Joey's Tacoma 2.0

[Joey D]

After the Passport turned out to be an awful investment and started eating itself, I figure I needed a replacement. I had originally gone to look at an Xterra, but after driving one and thinking it was pretty awful, I ended up at a Toyota dealership on a whim this past Saturday. I wasn't expecting to buy anything, but the sales guy was genuinely a good person and was really excited about what he was selling. His enthusiasm wore off on me and I ended up signing the papers on a brand new 2015 Toyota Tacoma SR5 Double Cab with the long bed. I had also considered a new Colorado, but GM charges a silly price for them.

A Tacoma has been one of those odd vehicles on my dream car list ever since I saw a that custom one in Back to the Future. I've always thought they were cool and growing up in domestic friendly Detroit, they were always a bit "exotic" too. Plus I love the idea of a small/mid-sized truck, even if they are still massive (and let's be honest, this truck is huge).

Apparently the configuration I ended up with is considered fairly rare since Toyota doesn't build a ton of 4x4 double cabs with the long bed, I guess most of them are short beds. Bed size really didn't matter to me since I just needed something to throw tires in when I go racing. I do like owning a rare configuration though, my Focus is the same way since the Tuxedo Black that year was extremely limited due to the Japanese tsunami the irradiated the metal flake for the paint.

Anyways, as I've mentioned, it's a 4WD, double cab with a long bed in the SR5 configuration. There's not a ton of options on it because really I didn't want them, but it does have the the TRD exhaust and air filter on it which helps wake up the 4.0L V6 a bit and give a nice note under acceleration. It also has the TRD basic off road wheels on it as well since I wasn't really keen on dropping another $2,000 on the upgraded TRD wheels.

Here are the pics:

As for future plans? I'd eventually liked to get a brush guard or even just a bull bar to hook up some additional lights on it for the back roads around here. Also once the tires are done, I'll be getting something a little more aggressive for off-road/snow driving. I'd also consider getting a cap for the back of the truck if I find a good deal on one.

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Modifications:

Engine:

• TRD Cat-Back Exhaust
• TRD Drop in Air Filter

Wheels/Tires:

• TRD Pro Bronze Simulated Bead Lock 16" Wheels
• Goodyear Duratracs 285/75/16

Suspension:

• Light Racing Upper Control Arms
• Front: Bilstein 5100 Coilovers
• Rear: Fox 2.0 Shocks with Add-a-Leaf
• Diff drop kit

Exterior:

• CBI Off Road Ditch Light Brackets
  
• CBI Moab 2.0 Front Bumper
• EGR Matte Bug Shield
• EGR Matte Window Visors
• Curt Receiver Mounted Recovery Shackle
• Secured Rear Cargo Doors
• Mobtown Off Road Reinforced Tailgate Screen
• RokBlokz Mudflaps
• BAMF CB Antenna Mount
• Far North by Design Custom Bedside Decals
• Steelcraft Tail Light Guards

Lighting:

• 2 2.25" KC Flex LED lights
• Morimoto XB LED Fog Lights
• Morimoto Retrofit HID Headlights
• VLED Switchback LED Running Lights

Electrical:

• Blue Sea Auxiliary Fuse Box
• Blue Sea 100 Amp Circuit Breaker
• Pelfreybilt Aux Fuse Panel

Interior:

• WeatherTech Floor Mats
• TRD Shift Knob
• Custom Air On Board Switches
• GenTex Rearview Mirror w/ Compass, Auto Dim, and HomeLink
• UltraGauge MX
• Morale Patch Headliner
• Flyezeye LED Interior Lighting

Communication:

• Cobra 75 WX-ST CB Radio
• 3' Firestik Antenna
• 18' Coax with Firering
• Firestik Quick Disconnect

Recovery & Safety Gear

• MaxTrax
• Custom Mounted Bedside Shovel
• Various Tow Straps & Chains
• Lifehammer Emergency Hammer
• First Aid Kit

 

[motortrend]

Congrats on the purchase!
You know what to do:

All kidding aside, Tacos are very popular here (as with most Toyotas) as they are very practical and versatile vehicles. Keep us posted on the things you do to it and with it 👍

 

[Joey D]

A couple people on Facebook asked me about how the exhaust sounded, so I recorded a video of it tonight. Figured I throw it on here as well. It's not super loud and it's still new so it hasn't really opened up yet, but I think it still has a nice note.

 

[Doodle]

Nice Tacoma! 👍

 

[homeforsummer]

As someone who quite likes pickups but would look a massive spanner driving one in the UK, I both salute and am envious of your new Tacoma 👍

Determined to hire a pickup next time I'm in the States.

 

[Cano]

Tacos are very popular here

Oi, wouldn't you know it, they're pretty popular over here too!

/badumtsh

Nice new toy, Joey!

