dma251

I am thinking of buying a 96-2004 tacoma soon and after considering many of the 4x4s I built in my youth, I really don't want anything larger then stock tire and wheel size or ride height. I've had all that before, but this is a truck I want use as my daily driver, so MPG, comfort and ease of entry matter.

I'm in the pacific northwest. Mud/snow and winching capability is what I'm after.

rattlewagon

Lockers and low gearing.

dma251

I was thinking I'd use the toyota elocker in the rear, but what are my selectable locker options for the front? Can I get a front electric locker?

tantacoma

I don't think there is an e-locker option available for the front diff. ARB might be the only selectable.

Lower gearing will NOT help you if you are just doing mud and/or snow. Good mud/snow tires will help.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i don't think you can get an e-locker for the front unless you upgrade to SAS. your only other real option for selectable up front is an ARB air locker. expensive, yes, but you also get the benefit of compressed air on your rig.

besides f/r lockers, lower gearing either in your differentials or transfercase (or dual transfercases even better!) will help a lot in slower crawling. lower gearing gives more torque. if you're looking to maximize MPG, then don't regear your diffs unless you change tire size.

traction via tire tread is another way to gain offroad capability. since you want to DD and maximize MPG, I'd go with an aggressive AT or a tight tread MT tire. check and compare tire weight specs and think about weight of your wheels. this is where you might focus if doing lots of mud.

lastly, i'd say some things like swaybar disconnects, triangulated rear shocks, low-profile tcase crossmember, etc etc -- all this stuff will make your rig more capable, but not change the ride height.

I would personally put my focus on these items listed before investing in stuff like f/r bumpers and winch. Toyotas shouldn't need winches, get everything else and learn to pick your lines and develop skills - leave those winches for Barbie Heeps. rock sliders are always good, even if they're just keeping door dings off your truck. definitely invest in some simple recovery equipment and make sure you know how to use it -- tow straps, shackles, f/r recovery points on frame, etc.

If you took care of that list you would have a VERY capable rig that would kinda be a sleeper on the trail. Your only downfall would be clearance, but where you lack this you'll have gearing and lockers whereas the other guy on the trail might only have a half-ass SAS with open diffs and stock gears

dma251

Thanks for the advice! That is real close to what I was thinking. I don't really go wheeling for fun anymore, but I do need a winch for all kinds of things besides self-extraction, but I think I may just get a receiver in the front and go the winch/cradle route.

Robb235

I'm in the same boat somewhat. I do some mild off-roading for fun, but my 4Runner is also my daily driver. I also drive 300 or so miles back to Chattanooga on the weekends (although now we take my wife's 2012 Honda Civic due to better mileage), so MPGs are a priority for me as well. My 4Runner is also used for towing duties (trailers, boats, motorcycles, etc.), camping trips, days at the river, taking the dog for a ride, and any other outdoor activities.

I replaced my worn out 265/70/16 tires with 245/75/16 Cooper AT3 tires. It's slightly skinnier than stock, but maintains the same height. I went with a skinnier tire to decrease rolling resistance, and weight, but went with the AT3 for something off-road capable when I want it. The skinnier tire doesn't look odd at all, even with my Limited fender flares. I think it was a good compromise between MPGs and off-road ability.

tantacoma

Good detailed advice by 'highonpottery'. I have the same philosophy about building a DD that is more capable than it looks ... as he called it, a 'sleeper'. My rig won't turn heads, but it will off-road with the best of them.

dma251

I have built 4 different trail-rigs over the years from beater to technical $10K rig, but over the years I've lost the interest in piling tons of my money into something that was super-specialized in it's usefulness to me.

Now I'm much more interested in putting together a daily driver to replace my Sienna work van that has more offroad capability so I can get back to exploring the forest roads in my spare time, but still use it as my daily.

I guess I'm just getting old.....

turkeykiller365

I'm from the northeast, so I think I understand your dilemma. When i had my yota I would do a lot of trail rides and such on weekends but I still had to drive it to school and such. Id say the most important thing would be getting some more aggressive tires and looking at body protection. Because that stuff saved my daily more than once even in just normal driving conditions. A good sturdy front and rear bumper will give you recovery points and protection on the trail and from trees if you hit some ice in normal driving. just my $0.02. Also lockers for sure. I never had them but i always wanted. I think o

lobukbuild

you can cheat a lunchbox type locker in the front by unlocking one hub. this will allow one tire yielding traction and the other free wheeling for tracking. prefered for snowy roads.

Riverman

+1 on the AT3s. I now run them on my daily driver Taco and on my road trip 4x4 vehicle. I've driven on them extensively in both the Southeast and Northwest. They are an awesome compromise between a daily driving tire and one that gives very solid performance in mud and snow.