Do You Ever Miss Your STOCK Tacoma? | Which mods couldn't you live without?

The day I drove it off the lot.


And after two years


I spared no time on modifying my truck. Within months of driving off the lot, I had installed better suspension, and implementing various cosmetic modifications like de-chroming, removing wind fairing, replacing running boards with sliders, installing aftermarket skid plates, etc.

But every now and then... a totally stock 3G Tacoma catches my eye - pristine, unspoiled, the way the Toyota engineers and designers proudly assembled and sold it for well over a decade, and think to myself... wow, I miss my stock Tacoma.

That said - The upgraded Bilstein, Icon, and OME suspension resulted in markedly improved on and off road handling; the Diode Dynamics fog lights were an incredible improvement on the virtually useless OE fog lights; and there are other mods. that I would've installed in a heartbeat, doing it all over again.

It begs the question - Which modifications were "essential," and which mods are unnecessary and inspired by an almost addiction-like desire to modify and upgrade for superficial reasons, or because of a shopping addiction.

Is there a sweet spot? What's the "right" ratio of OE vs. Modified?

Post pictures of your truck mid-build, that you struck a good balance. Here's my truck's sweet spot:



What are some "essential" modifications in your opinion?

I'll go first:

1. Good Tires: Speaks for itself. "Tires are your car's shoes! Would you want to walk around in crappy, uncomfortable shoes?" - My Dad after I drove my first car's tires bald.
2. Upgraded Suspension: I went with Bilstein 5100's, OME 2885 springs, and Icon AAL. Better handling on and off road. Safer on the highway. Modest lift and cosmetic improvement.
3. Upgraded Lighting:
   1. Fog Lights: Diode Dynamics fogs. Stock fogs were pretty useless.
   2. Headlight Bulb Upgrade: DIY H11 to H9 conversion - Increased brightness without breaking the bank.
   3. All Lights On: I went with Hotshot Offroad's kit. To get the combined lumens from high beams, lows, and fogs when you need it the most.
4. ** Armor: I'm qualifying this mod because I needed to protect my truck while off-roading as much as I do (or did when I had the time). Otherwise, I would've stayed stock here.

You can see my other mods/ upgrades in my build thread. Some other mods not listed above, I'd say are essential, but most were probably done on impulse.

With that said, I plan to continue building out the truck as planned. I have too much fun tinkering with the truck, and I'm a sucker for UPGRADES when it comes to just about anything - gaming PCs, house projects, guns, my drum set, you name it.

I'm just curious if anyone else has shared the feeling of missing their "old" truck.

Happy Friday!

 

What mods could I live without? All of them.

 

Would not like to go back to OEM cupholders vs. the Z Precision cup holder. Also don't regret the DDI seat jackers. Rest of the rig is fine stock.

 

Just a few mods, pleased with them all:

DDI seat jackers, I would have had to sell the truck without them.
Meso map lights, the OEM bulbs were so dim I needed a flashlight.
T4R trail wheels - just because I like them.

 

I am only in for modding if it brings what I consider to be an actual improvement. Lights, the tail light conversion kit, gearing, tires, and tools can all bring about those improvements and are deemed worthy purchases by me.

On the flip side, I am boring and would never lift my truck nor would I install tires large enough that they need any special clearancing. For me the max would be 32’s and stock suspension. If I wanted to tweak the handling, it would be via the shocks and they would be kept at whatever maintains ride height. Maybe if I had a Limited or Sport I would do that, but I really like the OR suspension, and so when the time comes, I’m buying more OE Off-Road shocks. Same goes for aftermarket wheels, I would never install them in this day and age. 10 years ago I would have.

I’ve mostly turned into a boring stock snob after dealing with my Jeep for years and growing tired of the negative impacts that many aftermarket mods made. It’s pushed me to keep the basics as stock as possible, and only install add-ons if they bring extra function, and only change fundamentals (like gearing) if I know it will for sure suit my preference with the end result.

Add-ons I have done before that I would NOT do again are the tonneau and extra bed lighting. The factory bed lights are good enough. Extra light like the popular bed light kit is just unnecessary and it added a headache of wiring installation. The tonneau is ultimately useless, contrary to what I expected, and it ended up in the way 24/7. It never provided me any real benefit. Maybe if my bed was longer and actually had room, it would be useful. But when it’s folded up all the way, it still eats 6-8” of bed space, and it’s not useful if it has to be folded up to make room for everything. I’ll never install one again, if I need something waterproof, it’ll either have a tarp over it or it will be in a waterproof bag.

 

Tires, OTT, 5100s, cam tab reinforcements and rear e-locker are the mods I don't think I'd want to be without.

 

I went through the mod phase 25 yrs. ago now I like reliability and for my stuff to last. Nowadays I only mod with upgrades like OEM led headlights, pro taillights etc. Big tires lift kits etc. just makes a money pit out of your rig. JMHO

 

I am pretty much stock after owning my Tacoma for 9.5 years. I made a dog platform, have a bed mat, dash cam and a Pro grille. I like my stock chrome Sport grille better on my garage wall.

 

This thread made me think about the other vehicles I have had in the past. Most I kept close to stock. In my college days, I had a 1973 RoadRunner. I put on new wheels, tires, shocks, dual exhaust with Cherry Bomb glass packs and new carpet. Fun to drive with a 4-speed manual. If I had known better back then, I would have put it in storage.

 

Non, je ne regrette rien!

-me and Edith Piaf.

 

Bought my truck with a 3” spacer lift. Removed it within a month. Love the stock feel much better. Other mods on the truck that I didn’t touch because I thought they were cool - “TOYOTA” grill and Katskin leather seats. Other than that, completely stock and I love it

 

I think I’ll have more fun updating the sound system, doing maintenance, and adding a molle system than I would altering the geometry and performance of the actual truck.

 

Blind spotter mirrors and rav4 radio knobs.

 

No ragrets

 

Most importantly is I got the right model first. The Off Road is built right, right out of the box.

Biggest improvement was a bigger more aggressive tire, as the manufacturer will only put on the lightest tire they can for best mileage.

My OEM Bilstein shocks were more than adequate, but I wanted a little more lift, so I happily went with the 5100's. Best move I did, getting rid of the OEM brake dive.

I think those are the minimum I could have been happy with, but I wanted more.....

 

You spilt regrats wrong

 

No regrets....I couldn't live without the 488's after putting on 33s. That gear hunting drove me nuts on the hwy.

 

Steel bumpers

Rusty junk, should have kept them plastic oems

 

Probably going outside the original poster's question, but I had a 2018 OR "stock" and now a nearly identical 2022 with the TRD lift, and really like the new one better; on and off road. (Literally the same tires on both, BTW)

The TRD exhaust on the new one; could take it or leave it....sounds cool in the driveway; I speculate whether it gives elk an earlier warning that I am coming into the woods.

 

Bought a pro to leave the suspension alone so its stock height. Kp offroad octagon cam tabs so I dont throw my alignment out when I'm on the lake ice fishing, ive done it alot with my old truck. Plus don't have to worry about siezed cams.

Dremel mod to the adm was necessary to fix the fucked up clutch feel. Core short throw shifter feels amazing, I wouldn't want to go back to stock after having it. Bmc/ pinch weld and a high caster alignment all good things when done properly.

Scs 16x8-25mm f5s are alot lighter then stock wheels, 285s for snow and getting my dirtbike to where I want. Custom mudflaps were a must. Relentless fab tailgate reinforcement stacked on my custom made aluminum one was needed. Stock tailgate skin is way to weak, Pull it off and looks what's underneath if you think otherwise

Nope I don't regret anything since it was all done properly and I like the clean oem plus look.