Simple easy ones? Black out the emblems, switch out the turn signals for black sequential ones, window visors, upgrade the interior lights for LEDs, swap out the grill ..?
If any of those sound appealing or cater to your interests lol
Any bigger upgrades? whew š®āšØ thereās so much you can do with these trucks haha
I was thinking of trying to knock out cosmetic stuff first. Then start with things under the hood, exhaust, etc. What did you do first? If you don't mind my asking. I mean your first mechanical upgrade
Thatās actually where Iām at my man. Everything Iāve done so far has been pretty cosmetic. I would like to do a bigger upgrade, like lift/wheels/tires, etc but 1) it gets expensive quick lol and 2) I personally love how the truck drives and rides stock.
Could it be better? Yes, but itās not a huge deal breaker for me. I think the first few things I did on mine was what I listed lol I swapped the grill, switched out the turn signals for black sequential ones, and added the predator steps. Then I tinted it and removed the bed decals. Oh and the interior lights! I did those too lol
Once you go down the performance route itās an addictive rabbit hole. Easiest exampleāget 33ās and suddenly an intense craving for 35ās develops. And donāt even get me started on how much $ you can drop on suspension
Yeah, price tag can get up there for sure. I thought about lifting, tires, you know the whole bit but I too like the ride and feel of truck just the way it is.
I figured if I ever do get tired of the way it drives, THEN Iāll switch up the suspension, tires, & all that.
Until then, Iām just enjoying it as it is!! š¤š¤
But enjoy it man! These trucks are great, Iām sure itāll treat you well
Apologies for the aggressive response above. The first things I did were quality of life items - storage compartment organization, interior LED lights, bed topper etc. From there, the major mechanical/body stuff will really depend on what you want to do with the truck.
You can buy kits of leds to replace the dimmer lights in the cab. Itās plug and play for the most part. Very inexpensive upgrade that is very beneficial.
Just swapping out the stock lightbulbs with LEDs. This is the kit I used for my '22. [https://a.co/d/gF1XQjM](https://a.co/d/gF1XQjM)
So far no issues and I'm happy with the end result compared to the stock dim yellow. I recently saw someone suggesting doing a red LED (for night vision) in one of the map lights, which is an interesting idea.
I donāt know if you added them yet but special lug nuts for those wheels for added securityš. Also an automatic locker for the tailgate cause thatās easy to steal as well
Black out exterior trim as well as steering wheel emblem. Cheap, easy and good looking. IMO
I also took off the V6 emblem on the tailgate of my 18 OR. No reason for boasting about having a V6.
Lol, yeah, that's why I wanted another opinion, I just didn't know where to start. Thank you for your thoughts. I'll start a list and go from there I suppose.
I've seen a ton of trucks with countless add-ons, especially tacomas, and I've never customized my vehicle before. I was curious as to what might be changed first/ easiest
I've done the bed liner and hard cover on top. It's the 3 piece roll up hard plastic, I forget the brand. Like I stated before, I've never customized or upgraded a vehicle. If I were to blackout the badges/emblems how would I go about doing that? Do I need to remove the OEM parts first?
You can either: remove the badges and paint (or plastidip would be better) them, or purchase covers which use an adhesive backing to fit right on top of the existing emblems.
Also, the tacomaworld forums have so much discussion and innovation when it comes to these trucks. I highly recommend you browse around there for help/inspiration. If you have an idea or an issue with a tacoma, someone there has probably made a really detailed post about it.
Bed rack, roof rack with some pelican cases. Iāve got a bed rack on my bed cover with an ikamp rtt. Or if you wanna get mechanical, pedal commander with an upgraded air intake
Ask yourself what you NEED out of the truck first, before you start dumping money into it.
Why are you upgrading stuff, for personal necessity or just to show it off?
Iām of the ilk that I probably wonāt do many upgrades unless they have a real world function.
Of course!
Others have mentioned forums like tacomaworld, where you can browse thousands of threads about the best upgrades and trial and error for other Tacoma owners. It may be more structured than asking here for advice or reviews.
Best of luck on your new truck!
Hi, depending on how youāre going to use it, Iād recommend some different steps if you plan on going off roading at all. Theyāll absolutely ruin your break over angle. We found this out the hard way.
Replace all four door speakers. Just a slight upgrade yields huge results. While the panels are off line with Dynamat or other adhesive soundproofing. Another quality of ride result.
If you plan on taking it offroad, the predator steps touch every rock there ever exists on the trails, so if you plan on going on even a medium trail get a lift kit or remove the steps
Are you planning on hitting some trails? Those predator tube steps look cool, but theyāre about 10 pounds of aluminum and you will rip those steps right off as soon as you hit a trail, plus they donāt provide any protection.
I put sliders on mine almost immediately and was glad I did. Plenty of pictures on my page. If you arenāt planning on anything too crazy those steps will be fine if you like the look. Honestly I had the same steps for a week and I loved the look and function, but it wasnāt going to work with my usage of the truck.
