Off-Roading with your Daily Driver?

That's what she said.

 

Skids and sliders aren't cheap and also add weight to your truck which effect ride height and mpg. Not a huge hit but something to consider if it's your dd

 

Bilstein 5100’s on all 4 corners, with rear add-a-leaf and stock front springs set for 1.5-2” lift. One up in tire size.

This set-up will dramatically improve your ride quality both on road and off road and isn’t too pricey. You get another 2” of clearance without drastic driveline angles or high center of gravity problems. The stock OR Bilstein shocks suck. It was hard for me to admit that, but it’s the honest truth.

 

265/75/16” gave my OR about an inch over the stock Kevlars, then like Stocklocker, I added 5100 shocks front and back, with the front set at the 3rd notch up to add 1.5”, and a Dakar single leaf to my stock springs. I also kept the stock front coils, and the offroad and commuter ride is great, contrary to what some will say here about doing that. But most are right in that if you elect to go with a heavier front plate bumper and a winch, you will have to upgrade the front coils, too. Overall, with the single Deaver AAL added to my rear springs, 265/75/16 KO2 tires, and the 5100’s, I gained 2”

Call Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road if you want some better suggestions.

 

Phew. You've got gnarly roads haha.

Stock got me through this


A lift and tires and I get through this comfortably

 

Mine is my DD, I have a toddler & a Wife who ride in it with me regularly and I wheel moderate trails often. If you get a 2.5” lift and some proper off road tires >stock size you’ll fine you can go nearly anywhere without getting hung up as long as you know how to pick lines. My lift is humble.


Front Bilstein 5100 shock with OME 885 lift coil & total chaos UCA.

Rear is OME Dakar pack with extended 5125’s

Decide what route you want to go with the truck, try to wheel or ride in/with other tacoma trucks who have different degree’s of lifts & make a decision and go for it. I bought my truck 10yrs old with 127k miles on it because I wanted to be able to get it banged up and not be too worried about it and I wanted to learn all about doing my own maintenance/mechanical work when possible.

 

Boy that area looks fun.

 

It would be a mix of 3 and 4. 5100s by themselves are in the 3 category (per their description) but once you add the OME coils, it dips into the 4.

Most likely dont have to worry about diff drop, usually that is for lifts that go over 2 inches.

 

Hey check this thread out, I found it not too long ago and saved it for a potential mod. I think this might be the set up you’ll like. Under 1000$

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dclb-with-885-springs-5100s-at-0-and-3-leaf-aal.502144/

 

I dropped some money on my lift but to me it rides so much better than stock (on and off road road). 2.5" fox coilovers tuned, 2" shock in the rear, aal, and hammer hangars

 

I'd be hard pressed to believe sliders and skids would make any (significant) difference in MPG. We talking 0.2MPG? But they do add weight. Pelfrey makes some nice Aluminum skids.

http://www.pelfreybilt.com/product/05-16-tacoma-aluminum-ifs-skid/

 

contact patch has a different shape but same surface area.

 

Perhaps if the 255 is under inflated and the 285 is over inflated. Other than that the 285 should have more surface area touching the ground, as it is the wider tire.

 

No. Surface area of the contact patch is a function of vehicle weight and tire pressure. Width of the tire only changes the shape of the contact patch.

The contact patch will be wider, but it will also be shorter.

 

Just takes some skills!
The places we've been, the obstacles we've overcome without so much as a scratch, no touching the undercarriage, no scratching a wheel, a few hits on the skid plate. It's our stock suspension daily that we like to keep looking good. Just take your time, don't go out of your comfort zone, know your limits and enjoy!!

 

Surface area of the contact patch is dependent on weight of vehicle, tire pressure AND SIZE of the tire.

Width of the tire does indeed change the shape of the contact patch. The wider the tire, the bigger the “foot print” aka contact patch.

 

@jowybyo is correct. Theoretically, contact patch should be the same given the same tire pressure.

 

I've got a 2017 TRD Off Road that I've taken out on the trails a few times. I'm looking at my upgrade progression in the opposite way. I'm going to upgrade the factory skid plates and add sliders FIRST. I want to protect the drivetrain and body parts before I build the suspension up. The plan being, get better at doing offroad stuff and not break the truck, then do suspension/wheels/tires so I can attempt more difficult offroad stuff.

 

Just throw on some skid plates.

Why would the contact patch be shorter if they are both a 33". The circumference of the tire remains the same.

If you air both a 255/85 and a 285/75 down their contact length will be the exact same assuming psi, load rating and vehicle are the same. The difference is the 285 is 1.5" wider

 

FTFY
You probably don't want to be recommending Pelfrey with the shitstorm that they've been stirring up lately.