Weakest link in the 3rd gen tacoma going off road?

Agree. Taller/skinnier tires are first, then sliders are a nice-to-have in the future and will be driven on how often I see the necessity (i.e. having to avoid obstacles I could tackle with them..). Until then, I love going out with buddies who naysay my stock tires and easily making it through. Those Wranglers don't LOOK "bro" enough but they aren't bad tires at all. I have 20k on them and they easily have another 30k in them, though I don't expect to keep them on THAT long.

 

I have an OR - paid $35k (before TTR) + mods I've done (Truck Covers USA, Prinsu, Neoprene, Weathertech, Speakers, etc., etc.,)

 

Oh shit, sorry bud; got you confuzzled with the OP (Been up since 5am); that makes sense then. My TRD OR was near $40k (premium tech, tow, JBL, Weather mats, toyoguard etc) after TTR too. But yeah, the stock Wranglers are crazy impressive and have held up in Mud, clay, rocks, etc when my buddies Titan on 35" Mud graps was bogging badly in mud and I just floated by in the Taco. I was surprised they made a pretty good choice in the stockers for sure.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/posts/16386998/

 

@Woodrow F Call, don't want to jack the thread. I posted pictures at the link provided.

 

To me BBNP was about scenery and trail riding mostly. The black gap is supposed to be one of the more challenging obstacles out there, but I pulled up to it, turned on the crawl control, and rolled through like pullin into a driveway. Even being a noob at offroading, it didn't seem there was much that challenged the truck at all. That said, I had a blast and will do it again soon. I also want to check out Big Bend Ranch State Park. Looks like some good outdooring there too.

 

Lots are eager to suggest a lift or huge tires. I was in that camp years ago as well. Wondering how people feel safe driving on anything less than a 3" lift and 33" tires. Then I'd get out and usually find a Subaru sitting at the top of the trail. Stock Tacoma with its 9-10" GC is plenty for a lot of trails. So are the stock 31" tires as well.

 

Weakest link is always the driver.

 

First damage i had was front chin thingy breaking all the tabs and falling off, then the rear bumper chrome caps breaking.... flimsy plastic didn’t last a month on moderate inclined river bank crossings. Damn hitch drags everywhere too. Pretty damn impressive Offroad in stock form though.

 

I went from the stock tires, 245/75/16 (30.5 inch tall) to the 265/75/16 (31.6 inch tall) and I think I gained 1 inch of additional ground clearance.
Looking under the rig, about have way back, it looks like the exhaust pipe is hanging down lower than anything else. Has that been an issue for anyone?

By the way, thanks for all the responses so far. Does anybody have a recommendation on skid plates and bolt on sliders?

Thanks again to all!

 

There's an exhaust re route mod on the forum. Splains it all.

As for sliders/armor. Go with what's local to you unless there's a killer deal like free shipping. BAMF and mob town get a lot of love round here.

 

First thing with any stock vehicle is tires. Always tires first. Then sliders. After that it gets expensive to do it right. Suspension to gain travel and ground clearance plus armor (skids and bumpers). Suspension should be done at the same time as armor because of the significant added weight.

 

Agree with this. Better tires, sliders then skids. Tacos are very capable and that should take you anywhere.

 

On the 2017 TRDOR a weak spot is really the exhaust crossover, when going over a hump. I put on an RCI aluminum skid that also protects other tender giblets like the plastic transfer case control box.
A reroute of the exhaust would be fine as long as it didn't allow heat buildup where it could cause problems.
A so-called OR truck shouldn't have this unprotected crossover so low, especially given its wheelbase.
As others have said the front skid plates are pretty weak also.
A front off-road bumper with hoops is worthwhile, especially in areas with lots of deer in treed areas with little side view angle. In Mexico they're called a mata burro.
A downside is weight.
Thoughtful posts- VS filler make the forum easier to read and use. Thanks

 

I've heard this before, but after doing the math (and please correct me if i'm wrong) but steel sliders (100ish lbs) and skids weight (another 50-100lbs depending on type) less then two average passengers. I need suspension to handle driving friends on trips?

 

I was thinking if they make them, getting aluminum skid plates and steel bolt on sliders.

 

Sliders are about 150lbs
Full skids are also about 150 lbs
Front bumper and winch 150-250 lbs
Optional rear bumper 150-250 lbs

Tacoma is only rated to carry about 1000lbs including passengers.

http://mobtownoffroad.com/product/skid-2/

IFS alone is 65 lbs.

Aluminium is ok for super light stuff. They will get torn up if you do any off-roading.

 

Oh okay, for those of us just going to run skids and sliders (Mobtown bolt on) 140lbs, Transmission and Front IFS Skid plate (105lbs), that's 255lbs, one of my buddies weigh that. I won't be running bumper/winch/aftermarket bumpers, so I guess I should be okay with stock suspension. *And that's with steel components*

 

Gotta tighten the loose nut behind the steering wheel, generally an effective fix.

 

Many have said this already and I totally agree- the driver is the weakest link to ANY vehicle in ANY situation. Example- death by GPS:

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/travel/article2573180.html