SR 4x4 upgrades, post lease purchase

With the ridiculous car market prices and the move to all hybrids, I’ve decided to just buy my taco. It’s an DCSB SR 4x4, and has been great. I’ve only got about 18K miles on it thanks to the pandemic and a second vehicle so it’s well worth the contracted purchase price of $21K and change. The only things I’ve changed is seat jackers, rubber floor mats, console dividers, and a BAKflip MX4 & bed mat.

Time to make it mine.

I live in Michigan and drive about 1/3 each: city/highway/dirt roads. Since this will become my daily I would like to get a modest lift for some more tire…comfort and traction for the unpaved surfaces that I’m on quite a bit. I’d also like a bit more torque and get up and go. Headlights suck too, especially out in the country where there aren’t any street lights.

Plans:
2” inch lift (do I need UCA’s for that?)
Flush fit set of wheels and tires that will fit with no fuss
New headlights & whatever harness is required for that and fog lights
Re-gear to 4.88
Neoprene seat covers that fit good
A mount for devices inside the cab (GMRS radio and my phone)
Better head unit and speakers with wireless CarPlay
Maybe a sport hood just because I like the look?
Window tint

I’d also like to know if there is a steering column available that has more extension available than the stock one in an SR? Not a big deal, but it would be nice.

Thoughts or recommendations on the above would be appreciated!

 

I'd suggest....

• Fox 2.0 leveling kit. They aren't cheap but are great quality and rebuildable shocks. I just put them on my F150 and they are great!
• Since you're in Michigan you get snow and want good winter traction but still probably want decent fuel economy I'd suggest the Yokohama Geolandar GO15's. They are 3PMSF rated and pretty mild tread with a cool-ish sidewall. I have them on my F150 and are great in the winter and are SUPER quiet!
• For fog lights I suggest the Diode Dynamics SS3 Pros or Max's in selective yellow SAE fog light pattern. Don't get the Sports as they don't melt snow but the Pros and Max's do unless your budget doesn't allow. Max's have the best output and light cut off.

 

I will check these out. Thank you for the recommendations.

 

Check with a vendor on here hotshot off-road. @memario1214 can help you out .

 

X2. He sells Diode Dynamics and Fox shocks. Good guy. I buy all my DD lights from him and just bought my Fox 2.0s from him!

 

I figured you would give him a shout out but noooooooooo. @Squirt

 

Here's some of the more basic/less $$ stuff I did to my SR5 to make it a little more durable off road:

-Bilstein 5100 all around
-Diff breather relocation mod
-AC drain line extension mod (not an off roading mod)
-ATF cooler depending on your needs
-ARB front recovery point depending on your needs
-Tires!!
-Total Chaos or similar cam tab gussets depending on your needs
-4Runner front shock lower bolt swap
-TRD or other aluminum engine skid to replace stock splash guard
-More flexible mudflaps like RokBlokz or similar
-Yellow fogs help if you drive on the coast in fog or snow at night

 

After building my 3rd gen and now with my GX, i wish i wouldnt have taken it as far as i did/have. Yea it looks cool and its functional but 99% of it was not at all needed to do what i do with it.

Mod the shit out of it if thats what you heart desires, just giving you a POV from the otherside of things.

Good luck OP.

 

Yeah, my mods are just for general use…seeing at night, better experience on back roads and getting to hunting fishing and camping sites. No heavy wheeling or anything. The re-gear is just because I hate the lack of nuts and will be driving it a lot more.

 

Totally agree.

Closer it stays to stock, the more reliable and better on-road it will be. Toyotas in general are perfectly fine "fresh out of the box"

A wise old timer told me eons ago that "fancy rides need fancy maintenance"...which is so true with heavily modified Tacomas.

High performance is a big investment of time above all else

 

Sorry guys, been firing the flu the last couple of days. I’m back!

 

Ok questions…

Suspension: 5100 kit I gather is not aluminum, but I know they are very popular for the type of driving needs I have and appear to be half price of the basic Fox kit. I could replace them a second time for the same money. Is the performance on country roads and fire trails that big a difference? Seems like maybe branding is at play, but I’m a newb.

Headlights and fog lights: To go LED on an SR, it appears I need special harnesses. I expected it for the fog lights, but not the headlights. Is there another option to improve the headlight performance or a harness available that will enable both things?

While I’m at it does anyone know the wheel offset for a flush fit to the fenders?

 

To go LED on headlights you need to buy actual LED headlights...the entire units

Throwing LED bulbs in a halogen housing won't work well (unless you're blind like some of the tools on here who run around blinding folks with their Chinesium LED "upgrades" in the stock halogen housings"

 

I think I’m settled on the 6112/5160 combo for the lift. Maybe overkill at first for what I’ll do, but I know I won’t have to buy something else later.

I’ve decided just to use the H9 mod for headlights and see if the difference is enough before plunking down a grand for headlight upgrades.

I still don’t know what to do on the wheels/tires. I’d like to stay with 16” wheels but it limits options quite a bit. With the lift coming, I’d really like to avoid modifying anything in the wheel wells and I’m really thinking 32” tires is the sweet spot. A little extra side wall and clearance. 265x75x16?