stock to off road upgrade recommendations?

hey! I'm sure this has been asked before but I looked for about 20 minutes and couldn't find a guide or anything to go from stock to capable.

I was going down side roads in the beartooth mountains and had to turn around on some roads because i kept scraping my truck on the rocks littered through the steep road. This led me to believe I need some combination of a lift kit, tires, and a skid plate.

Basically, I'm looking to take a stock 2013 TRD sport double cab long bed and make it respectable on the dirt/rocks while still being a nice daily driver. I'm not trying to be the guy going through a field of rocks or straight up a cliff, but I would like to take it through steep rocky roads to access campsites and maybe rip down some gravel/logging access roads.

Do you have any recommendations on:
-skid plate to keep truck alive from pointy rocks and errant sticks
-tires that i'm not afraid to pop when i hit a divot or rock
-lift kit that will give me some clearance but not ruin my daily driving
-is there anything else I should invest in?

All advice is appreciated thank you for your time!

EDIT/UPDATE:

Went with the 265/75 R16 KO2, Bilstein 5100 set to 3rd notch, and a skid. These tires still rub when I turn all the way. Should I set the Bilstein up to the max height? Apparently this is equivalent to a 2.5" lift in the front, will this be too much? I'm not trying to add spacers, control arms, etc etc

 

What's your budget?

 

I'll keep this quick - see the list below

1) Just pick a skid. There's a million of them out there for the 2nd Gen. Go aluminum if you want to shave weight. Or steel, whatever. Search is your friend
2) Upgrade to Load C or Load E tires. Duratracs and KO2s are popular. Going w/ 265-75R16 tires will add about 1" to your current ride height without rubbing.
3) Bilstien 5100's. Set them on 3rd or 4th perch. This will get you your 2nd inch.
4) No

If you're just looking for a mild lift, just install some 5100's and some heavier 265-75R16 ties on your rig and call it a day. Don't half ass the lift by installing spacers or some dumb shit

 

Awesome thanks you much appreciated! Thats kind of where my research led me and it makes me feel better knowing its the right way to go. Thank you for the advice!

 

Thanks for asking but im just gonna do what the other guy said!

Just an FYI for anyone else seeing this, lead times are insane right now.
K02 Tire + Wheels: 4 weeks to arrive (tires are fine, wheels are the holdup)
Bilstein Shocks: On backorder, approximately 8 weeks to ship
Aluminum Skid: On backorder, approximately 6 weeks to ship but according to angry reviews it might be much longer

 

I traded my 2016 Limited in on a 2020 TRD Pro and have a full set of 5100's still in the box that I purchased for the Limited and never used. If you still are looking for some 5100's I have some.

 

Sometimes just picking the right line to travel on helps a lot. I've been on some fairly rough terrain in stock form and not hit bottom. So this recommendation is more about keeping a good eye out, practicing, and if possible, having a spotter.

And the same applies after the lift. Picking a bad line won't help from hitting bottom even with a lift and tires. Good luck out there.

 

If you're handy with DIY, a rear AAL is a super easy/cheap way to get like 1-2" of lift for the rear as well.

 

First need to know if your truck is 2WD or 4WD???

 

Best advice in this thread. Even better than my own hahaha

Great drivers move with purpose. Get some experience under your belt so you know what you’re doing out there.

 

Thank you for the offer but unfortunately you're a day late! They shipped last night, way earlier than anticipated.

 

For sure, my goal is to make it to camp and back without breaking anything slow and steady is the name of the game for now.

 

You may have seen this already, but if you go with a 17” rim, you will open up a few more options for tire sizes that won’t rub, especially if you have a 2nd Gen Tacoma.

My advice from before re: tire sizes was made under the assumption you were going to stick with stock rims. I bring this up because I think you can get K02’s in 265 75 R17 in C load rating, which is plenty for our midsize trucks.

 

What you looking to get for them?

 

You may or not hear back. He's been a member since 2017 with 3 posts.

 

That means his next post won't be due until December 2022. I better start bumping.

 

Already reached out to him via PM - got back to me in a few hours. FYI he sold them shortly after his post...no need to wait until 12/2022 haha

 

Good follow up though!

 

Ah well too little to late, the new set shows up next week Tuesday. Looks like that extra 1" costs quite a bit more for both tires and rims. Is there a benefit to bigger rims besides looking cool? I think I'd rather have a smaller rim with extra clearance.

 

I can testify that the "E" rated KO2's can take a beating on sharp rocks, they're way overkill for a Tacoma. The tread didn't even look phased after spending a few days in SW Colorado, going through pointy shale rock, like in Ophir Pass. I did have some sidewall gouges from not paying attention to elevation changes and too low of a tire psi...but even 10k miles later they never caused a problem.

I ran those Craigslist special 265/65/17 KO2's for about 20k miles maybe, and never had an issue with them. I felt confident enough to not get a warranty on the KO2 285/75/16, 33's I just upgraded to, and I plan on airing down and abusing them.