How to build a budget OEM+ overland 4th gen Tacoma

[Chris_2025OR]

Build thread and review of my 2025 Tacoma TRD Off Road Long bed

I really wanted a rear locker, so I went with the OR trim stripped down with no options.

The goal with this build was to keep it as close to stock as possible and as cheap as possible while still gaining real off-road benefits. The truck is mainly used as a camping vehicle in Southern California where I'll be doing a lot of highway driving followed by dirt roads, jeep trails, and desert washes. I pulled from the experience I gained from previous builds (2nd gen 4runner, 4th gen 4runner, 1st gen Tacoma, 1st gen Tundra, 5th gen F350) to come up with something simple and clean, but functional and capable.

1st things first - tires, the #1 most important mod IMO

Most AT or RT tires from a reputable brand will get the job done. So, I'd recommend doing a little research on which tire will best fit your intended purpose. As far as the size, I went with 285/70r17 or 33x15.r17. They fit stock without any modifications, and I think the worth-it-ness of anything bigger starts going down when you compare what you gain in offroad capability vs what you lose in wear and tear and drivability (just my $.02 but it's also the size Icon Vehicle Dynamics recommends for the 4th gen.) 285/75r17s would be my chosen size if it were about looks - but that's not what this build is about.

One thing I'll say is to be mindful of the tire's weight. The Duratrac RT are a load range E and have an uncomfortable ride when they're unloaded, feel heavier in the steering, and dropped my mpg from 21 to 17. The lane tracing assist also has trouble steering the tires in turns so you really have to pay attention to it. I chose the beefier tire because I'm running a lot of extra weight and wanted a strong sidewall. But when I feel every bump in the road or cry about how far my mpg is from the EPA MPG, I sometimes dream of the good old days on Load C tires.

With the tires on, it was time for a shakedown run on a blue rated jeep trail to see what the truck's limitations were, to figure out what it really did (or didn't) need.

The first thing I noticed was that the Predator steps and stock exhaust scrape on just about everything, so I pulled those off right away. After that, all it really needed was some rock sliders to protect the rocker panels and a little bit of lift up front for extra clearance and more up travel on bigger hits (at the expense of down travel.) I had fully expected to install Kings in the future because that's what I ran in the past, but the stock Bilsteins are so good for what they are that it's getting hard to justify the cost of Kings (or any premium 2.5 shock.)

So the build came about, which I'll split into 3 categories; the bare minimum, the necessary, and the frivolous.

The bare minimum:
Remove predator steps
Axle dump exhaust (I went with NYTOP)

The necessary:
285/70r17 or 33x11.5r17 tires (Goodyear Duratrac RT)
Rock sliders (Cali raised)
Alldogs offroad front and rear springs
Ditch lights (Rigid)

The frivolous:
ARE shell
Bajarack roof rack
Spidertrax 1" wheel spacers
Amazon 8 gallon water tank
Amazon awning
Pelican case

I've been using this setup for a few months now and there isn't much I would change. I've thought about installing Bulletproof fab rear bumper skid plates, not because I've needed them , but it would be nice to have the peace of mind back there. If I could go back, I'd get the trail edition rock sliders from Cali raised instead of the step edition because the kickout hangs out just a little too far. Otherwise, this has gotten me through 99% of what's out there except for OHV specific areas with rock sections or trails meant for crawlers and jeeps. Of course it would be nice to have more lift, full skids, front locker, better shock damping, bigger tires, etc, etc. But if you leave out the frivolous stuff I added, this relatively simple build is the best bang per dollar I've found for the 4th gen Tacoma.

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[malore]

Great build! Everything ya need. Nothing ya don’t. I love it. Amazing how good the stock wheels look with proper tires too. Well done!

 

[JakeJoeBob]

Great build! Had a similar methodology. I feel the same way about the Bilsteins. They are really good for what they are, for sure some rome for improvment but not 6000 dollars worth or at least not yet...I eventually see some 2.5 Accutune Fox or some Kings when the Bilsteins start wearing out.

 

[EastonTaco]

This is a great post, right to the point with what you need vs. what you may think you need. Great looking truck too!

 

[dvrgz]

If I could go back, I'd get the trail edition rock sliders from Cali raised instead of the step edition because the kickout hangs out just a little too far.

