To Do or Not To Do

Papa to jrtaco here,

First time, short time. 16 yo son was gifted a 2012 Tacoma 2 WD, Access Cab, 4 cyl, non-prerunner with stock 15's, 5 lugger for his birthday (I know some of that description is inherent.) Love's it. Wants to spruce it up!

I immediately learned from my TacomaWorld tutorial that one must visit the SEARCH link to find prior posts with my similar questions, also referred to as lack of knowledge. Best thing I ever done. Learned enough to have ideas and get confused. So here we go!

I won't bore you with the long road to get where we are now. We are good with our entry level, upstart mods (kids gotta have something to look forward and work to.): Ready Lift SST 5 Lug 2.75"F/1.75"R.

Tires are the sticking point. We were going to put our budget into new tires (bigger) first and save up for the lift. Learned that lift needs to be first so budget is going there. Finally, the dilemma. Remember, the almighty peso is a driving factor.

1. Lift and leave the stock 15's on til we save for new tires or new wheels and tires if we upsize to 16's
2. lift and find used 15" A/T tires
3. lift and find used 16" wheels and A/T tires

Hit me with it!

 

If it's one thing I have learned with modding ANYTHING, it's to do it right the first time. It's just going to cost you all that much more in the end. If it runs and drives right now, why not just save for the parts you want rather than having to replace them with something different down the road? Just my two cents.

 

buy him a beater let him learn how to drive first.

 

Thanks to the first responders. Doin' it right the first time is always sound advice. And for jake72, he is a licensed driver coming to a neighborhood near you.

 

i think you should go with option 1, it'd be a waste to not use that new rubber, if you want the wheels a little wider, try using wheel spacers

 

Welcome from NEPA

 

no problem, I will be in an 18 wheeler.

 

Really this is a good idea. I went to 2 different driving schools at the age of 15.

Where they teach the LA PD to drive (thanks to my dad having a good friend who was an instructor for the LAPD)
and
bondurant school of high performance driving.

That STILL didn't make me prepared for all the crazy bullshit that you have to deal with on a day to day basis and I ended up totaling out my first vehicle due to a stupid mistake.

 

Ha! Alright, now you've got me thinking wrecks and bills, not tires and wheels.

I was also told 31's were the tallest tire I could go with to avoid rub, etc. Sound right to you guys. Haven't even considered other tire specs yet. He should only be on pavement.....unless he's like Aw9d!!

 

do all the cheap or free mods first.

 

I crashed my first vehicle in the road.

I've only driving off pavement 6 times my entire life. I'm very new to offroading.

However, I'm not new to teenagers and cars. Pretty much expect the first car/truck you buy your kid will get totaled out. Hopefully this isn't the case with your son. In my world its Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

Good luck op!

 

just out of curiosity whats insurance cost for a 16 year old full coverage.

 

and yes, we are lifting a non-prerunner. I know, may be kinda hokie, but there's been some love for it throughout some of the posts.

 

nothing wrong with lifting, it will look good. new driver with lifted truck not so good.

 

don't have a clean answer on the insurance question. it's a lot and until he's 26 yo.
our premium has fluctuated. in the scope of summer we have put my daughter on this new "non-driver status" since she is out of town for college and can't have a car. we added the body of our son. then we added his vehicle. things are pro-rated. the final nember is evasive.

 

Gifted a 2012? Save for the repair costs or let him know if he breaks it, it sits until he's got the cash to fix it.

 

not trying to give you a hard time, your son could be a great driver. its all of the other drivers out there. I have been driving 18 wheelers for along time, and can tell you some of the drivers are insane, no patience, and no respect for other motorists at all. my kids ride with me during the summer so they kind of get a taste of what to look forward too.

 

08tacotrd is right about sittin' until he earns the cash.

And no hard time taken, Mr jake72. i believe what you say about other drivers. Chances are his first collision may likely be someone elses mistake. Also i worked moving n storage in early college. You will be happy to know I have run him through lots of road etiquette rules. I still blink my light so you big riggers can change lanes.