2nd gen off-road capabilities?

Hey all,

My wife and I are in the market for a new truck. We (more like I, she is just understanding ) want to build a mini expedition vehicle. I've pretty much made up my mind on a new Tacoma. My question is this:

I used to own a modified Jeep and have experience offroad. I want a truck that can handle some fairly difficult trails yet still be daily driven. I've got a budget to get the all-pro armor package and some other goodies. I just wondered if the truck would be a good choice. I've never driven one on trails. I have in a FJ and it did well. I just know that the new Tacoma does not have the rear locker, it was switched to Atrac like the FJ has.

I just want to make sure I will be happy after spending the cash. Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,
Andy

 

Make sure you get the TRD offraod. One it has the locker and it is geared much lower than the Sport. You will need to make some mods however you will not find any other group that is as willing to help. Overall the truck provides great power and expandability. Jay

 

Thanks guys. A buddy of mine is a District Manager for Toyota and he said they were doing away with the rear locker on all of them. I guess he was wrong. That makes me happy though. I know I will have to do some mods, that is part of the fun. I'm not going to beat the crap out of it. I just want to be able to access unimproved roads and some decent trails here in SoCal. I planned on the All-pro front/rear bumper, rocksliders, front skid, tranny/transfer case skid and eventually a winch. I was thinking the Bilstein adjustable coilovers and Goodyear MTR's in 285's?

Thanks again,
Andy

 

The '05+ are very capable. Since you plan on off roading you should get the TRD Off Road package which does include locker as well as ATRAC. With all the mods you spoke of you're gonna end up with one badass, capable, and fun to drive truck.

 

you will have no problem at all modding out and wheeling a second gen. tacoma!!! cant wait to see pics of the finished product!!! that is....when ya get it!!

 

+1

 

Your set up sounds perfect!

Tacomas are great and If you do buy one I know you will love it.

 

I wheel mine everyweekend,Shes a sport but still does very well, With the offroad you shouldnt have a problem,The allpro armor is a really good idea I have the plate bumper and sliders.

 

Not to nit pick, but there is no difference in gearing between Base, SR5, Sport or Off Road.

 

my 4x4 sport double cab climbed rocks and and conquered trails like a champ. stock. yes with street tires.

 

that's quite a bit of armor to throw on some bilstein adjustables... with all the armor, that could be a considerable amount of additional weight to the truck...

Icon is releasing the new remote resivoir coilovers... 650 pound coils and heavy duty construction...

 

Thanks again for the replys. I didn't know if the Bilsteins would work or not. I will look into the Icons. Would the OME heavy coils work? Also, what kind of weight do you think I will be adding?

Silverback07 and Silver07Taco, what suspension set-up are you guys running?

Thanks again.
Cheers,
Andy

 

no release on them yet i dont think, although they did show a pic of it installed over on TTORA...

 

What's an OCTO? Sorry.

 

Dont forger about TOCO

 

Thanks again guys for all the help. I will check out the OME set-up. It is going to be a long 3 months...Hope to keep the thread alive though. Silverback, how do you like your rear bumper? Your set-up is very close to what I'm going for. I was going to get the all-pro rear bumper for the corner protection, but yours looks great.

Cheers,
Andy

 

So you are able to stuff a 285 under there...I was just planning on ditching the spare and running with a plug kit and having onboard air. That is where I was going to mount my tank. I know that if you are seriously wheeling that a fullsize spare is a must. But with MTR's I think I would be okay? Man, I'm glad I joined this forum.

Cheers,
Andy

 

Onlyontwo,

With the mods plans you have, you'll love the truck. My '08 is similarly set up: ARB front bumper, complete All Pro armor + a custom skid pan under the fuel tank, 2 1/2" lift from OME suspension front & rear, ARB rock sliders, a Ramsey REP 8000 winch on a hitch mount, and a Snug Top topper. No weight problems with all that on the OME. I carry the winch in the bed in the recovery box and the ARB bumper has a receiver in it so the winch can go on either front or rear, depending on need. It also keeps that extra 75# off the front bumper for normal roading. With the lift and a bit of trimming I'm running 285X75X16 Michelin LTX AT2 tires on Centerline rims with a 4 1/2" backset. As was stated above, the 285 spare will fit up underneath just fine with a little tweaking. Enough words. Look here.

 

I have a stock 06 4x4 4 cyl acc cab no locker and no lift. I had it airborne and on some pretty good trails and on the beach and never had a problem. Knowing the trucks capability and reading the line of travel is important. Look at it this way, some guys get stuck and some guys make it through, the more you wheel the better you get. have fun with it be safe and when you want to upgrade ask the guys here they know their stuff and love what they do. I run a D6 dozer and fly over stuff I used to get stuck in 25 years ago.