 

[Joel]

I've always liked Tacomas, they make a lot of sense for what you'll be doing with it.

 

[Slash]

Nice truck Joey. Always prefered the Tacomas over the full size versions, although I've had issues with them in the past (old models) as far as headgasket issues.

 

[Dagger311]

My cousin who lives in WV has a Tacoma that looks just like that one!

Says it's the best truck he's ever had. And you have to think, this is West Virgina, where coon hunting in a land of ice and snow is a common occurrence (And trust me, he hunts constantly).

 

[Downhill Dino]

And you have to think, this is West Virgina, where coon hunting in a land of ice and snow is a common occurrence

Damn, I knew it could be considered a southern state but not that southern.


Anyways, love the truck. Always had a soft spot for them. Going to use it just for winter or all year round?

 

[Dagger311]

Damn, I knew it could be considered a southern state but not that southern.


Anyways, love the truck. Always had a soft spot for them. Going to use it just for winter or all year round?

They go coon hunting year round down there.

The problem with that is, raccoons aren't open season.

No one cares though. They're a huge problem up there.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Great decision. I have also always liked the Tacomas.

 

[Joey D]

Thanks everyone! In less than a week I've managed to put over 700 miles on it with just trips for work. Rides really nice down the freeway, however the tires are absolutely garbage on the truck especially in the wet, so I'm guessing once they get upgraded the ride won't be as nice. Right now I'm thinking about BFGoodrich T/A KO2's in one size larger then what's on there right now. It gives it the perfect stance without having to fiddle with the suspension and they'll be great in the snow and when the backroads around here turn to mud.

Anyways, love the truck. Always had a soft spot for them. Going to use it just for winter or all year round?

All year around, the Volvo should be sold tomorrow if everything goes well and I'll use that money to pay the truck way down along with setting some money aside for a trailer. Once the garage is cleared out I'm going to bring my rally car to my house so it doesn't have to live on the other side of the state and I can actually start working on it to make it a proper racer.

 

[GTMail]

Welcome to the club! Here's my '02 SR5 TRD Pre-Runner I got about 3 years ago with only 20k miles...

Put a few more on since.

As you can tell by how much I drive it, I love this car. Rear legroom is surprisingly good(about the same as an Audi A4/S4), having a bed is always nice when things need to get moved, and also you can remove the traction control by just pulling a fuse under the dash. Only quarrels I have with this car is it's seemingly archaic V6 that gets >20 MPG (don't know what V6 yours is running but they definitely sound different), and like you said, traction is terrible. There is no weight over the rear so things can get a bit sideways in the rain if you're not careful(you think the 4WD traction is bad when wet). The car also handles significantly better when it has a full tank. The truck rips on flat off road, I guess that's when the RWD comes into it's own. As for towing how much does your rally car weigh?(it's the Neon, right?) This had really no problem cruising 60 with my '67 Saab in tow. My car weighs about 2,300 and I can't imagine yours weighs much more than that. It should be just fine!

 

[Joey D]

As for towing how much does your rally car weigh?(it's the Neon, right?) This had really no problem cruising 60 with my '67 Saab in tow. My car weighs about 2,300 and I can't imagine yours weighs much more than that. It should be just fine!

I'm not really sure but in theory it should weigh right around 2,000lbs with everything gutted out of it. One of these days I really need to take it over to a truck scale and see exactly what the weight of it is.

 

[Slash]

Speaking from experience, in snow skinny tires will perform much better than larger ones. If you want to keep the stance in the summer time I would invest in a second pair of wheels for summer use only. Skinny ones won't hydroplane and they will cut through snow like sharp pizza cutters on a pizza.

 

[Joey D]

Speaking from experience, in snow skinny tires will perform much better than larger ones. If you want to keep the stance in the summer time I would invest in a second pair of wheels for summer use only. Skinny ones won't hydroplane and they will cut through snow like sharp pizza cutters on a pizza.

Ya that's true, but skinny tires look odd on a truck. I'm thinking about going with 265/70/16's up from the stock 245/70/16 which will end up looking something like this.

So a little more meaty but nothing that will throw the suspension geometry or speedometer off since the 265's are optional on most Tacoma's. The only issue is BFGoodrich doesn't make the KO2's in that size, which sucks.

Other options so far are:

General Grabber AT2's
Cooper Discoverer ATP's (same tire that was on the Passport)
Hankook DynaPro ATM RF10's

 

[Slash]

265s will work well in my case we went from 33s to 235s and the change was huge.

I have had very good luck with Cooper tires. For snow use I have used A/T and ATRs. Both are out o production now but ATPs or AT/3s probably are just as good.

 

[Joey D]

Well this didn't take long. After spending the afternoon cruising the Internet while being on a conference call I didn't want to be on, I was able to conclude that 265/75/16 tires would be a better fit for the Tacoma since it actually makes the speedometer right on where it should be. This meant I could get the KO2's like I wanted. So after a quick trip to Discount Tire, I found they had four available and had them throw them on. They even gave me $200 trade in on those awful OEM tires, which was better than nothing at all.

