Should I enjoy my new Tacoma stock before I mod?

Na

 

Chrome must go. Toyota should be jailed for criminally poor taste.

Now I'm forced to deal with chrome vent rings until Meso restocks them in black.

I'd rather be blind than look at that --although with all the glare I should be careful what I wish for...

 

I agree about the roof racks. When you find out that they can actually carry very little weight (look at Ronny Dahl on youtube and the issues he had with roof racks) and the hit you get with your MPG you realize that they are mainly for looks. If you want to sacrifice mileage for looks that is your choice.

Personally I would go for the OEM roof rack since they are rated at about 75 to 100 lbs carrying capacity--which seems to also be the SAFE carrying capacity of the ROOF--so if you put a different rack on the ROOF, even if the rack can carry more (which almost ALL of them say they can), the ROOF cannot SAFELY carry more. I know people do it all the time but doesn't seem to be a safe practice,

 

^^^this. But also a stock bed mat, dashcam, and put tailgate protection on it (like a SaBellCo lock and cable eye cover washers- but don’t depend on the hoseclamp trick, it is really useless because the clamps can be easily and quickly broken off)

 

Welcome!

You got the right idea. Do the "no brainers". They are usually inexpensive.

Drive it and take it off road. You will be pleasantly surprised at how capable the truck is in the stock form.

When you run into something that stock won't handle, in your experience, then you can consider what to upgrade.

As a note, when you add mods, you will add weight. When you are satisfied with your mods, you can assess whether or not the stock suspension will be good. Upgrade the suspension for the final weight of your truck, not the initial weight. That might take a while, depending on your budget.

 

I would do the following as soon as I drive it off the lot.....

Bed Mat
KDMax 6.0 tune
Tires

Anything else depends on use/lifestyle/personal preference

 

The lift and tires are going to change your truck if you drive it three months or not. The most important thing here is can you afford the mods. If you can then you just have to do it and see. I drove mine ~12k before I did anything other than black out stuff and lights. Then I put everything on. Nothing could have prepared me for the new stuff but I'm tickled how it came out. Most decent mods for these trucks are really well done.

 

Coming from a gen1 4wd tundra i thought that was pretty decent in the snow. This 2020 tacoma blows it away. Even in 2wd its very capable. Where my tundra got stuck and hung up, this tacoma just laughs at those spots.

 

I had 19,250 miles on my TRD OR when I put my Ironman Foam Cell suspension on. I got the rear springs for 450-800lbs, thinking with a clam shell RTT and half rack, plus adding in a homemade draw with stuff in them, Dometic 75 fridge/freezer and when off road a couple of fuel cans and a couple of water cans plus other stuff. After putting on the lift, I thought man did this get lifted more than 2" (front coil overs set in the middle), it did, I got 3.25" in front and 4.5" in back from my measurement before removing the old suspension. With about 450lbs in the back with the old suspension I was sagging about 3-3.5" and why I had such a big change. I didn't notice the rear was already sagging so much. I went to a dealership and measured a new TRD OR, in reference to the new truck I went up 2.5" in front and 3.5" in back with about 250lbs on the back.

Keep it stock will depend on what you use it for. I have carried some wood in the back for projects, but this is not a work truck and shouldn't of sag the way it did.

 

Wait and see what you like or dislike. One mod may not be as important as you thought - especially aesthetic only mods.

 

Welcome to TW! And happy Cinco de Mayo! A lot of good information here, I have a 2019 DCLB with only minor upgrades.

 

Do Prinsu cab racks make wind noise?

 

Buy one of each item from @MESO and you’ll enjoy it a hell of a lot more

 

If you paid cash...fuck yeah mod the shit out of it! The bank owns my 2021 so im not touching it for a few years

 

I have added a few mods and I have no regrets so far. Can’t wait to keep chadding it out.

 

Does that rack have the light bar cutout or no?

 

What others have already said! This is what I love about these forums, learning from the perspective of several other like minded folks with experience.

I'll just go ahead and chime in a few of my thoughts:

I would consider how long you tend to keep your vehicles. Wheels and tires are relatively inexpensive to swap out. Once you get into a lift, especially done properly, you are in it for thousands that you may only partially recoup if you were to ever sell your vehicle. You'll most likely be looking at larger, beefier wheel/tire combos. Many aftermarket bumpers that look the business and add real benefit will involve permanent mods to your vehicle (cutting). Your vehicle probably won't pass for the 'lightly used, never been off-road' variety when it comes time to sell.

If you do intend to keep your truck, or for a lengthy amount of time, NEED vs WANT becomes a constant struggle.. at least it was for me. As others have suggested, take your truck out and learn how you intend to use it. If you have a buddy with a modded truck, go for a ride and see if it's for you. Write down your upgrades from essential to non-essential in a 'to-do' list.

Most importantly, don't rush and ENJOY the process! And don't forget to share your experiences here with plenty of pics!

 

Once you start you can't stop, it's worse than drugs.

 

CMC, UCA, and 3" lift in than less 2 months. 34's in 3 months. Added the pro grill in 5 months. Still under 2500 miles.

Rides fine to me. Smooth and tracks straight. Seems slower but no big deal. Might get KDMax soon. Mpg sucks bad b/c 90% of my trips are less than 3 miles. Still get over a month on a tank. So NBD.

Just do it as parts become available IMO.

 

Yes it does.