2015 Tacoma TRD Sport SB

[Uncle D]

bkg....its still a good skill set to have...I don't actually think a set of 33" tires will look bad. I think the 35's that are currently on it are way too big looking. I'll take a gamble and see how it looks.

 

[Uncle D]

Mr. Wilson....when I was up at AT Overland yesterday, we measured an extended cab tacoma's wheelbase and then measure mine. The wheelbase was the same. I think the flatbed measurement for hauling a fleet is 72 or 78 inches. Its only a foot to a foot and a half longer than the short box currently on it. The guys at AT didn't seem to think it would be a problem. I'm waiting for the final word from them before moving forward. At a minimum, the finch fits nicely in the bed of the truck.....wouldn't mind just a little more space, not too much more though.

 

[brianjwilson]

The wheel base isn't the problem. It is the center of gravity. The fleet flatbed is very long. The distance from the can to the axle on your truck is very short. There is going to be a lot of weight behind the axle that is going to make the handling much worse.

As I said, SOME people (not many) are using tacomas with 6" lifts are carrying campers. The few I have seen have 6' beds. I'm only trying to give you sound advice but ultimately it's your decision. I'm sure a camper and flat bed dealer is happy to take your money.

 

[projected]

Mr. Wilson....when I was up at AT Overland yesterday, we measured an extended cab tacoma's wheelbase and then measure mine. The wheelbase was the same. I think the flatbed measurement for hauling a fleet is 72 or 78 inches. Its only a foot to a foot and a half longer than the short box currently on it. The guys at AT didn't seem to think it would be a problem. I'm waiting for the final word from them before moving forward. At a minimum, the finch fits nicely in the bed of the truck.....wouldn't mind just a little more space, not too much more though.

Interesting, when I visited AT in 2014 and asked Mario about a flatbed FWC on my 2012 5' bed crew cab Frontier he said it wasn't possible, now you're being told it may be possible. After looking at my axle placement in relation to the length of the bed it was obvious to me that a flatbed with all the weight behind the rear axle would not be a wise choice for any 5' bed mid size truck.

The wheel base isn't the problem. It is the center of gravity. The fleet flatbed is very long. The distance from the can to the axle on your truck is very short. There is going to be a lot of weight behind the axle that is going to make the handling much worse.

X2

 

[Uncle D]

projected....When I called up to AT I originally spoke to Mario. He wasn't available when I stopped up this week. Martyn spent a couple hours talking through a few things. It makes sense that the center of gravity might be off. What we really need is a flatbed finch for the 5' beds. I'll let you know what they send me.

 

[brianjwilson]

Look at all terrain campers if you're considering a short or custom flat bed camper. They do custom work and likely have shorter wait times and better customer service.

I love my fleet but they will not do anything custom. And my camper had been back at the factory for five weeks now because of an interior shower leak that was clearly overlooked at the factory. I still don't have an ETA on getting it back or any answer on whether or not they are going to meet me somewhere or if I'm responsible for driving all the way back to CA to pick it up. I'm happy that they're taking care of it but running out of patience.

 

[Uncle D]

I took it to a place that specializes in lift kits. Looks like its a rough country 6 inch lift. So, with that said, the cross member has definitely been cut and replaced. I'm going to order some 33 x 10.5 BFG KO2's for it and replace the rims with 17" x 8"....looking at a 4.5 offset. I'm going to get some high end front coil overs for it and a new leaf for the back that'll hold the weight of the FWC camper. I think that should work out just fine judging by the research I've done. I'm curious if anyone knows how the truck will ride when I pull out the spacer in the front and replace with coil overs? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Uncle D]

Brian,

when you speak of all terrain campers, is that a brand? I'm weighing all of my options at this point. Sorry to hear about your camper. 5 weeks is a good amount of time, although, depending on where you live, it might be ok to live this this time of year.

 

[deadly99]

If it were me I'd regear it. Embrace the suspension and wheels you have. Add your bumpers and whatever camper setup and enjoy a cool truck. The weight of a steel bumper will help in correcting the light front end. Spend all that extra cash on gasoline and go have some fun.

 

[ADVW/Liam]

I agree with the regear.

My 2010 Tacoma has an OME front with the 886 coils (I have ARB bull bar and M8000 Warn with steel cable), Icon UCA's, and Dakar leafs with Bilstein 5100s in the rear. My tires are 285/70 17 on MB "Stryker" wheels. My only complaint is that at the slightest incline and ALL overpasses / hills, the truck down shifts to 4th. It went all the way down to 3rd while crossing the Raton Pass on I25 in Colorado a few weeks ago to keep it at 60-65mph.

I'm getting right at 14.5 MPG. I don't drive it fast, I accelerate like an egg is under the accelerator, and I try to stay below 70-75mph. With the BFG 31x10.50 (which looked funny with the OME lift) I was getting @18mpg. Now that I have the larger Cooper Discover ST Maxx tires (great video from down under on you tube showing them running over a blunt 3 inch metal spike), a 30 inch light bar on top of the bumper, and a Bestop Supertop, the truck is a complete dog... 14.5 mpg is miserable. Even with the supertop folded down I was still in the 14mpg range. I will be regearing to hopefully get back some drivability, and maybe MPGs. Your 6speed may fair better than my automatic, but I think regearing will be the best option for both of our trucks. I'm having lockers installed while the diffs are torn apart and if you're regearing, you might as well have that done too.

