1st Offroad Attempt

Mar 11, 23 I completed my 1st attempt at easy off-roading. I made it up Flagpole Knob, in the George Washington Forest in Virginia, without incident. Now I need to spend more money because I am officially "bit" by this off-road bug. Damn it!

 

Howd it go? Is everything under the hood and tires still stock?

 

What I posted in another thread where guy is looking to drop major coin for mods and had no idea what his truck could do. You’d be amazed at what your truck can do stock and puts upgrades into a better perspective. Try to find a group you can go with and try something a bit harder then decide what would serve you best.

 

Still working on it. I have done a few inside mods that I will add to my build page, once I organize everything. Engine and transmission are stock. I did add the OEM Tacoma TRD Lift Kit. Suspension Kit (Part Number: PT84K35221). It adds 2" to the Off-Road front and 1" to the rear. Tomorrow I am adding

$144 Spidertrax WHS007 Blue Wheel Spacer Kit

Spidertrax WHS007 Black Wheel Spacer Kit, 1.25" and some 285/75/16 Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires. Beyond that some recovery gear, external compressor, winch, Body Armor Hi-Line Bumper, light bar, and I am sure more to come.

 

Love this. Unfortunately but probably fortunately I have a wife that won't let me go out and buy all that unnecessary stuff if i wont use it too often. My only plan is to suspension lift, tires, and wheels and that's about it. Trucks meant to go off road in my mind being stock. So with my little upgrades ill feel comfortable driving it everyday on the pavement and hitting up some trails on the weekends once every blue moon.

 

Trail recommendation: Davis trail in WV between black water falls and canaan loop road. Great camping back in there too.

 

Agreed. That first trip I was blessed with a knowledgeable local to help me via FRS radio he had in his rig (I always keep my Baofeng GT-3WP on board). I really think the tires I mentioned earlier in the thread, will help my reach and capabilities to where I wanna be. Nothing as outrageous as some of these rock-crawler things are doing, just some good ole' boy off-road fun. Not that the rock-crawling doesn't look awesome, just not what I need or want.

 

You really don’t even need a suspension lift. Just shocks that perform like you want. I let a few guys drive mine and the comment was that it was nice to have that little bit more downtravel that I still had.

Running 32’s now and it seems adequate for most anything.

 

Same for me! Leaving wheels stock for now, but I'll probably be 75% on and 25% off. A couple weekends a month if I'm lucky enough to find a local group to get out with.

 

The Falken's I'm going to are technically 32.8". I am sure they will get me where I wanna go. If not, then I got no business being there anyway.

 

And if you need to test winter grip or shock setup forest road 112 that turns off of 28 and is 14 miles of single track forest road that goes to spruce knob lake in wv. From Staunton take route 250 all the way to WV then turn right on 28.

 

This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Looks fun, but no thank you!

 

I did not see skid plates mentioned ... RCI from front plate back to transfer case and converter covers is $1000+ (steel less money than aluminum) but it will protect the underside fro your ... um ... er ... "ill-advised decisions". There are other brands and much discussion in Garage>Armor and a recent "Full Skid Plates".

 

I'm going to remain stock until I need new tires then I'm going to upgrade to something more substantial and then I'll feel
better about going places I normally wouldn't. Lots of places to roam around the desert but you sure don't want to get stuck
out here especially when it's 900 degrees out there.

 

Whats your current setup? shocks? uca? aal? blocks?

 

Everyone writes off a bone stock SR5 4x4...til someone who knows their stuff gets at the wheel lol

 

None of the above. Bone frickin stock with 32’s. No rubbing anywhere even at full stuff. Now I am running skinnies because for what I do they seem to work better. And my e rated 235/85/16’s are the same weight as 265/75/16’s so I pick up the durability and air down ability without the weight compromise.

The only thing I’m going to change out is the shocks and that’s for a change in compression and rebound ie different valving. Don’t need a lift. 32’s get it done for me. The advice given to me was correct.

I’ve held an SCCA license and ran an old Chevy Biscayne in the old NHRA pro mod class. I’m a gear head at heart. I can tell you how to go fast on a track but I didn’t and still don’t know enough shit about off-roading. The guy that gave me the advice was 26 years old and had been off-roading with his dad and uncle for years. Most guys my age I know would have an issue with listening to a guy not quite half my age. Action in Panama, Kosovo, Iraq, the Stan, and Syria over the last 30 plus years taught me that if you humble yourself and listen you can learn more than you ever thought possible…often from those who you wouldn’t usually associate with.

 

Thank you for your service! Glad you made it home! Always stay humble, it's the fastest way to learn.

 

My wife drove my Tacoma (I was pulling our trailer in my F150) off the lot straight to our local desert ocotillo wells. I was blown away how capable these trucks are bone stock. You would be completely happy with bigger all terrain tires, start there. It may or may not lead to new shocks. You don’t need kings or Fox’s to have fun, although they are amazing, there’s cheaper options. Just really depends on where you off-road and how much. I would also suggest recovery gear as well and some way to re-inflate your tires. I use a battery powered Makita inflator and it’s worked for a few seasons for me. Nothing wrong with doing it in stages. The more you go out there and wheel, you’ll soon know what you do and don’t need.

 

Another aspect to consider, not as obvious visually. The exhaust from the driver side crosses over UNDER the transfer case instead of behind, which some call "low clearance". If you add transfer-case armor, the company will ask if you re-routed the exhaust. I was told of (I am not an expert but ...) two options
> A new stainless (non-rusting) kit like this from Borla: https://www.borla.com/products/toyota-tacoma-connecting-pipe-60699 (you see the price)
> Find a local muffler shop that re-routes without full replacement of the Y-pipe (can be as low as $140)

To find a local shop go to the regional forums (https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/regions.36/) and post the question.