- First Name
- Austin
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2026
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 15
- Location
- SW Colorado
- Vehicle(s)
- 2026 Tacoma TRD off-road, 2022 Tacoma TRD off-road
- Thread starter
- #1
I just finished up the first mod on my new TRD OR. I want to share my thoughts on the truck, OEM trd lift kit, and new wheels/tires.
First, my partner and I have a manual TRD off-road 5’ bed 2022 so that is my comparison. The fourth generation is better in every way. The ride quality, transmission, and engine performance are such welcome upgrades. The cabin is so quiet on the fourth generation! it is so lovely on long, two plus hour drives on highways/rural roads to get to camping spots. The seats are comfortable and spacious up front. The rear seats are fine since I don’t have to sit back there
. JBL speaks are okay but it feels like Toyota/JBL had a huge blunder on the tuning/amplification. The door speakers just send out 10% muddy sound… it’s okay but not a premium sound. If you do not have the JBL sound system, you are not missing out!
TRD oem lift kit:
Disclaimer, I have not driven a stock TRD off-road suspension on the gen4 Tacoma. To me, the TRD oem lift kit tends to ride on the firmer side compared to my stock 2022 trd off-road. The firm suspension was apparent when off-roading in Moab. Not a bad thing but was a bit harsh on the stock OEM tires and 18” trd OR wheels. Build quality is top notch, as I expected with a trd branded suspension upgrade. It feels like a meaningful upgrade compared to the spacer lifts I’ve seen. I look forward to putting a super pacific camper on the bed because the rear coils handle +400lbs payloads quite well!
Wheels and tires:
Method Wheels 703 bead grip (17”x8.5” +35offset) wrapped with a Toyo Tire Open Country AT3 (C-rating 285/75/17)
These tires and wheels are a noticeable upgrade. Ride height/ground clearance has increased drastically. I can feel the difference with the wider tires and slightly more aggressive +35 offset compared to the stock +55. The truck feels more planted but a bit sluggish while turning. Not bad, just different. All of the Toyota safety sense equipment has remained functional and working the same as it did with the OEM wheels/tires. MPGs are surprisingly comparable to the oem wheels and tires. At the moment I’m getting about 19 mpg on highway/country roads. I live in the boonies so no city driving information. I will update you if this MPG changes at all but for now, I’m just seeing a bit more turbo usage when getting up to speed. Ride quality was even more harsh/firm after leaving discount tire but I found out quickly that the tires were inflated to 40/42 psi! Wow, it could have knocked out some fillings! Since then, I have brought tire pressures around 34psi and the ride quality is Devine. I look forward to my next mod, on board air, so that I can get the best out of the wheels and tires when off-roading down here in the desert.
Spare tire:
I am running a 5 tire rotation so I have a complete full-size spare tire. It does not fit under the bed in the stock location. My truck came with a 265/70/17 spare. The new combo of wheel/tire was not even close to fitting, FYI! Maybe if I brought the tire pressure to a low level it could work but that seems silly. If you are running 285/70/17, it would probably fit but that 285 width tire will hang low. I will be adding a YStrap and Molle panel to the bed so that I can secure the tire when weekend camping. For regular driving, I’ll just leave it at home.
First, my partner and I have a manual TRD off-road 5’ bed 2022 so that is my comparison. The fourth generation is better in every way. The ride quality, transmission, and engine performance are such welcome upgrades. The cabin is so quiet on the fourth generation! it is so lovely on long, two plus hour drives on highways/rural roads to get to camping spots. The seats are comfortable and spacious up front. The rear seats are fine since I don’t have to sit back there
. JBL speaks are okay but it feels like Toyota/JBL had a huge blunder on the tuning/amplification. The door speakers just send out 10% muddy sound… it’s okay but not a premium sound. If you do not have the JBL sound system, you are not missing out!TRD oem lift kit:
Disclaimer, I have not driven a stock TRD off-road suspension on the gen4 Tacoma. To me, the TRD oem lift kit tends to ride on the firmer side compared to my stock 2022 trd off-road. The firm suspension was apparent when off-roading in Moab. Not a bad thing but was a bit harsh on the stock OEM tires and 18” trd OR wheels. Build quality is top notch, as I expected with a trd branded suspension upgrade. It feels like a meaningful upgrade compared to the spacer lifts I’ve seen. I look forward to putting a super pacific camper on the bed because the rear coils handle +400lbs payloads quite well!
Wheels and tires:
Method Wheels 703 bead grip (17”x8.5” +35offset) wrapped with a Toyo Tire Open Country AT3 (C-rating 285/75/17)
These tires and wheels are a noticeable upgrade. Ride height/ground clearance has increased drastically. I can feel the difference with the wider tires and slightly more aggressive +35 offset compared to the stock +55. The truck feels more planted but a bit sluggish while turning. Not bad, just different. All of the Toyota safety sense equipment has remained functional and working the same as it did with the OEM wheels/tires. MPGs are surprisingly comparable to the oem wheels and tires. At the moment I’m getting about 19 mpg on highway/country roads. I live in the boonies so no city driving information. I will update you if this MPG changes at all but for now, I’m just seeing a bit more turbo usage when getting up to speed. Ride quality was even more harsh/firm after leaving discount tire but I found out quickly that the tires were inflated to 40/42 psi! Wow, it could have knocked out some fillings! Since then, I have brought tire pressures around 34psi and the ride quality is Devine. I look forward to my next mod, on board air, so that I can get the best out of the wheels and tires when off-roading down here in the desert.
Spare tire:
I am running a 5 tire rotation so I have a complete full-size spare tire. It does not fit under the bed in the stock location. My truck came with a 265/70/17 spare. The new combo of wheel/tire was not even close to fitting, FYI! Maybe if I brought the tire pressure to a low level it could work but that seems silly. If you are running 285/70/17, it would probably fit but that 285 width tire will hang low. I will be adding a YStrap and Molle panel to the bed so that I can secure the tire when weekend camping. For regular driving, I’ll just leave it at home.
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