Are 5100s for Off Road or just looks and ride on hard ball

Thx everyone for the good advice. I ordered BA rock sliders - mainly for the price and not needing anything heavy duty. So are they the "best" from my research - well no not if I was serious about rock crawling which I am not just trail riding. Also I notice a few modded Tacos and Tundras on the trails without sliders - are they not rock crawling or think they are so good they don't need them? Anyway I rather be safe than sorry which brings me to my next question - skid plates. Being a budget conscious cheap skate, what things are most vulnerable and would be the place to start to add skid plates ?

 

Def get a front skid the stock aluminum can skid won't do you any good
Running RCI on mine but pick your poison there
Definitely recommend steel cause it will take a beating if you wheel at stock height. Trans skid second.

 

I originally went with 5100s w/ Eibach coil springs and AAL for better shock dampening and support added weight (on trips). It is and was a great setup. Great offroad and not as bouncy vs. stock. Nice and firm on the road too. With the mentioned setup, I was able to comfortably run 33's w/o any issues. I did the installation myself, so at the time, all the parts cost me about $800 w/ tax and shipping. If my truck didn't have a skid plate or rock sliders - those would have been my first mod along w/ better tires. My first mod was actually BFG KO2's (32s). I then did the suspension because the bouncy offroad ride bugged the crap out of me and the rear squatting with the minimal amount of gear further annoyed me.

The springs and AAL allowed me to carry more weight w/o lowering the vehicle to the point clearance became an issue. I also had this setup because at the time my truck was my daily driver and didn't want a stiffer ride, added bump-steer and all the longevity concerns on CV's that is associated w/ a higher lift and 35's. Now that the truck isn't a daily driver, I am running on 35s w/ Fox 2.5's and Icon RXT's set at level 3. Do I need them, no, but does it make offroad driving more enjoyable and predictable, yes.

The stock truck will let you go places. The truck w/ 5100s will let you go places, faster and more comfortably. Would you need anything more, probably not.

 

I won't be carrying any weight in the back and to be honest I don't understand what the fuss about "leveling" these trucks is about so I don't care about that.
So when suspension time comes 5100 in the front a 1" block for the rear for better off roading and to fit 33s. I really don't want pizza cutters and really want 285/75R16 with at least 0 offset I have seen +10 offset wheels which might even be better to deal with rubbing issues - but that stuff is a ways off. Skid plates are next.

 

Take your time research and understand the function of the mods you want. There's alot of good advice in here already but one that is left out is check out tinkerers adventure on YouTube. Really breaks down the function and components involved in a lift. Lift may give more ground clearance but at the cost of other aspects. I'm currently looking to drop my lift height down to gain some better articulation.

 

I'm gonna shoot you straight buddy, because I can tell you're willing to put in the effort and research things on your own. I think you're getting in a little over your head. I'd really encourage you to take your truck out AS IS on some of the trails you're wanting to ride on, and get a little more familiar with it. I understand you're on a limited budget for mods, and thats understandable. Most of us have built our trucks over the course of 5-10 years, and many of us are familiar with having to get things as you can afford them. That being said, its extremely easy to blow a bunch of unneeded money on things you think are the "right" fit for your wants and needs, and it can cost you double/triple/quadruple in the end. I think you'd truly benefit from just getting out there, and finding the limitations of your truck along the way. There's nothing wrong with wanting skids/sliders to protect your investment. In the neare future, I'd find a TRD pro aluminum skid, and itd probably be sufficient for anything you'd ever want to do, but your stock OR "skids"/gravel guards are probably plenty to deflect dirt and gravel from national forest roads/trails you probably want to ride. If you're not looking to crawl on rocks, you don't really need a fully belly pan of rock protection. A TRD pro skid is a great compromise of rock protection in the "what if" situations though.

As for 285's, you need to be honest with yourself. Are you willing to chop your cab mount (CMC) and do a lot of panel trimming when it inevitably rubs? 285's are also going to require some aftermarket UCA's to move the tire forward to get it off of the body mount. Have you budgeted for an alignment immediately after lift install? I don't say any of this to scare you away from your build plans, its a solid plan; BUT, you've stated your budget, and none of this aligns with it. It may also be completely unnecessary for your trucks intended use, but I think you just have to be honest with yourself at the end of the day. Are you actually looking for better off road capability? Do you even have a baseline for how capable your truck already is? Are you interested in mainly looks, but added function is a bonus? Thats okay to say yes to that, its exactly what my truck build is (for looks, but also functional if needed). Being honest with yourself with save you lots of money and headache, because a "better functional" type build is guaranteed to cost more than you've budgeted.

My genuine advice, because I'm excited for your build, is to enjoy exactly what you have, and build it EXACTLY how YOU want it over time. Its going to cost you loads more than you ever anticipated, but take it one mod at a time, and its worth it. Just be mindful that with nearly every mod you anticipate doing, it may require or be very recommended that you do an accompanying mod with it. For ex: front lift - aftermarket UCA's may also be needed. 285's - aftermarket UCA's pretty much required. Rear lift - new rear shocks to accommodate. New alignment needed after lift/tires. Any lift - might introduce driveline vibrations, may have to buy shims later, diff drop kit, ECGS bushing, etc to fix issues a new lift may bring. Skids/sliders/any other added weight - might need more HD coils/leaf springs to compensate for sag.

Good luck with the build, and keep us posted. Sounds like you're starting to jump in with it, just be real with yourself along the way and save the headaches!