BTW, when I saw that giant, oversized spacer under the coil bucket on your truck, I immediately screamed at the computer. Spacers are a no-go unless you're a mall crawler. That stuff is an offroad breakdown waiting to happen. Some on here may not agree with me, and that's fine. I had that crap on mine for a while, although it was only a 2 inch "lift", it rode like garbage. The OME and extended travel UCAs are much better.

What ever you decide, good luck.

Rick

 

[projected]

My 2010 Tacoma has an OME front with the 886 coils (I have ARB bull bar and M8000 Warn with steel cable), Icon UCA's, and Dakar leafs with Bilstein 5100s in the rear. My tires are 285/70 17 on MB "Stryker" wheels. My only complaint is that at the slightest incline and ALL overpasses / hills, the truck down shifts to 4th. It went all the way down to 3rd while crossing the Raton Pass on I25 in Colorado a few weeks ago to keep it at 60-65mph.

I'm getting right at 14.5 MPG. I don't drive it fast, I accelerate like an egg is under the accelerator, and I try to stay below 70-75mph. With the BFG 31x10.50 (which looked funny with the OME lift) I was getting @18mpg. Now that I have the larger Cooper Discover ST Maxx tires (great video from down under on you tube showing them running over a blunt 3 inch metal spike), a 30 inch light bar on top of the bumper, and a Bestop Supertop, the truck is a complete dog... 14.5 mpg is miserable. Even with the supertop folded down I was still in the 14mpg range. I will be regearing to hopefully get back some drivability, and maybe MPGs. Your 6speed may fair better than my automatic, but I think regearing will be the best option for both of our trucks. I'm having lockers installed while the diffs are torn apart and if you're regearing, you might as well have that done too.

BTW, when I saw that giant, oversized spacer under the coil bucket on your truck, I immediately screamed at the computer. Spacers are a no-go unless you're a mall crawler. That stuff is an offroad breakdown waiting to happen. Some on here may not agree with me, and that's fine. I had that crap on mine for a while, although it was only a 2 inch "lift", it rode like garbage. The OME and extended travel UCAs are much better.

What ever you decide, good luck.

Rick

Raton Pass is a pretty good grade and it tops out at 7800 ft, all the stock gas trucks I've driven over it have down shifted and revved quite a bit to maintain 60-65 mph, including our 2015 4Runner. I wouldn't feel too bad about 3rd with your heavy 33" tires and the weight you have added. A couple years ago I test drove a new 2012 Tacoma that was dealer lifted with 33's and the constant hunt between 4th and 5th drove me crazy, I can see where re-gearing would be a great idea on these trucks.

Also are you taking into account the over 6% you increased your tire size from stock (30.6/32.7 = 6.4% assuming stock was 265-70-16)? If not your 14.5 mpg is actually about 15.5 mpg. Still not great but it's something

 

[ADVW/Liam]

Raton Pass is a pretty good grade and it tops out at 7800 ft, all the stock gas trucks I've driven over it have down shifted and revved quite a bit to maintain 60-65 mph, including our 2015 4Runner. I wouldn't feel too bad about 3rd with your heavy 33" tires and the weight you have added. A couple years ago I test drove a new 2012 Tacoma that was dealer lifted with 33's and the constant hunt between 4th and 5th drove me crazy, I can see where re-gearing would be a great idea on these trucks.

Also are you taking into account the over 6% you increased your tire size from stock (30.6/32.7 = 6.4% assuming stock was 265-70-16)? If not your 14.5 mpg is actually about 15.5 mpg. Still not great but it's something

I was thinking about that on the drive home. I got a GPS speedometer app for the phone, and discovered that I actually cover 1.06 miles per every 1 mile that the odometer reads. After I did the math, I discovered exactly what you said. I'm actually getting 15.5 mpg. Still not good, but better that I thought. A regear is in the future, after the new year. The search for a good, quality shop in the Dallas area has begun!

 

[soonenough]

Well the problem is, it isn't as simple as removing a few parts. To install the drop bracket lifts, the normal front differential mounts are cut off to install the brackets. So they will have to be welded/fabricated I believe. You'll need stock 4x4 spindles/knuckles. You'll need shorter rear shocks. The rear lift is probably a tall block, which can be removed, but you'll need new u bolts again.

I've never removed one of these personally but if you look at the Tacoma world forums (I hate referring people there), some people have done it and may be able to offer some hints.

RSB removed a 6" Fabtech drop bracket lift on his 1st-gen Tacoma and changed the truck over to Icon coilovers; it's documented to some extent here in his build thread: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/36571-RSB-s-Radiant-Red-Tacoma-build

 

[DannyBFresco]

BDS has special Fox shocks that work with their 6" lift...would be a good option for getting rid of the spacers, maybe even remove the sway bar and add some new UCAs to regain some flex off road. Also, I'm sure you could find a new leaf pack to match the front without blocks.

Edit: I'm a long time Tacomaworld member, and I just noticed you have a post there. Nice! Anyway, regear to 4.56 for 6-speed for power is easy