Stock 2013 Tacoma, What are some worthy upgrades.

Title pretty much says it all. Have had my tacoma for two years now and could use some TLC. What are some all around good upgrades, better tires, stereo upgrades, windshield wipers, idk just spitballing. Havent tinted the windows yet was thinking about that and maybe some new rims. Let me know what yall think !!


Thanks for reading

 

Cheap mods - Interior leds, glove compartment/center console organizers, catch can; but most importantly, tune up like plugs and fluids.

Mid range - Head unit, speakers, seat covers, polish and wax job.

Expensive - Full lift setup, wheels/tires, bumpers, etc.

Hard to say without a budget... Or better yet, what's your goal (exterior appearance, off road mods, preventative maintenance, etc)?

 

Preventative maintenance would be the main goal, and a pair of rims. Apologies for being vague I have a budget of around 2500$. Ill be honest I just started really looking into cars as a hobby. I have a good workshop but never really paid attention to my vehicle until now. So when you say plugs you talking about replacing the spark plugs? What else falls under preventative maintenance? Also the engine and components around the engine are pretty muddy from my old construction job. Can I just rinse that area down with a hose or is there something else I should be using?

 

If your tailgate isn’t bent yet, I’d say add a reinforcement from Relentless Fabrication.

If your seats are still in good shape, throw on some covers.

 

Correct. Spark plugs, oil change, diff, transmission, coolant, power steering, brake fluid and a few others. Here’s a thread that will be helpful https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-diy-maintenance-quick-reference-guide.438945/

To clean your engine bay, just use an all purpose cleaner or degreaser and spray. Agitate with a small brush and then rinse off. You can also look up YouTube videos as a reference.

Lastly, since you mentioned wheels and tires, look up your local Craigslist, offer up, Facebook or the used wheel market place on here. You can score some used sets (Method, SCS, OEM Toyota..) for a fair price, allowing you to save some money for other mods.

 

Welcome to the best damn Tacoma forum on the interwebs

Spend some time looking at the sub forums. Look at what others are doing and then go crazy. Also, there's a vendors section on here.

 

Plenty of threads on here for stuff like tires and lifts..

but I can tell you that the best wiper blades are NWB. Thats the OEM blade they come with stock

 

Since you are new to the car hobby just a heads up. Do not use pressurized water like a pressure cleaner in your engine compartment. Rookie mistake that can cause problems. Just clean the engine bay by hand and rinse off with gentle flow from the hose.

 

And on the 4.0L, cover the oil filter "housing" with a plastic bag. Not sure where the drain runs, but I don't want to take a chance that drains back into the oil pan.

 

Good tires !

 

Some cheap, quality of life mods I've done that I'm sure lots of others have as well or at least considered.

-custom fit floormats and interior LED replacement
-all door speakers replaced
-seat covers
-window tint
-bed stiffeners (good if you ever plan to load weight on the bedsides via rack/camper shell)
-Headstrong AAL
-cup holder inserts to replace the stock rubber ones
-diff breather mod
-console organizers
-foam inserts for cupholders/storage
-unifilter mod
-grid-it mod
-black shifter bezel (if auto, part number is 58805-AD010) (not so much quality of life but aesthetically pleasing to the eye IMO)

all of those are under $100 or just barely over, except the floormats, bed stiffeners and AAL pack, which are about $110-160, $150, and $200 respectively, but also depends what brands you go with

 

Bed Mat is a good one. Helps protect the bed and keeps things from sliding around. Definitely one of my better purchases.

 

Tailgate anti theft mod.
In-channel door visors, if you don't already have them.
Factory grill replacement.
Replace grill surround with a factory painted grill surround, unless you have a TRD sport.
LED fog lights to replace factory dogs.
LED reverse light bulbs.
Door will protectors to cover up your scratched up door sills.
Hood struts so you don't have to use the prop rod. While you're there add some under hood LED lights.

 

Not sure what kind of wheels you're looking for but if you are looking for OEM I have a set of 15 TRD sport wheels in great shape, with tires (265/65/17) also almost new. Also have the full set of shocks and springs. I assume they have 60k on them but they rode nicely. Tight and supportive but good small bump compliance and body control. I assumed no one would want a set of 60k OEM suspension so I did not list it for sale but I would let it go for next to nothing if interested. Wheels/tires are here... https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2015-trd-sport-17-wheels-tires.668037/

 

If you have the stock non navi radio I'd highly recommend upgrading it to a newer 14+ or go aftermarket. The 12s and 13s stock radio are horrible.

 

The very first mod I did to my 2013 TRD OR was replace the secondary internal foam filter with a 2-in-1 external filter. Read nightmare stories about the internal foam filter drying out and becoming brittle and dropping chunks and causing damage. Picked one up for $12(ish) on Amazon. All you have to do is take the shroud off, use a T20 torx to take the center screw out, remove the foam filter, put the case back on. Take off the external breather and replace it with the 2-in-1, then put the shroud back over it. Took me all of 5mins to do. Only difference you will notice is it makes a whistling sound (kind of like a turbo) when turning the truck off. But if a $12 mod could potentially save me several hundred to a thousand, it’s worth it.

 

Also, replacing crappy paper filters with a K&N is a must. Gave me 2-3mpg better, plus they’re lifetime. Just clean and re-oil

 

Wondering if you've had any issues with your MAS error with this type of filter re. oiling....

 

You should look into the the ultimate headlight upgrade it’s been one of my favorite mods to date.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

None whatsoever. K&N did a video awhile back about that. They brought in a few vehicles that claimed K&N filters caused their MAS to error out, and it ended up being a problem with their MAS, not the filter. They replaced it and ran more test with no errors.