truck out. I usually have the trailer hitched and just pull the bike off the Kuat.

 

Great info and nice rig. Sub'ing for future reference.