From Rags to Riches (2018 Cement TrdOR Build)

Hey all! Newbie here. Please bear with me while I learn the format of this forum. I've been a huge fan of the cherokee forum for a long time and have seriously enjoyed all the friendly people I've met and help I've received from them. That being said, today I joined the dark side. As of 5pm this afternoon I am now a proud owner of a new 2018 Trd offroad priemum, double cab long bed in cement grey. I have been snooping around here for the last couple months and it seems like TW is as good or better than CF so I am very excited to get to know everyone and join the tacoma family.

This thread will be like a journal for me as i learn new things and build my new truck, that way all my questions and posts will be minimized to one thread. If anyone is bored enough to read about my experiences then I apologize for my stupid questions and poor writing skills. I have named this thread "Rags to Riches" because for the past few months I've been driving a 300 dollar Ford focus with a bullet hole in the door. Until today it was like a snap of the fingers and I'm driving with leather heated seats and an open sunroof. It kinda hit me pulling out of the dealership I truly felt like I went from rags to riches.

For now I dont plan on doing anything crazy but I hope to have at least a lift and tires within the next few weeks. But who knows maybe a year from now we will be talking about what type of tubing I should use on my cage for my fully longarmed pre runner taco Haha. Right this moment I'm focusing on learning how to use all the features on the truck and getting to know it better. For example I was messing around tonight and couldn't figure out how to use crawl control. Every time I put it in 4lo then shift into gear it starts beeping at me. So ya, I've got some serious googling to! I'll put up an update soon of all the little things I've noticed and kind of do a first impressions type of post. If your still reading at this point thanks, I'm looking forward to talking to you all!

--Discaimer to mods: I've been an active member on cherokee forum for quite some time so I'm not new to basic forum etiquette however I am new to the format of TW. If ever I say the wrong thing or post in the wrong place please let me know.Thanks!

 

Oops I just realized there is a 3rd gen builds section. I will try to figure out how to move it unless a mod has to do it for me. Sorry guys I'm off to a bad start!

 

Welcome to the forum sir! And congrats on the new purchase.

 

Hey thanks man! I'm not excited for the new payment but I think it's going to be worth it in the end.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

If anyone could tell me how to move this thread to the build section that would be sweet. I dont wanna look like a complete idiot but I cant figure out how!

 

You cant... a mod has to do it @MTgirl

 

Ok I feel partially less dumb then. Thanks!

 

Congrats on becoming a taco owner. Cement is one of the best looking colors IMO. Look forward to see what you do to it.

I had a 2000 Jeep Cherokee when I was younger. It went many places that most people with a stock suspension wouldn’t even attempt. Learned a lot about off roading in that truck.

 

Post pics of your new badbitch!!

 

I've had a couple of them and they are a very capable rig. The wheel base length and suspension setup is perfect and a very stable platform to start with but now I've decided I wanted something a little more luxurious but still very capable. So that's why I ended up with a new yota.

 

I figured everyone knew what a stock cement taco looked like but if you insist Haha.

 

Lookin good brother.

 

Day 1 update:

I spent most of the morning driving around trying to get to know it better. First thing I noticed is the priemum models JBL system is awesome. I'm very impressed for a factory vehicle how clear the speakers are as well as how clean the bass is from whatever sub it has behind the backseat. I was kinda expecting the classic "almost decent" feel you get from most factory audio systems but that isn't the case at all with this truck. Second, I was pulling a very steep gravel hill with deep nasty wash board and in 4hi 2nd gear even with garbage factory tires they didnt even try to skip. What a freakin mountain goat, I'm very impressed with that.

Unfortunately I have found some things I dont like. For starters, keeping in mind the price of the truck plus the fact that it's a "specialty" color, the paint job is absolutely horrible. Lots of slight orange peel and little specks and chunks of stuff under the paint all over the entire truck. Not a big deal I mean you have to really inspect it to tell and I'm gunna end up with brush scratches all over anyways but I feel like for the price they ask for these trucks they could do a much better job.

Also something I noticed thats really annoying, it sounds like my windows barely cracked on my driver's side. They are definitely all the way closed I even grabbed and pushed both windows up a little but still theres just a slight wind noise coming from like the top back corner of the driver window or possibly the top front corner of the driver back window. Again nothing i cant get over but I wouldnt expect bad door or window seals from a forty thousand dollar truck with 17miles on it.

All complaining aside I love it so far. Very comfortable, and handles and rides very well. My last truck was a very built 05 cummins so I was a little nervous about the horse power situation of the taco. But to my surprise its actually not slow! It's no race car for sure but way quicker than I was expecting! Oh also I ordered new led head lights and interior lights last night and should have them by Monday so I'm looking forward to getting those installed. Thanks for all the warm welcomes guys I cant wait to actually post up some cool mods!

