How do I build my truck

Pizza cutters are the way. I went from the original tire to a 235/85r16 (~9.5×31.8") falken wildpeak at3w, and recently picked up a set of 5th gen 4runner SR5 takeoff oem wheels and picked up a set of 255/80r17's (10×33") cooper st maxx.

Narrow tires save weight, rolling resistance, increase your ground pressure when properly inflated (smaller contact patch and higher pressure increase traction in snow), while offering you a bigger contact patch when deflated for offroading (even just at 20psi). And still give you the diameter while being a bit more forgiving for various wheel widths and offsets, for clearance from the upper control arms and fender/body/body mount.

https://youtu.be/LAYGdcKSA3o?si=rNJFJAd-6Zo_ZR4G

Here's an excellent video on fitting 33's on a toyota IFS setup, and his channel is an excellent one for considerong modifications. Give his vids on suspension travel a watch.

Also- you said you live in an area that sees snow.

Your truck is basically brand new. Put it on jack stands and pull the wheels. Take some time to look at the frame and underbody carefully. If you've got any surface rust starting, hit it with a wire wheel and some good paint ("Steel-It" is a good one, lots of people like/use), then clean and degrease the frame and underbody, especially up inside the boxed section of the frame and coat it with cosmoline. I'm in the rust belt myself. I cosmolined my frame when I got my truck in '22, and my frames in perfect shape after two winters with a ton of freeze/thaw cycles in an area with heavy use of the calcium chloride brine sprays.

I used about 10 cans of "RP342", and kept my last two cans for touchups here and there.

Inside the doors and rocker panels I used a couple cans of "fluid film" as something that would creep into nooks and crannies with time and heat.

 

TRD is already an upgrade and already a sexy truck. You can keep waxing it weekly to make sure its shiny and hot. Keep it away from parking lot so no one will end up hitting a door or a cart

 

Start saving for the BEST mod ... a free-and-clear title to the truck.

 

& ya i drive in Snow from October to April & have winter set wheels & tires Studded/Sipped

 

I'm really not trying to be rude, but this has to be one of the dumbest posts I've seen on Tacoma web. There has to be about a million different variations of this vehicle on these pages, with no small amount of them telling you exactly how they got there. And then you invite dumbasses to give you advice. Like putting a lift on your truck will ruin it. Well, yes it can, if you go to extreme, or use it as a reason to four-wheel the hell out of your truck.

Here's my truck.


It has a 3-in OME lift, a SmartCap topper, aftermarket front and rear bumper, and 34-in tires. Do you like the way it looks? If not, what don't you like? What would you do differently with yours? It's really not that hard.

 

This guy's truck is a stock SR5 except for skids, sliders, and 265/75/16 AT tires. Being in WI, he sees snow and has no complaints with the tires.



The truck is plenty capable. So is the driver. (He has good spotters also!)

 

Everything aside, you're making me want to get a DCLB

 

Yep - exactly the way I started. But the OP is not going to do the off road stuff you and I do so no need for the sliders and skids.

 

I mean if you think skinny tires look good - they definitely have their advantages. They are lighter and "they" (the people who have them) claim the can go up to 33s with cutting and trimming (I guess with the right wheel off set that could be true). And you don't lose anything traction wise - that's been shown in several videos you can find. Ask our Canadian brothers for the best tires for snow they have lots of experience in that area.

 

I bought mine for off-road so IFS/transmission skids made sense. Living for 30 years in flat Midwest in crowded states even AZ was part of the plan to have all of the off-roads. The catalytic converter guards made sense to avoid losing those. But sliders and lifts do not. Bilstein 51xx/6xxx will when the shocks seem too abused.

 

Understood. Just highlighting how capable these trucks are stock.

 

I hear you brother - my problem was everyone said start out easy learn your truck and get some off road experience. Yeah that lasted for like the third time out and then I started following the BIG dogs - she's got the war wounds to prove it. It's funny there is trail here in NC Uhwarrie Forrest called Dixie Bell that Jeeps get a Badge of Honor for doing the trail - I tell them I have the Taco Badge of Honor for doing Dixie Bell . . . . it's the body damage on the driver side. I am EXHIBT A: How not to do it.

 

True. Of course neither your "wait until you have destroyed your truck" (sorry ... could not resist) nor my "predict what I need first" are guaranteed approaches. My paid-off 2007 Corolla was still too damned attractive even in AZ until the serpentine no longer held ($200 tensioner and belt, most likely, but I was looking for *ANY* excuse) gave on my Corolla.

Funny ... I was thinking Subaru until the clerk at SDHQ (they have a brick-front in PHX) told me to buy a Tacoma or a Jeep for trails here. But I have resisted "bling" for almost 3 years now and my next purchase will likely be a RotoPax water and maybe a couple of gas as well in case I need them a few miles off-road.

 

Needs a very dark garage without lights.

 

@Jbuckss this build will get you to the mountain everyday....
Nothing special..work in the industry..good tires...snow rated and driving skills..pretty cheap

 

OP, drive it like it is and make sure it's what you want to do. There a plenty of stories in here about changing your mind after the work is done or wanting to go a different route when the work is done.

I bought mine with the intent to overland and do moderate trails. My mods started at 50k miles.

Tires: I'm originally from Michigan, born a d raised. I spent 9 years in northern Virginia. I've never run snow tires and was only stuck in snow one time in a 2WD Ranger because I turned to tight and lost momentum.

Everyone loves pizza cutters. My truck is 2018 Sport MT with open diffs. I run 265/75/17 KO2's on 17x9 wheels with a -12 offset. Aired down, I have kept up and in some cases done better that fully locked trucks on pizza cutters. I think it's the tire width that made the difference.

If this is mainly for looks, do what you like. But plan and spend the money once. Use a tire / wheel configurator to see how it looks. Some will let you upload a pic of your truck or select yours from an online library.

Most of all have some fun with it.

 

No, you are right - I had to learn the hard way. I don't know I think the advice I got (start with the 265/75R16 KO2s , skids and sliders ) get say a year's worth of seat time on easy and maybe the less difficult intermediate trails is pretty sound. But I have learned a lot, both experience wise and modification wise - I have done quite a bit that you don't see to make it a lot more capable off road not just the usual lift and bigger tires.

You mention Subaru - interesting there too - I think what probably got me to do more than I should have (although I make it sound worse than it really was) I have had several Subis and have taken them mainly to the beach and occasionally on forest roads - not even easy rated trails although I have seen some Subarus out there. So I knew about airing down and how drive in sand and had some recovery equipment and recovered a few folks stuck on the beach. But that is a far cry from the rocks and deep ruts and off road obstacles.

 

My wife wanted to change her hair color and asked me what color I liked.

 

Love it..

Chrome is nice if it isn't overdone!