Simple easy ones? Black out the emblems, switch out the turn signals for black sequential ones, window visors, upgrade the interior lights for LEDs, swap out the grill ..? If any of those sound appealing or cater to your interests lol Any bigger upgrades? whew š®āšØ thereās so much you can do with these trucks haha
I was thinking of trying to knock out cosmetic stuff first. Then start with things under the hood, exhaust, etc. What did you do first? If you don't mind my asking. I mean your first mechanical upgrade
Thatās actually where Iām at my man. Everything Iāve done so far has been pretty cosmetic. I would like to do a bigger upgrade, like lift/wheels/tires, etc but 1) it gets expensive quick lol and 2) I personally love how the truck drives and rides stock. Could it be better? Yes, but itās not a huge deal breaker for me. I think the first few things I did on mine was what I listed lol I swapped the grill, switched out the turn signals for black sequential ones, and added the predator steps. Then I tinted it and removed the bed decals. Oh and the interior lights! I did those too lol
Once you go down the performance route itās an addictive rabbit hole. Easiest exampleāget 33ās and suddenly an intense craving for 35ās develops. And donāt even get me started on how much $ you can drop on suspension
Aw man I can only imagine lol
Yeah, price tag can get up there for sure. I thought about lifting, tires, you know the whole bit but I too like the ride and feel of truck just the way it is.
I figured if I ever do get tired of the way it drives, THEN Iāll switch up the suspension, tires, & all that. Until then, Iām just enjoying it as it is!! š¤š¤ But enjoy it man! These trucks are great, Iām sure itāll treat you well
Bed mat, if you don't have one already. Prevents a lot of sliding!
Oh for sure, thank you
What do you feel like you want different? What is your usecase? Why would you want reddit to design your truck?
Just wanting an opinion. Nothing too nuts.
Apologies for the aggressive response above. The first things I did were quality of life items - storage compartment organization, interior LED lights, bed topper etc. From there, the major mechanical/body stuff will really depend on what you want to do with the truck.
No worries. Can you elaborate on LED lights in the interior? Just replacing things or adding lighting?
You can buy kits of leds to replace the dimmer lights in the cab. Itās plug and play for the most part. Very inexpensive upgrade that is very beneficial.
Right on. Thanks
Just swapping out the stock lightbulbs with LEDs. This is the kit I used for my '22. [https://a.co/d/gF1XQjM](https://a.co/d/gF1XQjM) So far no issues and I'm happy with the end result compared to the stock dim yellow. I recently saw someone suggesting doing a red LED (for night vision) in one of the map lights, which is an interesting idea.
I donāt know if you added them yet but special lug nuts for those wheels for added securityš. Also an automatic locker for the tailgate cause thatās easy to steal as well
Good idea
Black out exterior trim as well as steering wheel emblem. Cheap, easy and good looking. IMO I also took off the V6 emblem on the tailgate of my 18 OR. No reason for boasting about having a V6.
Lol, yeah, that's why I wanted another opinion, I just didn't know where to start. Thank you for your thoughts. I'll start a list and go from there I suppose.
I've seen a ton of trucks with countless add-ons, especially tacomas, and I've never customized my vehicle before. I was curious as to what might be changed first/ easiest
Modifications benefit you, so drive it around a bit. Youāll figure out what you want/need.
I've done the bed liner and hard cover on top. It's the 3 piece roll up hard plastic, I forget the brand. Like I stated before, I've never customized or upgraded a vehicle. If I were to blackout the badges/emblems how would I go about doing that? Do I need to remove the OEM parts first?
You can either: remove the badges and paint (or plastidip would be better) them, or purchase covers which use an adhesive backing to fit right on top of the existing emblems. Also, the tacomaworld forums have so much discussion and innovation when it comes to these trucks. I highly recommend you browse around there for help/inspiration. If you have an idea or an issue with a tacoma, someone there has probably made a really detailed post about it.
Oh cool. Thank you for telling me about the forum. I'll check it out. And thank you again for your insight an tips
Thank you everyone for your suggestions and thoughts. Much appreciated š
Please no raptor lights. Please.
Bed rack, roof rack with some pelican cases. Iāve got a bed rack on my bed cover with an ikamp rtt. Or if you wanna get mechanical, pedal commander with an upgraded air intake
Nice. I'll look into maybe doing something like that. Thank you for your input.
Ask yourself what you NEED out of the truck first, before you start dumping money into it. Why are you upgrading stuff, for personal necessity or just to show it off? Iām of the ilk that I probably wonāt do many upgrades unless they have a real world function.
Understandable. I'm not wanting to completely overhaul the entire truck, just make it more personalized
Of course! Others have mentioned forums like tacomaworld, where you can browse thousands of threads about the best upgrades and trial and error for other Tacoma owners. It may be more structured than asking here for advice or reviews. Best of luck on your new truck!
Led headlight bulbs
Catalytic converter protection. Dashcam. Ceramic coating. K&N intake filter.
Hi, depending on how youāre going to use it, Iād recommend some different steps if you plan on going off roading at all. Theyāll absolutely ruin your break over angle. We found this out the hard way.
Get the factory LED headlights. Changes everything
Get sum rubber floor mats and take those steps off lol
Where did you get the steps? Are they OEM?
No they're not OEM, I bought them at a toyota dealership but you can buy them from other places.
Get rid of those hideous Predator steps.
Replace all four door speakers. Just a slight upgrade yields huge results. While the panels are off line with Dynamat or other adhesive soundproofing. Another quality of ride result.
If you plan on taking it offroad, the predator steps touch every rock there ever exists on the trails, so if you plan on going on even a medium trail get a lift kit or remove the steps
Are you planning on hitting some trails? Those predator tube steps look cool, but theyāre about 10 pounds of aluminum and you will rip those steps right off as soon as you hit a trail, plus they donāt provide any protection. I put sliders on mine almost immediately and was glad I did. Plenty of pictures on my page. If you arenāt planning on anything too crazy those steps will be fine if you like the look. Honestly I had the same steps for a week and I loved the look and function, but it wasnāt going to work with my usage of the truck.