Builds Added to the stable - 2012 TRD Offroad, 6-speed 4.0L V6 - "Nacho" (1 Viewer)

[FerrisBueller]

I know there's a lot less activity on this Tacoma forum compared to others, but I just enjoy ih8mud so much and dislike the drama on other sites.

Bought this red 2012 TRD Offroad, 4.0L V6, 6-speed. It just popped up after about 18 - 24 months of just casually keeping track of way-too-high prices the past couple years and was previously planning on something older and with fewer options. Pretty excited to get all the things I cared about in one package!

Not going to do a whole lot to it at first, unless my 15-year-old son shows some interest in building it up.

Original vs Now photos:

Here's my list of modifications so far (in the order that we installed them), with links to the posts describing them. I'll separate this list into a few different categories.

Offroad / Onroad Ability

• Leaf spring clamp kit (no longer needed after upgrading suspension)
• RCI Off Road sliders
• Upgraded suspension:
  • Bilstein 6112/5160 coilovers and shocks (driver at notch 10, passenger notch 8), with Icon RXT rear springs (height option 2)
  • ARB driveline carrier bearing spacers.
  • This included making some easy-for-anyone-to-fabricate brackets to attach the stock e-brake brackets to.
• Tires - Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT - LT265/75R16 E

In-Vehicle Gear

• Tool storage bags that fit beneath access cab seats
• Wireless Android Auto / Carplay unit

 

[LTSR]

Solid looking find! Brings back so many memories, I bought one new in 2013, similar spec, v6, manual, access cab, offroad (w/rear locker) and a cap.

Your vehicle history in your signature is also similar to mine, I also had a 93 4runner SR5 4wd and a 2001 4runner SR5 4wd. subscribing to watch for updates..

 

[FerrisBueller]

Solid looking find! Brings back so many memories, I bought one new in 2013, similar spec, v6, manual, access cab, offroad (w/rear locker) and a cap.

Your vehicle history in your signature is also similar to mine, I also had a 93 4runner SR5 4wd and a 2001 4runner SR5 4wd. subscribing to watch for updates..

Yeah, that's kinda crazy how similar our vehicle history lists are, including same year LC!

 

[FerrisBueller]

First mod, needed to reduce that axle wrap. I was surprised how clunky shifting felt when I test drove it. The clamps helped reduce it quite a lot, although there's still a little it couldn't get rid of. I might try further tightening the clamps.

 

[FerrisBueller]

I think my 15-year-old son might be catching the bug. I had him take charge of installing the sliders, and he really enjoyed doing it. It's been years of just keeping him involved but him not enjoying too much, but he's slowly started to appreciate the different aspects of the different vehicles and what value different modifications provide. And of course, adding an Android Auto unit is exciting to just about anyone

Link to Wireless Android Auto unit

I posted about these mods elsewhere, so I'll just provide links to them:

RCI Offroad slider install:

Installed RCI rock sliders

Got these RCI Offroad sliders on sale during Black Friday. Installation was straightforward. The most difficult part was reaching up through the front boxed portion of the frame rail to get the front-most washer and nut threaded onto the bolt. Don't forget to place the aluminum spacers between...

forum.ih8mud.com

Wireless Android Auto / Carplay unit:

What have you done to your 2nd gen Tacoma this week?

Didn't see an existing thread, so starting one. Placed storage bags under the foldable xtracab seats. Perfect size to fit under there. Starting to fill them with the typical things I put on every vehicle I own. I will also strap these to the mounting points of the front seats so that in case of...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[TurbodreamZ]

First mod, needed to reduce that axle wrap. I was surprised how clunky shifting felt when I test drove it. The clamps helped reduce it quite a lot, although there's still a little it couldn't get rid of. I might try further tightening the clamps.

are you feeling the clunk when the transmission shifts from reverse to forward gears or when coming to a stop?

 

[FerrisBueller]

are you feeling the clunk when the transmission shifts from reverse to forward gears or when coming to a stop?

