Finally bit the bullet!

[steevo]

Hey T3G, posted here a few months ago with some questions about my upcoming purchase and I finally nutted up and did it. Wife's 2019 Rav4 was due for 15k service so I went up to the dealer and dropped it off, decided to wait for it and look around the lot at what they had sitting around. My exact truck was on the lot down to a T, found the salesman we got my wife's car through and made it happen. Gave me more than they should have on my trade-in and I got out of there with a leased 2020 Cement grey TRD Offroad in 6spd M/T, which I fully intend to purchase at the end of the lease period.

Now that I finally bit the bullet and got exactly what I wanted, I'm starting to build a parts list up and starting my car parts saving account back up (been a few years since I've binged car part shopping lol)

A few questions I have, what is a good middle-ground lift? I'm not a cheap ass but I also don't have any need for a high-end $5,000 lift kit. I was looking at rough country's 4" lift however I know rough-country has a reputation as "cheap" It will be for light off-roading, beach driving, stuff like that. No hardcore rock crawling or anything.
I'm a self-proclaimed wheel whore. I want to get a set of OLD multi-piece japanese 6 luggers that will fit my taco however I'm unsure what the measurements are on these trucks. Can anyone tell me the minimum backspacing/offset needed to clear TRD OR brakes/hubs/etc... I have a chart scaled for offset and backspacing needed to clear certain tire sizes but cannot find one for wheel sizes.
I'm going to be starting off with some cheaper mods such as the TRD Pro grille, LED headlights, etc... What are some other cheap mods you guys find essential in your builds?

Also - Anyone located in the coastal area of NC? I'm in Wilmington, live across the bridge, and I don't have any 4x4 friends in the area. All of my friends here are lowered car guys.

Thanks in advance for any input, it's greatly appreciated and I am super excited to start tinkering with this truck!!

 

[jchooley13]

Welcome!

Get on Rock Auto and get the unpainted rear bumper caps. Cheap, easy looks a lot better than the chrome. Also, don't forget stickers +5HP each

 

[steevo]

Welcome!

Get on Rock Auto and get the unpainted rear bumper caps. Cheap, easy looks a lot better than the chrome. Also, don't forget stickers +5HP each

2020's come with painted bumpers caps At least mine did, might have been an add-on lol.
Already got my Manual gearbox Preservation Society sticker on the way LOL

 

[jchooley13]

I sometimes wish I got the 6 speed, but then I take my other car (5 speed) out and get stuck in traffic and thank god the truck is auto . I guess a bed mat might be the next cheapest thing.

 

[steevo]

I sometimes wish I got the 6 speed, but then I take my other car (5 speed) out and get stuck in traffic and thank god the truck is auto . I guess a bed mat might be the next cheapest thing.

I'm lucky because I have a work car that I drive 90% of the time, the taco is going to be almost purely a sunday driver with the occasional trash run.
My little brother pointed out the other day, it appears that my truck has a factory installed bed-liner type thing. Its definitely not bare-metal like older trucks and its bolted into the bed. Not sure if its a standard thing on these trucks or not but I would like to get a non-slip rubberized mat for the bed.

 

[jchooley13]

I'm lucky because I have a work car that I drive 90% of the time, the taco is going to be almost purely a sunday driver with the occasional trash run.
My little brother pointed out the other day, it appears that my truck has a factory installed bed-liner type thing. Its definitely not bare-metal like older trucks and its bolted into the bed. Not sure if its a standard thing on these trucks or not but I would like to get a non-slip rubberized mat for the bed.

Yeah that's standard. Toyota makes a rubber mat. Everyone says it's worth getting, keeps things from sliding around. It's on my list just havent got it yet.

Speaking of the plastic bed, Bed stiffeners are a cheap mod. From what I read these beds can warp and the help and add more tie downs.

 

[Romp-A-Taco]

Bad Ass truck man. The new grille is rad. welcome to the forum.

 

[Nick BBP]

Hey T3G, posted here a few months ago with some questions about my upcoming purchase and I finally nutted up and did it. Wife's 2019 Rav4 was due for 15k service so I went up to the dealer and dropped it off, decided to wait for it and look around the lot at what they had sitting around. My exact truck was on the lot down to a T, found the salesman we got my wife's car through and made it happen. Gave me more than they should have on my trade-in and I got out of there with a leased 2020 Cement grey TRD Offroad in 6spd M/T, which I fully intend to purchase at the end of the lease period.

Now that I finally bit the bullet and got exactly what I wanted, I'm starting to build a parts list up and starting my car parts saving account back up (been a few years since I've binged car part shopping lol)

A few questions I have, what is a good middle-ground lift? I'm not a cheap ass but I also don't have any need for a high-end $5,000 lift kit. I was looking at rough country's 4" lift however I know rough-country has a reputation as "cheap" It will be for light off-roading, beach driving, stuff like that. No hardcore rock crawling or anything.
I'm a self-proclaimed wheel whore. I want to get a set of OLD multi-piece japanese 6 luggers that will fit my taco however I'm unsure what the measurements are on these trucks. Can anyone tell me the minimum backspacing/offset needed to clear TRD OR brakes/hubs/etc... I have a chart scaled for offset and backspacing needed to clear certain tire sizes but cannot find one for wheel sizes.
I'm going to be starting off with some cheaper mods such as the TRD Pro grille, LED headlights, etc... What are some other cheap mods you guys find essential in your builds?

Also - Anyone located in the coastal area of NC? I'm in Wilmington, live across the bridge, and I don't have any 4x4 friends in the area. All of my friends here are lowered car guys.

Thanks in advance for any input, it's greatly appreciated and I am super excited to start tinkering with this truck!!

Welcome, I’d go with the icon suspension kit that comes with the upper control arms with delta joints (which are $800 upper control arms alone) but beach driving in NC you’ll need them since the salt will destroy your uniballs those are sealed and don’t have any uninalls actually. If you plan on adding any weight at all to the back a leaf pack becomes mandatory but I’d recommend atleast an add a leaf. Idk about offset and backspace but a 0 offset and about 4.5 backspacing is what i have in a 16x8 and that’s like exactly flush with the fenders.

 

[Tyler]

Congrats on finding your exact rig and going through with the spontaneous purchase! I know how exciting it is when you weren't even planning to do it that day -- that's what I did too.

For lifts, a good middle ground lift would be what Nick mentioned above. I love my Icon setup and I have the lower end components (which are still a better product than true low-end kits). I usually say replace your leaf springs with something heavier duty, rather than adding a leaf to the stock springs, if you are going to add weight.

For the offset and backspacing question, you should decide what tire size you want to run first. That is going to matter for clearing your upper control arms.

If you need more specific info on this stuff, just ask. We can help you really dial in what you need.