Tacoma Confessions

[Townsend]

LOVE the rear end, tail lights, etc of the newest Tacos, and think the cement color is awesome, but I still can't get over the front end on these. Especially in person, just a little too "out there."

Now the previous front end, with the current a$$? Heaven.

 

[Caribou Sandstorm]

You may want to look again at the supercharger, Toyota Dealers no longer sell nor install superchargers. You would have to See if any aftermarket support will come along for the new 3.6l engine. You can get parts for older TRD superchargers, but not all of them(the 6 month wait may be over now).
Man do you really want to wheel a leaf sprung truck, after wheeling only coil sprung SUV's? different learning curve. Only 3500 lb towing capacity, that is a step backwards.

You know me, I am adventurous!! I also heard the supercharger program was no longer but came across the photo in the Tacoma World Forum.

 

[SteveH]

How will ARB make a bumper for this newest Taco that looks decent on there? There isn't really a discreet 'bumper' on this truck.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I think it's like the later 2nd gen ARB, it will require that you trim some plastic from your stock bumper to fill in the gap.

You can kind of see how it works on the 2012-2015 Tacoma, there's a little gap under the headlights. The 3rd gen grill is just more better.

 

[DaveInDenver]

A version that follows the grill instead.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Other than the grill, which is horrible, I think I like the styling on the 3rd gen a little better. The wheel arches don't look as exaggerated, for example. The ARB makes it look better for sure to me.

 

[Crash]

Just my .02 but the ARB here looks like something midway between a truly functional bullbar and a brush guard. That wing folds in just a little and there are some 'spensive parts getting crunched.

 

[Corbet]

Just kind of skimming this thread but I'm in a simiar position as you Chris.

The seats are not Leather in the Pro edition (I was looking at 4R) but a leather like material. Advantage 200
The drivetrain is a step backwards IMO with the new Tacoma, advantage 200
Ride quality... Advantage 200
Price, advantage everything other than 200

Honestly I'm probably going to rebuild my 1FZ and freshen up the seats, suspension, few other things and give it a super charger. My son's college fund will appreciate the extra 40K I don't spend on a 200.

The company that was building the TRD supercharges purchased the rights as Toyota did not want to support the program anymore. http://urdusa.com/store/Forced-Indu....html?osCsid=87247e4a4aa489d119dbc07ae483855a

No it will not be a new truck. But I honestly still love my 80 minus it's lack of power. And that is really only when the camper is attached. Otherwise I don't mind. And in the end I'll still have two lockers and a solid front axle.

I just might make it through life without ever having a car payment yet. (That's if you ignore the fact my wife's car is new with a payment ). I'm talking about for what I drive.

 

[TacoDane]

Looks so nice. Hope it ranks right up there with the Raptor. I had just gotten mine when they made the announcement. Not like I could afford it right now though. It looks sweet though. It seems like they put a lot into it.

 

[coloradobound]

Other than the grill, which is horrible, I think I like the styling on the 3rd gen a little better. The wheel arches don't look as exaggerated, for example. The ARB makes it look better for sure to me.

Look up dbcustomz for his grills

 

[AxleIke]

Lol

I won't say never, but I will say that I think pigs will fly before that drivetrain hits US shores for a production platform.

The next time I'm in New Zealand, I'm renting one for a day to see how it drives and compares to what we are used to in Tacos and 4runners.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Just my .02 but the ARB here looks like something midway between a truly functional bullbar and a brush guard. That wing folds in just a little and there are some 'spensive parts getting crunched.

There's some question about the bull bars for later model Tacomas and being crumple zone compliant. IOW, since ARB crash tests their bumpers if they made them too stout they'd transfer too much energy into the truck.

Everyone talks about airbag compliance but all bumpers are airbag complaint on the Taco since the sensors are mounted inboard and not in the bumpers. It's just that the more stout bumpers would trigger the air bags as lower speeds than the ARB with the crush cans.

I suspect the 3rd gen Tacoma has been lighten even more than the 2nd gen, which has a pretty non-heavy duty frame already, so the bumper ARB made had to be even less substantial.

Just all speculation, though. Just stuff I've thought about since I was (maybe still am) considering an ARB for our truck. But notice that ARB has never put those recovery tabs on their Tacoma bumpers. Makes me wonder about them. They require that you reuse your factory points. The bull bar on Imelda had provisions for hooks as well as two tabs for shackles.

 

[MDH33]

I kind of like the look of the more "stealth" winch mounts available for the newer Tacoma rather than a full blown bull bar:

Now if I can just talk Kim into trading in the Tundra...

 

[DaveInDenver]

I kind of like the look of the more "stealth" winch mounts available for the newer Tacoma rather than a full blown bull bar:

Now if I can just talk Kim into trading in the Tundra...

If all you need is a winch/recovery point those do look nice. They don't offer much trail, wildlife or shopping cart protection or mall cred* though.

*I'm only half kidding about mall credibility. Didn't realize it until I went back to a stock truck, but with a substantial bumper you tend to get cut off in traffic less...

 

[CBone]

Go for it Chris. Taco's certainly aren't Land Cruisers, but they can be a lot of fun and as you mentioned, tons of options for fun, camping, etc.

 

[TacoDane]

I kind of like the look of the more "stealth" winch mounts available for the newer Tacoma rather than a full blown bull bar:

I plan something like this for mine. Love the idea of a more stout bumper but am going to avoid weighing down the front of this truck. Just a couple hundred pounds on the front can make a big difference in the way a truck handles on the street and I don't want to have to lift the front more to adjust for the weight.

 

[Caribou Sandstorm]

Go for it Chris. Taco's certainly aren't Land Cruisers, but they can be a lot of fun and as you mentioned, tons of options for fun, camping, etc.

yep, my eyes lit up when I saw your set up and your rig looks super cool, btw..

After selling our second Euorvan camper a few years back, I have been wanting a pickup to add a camper for certain adventures..

Also I like the ladder racks for summer paddle boarding runs to Chatfield. And I am always tossing dirty sports equipment in the 100.. So all in all a Taco appeals to me and has functionality I can use every day.

I am excited to go test drive a 2016 this weekend!

 

[waggoner5]

Christo will have a 16 White Tacoma in a couple of weeks that he will use to prototype bumpers, sliders etc and take to shows etc. Stay tuned. Shortbus style bumper on a new Taco would be cool looking.

 

[Caribou Sandstorm]

Christo will have a 16 White Tacoma in a couple of weeks that he will use to prototype bumpers, sliders etc and take to shows etc. Stay tuned. Shortbus style bumper on a new Taco would be cool looking.

Awesome Gary!

 

[AxleIke]

Shortbus style bumper on a new Taco would be cool looking.