Bumpers, bull guards, roll bars, wheels and tires

Hey guys, I'm new here, new to Tacos and new to 4WD trucks. Picked up my 2018 Tacoma 4x4 a couple weeks ago and I'm looking into my first handful of body upgrades. First i want to swap out both bumpers for steel ones and add a roll bar and bull guard. I'm doing these first mainly to mount up all my lights as well as add that front end armor. Next I'll be adding skid plates and buying a set of wheels and tires. I've picked out the wheels and tires i want, just not sure what size wheels i should get keeping in mind I'll be lifting the suspension a few inches later.

So first i want to ask for input and advice on what to look at for a good looking set if bumpers, bull guard and roll bar. I like the more squared style, prefer corners over rounded profile. Right now I'm eyeballing Black Horse products. Any thoughts or experience with them? Any other brands you all would strongly recommend i look into? Any key points or details i should know?

 

That’s a lot of weight. Gonna have to do suspension at the same time. 700lb coil springs are recommended for performance coilovers and 886’s if you’re going with OME. Good Luck and looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

 

Damn is it really so much weight to already warrant a need for upgrading the suspension first? I'm not looking at big solid steel parts, the ones I've been looking at are really just sheet steel so they look pretty lightweight. I'm not wanting anything too heavy, just good construction and style.

http://blackhorseoffroad.com/ag-1578347.1351080.1351087-2018-toyota-tacoma.html

 

congrats and welcome to the money pit...take your time with it but like doorsidedown said, you are adding a lot of weight now..

 

My ARB bar is around 130 lbs - I definitely needed heavier springs to support it. Just check the weight on what you choose.

 

Ok, hence why I'm asking before buying, might stop by a local truck shop after work to talk about details with someone there.

 

And thanks for the welcome guys. So if suspension is gonna be a critical first step what are some good full kits you recommend? I want to raise the front end 3 or 4 inches and the rear end 2 or 3 inches. Don't need anything hardcore, just a good system that will handle increased body weight and moderate off-road fun. I won't half ass it either, I'll buy a quality full kit to make sure everything is done right.

 

Talk to Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road and your set.

 

Thank you so much for your recommendation @doorsidedown we truly appreciate it!

 

Yep. Unless you want to spend as much as your truck costs and we can help you with a link to that too.

 

No joke about this being a money pit lol i traded one for another. After building my six $2.5k ARs, a $5k precision rifle and a $2k pistol now I'm into my truck and probably gonna end up spending just as much by the time I'm done. My final project on this Taco will hopefully be dropping in the new Cummins R2.8

 

Ok so after days of messaging back and forth with Marie of Headstrong (thanks doorsidedown) and studying my options i have picked out my FOX kit with 2.5 coilovers for 3" front lift and 2.0 3.5"-5" with OME leaf spring packs and added leaf to settle the rear just over 3" lift. Now my final decision is what UCAs to go with. My offroad use will be occasional basic to moderate terrain and play, nothing wild. So should i go with regular balljoint or would uniball be worth the cost and maintenence? I hope you guys will weigh in with experiences and honest opinion.