How to Customize a 2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner

The PreRunner is a good vehicle to start with if you want a trail vehicle.

The 2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner is a mid-sized truck with a moderately powered V6 engine. This makes it a good candidate for being a mildly modified weekend trail warrior. With a suspension lift kit, bigger tires and a few off-road accessories, your PreRunner will be able to navigate easy to moderate trails without sacrificing its ability to get you back and forth to work everyday. If you want an off-road truck, the PreRunner is a good vehicle to start with.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Off-road rims and tires
• Suspension lift kit
• Winch

1. • 1

     Install off-road tires with an aggressive tread pattern and rims with bead locks. Off-road tires with aggressive tread designs help a vehicle gain traction in mud or on loose gravel. Bead lock rims are wheels with screws on the side of them. The screws secure the tire to the rim and eliminate the possibility of the tire getting stuck in the mud and spinning on the rim. Bead lock rims allow you to run tires with very little tire pressure. This maximizes traction.

   • 2

     Install a lift kit to allow room for the larger tires and to increase the amount of clearance between the bottom of the truck and the ground. A suspension lift kit is labor intensive but with moderate understanding of suspension systems, the task can be completed. In some cases, custom fabrication may be needed. This depends on the degree of lift you want to achieve.

   • 3

     Install a winch on the front pumper of the PreRunner. Vehicle recovery is important; especially if you ever plan to trail ride alone. Off-road vehicles with mild modifications often get stuck in precarious positions that render the vehicle inoperable. With a winch installed, you can pull the vehicle out of the mud or off a fallen tree by yourself. A winch has a long metal cable that wraps around a shaft on the winch's electric motor. The motor turns and wraps the steal cable around the shaft, thus pulling the vehicle out of harms way.