The truck has a more aggressive look and it now sits .5" higher due to the taller tires. It also rides nicer, although the tires are much noisier, but coming from vehicles that mainly had summer tires it's not really that bad.

So here's what it looks like in potato quality, apparently my phone doesn't like the lighting in my garage.

 

[Slash]

I like it!

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I have ALWAYS used BFgoodrich tires on almost all my trucks over the last 20+ years and have absolutely loved them. I really like the new design for the All terrains. Much more aggressive than they used to be especially the side walls. Congrats, you wont be disappointed with the BF goodrich tires. Truck looks much tougher now. 👍

 

[Joey D]

The weather was half way decent today so I spent a little bit of time out in the garage installing some of the fast accumulating pile of parts.

First up was the TRD shift knob that I got from some dealer out east, figured it looking a little more sporty.

And I put on my EGR matte bug shield and a TRD badge I scored from some company called Happy China Badges something equally Engrish sounding. The badge fit perfectly in the mesh area of the grill and looks like it belonged there all along.

 

[homeforsummer]

Out of interest, having looked at the photos further up, does the truck actually fit in your garage?

 

[Joey D]

Out of interest, having looked at the photos further up, does the truck actually fit in your garage?

That was one of those critical oversight things I found out after I brought it home. I think if I completely cleaned out the front of the garage I could pull it and touch my front bumper to the wall and it would fit, however since it's significantly wider than the Volvo or Focus were, my wife wouldn't be able to get out of her car.

It's all good though, I'll be bring the Neon to my place once the winter is over and it'll live in the garage.

 

[homeforsummer]

Heh, yeah it looked like it might be a bit of a squeeze. Still, if a truck can't happily live outside, what's it good for?

 

[Parker]

Nice looking truck, I've wanted a Taco for quite a while but I just can't bring myself to buy a truck without a diesel engine.

 

[Joey D]

So I've been gone for a little while, but I've been busy with the Taco getting it geared up for summer.

The biggest, most noticeable thing I did was put on a set of TRD bronze wheels with simulated bead locks. They were a little pricey, but they made the track a little wide and just looked cool. Plus they are OEM Toyota wheels so they are still completely covered under warranty in case something happens to them. I had originally considered a set of Method wheels, but after doing some Photoshop works, I decided they looked a little to "Bro-Dozer" like.

I've also installed a set of The Retrofit Source XB LED fog lights, which are awesome and throw out a nice bit of light with a sharp cutoff. I also picked up a set of 10,500 lumen 9" LED flood lights along with an N-Fab light bar that I hope to hook up once I get my secondary fuse box wired and mounted under the hood. I'll also be looking at adding a second set of lights to the light bar since it can hold four 9" lights somewhere in the near future.

Finally I'm working on designing my switch box for inside the cab along with a CB mount.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Looking great especially the wheels. So how did you enjoy this winter in your new 4x4? Probably at least a little better than the Focus.

 

[Joey D]

Looking great especially the wheels. So how did you enjoy this winter in your new 4x4? Probably at least a little better than the Focus.

The truck worked great this winter and I even worked as a snow driver for the hospitals where I went and brought medical staff to work when the roads were impassible with their cars. The 4WD system was great too, especially coupled with the KO2's I'd installed before the snow got heavy. I also found it rather fun to stop and help people that slid off the road. I carried a couple of tow straps and a chain and whenever I saw someone off the road and I had the time, I'd stop and see if I could help. The most common was new drivers that didn't know what they were doing, they were always grateful that I spared them a ticket, a tow truck bill, and a tongue lashing from their parents.

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Anyway, I managed to snag a couple photos of my The Retrofit Source XB projector fog lights I installed.

Also, here's the mock up of the auxilary fuse box and mount plate I'm putting together. Hopefully my new Dremel tool gets here tomorrow or Saturday so I can finish the edges, and get the thing painted and riveted together. I'm also guessing I didn't really need the circuit breaker, but I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

The truck worked great this winter and I even worked as a snow driver for the hospitals where I went and brought medical staff to work when the roads were impassible with their cars. The 4WD system was great too, especially coupled with the KO2's I'd installed before the snow got heavy. I also found it rather fun to stop and help people that slid off the road. I carried a couple of tow straps and a chain and whenever I saw someone off the road and I had the time, I'd stop and see if I could help. The most common was new drivers that didn't know what they were doing, they were always grateful that I spared them a ticket, a tow truck bill, and a tongue lashing from their parents.

So glad to hear that. I knew you would have a much more enjoyable winter this year. I also carry an assortment of shackles and straps to help anyone that gets stuck in the winter. 👍