Don't ban me!*

There is a spectrum among Tacoma World members for "What it Takes to Enjoy Owning a Tacoma". On one side, it takes nothing but owning it, looking at it, and driving it to be completely happy. On the opposite end, a guy can barely drive off the lot without dumping $7k in suspension and tires before continuing a never-ending build. As with any spectrum, most of us end up in the middle somewhere.

Where are you on the spectrum? I have no idea. All I can say is, Tacoma World will give you some great ideas, and it's up to you to figure out how fat or skinny you like your wallet.

Happy travels!

 

EDC - Glock 19

 

Bed mat and weathertech floor mats to catch the mud and crap. Then drive it *everywhere* and make note of what you don't like or wish were better. At that point you'll have a better idea of what to spend $$$ on.

One thing you will want to start researching soon (emphasis on research) is getting a pair of REAL bumpers. Whoever thought that plastic can protect your vehicle from any kind of damage should be shot.

There are SO MANY things associated with bumpers that you will spend lots of time reading...or you're not doing it right. keywords: aluminum/steel (weight concerns), winch compatibility (hitch mounted to use in front or back?), factory sensor compatibility, bull bar/full radiator coverage, type and cost of aftermarket lighting for your new bumpers, flip up license plate mount or relocated, step on rear bumper or not, etc, etc...I've been going through this process myself for about 6 or 7 months now. Finally decided on the Apogee Offroad rear bumper since it has almost every feature I want (factory sensor compatible even BSM, flip up license plate, nice heavy American steel made in USA, side step so I don't have to sit on tailgate and rotate...

Good luck and absolutely HAVE FUN!

 

king 3.0s with secondary bypasses should be your first mod

 

Stop google stuff and start plasti dipping everything that shines.

 

Use your truck until you find your limits or the trucks limit. Then adjust accordingly

 

Go on trails so see what (if) you need to upgrade. Enjoy.

 

Oh yeah, edc for trails.
Bottle jack
Snatch strap and tow shackle.
Good metric socket set.
tire plug kit

YouTube videos on how to use the above.

band aids
Abdominal pads
Sterile wipes
4 inch cloth medical wrap


You can’t cover everything but this is a good start!

 

Don't forget the truck nuts

 

Bed mat is a must as are floor liners like Husky or whoever. After that its personal choice.

I always replace the car like stock tires on every new truck asap.

 

OP you are hereby banned for this outrageous post on this fantastic Friday

 

Hullo, fellow MDer!

Bedmat, weathertech floor mats (if you don't have the stock rubber mats anyway), and a better jack (the one that comes with the truck is barely enough to lift the truck to replace a tire AND it's a pain in the ass/awkward to use).

Then center console and glove box dividers. also, DASHCAMS! Front and back, especially being in Maryland, where people are freaking insane.

 

Sell the jeep go long travel!

Ovtune is always a good start. Suspension is prob good for now You’d be surprised how much the stock suspension can handle. 285s is never a bad idea either.

 

I would say get tires. They significantly change any vehicle. 255/85r16 will get you far without needing a lift and put you in the 33” tire range. That was my first mod, followed by sliders. I loved it because I was able to fit 33s without needing a lift. I eventually went to larger tires, but if I had to do it again I wouldn’t change those 2 as my first mods.

 

Head to a national forest and have some fun dude

My first pieces of gear were a

$98 viair 88p portable compressor kit (12V, 120 psi, forup to 33" tires)

viair 88p compressor, a folding shovel, and a tire plug kit. That’s all ya really need to get started

 

OP, depending on where you are (I think Maryland, as someone pointed out), you don't need to do anything to that truck at all. That is a highly capable off-road machine right off the dealer lot. I would bet that that truck will easily handle 99.5% of the situations you put it in without adding a thing.

My recommendation is to do nothing. Get yourself a good cooler (I prefer Yeti, but any cooler will do). Put that on the floor in your back seat. Then every Saturday or Sunday take a drive somewhere ... to a park to some trails in your area. Drive for a bit. Have some fun. Have lunch. Keep a notebook on things that you wish you had. For example, it would have been nice to heat up a cup a coffee. Or I wanted to stay longer and carry my mountain bike with me -- that sort of thing.

Also read through the manual so you get to get to know your truck ... and all of this capabilities.

Nothing will help you figure what you need for your truck better than what you want to do with your truck.

Have fun ... and good luck !

 

You have no idea yet of what can and can't be done stock and you may already have the perfect
setup for everything you'll want to do. I say, spend nothing and go have fun, then decide if anything could use an upgrade.

 

Green Ridge just west of Hancock has a trail system.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/publiclands/western_greenridgeforest.aspx

 

You don't need any mods to enjoy the truck, even off road. You can try something like AllTrails to find some off roading in your area. Watch some youtube videos about off roading if you've never done it and bring some basics with you (there are videos on this too).

On the trail, go slow and be particular about your line. Once you've gone a couple of times, you'll know if you like it and then you'll start to get an idea for the mods that are of highest priority for you.

I took my 2017 Limited (doesn't have the locker, crawl control, etc... of the TRD OR) on a couple of trails around here (rated moderate on AllTrails, but probably should have been rated easy) and got a feel for it. The first thing I did (starting with my 2nd off road excursion) was to put together a bin of essentials: First Aid Kit, shovel, hatchet, a few basic tools, and my jumper pack - cost me $0 because I already owned all of it. [btw, I already had been carrying a tow rope] I have a small air compressor, and the 110v plug in the bed, so I brought my the compressor and my tire pressure gauge so I could air down a little bit while off road. Airing down just 5 psi made for a much more comfortable ride that didn't jar the truck so much.

At this point, I've now upsized my tires by an inch (265/60-18 to 265/70-17) and installed a coilovers for a 1.5" lift, but these were something I *wanted* more than *needed*. I've also added a real Front skid plate and have a rear diff skid plate on order.

At this point Those are my only mods, but I feel that the truck works better for me on the trails I drive. As do more and more off road, I may have additional things I'd like to add (e.g. Rock Sliders, additional skid plates, etc...), but for now it works for me.

Go drive it, then worry about modding it.

 

Raptor lights will ward off the Midlife crisis

Welcome aboard!