Don’t know where to start

Hello Tacoma world, I just bought a 2021 Trail Edition and I realized after I purchased that there is no rear locking diff. Quite the bummer, but my question is will a good set of tires and swapping suspensions plus a lift kit get me to the same places a rear diff will?

Let me know what mods I should do and where to get started!

 

Take it out stock first. Then go from there. Also, not sure but you 4R may have A-Trac.

 

I will try and take it to a trail this weekend, any tips on what to look out for and how to find beginner trails?

 

Where-ish do you live? Where have you wished you could go if you had an offroad vehicle?

 

You can look up ratings of different trails in your area... Generally trails rated a 1 or 2 out of five (or a 1 out of three) can be handled with a completely stock 4x4 vehicle. Trails rated 3 of five or 2 of three may be doable as well with skilled driving, but I would suggest tackle the easier stuff first, then start with the harder ones as you get more experience.

You'll also soon find out what vehicle mods you think would help too.
One of the first should be ditching those low-clearance side steps for real rocker protection (rock sliders, etc.).
Tires and a lift are also almost universal, but how big of tires & lift would still be something to be determined (32-33" tires + 2" lift works well for (sometimes rutted) forest roads, 35" tires + 4-5" lift better for rock crawling, and so on).
A locking diff will help if you find yourself losing traction on undulated trail surfaces, although like said, the built-in traction control system does also work well, if not very elegantly.

Welcome to TW.

 

I’m very happy to hear that A-Trac does the trick too, I want to go rock crawling and have no limits (ideally no limits lol) I want to go out Midwest and explore everywhere lol.

I live in Kentucky right now, I’ve seen some stuff about the Daniel Boone National Forrest. Going to try that out soon!

 

If you can increase suspension travel with your upgrades you will have less of a need for a locker but you will struggle on steep technical inclines. Don't sweat it though, run the rig you've got and learn what you may want to upgrade in the future. If you decide to regear at some point then adding lockers then is no big deal.

Most people with lockers don't even know how to use them properly so never even end up using them.

 

Try the Muddy road. Get hands of trac

 

wut

 

Get a good portable air pump. Proper tire pressure is most fundamental to good traction.

Case in point: I was wheeling in some sand dunes over labor day. The dunes hand been vegetated over the last few couple hundred years so only the roads were sandy. This forced you to use the established road when traversing up the sides of dunes. In a few cases the road was really steep, and the dunes were really tall. My first attempt at these climbs would result in my wheels spinning out and digging in about 2/3rds up the side of the dune. I'm running Mickey Thompson Baja A/Ts, and have plenty of tread depth left, so it wasn'tthe tire choice. I lowered the air pressure down to 25 psi, engaged my rear locker, turned on MTS, even tried the crawl contol, and I still had to break out the traction boards to get up the first hill.

On the second hill, even the traction boards were of marginal help. After having to reposition the boards 3 times and still not up the hill, I decided to air down to 18 psi, and back down the hill to get a better running start. On the second attempt, I forgot to turn on my locker and traction control, but got up a bit more speed than the first attempt. Ended up sailing right up the hill, no sweat. So moral of the story: proper air pressure and speed is all you need (in many cases, at least).

 

A winch will get you out (of trouble) where lockers fail.

 

Yes, but also no.

 

Well there really isn't a such thing as "no limits"... There will always be limits, whether it's your driving skill or your budget, you will need to find the right limits that work for you.
Right now (like was said) the best thing to do is go find those beginner trails and just get a feel for your truck and your competence level so you can better decide what you think you might need or your truck needs before moving onto some harder-rated trails.

Two safe mods that I can suggest ahead of time to start with are ditching those side steps, and #2, a set of one-size-bigger-than-stock all-terrain tires (they don't have to be expensive ones either).
Good AT tires will be more resistant to punctures from sharp sticks or rocks, and will also provide better traction. You might lose a few percent of your fuel mileage to the more-aggressive tires, but for most people who go offroad much that usually is an acceptable tradeoff.

If you go with friends in separate vehicles, have two-way radios for each of you so you can keep in touch with each other while you're on the road or trail.
FRS/GMRS handheld radios are easy to use and can be had for less than $70 or so a pair that generally will talk up to a mile or two away. There are also hard-mount radios with exterior-mounted antennas available that have more range (5-10 miles), although again I would suggest to just start out with the handhelds... More than likely you won't need anything bigger than that.
I looked up DBNF and it looks like you should have a decent amount of trail opportunities out there.

Just be forewarned though, this 4-wheeling hobby can get addictive (and expensive) real quick once you start figuring out what those essential truck items and camping gear you want are lol.

 

It’s a pretty sweet 4runner to jump right in to no limits rock crawling. I’d be afraid to have someone park next to me at work.

 

This any good for you? Maybe not all inclusive but may have something near you.

https://www.onxmaps.com/offroad/trails/us/kentucky