What Have You Done To Your 2nd Gen Tacoma Today?

I have an older DDX3 and the BT connection is rock solid with my S8+

 

Its like mine gets confused when a call comes in, or when I try and access Pandora through the receiver.

 

Having the same argument regarding my extra lights. Do I really need two more? Will they be like low ditch lights I can angle way out to the sides? Etc....

 

@Austinguy

Good questions . I'll let some of my TW customers speak to the quality and operation of the Spiker kits - @ucdbiendog @Austinguy @Beretta4x4 @octrockville @RedManRocket @WileECoyote @Timmah! @eimkeith among others.

But I can speak in detail regarding the quality of the components that go into our kits. More detail is at www.spikerengineering.com, but to set the stage, our kits were assembled with one primary purpose in mind - to give you the best quality that money can buy. Now obviously everyone can say that about their kits, but I'm happy to provide facts to support that:

- Our mounting brackets are heavy gauge (heavier than others). They are zinc plated for corrosion resistance, and then powder coated for additional corrosion resistance and for that OEM look (rather than hardware store). They are 100% made and powder coated in the USA;

- Our rivets are extra long, multi-grip type rivets that can be used even in oversized holes, without the need for a backup washer. They are 100% USA made;

- Of course the key element of every strut kit are the struts themselves. Ours have been optimized to work perfectly with your truck, using software to develop the ideal force profile and damping to open the hood smoothly and firmly. We then worked with our manufacturer, an OEM supplier of struts, to build the struts to these specs. These 100% USA made struts are designed for long life, similar to what you'd expect in a new car. Compare this to some off-the-shelf struts that you'd be lucky to have last a year or two before crashing on your head. The struts we use are heavier duty than other manufacturers, which gives them both higher durability and better damping and pressure profile;

- This may seem minor, but even our shipping tubes are extra heavy wall thickness, thicker than other manufacturers. That reduces the chances of your package getting to you damaged, saving you the hassle and delays of returns etc. They are 100% USA made.

We're a small operation without much overhead and with no real advertising budget, which allows us to sell our kits below others' prices. But I'd put the quality of our kits against anyone else's, or feel free to ask them the questions above and do your own comparison .

And lest we forget, our kits are the only ones you can buy that allow you to set your hood height anywhere between stock and up to 8" higher.

 

Can confirm! They're really well made and easy to install. I just installed mine two days ago.

 

The only problem I see, is for those of us with ditch lights. That extra 8” in height means the ditch lights would hit the windshield. I suppose solution would be not to use that extra 8” Since I have Redline, never had a problem with either 2nd gen Tacoma’s, I’m not in favor of drilling more holes in my hood. Wish you guys came out earlier with these....Great for competition!

 

That extra 8" of travel is not a requirement in its operation, it is a choice by the person opening the hood.

 

I have ditch lights on mine. Brackets are Relentless Fabrication and lights are Baja Squadron Sport-Rs. I installed the lift for maximum lift height.

Yep, height is completely user adjustable during installation.

 

Good point, I always fail to emphasize that you don't have to use the max lift, you can use any height you want, from stock on up, be that where you can't reach the hood on a lifted truck, or ditch lights making contact, etc .

Here's an example of a 2nd gen with ditch lights:



And I agree, I would not expect those with existing kits to take them out and drill new hood holes for ours (unless they absolutely wanted the higher lift).

 

*** Taco dirty AF right now...

DO IT!!!!!!!!!













Rick.

 

That is a great photo, (Access cabs photograph so well) My next vehicle will be white! I realize this is a Tacoma form, but how about just a little info on the bike.

 

The ‘ol girl shines up pretty well still. Just took her to the spray booth car wash and scrubbed with the foam brush

 

Mine has it's hiccups every now and then. Like sometimes the Pandora will not display the song info after I hang up a call, but that isn't very often.

 

The Spiker Engineering hood struts have been working great for me on both my 3rd Gen 4runners. What I like about buying from Spiker is the owner Leon is a Toyota enthusiast and a really nice guy. I have actually had him over my house for a going away party for my buddy Jordan who moved back to Georgia. Sure, there's other companies making strut kits, but I trust Leon when he says the struts and other hardware he has spec'd for his kits are top notch. I'm also a fairly patriotic guy and it's really nice to know all the parts are 100% US made. Since starting my YouTube channel, I really enjoy supporting smaller operations like Leon's because I know the guy genuinely appreciates the help we've given him making the install videos of his product. I guess what I'm trying to say is I've enjoyed my relationship with Leon and will continue that positive relationship because of the person he is and the quality of the product he's made available to Toyota enthusiasts like us.

 

Got back in my Tacoma today, after 20 days holidays...

I did a road trip in Nevada, South Oregon, Utah, North Cal. (with a rental)
Great !!
I saw a lot of Tacoma's, really. This truck seems very popular and appreciated in the US. (The Tundra too)
And a very few Nissan pickup tucks, or Chevy colorado, Ford Ranger. Really very few, maybe 1 of them for 50 or more Tacomas.

Now, when you're in the western states, in the rural areas, where most of trucks are Ford, Ram or Chevy, 2500 or 3500, I must say the Tacoma seems a bit small ...
But, it's our truck and we love it !!

 

Is there a thread for this?

 

Last motorcycle post, since I was asked, promise..

That one is a 1981 CB750C, DOHC, 4 into 1 exhaust, LED strip turn signals and brake/running light on the back hoop, li-ion battery under the seat, led turn signals up front, ebay shocks on the rear and just rebuilt on the front. I've painted it twice now, originally when I got it it was black, then I painted it Mitsubishi Orange Mist Metallic, then when I got the truck redid it to a proper color. I ran it without a baffle for a week or two and I'm pretty sure did permanent damage to my ears. With the baffle in she has a nice growl to her.

The little guy posted earlier is a 67 or 68 CT90 with a swapped front end, complete custom harness, partial 12v conversion and a light bar for a headlight. The big bike is my '10 BMW F800GS that I'm about to roll 40,000 miles on. Both troopers and both haul for their size.

OK, done with bike stuff, sorry all.

 

Got my 30k service done even though I'm only at 27k.
Now I'm going to put al this stuff on.

 

Couldn't find it quickly, but here is the product i bought:

$25 Trim-Lok D-Shaped Rubber Seal (Thick Wall)– .437” Height, .375” Width, 25’ Length – EPDM Foam Seal with HT (General Acrylic) Pressure Sensitive Adhesive System, Door/Window Weather Seal for Cars, Trucks, RVs, Boats

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NL4AATS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BAsically, stuff this between the door and the stock door seal, all the way from in front of the mirror to the top rear of the door. I wiped everything down with alcohol first to give the adhesive a clean surface to stick to. havent had a peep since. here is what the seal looks like with the OEM seal pulled away:

 

Not today, but within the last week I put 305/70R16s on.