 

I'd say start with skid plates (and tires) first.

I have a shit ton of scratches and dents on my skids. I have one scratch on my sliders. YMMV.

 

there's a video on youtube, comparing 5100 and 6112. (on a 4runner but same shocks). ride is almost similar according to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJA6kwR9gVQ&t=124s


heres an article from them comparing the 2

https://www.shocksurplus.com/blogs/...vs-5100-shocks-what-are-the-major-differences




this is mine on stock wheels/tires till i was able to get new ones. just aired down. its capable of doing mild trails.

 

I know Bilsteins are the predominant choice of TW, but personally I think that OME is a better value for the money. For essentially the same price as Bilstein struts on stock springs and Add a Leaf, you can get a complete strut and coil replacement with a full leaf pack replacement.

 

Appreciate the honest opinion.
You are spot on since I have literally only been off-road 3 times so far all in the Uhwarrie National Forrest and only on the two "easy" trails" (one - the new one - is so easy my wife's Subaru Outback could do it).

OK I have done a bunch of beach driving and have some recovery stuff and know how to air down ect but it is the clearance and "taking lines" that that I guess I need to learn how to do. I feel like the big humps (they are like giant speed bumps) on the easy trail is about my clearance limit the rest, loose rocks inclines, declines I seem to handle OK. I want to move on to the Intermediate trails and eventually the difficult trails someday but how do I get my truck ready for the immediate trails is the next goal. So while considering 1.) I never plan to be a rock crawler but 2.) want to build a capable trail truck what you say really makes a lot of sense in that I can but on 32s pretty much leaving the truck as is where 33s would what ? give me a .5" more clearance but with limited benefit so probably not worth the expense of all the stuff that you point out.

As far as looks . . . I did a few cheap cosmetic things except for the grill - no offense to those who like the cheese grater and everyone else who has a PRO grill - but I had to have something different - kind of dumb I know but that is the honest answer. Anyway I think a truck that is built to be a functional off roader is what looks good so no I am not going to buy a lift kit and huge wheels and tires for looks.

 

This post should be made into a sticky for all new Tacoma enthusiasts.

 

Good to hear you've done a few trails to figure out the stock limitations. It really is quite amazing what a stock tacoma with 4x4 can do. Add some skids and sliders and you can have the confidence to push over those tough spots without major damage. I actually went with 32's on my truck to not have to deal with the hassle of 33's. Yes, its a roughly .5" difference, but I haven't ever been limited on any of the hunting roads/forest roads/fire roads I've followed bigger trucks down. Another good thing about 32's, you can run them while you're waiting and building out your lift kit. From my experience (not rock crawling), tread pattern and traction have been more crucial than size of tire, but of course that varies by intended use, and where you want to go.

At the same time, if your heart is set on something, don't let people like me talk you out of it. I did go with 32's, but always wanted 33's. While I'm happy with my decision, I've still always wanted more, and will definitely make the jump when tires are needed again. Don't settle for less just because you can justify good reasoning behind it. Ultimately, you want what you want, and you won't be (completely) happy til you have it. Keep saving up, researching, and plug into some local groups of enthusiasts to learn the most.

 

I had 285/75-16 wrapped in 16x8-0 wheels (wheels w/ 3.5" backspacing) - no rubbing issues.

 

Interesting video - quality shocks make a difference especially when the shock is cycling very rapidly. Video includes Ridgeline, Taco OR, and Nissan out in Death Valley.
https://youtu.be/CWYqEinNGUM

 

The video shows why a bigger body shock is better than a skinnier one and why having an external reservoir is good to have. Kudos to Honda!

Makes me wonder how many miles were on the Nissan's and Toyota's shocks and they were definitely driving through those roads quickly. Regardless - those "off-road" shocks shouldn't break down that fast.

 

Definitely some mild trails you've been on. I started out with the same TRD skid and those red letters literally got scraped off the first couple of times I took it out. Eventually I ended up cracking it in half and replaced with an RCI steel skid.

 

To me, I think that’s the best advice, regardless of stock, stockish, full blown modding. At best I’m a road warrior, with off roading being sand, wet sand, and puddles. I already “floated” the DCLB in a puddle where clearly a monster truck had wallowed out the wheel “path”. Getting off roading mods I’m sure I’d just find nastier mud and deeper puddles beyond the mods.
Equally sage advice, from tacoman2001$, “Don’t forget a buddy.” I was alone in that big puddle and had to phone a friend. Very humbling day.

 

I agree get some tall skinny’s and save until you wear out the stock suspension. Then you’ll have the money to get what you actually want instead of settling for something lesser. That’s what I did anyways.

 

There have been some really good suggestions so far. The only thing I would add is find a group of locals and go for rides in their trucks. Every mod that has positives also has negatives. Lots of shocks are valved differently and thus have different ride quality characteristics. I would try to ride in each of them and make your own opinion of what you think will work best for your ideal setup.

 

Excellent idea. I've been on the fence with 5100s and a 1" block in the rear for a bump up of 1.5" or so for a better stance. But I've heard that our OR rides smoother (softer?) than the Sport and that the 5100s are similar to the Sport setup. My "off roading" is very similar to @wcoffman's above... and I really value a decent ride more than the need to withstand any punishment that I probably will never give it. Wife dislikes a harsh ride on pavement too, soooo... still on the fence.

BTW, I also really appreciate all of the input and feedback here as well.