New truck, what to do?

[Hayden Bennett]

Hi all, Im totally green to the game and want to know where to start.
First things first, my truck is a 2017 toyota tacoma TRD sport double cab long bed 4x4. Obviously an off road or at least a short bed may have been better but for 2 reasons I picked this truck. 1st and foremost this is my everyday work truck so thats why I needed the long bed. always needing to pull gear in and out of it and wanted the space (hard down grading from a F350 double cab 8ft bed dually). As for the TRD sport choice. I had a 07 and loved it and honestly never thought bout taking it seriously offload till i found Overland Bound.

So my question is to the taco guys and all the more experienced crowd, What are the top things to do to start the adventure and make it safe and capable offload? I am very good at spending money maybe in the wrong places first so would really appreciate good guidance.

Cheers,
HB

 

[HEYElliott]

Beauty rig! The new yotas come with extremely capable traction control which makes it difficult to stop them. If youre looking to get on the trails I would think about some recovery gear and some recovery points.

 

[trikebubble]

For me
#1 good tires.
#2 a little lift, better suspension if budget-able, nothing crazy. Offers better chance and articulation to clear obstacles
#3 some armor to protect your truck, like a good pair of rock sliders (#2 and #3 seem to be interchangeable depending on who's doing the talking) . Everything else can be obtained once you head out for a while and figure out what you really need.

 

[Hayden Bennett]

Beauty rig! The new yotas come with extremely capable traction control which makes it difficult to stop them. If youre looking to get on the trails I would think about some recovery gear and some recovery points.

Thanks, yeah that was going to be one of my next things. trying to decide how aggressive i want to get with the front end. know i can get a slimline front but thinking i want at least a full face. so many options out there now that its hard to pick the perfect one.

 

[Hayden Bennett]

For me
#1 good tires.
#2 a little lift, better suspension if budget-able, nothing crazy. Offers better chance and articulation to clear obstacles
#3 some armor to protect your truck, like a good pair of rock sliders (#2 and #3 seem to be interchangeable depending on who's doing the talking) . Everything else can be obtained once you head out for a while and figure out what you really need.

Whats your thoughts on suspension/ lift? Ive seen a lot of people going with the icon gear. As i use this truck everyday i want to keep it somewhat under control.

 

[HEYElliott]

As i use this truck everyday i want to keep it somewhat under control.

This stands out to me. Ive done quite a bit of offroading with my old AT tires. Lifting it and beefing it up will worsen gas mileage for your everyday driving. Depending on what degree of trails youre going to try and run will change my opinion on suspension/lift and more offroad mods

 

[Hayden Bennett]

This stands out to me. Ive done quite a bit of offroading with my old AT tires. Lifting it and beefing it up will worsen gas mileage for your everyday driving. Depending on what degree of trails youre going to try and run will change my opinion on suspension/lift and more offroad mods

Haha Good answer. Time will tell how extreme i take it. may keep this vehicle manageable then go crazy on older vehicle i can chop up and turn it to a billygoat trailgator!!

 

[trikebubble]

Whats your thoughts on suspension/ lift? Ive seen a lot of people going with the icon gear. As i use this truck everyday i want to keep it somewhat under control.

Everything has a trade off. Start with some 1/2 decent tires and just head off into the bushes. It will all be fine. Once you start running into some limitations then you can decide where to upgrade next.
OME makes great suspension products, that don't break the bank, provide a small lift, and are reliable for years to come. On my previous rig (the Xterra) I ran an Ironman suspension (similar to the OME stuff) and it was just fine.
I have gone a little different route, with and more high end suspension components with my Tundra, but I have budgeted for it, and it's not as daily driver. I don't have any opinions on Icon stuff, other than lots of people are using it, so that must count for something.

Get tires, go offroad. See where it takes you from there. Have fun.