New Owner with a few Questions

Hello all,

Relatively new owner of a 2015 SR5 Access Cab. Starting to look into making some upgrades to my rig and looking here for some guidance and advice. No background in mechanics but decently handy and wanting to see about projects I can learn how to do myself as well to save some money.

A few of the upgrades include:

leveling struts (Rough Country N3?)
Remote start
Good running boards
CarPlay head unit
Bigger tires

Additionally, I am hearing some noises in the front suspension and wanted to see if anyone had any insight as to what it could be. Some clunking when turning over bumps, and a slight creak when getting into the rig driver seat.

any insight helps! Thanks!

 

The clunking can be shocks, BJ’s, control arm bushings, and/or body mounts. The creaking is probably the leaf springs.

The largest tires you can fit with a 2-inch lift and no cutting/trimming are 265 70 17. 285’s don't seem to require much cutting, but I’ve never gone that wide myself.

 

He’s probably rocking 16 inch wheels, so 265/75/16 is the same diameter (31.6”) and width as the tires you mention.

255/85/16 and 255/80/17 are both 33” and generally don’t require cutting or trimming either. But he may have to deflate the spare (and carry an air compressor) if he wants a full size spare, to fit it under the bed.

 

As for “leveling struts”, the least expensive thing I would put on my personal rig would be Bilstein 5100’s. They are a good upgrade from stock, they last forever, and they are height adjustable. You can run your stock coils on them.

You can learn to replace and adjust your front coilovers yourself from youtube. Invest in a good lb.-ft torque wrench before you go at it, and a spanner tool to adjust your coils. The tool will vary depending on which coilovers you get.

For head units, my go-to source is Crutchfield.com. Their customer service is exceptional; I shop according to highest reviewed unit that has the features I want.

I would personally run rock sliders over running boards on my rig. They are more expensive, but they provide more protection from door dings in parking lots and minor collisions on and off the road. Buy sliders with the angle set to 0° and they will double as running boards. If you buy bolt-on sliders you can have them powdercoated or painted beforehand and install them yourself, though there is also a good argument for having them welded on too.

It’s a matter of preference, but I also like to remove my anti-sway bar on these trucks. (I’m on my third Tacoma.) The ride is more supple on small bumps on-road, and you get better traction from your front tires off-road. You do get more body roll in turns, especially during quick maneuvers, but the Bilstein’s valving partly compensates for that. It’s a matter of preference, though, and it’s easy enough to test: if you don’t like it and can’t get used to the extra body roll, it takes less than half an hour to install or uninstall the front anti-sway bar.

Best of luck! I own a 2014, and it’s my opinion that the 2014’s and 15’s were the best Tacomas manufactured from 2005-2023. Toyota really nailed the 2nd Gen sauce on their two final years of production, and those years have proven to be the most reliable of the 2nd Gens and more reliable than 3rd Gen trucks. (That’s in no way meant to be a diss on 3rd Gen trucks though; Toyota is reliable as a whole.)

 

Highly recommend the @Accessorides remote starter system. I have the 2 way 2000ft fob option and its been a game changer this winter, wish I did it the first year I had the truck