Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives spruced up the Tacoma

My Tacoma came new with these cheesy 4X4 stickers on the side. I've never like 4X4 stickers, as you shouldn't have to tell people it's a 4X4, it should be obvious. Yeah, I know, they're just stickers, but what the heck.

Here is how it came new:




How it looks now:




One of these days I'll paint the top black, but I don't think it looks too bad as is.

Looks very classy. I'd leave the top white. E

Yea, but with Tacomas you do. Mine is 4X4 and the only way to tell the difference between it and a Pre-Runner is to look inside and if it has a 4X4 selector. I used to have 4X4 on the mud flaps, but the front ones broke and I just removed all of them. MIne is an 07 with only TRD stickers which are also on the Pre-Runners.

There are even a lot of 4X2 Pre-Runners around here that have been lifted and running bigger tires.

But I do like what you did, looks better.

Those look good.
I replaced mine a couple years back. Found a guy on Tacoma World that makes them.

Bet those stickers added at least 10 hp too!

First thing I did with mine was take the trd stickers off.

I thought the TRD stickers meant there was extra equipment?

One owner told me it was locking differentials

At one time the TRD option got you Bilstein shocks and a locking rear differential.

TRD is a Toyota package just like Z71 is for Chevy. It means something, but that something varies based on model and year. Some options are only available with the TRD package.

My Tacoma is a base model and why my stickers are SR5. I have upgraded springs and shocks with better than what comes on the TRD for less than what the TRD package costs. I plan to change gears someday and will put in an ARB locker at the same time.

Still, they are just stickers but I like my goats. My rock sliders will be going on later this month, then new tires. Someday new gears to make it climb like a goat.

FYI TRD= Toyota Racing Development

My oldest boy got a '15 Tacoma 4x4 a couple months ago with the TRD Off-Road package.

Includes: Bilstein shocks, electronically controlled rear differential, Active Traction Control (A-TRAC), Hill Start Assit Control (HAC) and Downhill Assit Control (DAC).

Personally, I think the TRD Off-Road package is not worth the $$. Better off getting an the aftermarket ICON suspension system instead.

Looks good. I debaged. Y Tacoma 2 weeks after I got it.

Couple more upgrades. Rock sliders, 4.56 gears, and a Detroit truetrac.

Where did you find the new stickers?

Hmmm, I buy 4x4 to get better traction. Don't give a rats aSS who knows its 4x4. Around here 2 wheel is uncommon.

What brand sliders? Bolt on or welded?

I'm looking for a set of bolt ons, not too good of a welder.

They are bolt on from SOS Concepts. They are very well made and fit perfectly.

Black will add 20F to the inside temperature. The white will stay far cooler.

I like it. What was the stock gear ratio?

Simply removing the stickers would have been a huge improvement.

They're 3.73's. I'm curious about the cost to do a typical 4.56 swap on one of these rigs. Mine could use a bit more gearing with 32" tires. Overdrive lugs too badly around town because the computer upshifts to often and too early. I lock out OD if not breaking 45mph.

The cost of the gears is not bad, of course you have to do front and back so it does add up. The more labor you can do yourself the cheaper it is. I know properly setting up the gears was beyond my ability, so I ordered setup 3rd member and clamshell from ECGS. Adding the Detroit made it more expensive than just a gear swap.

It's easy enough to swap out the complete carriers yourself if handy with a wrench.

If you have a local 4X4 shop, they can usually give a pretty accurate quote on what labor will cost to do the gear swap. I was kind of surprised how cheap it was to have them re-work the front diff on my yota, and they had parts in stock to do it.

Gear sets are a couple hundred.

PS, KodiakIsland - the truck is looking good! I dig the sliders.

I put a couple of those Truetracs in my Jeep Wrangler. A very nice upgrade!

Nice ride. I really like the tacos. Never owned one but many are in my family, uncle, cousins and so on. It's my plan to flip a couple of project trucks and buy a taco for a daily driver/beater/huntin,fishing truck. No lift or anything, just drive the devil out of it.

I've got a 2014 TRD. Being a past Jeep owner, I just assumed they left the "u" out. I'd like to do about 3" of lift to clear 285-76x16s but finding a local shop that will do it the way I want it done instead of cheap and cheesy has proven impossible. A bit of lift would help. I grind the receiver hitch pretty hard getting to my favorite back woods camping spot.

A front TrueTrac would be a decent upgrade. I ran one in my first TJ. It made a useful difference. (I didn't not waste time on a limited slip in the rear, I ran a Detroit locker.)

3 inches can be done, but it starts to get messy in a Tacoma. You will need new coilovers like bilstein 6112s or Fox 2.5s with 1/4 inch spacers. Add new upper control arms and a cab mount chop. Probably will need an ECGS CV shaft axle bushing to reduce vibrations. Rear is easy, just new springs, shocks, and brake lines.

I wish there were more options for the front diff. ARB selectable locker is the only one I know of made for it.

That's the direction I was thinking ... new springs and upper control arms. The local clown shop mechanics think it's going to work with spacers and don't seem to care about uneven tire wear.

For a lot of shops, spacer lifts are pure profit. If you didn't mind a rough ride and never got off pavement, they are OK.

It's actually pretty easy to do the lift yourself. You can get the coilovers already assembled and it's about like replacing shocks. The UCAs are easy to replace as well at the same time. I would stick to no more than 2-2.5 inches of lift with the coilovers and use 1/4-1/2 inch top plate spacers for any additional lift. Spacers over 1/2 inch should be avoided if ride and handling are important. I have only a 1/4in spacer on the driver side to account for the Taco lean.