I just purchased a 1996 Tacoma Extracab 4x4 that is relatively stock with the exception of 15x10 wheels and 31x10.5x15 Bridgestone Duelers. What mods should I think about first if I want to take her off-road?

 

here's some advice i got fron another board when i asked the same thing back when i first got my 4runner...

These guys in this forum are into the "Hard Core" wheeling, Its only obvious, you have seen suggestions to rip
the front end out of it and replace it with a solid axle. If you are into the hard stuff then yeah go for it, but I
think I know what you are after. You drive your 4Runner to work everyday and want to hit some trails on the weekend.
The middleground "Multi Purpose" rig. Right?

First, leave your trucks engine as close to stock as possible, make only minor intake and exhaust mods. If you go to
wild you won't be as reliable.

Second, I recommend a good set of aggressive All terrain tires I have had mudders and swampers and the like but the
good ol BF Goodrich All Terrian T/AKO are my current tires and they are great. Quiet on the road and rugged, yet
agressive enough for most situations off-road.

Third, Practice. Take your truck on easy trails to start and gain more experience. Do this throughout the modifications
process, that way you have a frame of reference and can test each mod.

Fourth, maybe some swaybar disconnects so that your syspension can flex to the best of its ability.

Fifth, If you don't already have some sort of traction control I would get a limited slip or mild locker for the
rear differential. Avoid front lockers unless its selectable such as an ARB as a fulltime front locker will make your
rig so its not too streetable.

Sixth, Rocker protection if needed, and a outdoor kit that you can throw in the back of your rig and strap it in.
(Survival gear, tools, first aid etc.) its good to be safe.

Seventh, If you like wheeling at night its good to get some extra lights installed, driving lights and off-road
lighting will help you a lot.

AVOID: Costly extensive modifications: You don't need 300HP and 36" tires with full width Dana 60s to enjoy off-road
adventures. Example: R33 GT-R is saying you should rip the IFS out of your brand new rig before its payed off and out
of warranty? Expensive and dumb for your intended use, 4" lift may come in handy with the large tires and you may want
to do that some day, but that isn't the first mod I would do unless you need it, and with much larger tires you WILL
need to regear the diffs. Furthermore a Supercharger?? unless you opted for that one you purchased you rig, or you
really want the added power then I would avoid it, 2,000 can be better spent, Obviously if you went the rout that
R22GT-4 is suggesting you will be spending your house payments on your rig and when you are done, you won't have a
very streetable rig and you may be upset with the outcome, sure off-road it will be DOMINANT but again how serious of
stuff do you get into and how often do you wheel?? They key to multipurpose is streetable reliable daily driver that
can tackle a variety of trails

Moderate suspension lift.
Streetable All/terrain tires
limited slip or mild rear locker, selectable front(if needed)
limited engine mods
EXPERIENCE.

hope that helps. some of the first things i did were a lift, and better tires. that sure helps a lot. i'm working on getting the other things, like sliders and a locker, and always working on experience.

 

Welcome.

10.5" tires on 10" wheels though?! Maybe that works better than I thought, but if you want to go off-road and don't want your tires falling off, could I suggest smaller wheels?

 

Calrocx, very good job. Every bit made sense to me. I am new to offroading aswell and have built along the lines you have from the sounds of it.

 

Just wondering. Why would exhaust mods make your vehicle less reliable?

 

Thanks calrockx for the very good information. This is all very new to me. I have been driving a '98 Cobra every day for the past two years. A month ago I bought a 2003 Eddie Bauer V8 Explorer. My wife drives it every day. I wanted to put a grill guard and bigger tires on it. She said that would just "make it ugly". Anyway, I went out yesterday and paid $5500 cash for a 1996 Tacoma Extra Cab in great shape with 150,000 miles on it and I am going to do all of the things to it that I wanted to do to the Explorer. The Tacoma has the 2.7L 4 cylinder engine, and it really feels weak compared to the Explorer and my Cobra, both of which have 4.6L V8's and put out 245 HP and 305 HP respectively. I would really like to know if there is anything I can do for more power. What is the "deckplate mod"? Do they make a supercharger for the 2.7L engine?

 

i'd start off with differential breathers. they are easy to do, and can save you a lot of repairing/changing diff oil if you do any water crossings

you can find the writeup in here somewhere i think

 

i started by saving money.....then i blew up the engine.....now here i am, with 2 cars....and no money, oh well though! my trail rig has a 2.4l engine and i put exhaust on it, helped alot, then i put k&n, and rebuilt the engine .50 over, with race porting and cam and stuff. it will pull my 32's like no tommorow, havent gear'd the rear end yet either!

laterz


wade

 

What exhaust do you recommend for the 2.7L engine? The current exhaust is totally stock. It does have to pass emissions testing, so it has to have a catalytic converter. I noticed that the exhaust on the truck is basically three pieces. The first is the manifold or header. The second is thw cat pipe. The third is the muffler pipe or cat-back. Which pieces would you recommend replacing and with what? Thanks for the info wimpywade94!

 

they do hace a supercharger for your engine. it should put you up in the power range of a stock 3.4 v6.

 

as for exhaust for the 2.7, take a look at www.lcengineering.com i have their headers and noticed a pretty good increase in power and throttle response. others have gone with their full exhaust system with the headers also. and ive heard that also gives noticeable increase. for me all i have is the headers, their high flow cat and a dynomax muffler, it sounds pretty good and gives decent power increase and slightly better fuel economy.
as for the TRD supercharger... i had that at one time, didnt work on my truck for some reason, i was getting boost, but no power increase. so there was 2 grand i spent and luckily got back. for some it works wonders on the 2.7, on others (like me) it does nothing. a lot of guys over on tacoma territory have supercharged their 2.7 with very good results. so take a gander over there and see what you can come up with.
good luck

-Casey