Have you encountered any problems because of the kick out? Just curious in case there’s something I need to look out for. I just got mine. Loving them.

 

[Chris_2025OR]

Have you encountered any problems because of the kick out? Just curious in case there’s something I need to look out for. I just got mine. Loving them.

Not necessarily a big problem but I've hit the kickout on rocks where it would have otherwise cleared. Not a big deal but I'd prefer to clear than to hit.

 

[Carolina Buckeye]

Nice build. Those Wranglers look good. Think that's what I'll go with when the time comes.

 

[BIGPZA]

Build thread and review of my 2025 Tacoma TRD Off Road Long bed

I really wanted the rear locker so I went with the OR trim stripped down with no options.

The goal with this build was to keep it as close to stock as possible and as cheap as possible while still gaining real off-road benefits. The truck is mainly used as a camping vehicle in Southern California where I'll be doing a lot of highway driving followed by dirt roads, jeep trails, and desert washes. I pulled from the experience I gained from previous builds (2nd gen 4runner, 4th gen 4runner, 1st gen Tacoma, 1st gen Tundra, 5th gen F350) to come up with something simple and clean, but functional and capable.

1st things first - tires
285/70r17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac RT Load Range E
The #1 most important mod IMO. I worked at a ski resort for 10 years and this was the tire we ran on our company vehicles - they ROCK in the snow. I ran Nitto Ridge Grapplers, BFG Ko2, and General AT2 before this and I've liked the performance of RT tires recently, but that's subjective. One thing I'll say is to be mindful of the tire's weight. The Duratrac RT have an uncomfortable ride when they're unloaded, feel heavier in the steering, and dropped my mpg from 21 to 17. The lane tracing assist also has trouble steering the tires in turns so you really have to pay attention to it. Although 285/75r17s are tempting because they'd look better, I don't think the drawbacks of an even heavier tire would be worth the minimal off-road gain. Just my $.02 though.

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With the tires on, it was time for a shakedown run on a blue rated jeep trail to see what the truck's limitations were. And I found that the stock truck was surprisingly capable and really only needed a few minor changes; Predator steps had to go and so did the stock exhaust, some rock sliders to protect the rocker panels, and a minor front lift to gain a little bit of clearance and shift the static height of the struts up to gain more up travel (at the expense of down travel.) I had fully expected to install Kings in the future because that's what I ran in the past, but the stock Bilsteins are so good for what they are that it's getting hard to justify the cost of Kings (or any premium 2.5 shock.)

So the build came about, which I'll split into 3 categories; the bare minimum, the necessary, and the frivolous.

The bare minimum:
Remove predator steps
Axle dump exhaust (I went with NYTOP)

The necessary:
285/70r17 or 33x11.5r17 tires (Goodyear Duratrac RT)
Rock sliders (Cali raised)
Alldogs offroad front and rear springs
Ditch lights (Rigid)

The frivolous:
ARE shell
Bajarack roof rack
Spidertrax 1" wheel spacers
Amazon 8 gallon water tank
Amazon awning
Pelican case

I've been using this setup for a few months now and there isn't much I would change. Maybe bed stiffeners? Does anyone have thoughts on those? I've also thought about installing Bulletproof fab rear bumper skid plates, not because I've needed them , but it would be nice to have the peace of mind back there. If I could go back, I'd get the trail edition rock sliders from Cali raised instead of the step edition because the kickout hangs out just a little too far. Otherwise, this has gotten me through 99% of what's out there except for OHV specific areas with rock sections or trails meant for crawlers and jeeps. Of course it would be nice to have more lift, full skids, front locker, better shock damping, bigger tires, etc, etc. But if you leave out the frivolous stuff I added, this relatively simple build is the best bang per dollar I've found for the 4th gen Tacoma.

Truck looks awesome. Hoping you can shed a little more light on your experience with going 285/70 on the stock wheels. I've been mulling over a very similar set up because it would allow me to save the roughly $1,200 I'd spend on new wheels. I know the stock TRD wheels are a 7.5" which made me a little nervous given the width of the 285s. I don't really have a wealth of off road experience to pull from, and I remember reading somewhere that 8" was the minimum recommended wheel width when running 285s which spooked me out a little. What's your experience been?