I was feeling the clunk anytime I started accelerating after releasing the clutch in the lower gears. I think the behavior was a combination of two things:

• Axle wrap, and this spring clamp made an immediate and noticable difference.
• Getting used to modern electronic drive-by-wire throttle on a manual transmission. I've been driving a stick for most of my life, but on older models with the throttle manually connected via a cable. There is a significant lag before the RPMs start to decreas after releasing the gas pedal on this vehicle, and this make shifting fast rather clunky, too. Apparently this is normal for all modern manual transmissions, by government regulation for emissions reasons . Lame.

I never really noticed the clunk when shifting from reverse (at least not more than I was already experiencing in 1st gear already). I also never noticed it when stopping, although other people say that's another common time to notice axle wrap.

 

[TurbodreamZ]

Ah I didn’t realize you have a manual.
1. some years, depending on trim level came with zerk fittings on their driveshafts. if yours did, make sure they’re greased. Keep in mind, the front zerk might be hard to reach.
2. the rear driveshaft spline gets seized up overtime and doesn’t allow the splined sections to move in and out - causing a clunk when it finally does.. you will have to remove the driveshaft and grease the spines because the spines don’t have Zerks.



my 2005 prerunner we had this issue and the fact that it was a long bed made It even worse. My auto OR doesn’t have it as bad but I’m going to do this soon.

While you have the driveshaft out, you might as well replace the carrier bearing because it‘a likely on its way out and causing you more slop and driveline vibrations.

 

[FerrisBueller]

Ah I didn’t realize you have a manual.
1. some years, depending on trim level came with zerk fittings on their driveshafts. if yours did, make sure they’re greased. Keep in mind, the front zerk might be hard to reach.
2. the rear driveshaft spline gets seized up overtime and doesn’t allow the splined sections to move in and out - causing a clunk when it finally does.. you will have to remove the driveshaft and grease the spines because the spines don’t have Zerks.



my 2005 prerunner we had this issue and the fact that it was a long bed made It even worse. My auto OR doesn’t have it as bad but I’m going to do this soon.

While you have the driveshaft out, you might as well replace the carrier bearing because it‘a likely on its way out and causing you more slop and driveline vibrations.

Good idea. I was already waiting to install my transmission skid & cat guards until I get some time to drain & fill the front diff and transfer case. I'll make sure to grease the driveshaft and replace the carrier bearing at the same time.

 

[greenEFSI]

@FerrisBueller you'll want to do the clutch accumulator delete mod, to get that clutch feeling normal. The accumulator lags clutch response by design to aid bad manual drivers

MT Accumulator Delete Mod (ADM) and BS Thread

Hey, Folks. Table of Contents 1. What is the Accumulator 2. Swapped, Milled Accumulator Service Option 3. Machined Inner Disk 4. Plug and Play...

www.tacomaworld.com

Also look into the ECGS bushing replacement for the driver side axle. The factory needle bearings suck and cause clunking issues.

Tales of the ECGS Bushing

So, about two months after I lifted my truck I started to feel weird rotational vibes from the driver's side wheel. From reading this forum I assumed...

www.tacomaworld.com

 

[FerrisBueller]

@FerrisBueller you'll want to do the clutch accumulator delete mod, to get that clutch feeling normal. The accumulator lags clutch response by design to aid bad manual drivers

MT Accumulator Delete Mod (ADM) and BS Thread

Hey, Folks. Table of Contents 1. What is the Accumulator 2. Swapped, Milled Accumulator Service Option 3. Machined Inner Disk 4. Plug and Play...

www.tacomaworld.com

Also look into the ECGS bushing replacement for the driver side axle. The factory needle bearings suck and cause clunking issues.

Tales of the ECGS Bushing

So, about two months after I lifted my truck I started to feel weird rotational vibes from the driver's side wheel. From reading this forum I assumed...

www.tacomaworld.com

Fantastic - thanks for the advice! You have my hopes up that this will make it seem more normal!

 

[FerrisBueller]

Everything has arrived for the new suspension. I have also ordered the driver side clamshell bushing from ECGS to replace the problematic needle bearing, and I will install that at the same time while I have everything apart.

