Adventures of the Little Blue Taco (TRD, 4x4, Off Road, etc)

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benmmc

Rank VI
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

3,140
Ball Ground, GA, USA
First Name
Ben
Last Name
McCloskey
Member #

0562

Soooo, I purchased a new 2016 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 DCSB TRD Off Road (whew) back in May. I've taken it off road several times already and I'm really happy with it. I've never owned a new car before, so it was really neat for me to experience that. I wouldn't normally consider purchasing new, but these Tacomas hold their value so well that the price of a new one isn't that much more than one that is a couple years old with tens of thousands of miles on it. Anywho, I'm glad I bought it. Onward and upward!

As far as off road capability goes, it's pretty amazing. The TRD Off Road package comes with a locking rear diff, CRAWL Control (lets the truck electronically control very slow movement forward or backward), and MTS (multi-terrain select, which lets you tune the throttle response based on what type of terrain you're in). I've tested out CRAWL Control and the locking rear diff and they are both really great. CRAWL Control is loud (you hear it controlling the brakes, etc), but it works really well. Haven't really tried MTS yet, but I probably will when I'm driving on sand or mud maybe. We'll see.

I'm going to keep it mostly stock, but here are a few upgrades I'm planning or have done already:
  • [DONE] Southern Style OffRoad Slimline Hybrid Bumper, Smittybilt XRC 9.5k winch, 25" 120w LED light bar
  • [DONE] Bilstein 5100's all around with fronts set at 0.85" of lift just to level it out
  • [DONE] Old Man Emu 885 coils to support the weight of the bumper and winch and to level it out
  • BFG AT KO2 (I've already punctured and plugged the "Kevlar" Goodyears once – let's see how long they last)
  • [DONE] CB Radio
  • Bed Rack
  • Rooftop Tent
Here's what it looks like today (I'll keep this updated)

 
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benmmc

Rank VI
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

3,140
Ball Ground, GA, USA
First Name
Ben
Last Name
McCloskey
Member #

0562

I ended up trimming the bumper more around the winch bumper. It looks way better now. I had a local shop install the bumper for me, but they didn't want to cut the painted part of the bumper, so they cut out of the non-painted plastic and it looked bad.

But the way it was meant to be installed was to cut the OE bumper around the winch bumper, which I did today:

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Looks better in my opinion. Now I'll get the Bilstein 5100's on and it should sit a little more level.
 

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benmmc

Rank VI
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

3,140
Ball Ground, GA, USA
First Name
Ben
Last Name
McCloskey
Member #

0562

Thanks guys!

Looks great! Love the SSO bumper... after the circumcision that is. ;)
Holy moly, that's exactly what it was! I'm dying! :tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy: I deleted the original photo from my IG. I'll probably remove it from here too. It was so bad. Couldn't believe they thought it was ok.

Also, I've since (several months ago – oops) added OME 885 coils and 5100 shocks all around (fronts set to 0). It sits just pretty close to level now, with the rear about ¼" higher than the front. The install was pretty simple. I basically just followed these tips to do it. Looks much better now. Rides great off road too.

This is how it sits now:

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benmmc

Rank VI
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

3,140
Ball Ground, GA, USA
First Name
Ben
Last Name
McCloskey
Member #

0562

I was able to check another item off the list. I installed a Cobra 75 WX ST CB radio, along with a 3' Firestik FireFly mounted on a Firestik fender mount. I used a 9' FireRing cable, and I ran the power straight to the battery. Kind of annoying having to turn it off, but they say it has less interference that way. The fender mount didn't really fit, but I had a local fab shop bend it for me, and it's damn near perfect now. I used a magnet thing to connect the mic to the dash, but I don't think it's gonna work, actually. I'll be updating that.

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