 

[Chris_2025OR]

Truck looks awesome. Hoping you can shed a little more light on your experience with going 285/70 on the stock wheels. I've been mulling over a very similar set up because it would allow me to save the roughly $1,200 I'd spend on new wheels. I know the stock TRD wheels are a 7.5" which made me a little nervous given the width of the 285s. I don't really have a wealth of off road experience to pull from, and I remember reading somewhere that 8" was the minimum recommended wheel width when running 285s which spooked me out a little. What's your experience been?

No issues at all - highly recommend saving the money for more important things

 

[bsquaredMTB]

Great information here! What specific springs did you go with and how did it change the ride quality (if any)? I'm curious if anyone has compared this coil spring lift vs a preload collar (westcott designs) or a spacer lift. Also, any impact on the overall geometry? Are we putting our trucks at any risk with bigger springs?

 

[Chris_2025OR]

Great information here! What specific springs did you go with and how did it change the ride quality (if any)? I'm curious if anyone has compared this coil spring lift vs a preload collar (westcott designs) or a spacer lift. Also, any impact on the overall geometry? Are we putting our trucks at any risk with bigger springs?

I went with alldogs offroad springs front and rear. The front have a +15% increase in spring rate and 1.5" lift which feels just about right. The rears need to be loaded down with a couple hundred pounds to ride well and sit somewhere around +2-3" over stock unloaded (I didn't measure, just eyeballing here.) I'm carrying somewhere around 400lbs, so the heavy-duty rear springs are perfect for my application. But I would recommend just the front lift if you're unloaded or near it and you want to level.

The ride quality is still soft but way better than stock. More up travel and a stiffer spring rate up front help with bigger hits. The rear springs are perfect with the added weight and articulate well, but I can feel the valving on the rear shocks is off. It feels hollow through the middle of the shock travel at higher speeds. It's fine for low to medium speed stuff though.

Because we're not increasing the overall droop travel of the suspension and the Bilstein shocks have internal bump stops, I'm not too worried about the geometry at 1.5" lift.

 

[bsquaredMTB]

I went with alldogs offroad springs front and rear. The front have a +15% increase in spring rate and 1.5" lift which feels just about right. The rears need to be loaded down with a couple hundred pounds to ride well and sit somewhere around +2-3" over stock unloaded (I didn't measure, just eyeballing here.) I'm carrying somewhere around 400lbs, so the heavy-duty rear springs are perfect for my application. But I would recommend just the front lift if you're unloaded or near it and you want to level.

The ride quality is still soft but way better than stock. More up travel and a stiffer spring rate up front help with bigger hits. The rear springs are perfect with the added weight and articulate well, but I can feel the valving on the rear shocks is off. It feels hollow through the middle of the shock travel at higher speeds. It's just fine for low to medium speed stuff though.

Because we're not increasing the overall droop travel of the suspension and the Billstein shocks have internal bump stops, I'm not too worried about the geometry at 1.5" lift.

Thanks for the info. This is the first time I'm thinking of modifying my suspension on a truck so I'm new to all this. This is all great stuff to know!

 

[bsquaredMTB]

Not necessarily a big problem but I've hit the kickout on rocks where it would have otherwise cleared. Not a big deal but I'd prefer to clear than to hit.

I'm definitely no expert here but I think that's a "feature" of the design. From what I've seen the kickout protects the rear from damage by pushing the vehicle away from bigger boulders. I'm not sure if that helps or not but that's just what I've read about those kickouts. Me, personally, I like having that step to reach into the bed when I need to.

 

[bronzebeast]

I've thought about installing Bulletproof fab rear bumper skid plates

Since this is all about oem+ on a budget I thought I would drop in and say theyre actually doing a memorial day sale right now. I picked up just the skid plates and I'm developing a "spacer" to go in place of their (350$) recovery points required to mount said skids. Reason being, if I'm gonna recover on the rear I'm using a hitch link, not recovery points with less breaking strength. When I finish up the spacers I'll post a DXF for anyone who wants em made from SCS will end up being about 65$ shipped with their wrinkle black powder coat.

 

[myhikingboots]

Nice build! I'm interested in the ARE cap, what series and add-ons. Also do you sleep in the back? I'm coming from a full-size truck with a 6.5' bed that I had setup with a topper with a custom bed with drawers etc.

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