Tina, my first Taco

Hi friends! Been camping and riding dirt bikes most of my life, but have never had my own off-road vehicle. Enter Tina!

2017 TRD DCLB 4x4 OR (seriously, why do they even offer the OR trim without 4x4?!)



My plan with Tina, as with all vehicles, is to slowly upgrade her as I hit her limitations. Follow along here if you're interested!

(here's what she looks like currently):

(yes that is the Toyota gang-sign)

I suppose I should put a list of planned mods:

• BFG KM3s on the 16' TRD Pro wheels
• CBI T3 front bumper
• winch
• CBI sliders
• CBI high-clearance rear bumper with swingout
• some sort of bed rack to mount the RTT

 

First things first - let's hit the trails!



First impressions: holy shit this thing is capable off-road. I was worried about the tires, potentially the clearance, the torque... I shouldn't have worried. As you all know this truck is seriously good stock.


... but the driver sucks! First time getting a little stuck, purely driver error. No big deal, reversed her off the frame and she was fine.

Which brings me to my next point. I *use* my stuff. I don't see any point in buying something like this and then not testing it to its full potential. I know that may seem foolish to some, and I take no offense! But for me, off-road stuff is to get dirty, get stuck, get weird!

 

First mod: Front Runner rack. Love this thing. Super well built, sturdy, looks good, and they have so many random farkles that you can buy.... very dangerous.

 

First thing to go on that lovely rack was the new Tepui Kukenam Ruggedized Sky 3, a pair of MaxxTraxx, and a shovel:


(women love Tina)



A few days later on this trip (in the Tahoe National Forest, south of Downieville)... my second major driver error:



Uh oh. High centered, both front wheels in quicksand-type mud, and the rear wheels without enough traction, even on the maxxtraxx, to pull me out. This trail is much steeper than it looks in the photo. This was pure driver error. We spent 7 hours here, trying various things to dig out the truck. It didn't work. Resigning ourselves to a grizzly (no pun intended) fate, we fired up the charcoal grill and rolled up a joint (I'd remind you that weed is legal in the great state of California . An hour later as it was getting dark, an ole' boy randomly showed up with a footwell full of empty beer cans and a winch! Now that was lucky. Lesson learned, and CBI bumpers + winch ordered.

 

While waiting for my CBI stuff to show up (update: still waiting three months later and HOLY SHIT does this company have horrible communication) I decided to do the TRD China grill replacement for that damn ugly cheese-grater that comes stock. Best ROI upgrade I've done.


Fun jeep-ish trail to Pyramid Lake, also in Tahoe NF.


The campsite at the top of the trail.

 

I didn’t actually read any of it I just saw “Tina” and a Dirtbike and deemed this appropriate.

 

So, with all this off-roading I started to notice the shortcomings of the stock suspension. A couple of things stood out to me. First, the rebound (this is the moto term, unsure on the correct terminology for cars) was far too short, and so big bumps and potholes would really mess up the ride. Second, larger rocks and rock gardens would cause the truck to bounce aggressively. Third, in whoops and fast desert terrain the truck would see-saw, making driving much about 25-30 unrealistic. Finally, with the LB she looks a bit mis-proportioned without a lift (arguably the main reason .

Enter King Off-Road Racing Shocks, courtesy of the lovely guys (Bijan specifically) at Toytec.





SO SHINY



it's a little embarrassing to admit but these things provoked an emotional and sensual response deep within me. TMI perhaps, but it's the truth!!!

Had them installed, haven't yet taken any photos with them on, so watch this space

 

LOL! Man I love that damn movie. And yes, to some extent, I have