steering? how to do maintanence?

I just removed mudd tires(super noisy) and put on new all season firestone destination le tires...

my steering column feels "loose" and I am sure part of it has to do with my truck feeling so much smoother with the all season tires...

does anyone recommend how I go about doing maintanence on my steering?
changes bushings? how can i make my steering feel tighter? I am not a mechanic but I can buy the parts and get them installed...

2004 v6 4x4 double cab - TRD...

 

Check upper and lower ball joints inner and outer tie rod ends, Replace rack bushings, Replace rack guide if it is the old style and this
this sticky has tips on changing all of these
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...y-how-thread-compiled-list-helpful-links.html
With the exception of the upper ball joints, all of these are very easy to do yourself even with little mechanical skills.
They look a little intimidating (especially the steering column) but it really is easy to do.
I had a ton of slack in mine and did all of this and now its back to 100%
I also found some slack in the steering shaft extension that was installed when my lift was put on.
Hope this helps

 

With the truck turned off and he key out of the ignition. Rotate the steering wheel left to right. Does it move more then hair with any kind of metal on metal clicking sound?

I had something similar that I finally figured out a couple of yrs ago. The 1st gens use a 2 pc shaft in the column that gets sloppy over time. I added a quick weld bead to make the two pieces one. No more rattle and no more wandering on the road.