where do you start?

[JasonJ]

the last few years i have been travelling on my motorcycle, but strange as it may sound, i miss not having my wife around on the adventures. Having decided on a tacoma instead of a jeep (a truck will just be too useful when i am not travelling) so she can come along, i have been looking at build threads here for the Tacoma.

As a newbie to 4x4 and outfitting a tacoma, i am a little lost. i know i want to increase ground clearance, but i dont need to go crazy. think mountain passes in the san juans (alpine loop, black bear pass etc etc) and white rim trail at moab. i'd like to armor the underside as well. i am looking for stuff that i wont need to replace a year or two down the track. Is there a recommended items thread somewhere i am missing, also something that explains the terms (like what the heck is a coilover?).

Basically a newbie looking for a place to start to understand what i would need to do to increase ground clearance, and add protection.

thanks guys.

[mtnbike28]

I would look up other builds.
OME lift, sliders (lots of choices), Bud Built skids, ARB bumper, a rear bumper? I love mine (Bud Built) and it has saved my rear a few times.
Save the rest of your $$$ and travel. fwiw

[offthebeatenpath]

You'll find a lot of similarities in buying parts for trucks as you probably did in buying parts for motorcycles.....

1- You get what you pay for.
2- Doing it right the first time usually costs more but pays off in the long run.

If you haven't bought a truck yet, I'd bum a few rides off of people or borrow trucks to check things out.
Jeeps, Toyotas, you name it- they're all way more capable than people think they are, even in stock form. A good set of more aggressive tires will be probably your biggest off road performance gain.

There's not a "recommended items thread" around, at least that I know of. My guess is that is because every one of our trucks is at least slightly different. Some folks are going to put sliders ahead of lockers......others will put a RTT (roof top tent) ahead of either of those things. So "recommended" varies on what your goals are.

As far as terms go..... well, without a glossary around here, I guess I just picked up the lingo slowly over time as I looked at the various products that are available on the market, specifically at each manufacturer's own website. Check out the build thread link at the top of this forum, there's good info in there, though it's a lot of reading.

Just FYI, a coilover is a coil spring over a shock. Looks a lot like a strut. When most people refer to a "coilover", they're talking about a high-end spring/shock combo that gets used on the front suspension of Toyota trucks. Jeeps for instance, don't use coilovers, they run a separate shock and spring configuration. There are probably 8-10 companies that make coilovers, of varying characteristics. All get good reviews when used as they were built to be used. King, Fox, ProComp, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. You'll hear from a lot of folks on here that ARB's Old Man Emu (OME) suspension is hard to beat, both in terms of value and performance.

In short,

Welcome!

Any questions, just holler. Somebody around here will hear ya!

[keezer37]

Go off road in stock form. Just you, the truck, and common sense. You'll soon figure out what you need and want. Then prioritize the list.
It is a no-brainer though that you'll want to improve the compliant suspension. To keep the IFS and driveshaft happy, keep it to about two inches of lift. They don't cotton to severe angles. I have an almost six year old Icon coilover up front set to 1.75" and an el cheapo Wheeler's single add a leaf on the stock leafs out back for 2.25". Heavy up front or light, on road or off, for performance, you can't beat Icon. Be careful with buying new rear springs. Over the years I've read numerous comments about guys buying leafs that are great off road but you trade weight carrying capacity and they're complaining when they use their truck as a hauler. For now stick with the AAL until you stop scratching your head about what to do with the back of the truck. I can haul 800lbs on a regular basis. And no, it's not stiff. You can get OME leafs, but you'd be jumping the gun.
If you don't get too crazy off road, you can get your money's worth out of the stock tires before ditching them. I did in socal and had no regrets.

[barlowrs]

Do not be afraid to take your rig out in stock form. A tacoma is a VERY capable truck, and it will allow you to lean how to drive it. In teh meantime, a good set of rubber is a must (however stock tires can get you a LOT of places you wouldnt thing, so just use them until they are worn out). At the same time, I would do a lift (3" max) such as OME. This will allow you to throw on bigger tires when you get your new rubber and gain clearance. Then sliders, then armor. Again though, as has been stated, there is no set list, basically, if you take her out, you will LEARN what you need next and then purchase it.

Good luck!

[JasonJ]

thanks for the info folks!

[ExpediT-100n]

Go off road in stock form. Just you, the truck, and common sense. You'll soon figure out what you need and want. Then prioritize the list.
It is a no-brainer though that you'll want to improve the compliant suspension. To keep the IFS and driveshaft happy, keep it to about two inches of lift. They don't cotton to severe angles. I have an almost six year old Icon coilover up front set to 1.75" and an el cheapo Wheeler's single add a leaf on the stock leafs out back for 2.25". Heavy up front or light, on road or off, for performance, you can't beat Icon. Be careful with buying new rear springs. Over the years I've read numerous comments about guys buying leafs that are great off road but you trade weight carrying capacity and they're complaining when they use their truck as a hauler. For now stick with the AAL until you stop scratching your head about what to do with the back of the truck. I can haul 800lbs on a regular basis. And no, it's not stiff. You can get OME leafs, but you'd be jumping the gun.
If you don't get too crazy off road, you can get your money's worth out of the stock tires before ditching them. I did in socal and had no regrets.

x2, I ran Black Bear and Poughkeepsie Gulch this weekend and made the biggest obstacle on Poughkeepsie look easy compared to those that ran it in FJ cruisers. In all fairness, I do not think some of them have as much practice as I get with 4 wheeling those trails.

Kevin

[deadbeat son]

My Tacoma gets me everywhere I want to go without any unnecessary mods. The truck is mostly stock with the exception of tires and sliders for protection. The only thing I would like to add is stiffer suspension so it handles better with a load, but I really don't have the need for any sort of lift.

You might be surprised what a stock Tacoma will do. Keeping it this way will allow you a larger budget for exploration and travel.

[Nullifier]

Having owned a taco for along time and run the full range of terrain I have some thoughts. First a stock taco is out of the box a great rig. Just adding tires with a good tread pattern like Maxxis mt or BFF km2 for example will really help. Adding a good suspension like an ome it makes a really comfortable pack mule.

For priorities I think tires and suspension really are a great starting point. The armour i would add first is without a doubt sliders. Next prioritize your outfitting for camping and enjoy some great trips.

Overtime start adding armor and other things but most of all drive the truck, explore and enjoy.