 

I've been researching lifts for hours and hours for the past couple months but like I said my background is jeeps so IFS is very foreign to me still. Even with all my research I'm still totally lost. I will continue to research but I figured I'd post a few questions on here and maybe you guys will answer before I find an answer myself.

So end goal is I want to clear 285/75/16's. I'm not going to be hardcore wheeling this truck all the time but i am routinely on unmaintained logging roads. I'm also a very outdoorsy guy so I will end up on fairly difficult trails from time to time. I dont need to setup my truck for desert racing but I would like a lift that will offer good performance and be adequate to clear that size tire without rubbing even if the suspension is flexed a little. I also have a deadline. I will be leaving for a week long archery elk hunting trip on August 24th and I would really like to have a lift and tires on by that date.

I've found a hand full of trucks that I'm really diggin the stance of throughout my research. So im gunna put those pictures up so you guys can get a feel for what I'm going for.

This first truck is the only cement I've found that's exactly what I like the look of so I'll insert that picture first since it's the same color.
For the time frame I'm dealing with I'm hoping to find a little bit more of a budget option to start with. Later on when I have a little more time to save some cash I would like to spend big bucks on a lift like his but i dont think i can justify 4k for a lift this month. So this next truck has the same look I'm going for as well with a much more budget friendly lift.


I believe this is ProfessorX's truck. So in the screenshot he is talking about his lift setup. Ome 888s and bilstien 5100s. I've looked into this setup and my concern is this. The 888s claim to be a 2" lift spring. From everything I was reading I thought that to clear 285s without rubbing you had to have at least 2.5 inches of lift. Also i was looking into bilstiens 3" 5100 kit and it says it doesn't fit on 2017s and 2018s. I'm not sure what has changed to make it not fit in the newer years so that's what I've been trying to figure out. If I could run the 888s and 5100 setup in the front and get everything to fit and clear I think that would be a good start for what I'm trying to accomplish this month. I dont know what I'm going to end up with for the rear but I can always throw in a quick block just to make my deadline although I would prefer an aal setup. Also I have no idea what backspacing and wheel width I want to run yet. Metic tire sizes are also fairly foreign to me. I think I want to go with the ray10s I think they are called. I was originally looking at the method nv series but they look about the same as far as I can tell. I'm either going to go with stt pros or km3s but that will probably depend on how soon my tire guy can get them in stock. Heres a few more trucks I really like the look of.


And dont worry, I'm going to continue doing my own research but any help or insite you guys can give me is greatly appreciated!

 

The lift your looking for, icon, fox, king, ads...
2.5 coil over with 650 spring (700 if you are adding a front bumper) aftermarket upper control arms that allow for caster adjustment up to 4. The rear is a 2.0 or 2.5 shock and a deaver leaf pack.
Thing is.... lift doesn't clear tires.... you still may need to trim a little, hammer pinch weld and even go as far as a cab mount chop. Next thing is.... if the dealer didn't sell it/ install it... May void factory warranty.

 

So I already talked to the dealer and they said lifts are totally cool but they do void warranty on affected parts. He said if you lift your truck and blow up your rear end then they will probably try to blame the lift but if you lift your truck and the next day the motor blows up then your covered.

It seems like all of those name brand "stage 2 or 3" kits would be great but the problem is once you go with that and throw in some TC uppers and deaver leaf packs then I'll be in that 3 to 4 thousand range which I just simply cant afford right now. I'm more or less looking for a budget kit to get me by for a few months till I can upgrade later. Also I totally get that lift doesn't clear tires, I'm not afraid to do a little snip snippin and a little metal massaging in the fender wells if that's what it takes to clear. But it seems like a lot of guys here clear 285s without too much rubbing. It's just a matter of narrowing down what I need to order.

 

Buy once, cry once.... start saving and buy what you want. Do not waste the money or time... it looks good the way it is and it is probably more capable than you think as it sits now.

 

Oh ya no doubt in my mind suspension wise it will be fine for my trip im trying to get it done by but the issue is tires. It's pretty much suicide to drive in the area im going without decent tires. Lots of sharp shale rock and obsidian in the roads. I've been on trips there before where guys have had 3 or 4 flats throughout the trip just because they were on street tires. Also it would be nice to have a little more ground clearance. If I could id like to do a quick cheap option now and then I'll just sell it later down the road when I want to step it up. Basicly the answers I've been looking for is what lift size and backspacing combo is going to get me as close as possible to clearing 285/75/16s and then I will trim and massage what's necessary once I get the tires on and test for rubbing.

 

Don't get me wrong I understand the buy once cry once deal. That's the same thing I told newbies back on the Cherokee forum but in this situation I would like to get nice tires on soon and I don't wanna have to buy new tires twice.