Good bye Tax Return, Hello Mods

Skyman85

NEWB
So I would like to hear back from the community on ideas for mods best bang for my buck. Right now I have a stock 03 Tacoma TRD Dbl Cab. I have 3k I'd like to put into the truck. Plans for the truck are to use it for overlanding platform and my daily driver least for now. Goal of the future mods would be to be self sufficient while off-roading.
 
Last edited:

austintaco

Explorer
That's a good chunk to throw at a vehicle, but it goes fast. Everyone will need more info on what you plan to do with the truck before we can really answer that question.
 

skrillah

Adventurer
Yeah, we need more info...$3k can be used for countless upgrades but it depends on what you are looking to do. My best "mod" was a suspension. The stock 1st gen Taco suspension is crap. I went with a Wheelers kit (see my signature), but OME offers the best bang for the buck and has good reviews.

I'd advise reading some build threads (see the "stickies" in this section), for ideas and impressions of the choices they made.
 

Skyman85

NEWB
Sure I mean i have read alot of threads and there are plenty of things id like to do. Maybe i should reword maybe like what you said the best mods that you have done that significantly improved/ get the most use out of on your truck. One of my concerns is havent always gone wheeling with another vehicle so when coming to water/mud obsticles very hesitant about getting stuck. Probably just a mute point and this would just come with more experience offroading knowing what your vehicle can and cant handle. But i do know you should be prepared for any situation even if you think your vehicle can handle it. Maybe if i list out things I plan on doing in no particular order:

Offroad bumper front
Winch
Snorkel
Rearbumper with tire carrier
suspension
32in tires
cab roofrack
Offroad lights
duel battery setup
rock sliders
newseats
underbody protection
on board air
 

BigOly

New member
I love your title. I would go with sliders paired with a hi-lift jack. That way you can rotate each side tires using the hi-lift with ease, nice stepping platform if you have kids, extra side armor if you already have a lift and don't want door dings. :)
 

justfred

Adventurer
In my case it's "Hello Tax Return, goodbye vehicle repairs." At least I didn't make an interest-free loan to the government, but the bite is always more than I anticipated.
 

seanpistol

Explorer
Figure it out yourself bub! It's all about your needs. If you are worried about getting stuck more than anything... spend that money where it will help you get un-stuck, or not get stuck in the first place!
 

Flagster

Expedition Leader
There are three things that I consider vital to my camping...oh I mean OVERLANDING/EXPEDITION...trips...
I seem to use these every time...
1. Fuel
2. Tires
3. Camping/Sleeping/Eating stuff...

That is what it important to me...seriously like sea pistol said...everyone is going to tell you something different...but imo tires are the first upgrade I would go for
 

Skyman85

NEWB
Well after digging in I'm thinking suspension, would make the most sense since i want to get larger tires, winch&bumpers, bed storage system. Need to do some more research, from what i have read OME is what is sounding the best. A few people on here running them and from the sounds of it they havent had any huge issues with the install and after. If doing a full suspesion upgrade how benifical would it be to also do upper control arms?
 

Ramjet

Explorer
In my case it's "Hello Tax Return, goodbye vehicle repairs." At least I didn't make an interest-free loan to the government, but the bite is always more than I anticipated.

x2 on this. I may have to pay every year, but at least the Man didn't borrow money from me for free.
 

hornytoad

Desert Geologist
There are lots of rigs on ExPo that have stock upper arms. Shouldn't be an issue unless you are trying to add wheel travel.

Go with the OME system. It will ride like a truck (think f250) until you add the weight of a bumper/winch ect. I would also add my $0.02 to upgrade the stock brakes. Added weight and bigger tires makes for sloppy handling and slower braking times.

After driving a friend's Taco with a OME HD suspension I noticed that it does a really good job of canceling the "feel" of the weight of the ARB bumper hanging off the front end. But remember that it's still there.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,533
Messages
2,875,597
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top