 

[greenEFSI]

Nice! Looks like a fun day of work on the truck

 

[FerrisBueller]

Nice! Looks like a fun day of work on the truck

For sure! I'll be teaching my 15 and 13 year old sons how to install everything.

 

[FerrisBueller]

The suspension is installed. I did not install the ECGS bushing - I tried, but could not get the axle dust cap off, so we just finished the suspension while skipping the ECGS part. I have better chisels now to get the dust cap off, so I'll get to that in the near future.

The front suspension & rear shocks are the Bilstein 6112/5160 setup, with the front driver coilover on notch 10 and passenger at notch 8 (to counteract the driver-side lean). My intention was to limit the front lift to between 2 - 2.5" so I can keep the OEM upper control arms. These 10 & 8 notch settings should have given around 2.2" according to the docs, but in reality they gave 2.5" (maybe the old OEM coilovers were worn out and sagging a bit). That was still within my goal height range, so that's perfect.

We originally installed the rear Icon RXT springs at option 3 height a few weeks ago, thinking that would be about right considering how much we load up the truck with camping gear + bike rack + 5 bikes (at least 600 pounds, maybe 700). But option 3 was way too high, it caused a full 3" of rake when unloaded( front at 22", rear at 25"), and still had a full 1.25" of rake when fully loaded with camping gear & bikes. I think part of the problem was I got more lift than expected because this is an access cab and not a double cab, so there is quite a bit less weight in the rear. So today we finally removed the extra leaf to put the rear suspension at option 2. This is a lot better, it dropped the rear 0.5", and when fully loaded I'd expect the rear to droop to very little rake remaining since it has one fewer leaf. (I haven't loaded all the camping gear in yet to check after switching to option 2.) I wanted to have about 2" rake, and this gives me around 2.25 - 2.5" rake, which is close enough for me. I'm guessing the rear will drop up to another 0.25" as things settle, which should be about perfect.

It was super quick and easy keeping the rear springs on the truck and just cycling the axel up and down to separate the leafs (after removing the brackets, u-bolts, and lower shock bolt of course) to remove the extra leaf, then reassemble in place.

Stock hub-to-fender heights:

	Left	Right
Front	19.5"	19.5"
Rear	20.25"	20.5"

Option 2 hub-to-fender heights:

	Left	Right
Front	22"	22"
Rear	24.5"	24.25"

For the e-brake line brackets, I used some leftover steel stock w/ holes (not sure what this is called, but all the home box stores sell it) and the original OEM bolts like shown below. It is super easy to fabricate it this way, took maybe only 30 minutes to do both sides, and I did not have to try to bend or mangle the original OEM bracket. The driver side needed to be 1 hole longer than the passenger side, not sure why (I cycled the suspension on both sides, and the e-brake lines moved within their proper range within the bracket loop).

 

[FerrisBueller]

Also important to note that I experience zero axle wrap with the Icon RXT rear springs, so that's a huge win, too!

 

[greenEFSI]

That looks good! It will settle down just a bit and look more level loaded up. Have you considered any engine performance mods? I have installed tons of the -3 degree exhaust cam gears and 1/2" billet intake plenum spacers. I can give you more info if you'd like, the butt dyno says they work lol

 

[FerrisBueller]

That looks good! It will settle down just a bit and look more level loaded up. Have you considered any engine performance mods? I have installed tons of the -3 degree exhaust cam gears and 1/2" billet intake plenum spacers. I can give you more info if you'd like, the butt dyno says they work lol

I haven't thought about any engine performance mods, seeing as my son will be the main one driving it coming up in a few months. But also, I honestly don't know too much in that particular area (other than high level concepts), and would like to hear whatever you've found effective. I like to have a list of possible next mods in general, then if my son starts asking questions about a particular topic then I move a mod related to it to the top of the list.

 

[greenEFSI]

The intake plenum spacer is a quick and easy install. It makes the intake runners longer, which brings down the torque curve into the rpm range that is used the most.

Plenum spacer install

The cam gears are a pretty intense install that requires disassembling the timing chains. They dump out more exhaust and create room for more air & fuel

Cam gear install