Thanks for all the replies, very helpful information. Air up/down tools and skids a have moved up my list. Shiney bumper later. :-)

Upgrading your tires from stock to A/T's or M/T's should be first for going off road. And dont go out without recovery gear. Once you are past the beginner level & want a taller tire for more technical trails then look into a suspension lift, sliders & taller tires.

1) Maintenance - Baseline your vehicle and ensure you have done your diligence so it won't let you down when your stuck in the middle of nowhere.

2) Recovery Gear

3) Tires - AT or MT depending on how you use your rig

4) Sliders - factory skids will get the job done for mild trails as you start to get into offroading, however the rocker panels are left bare so sliders should be the very first armor mod IMO

5) Suspension/lift - now that your "plus" sized tires have self-clearanced as you purchased new tires at step 2), now follow up with proper suspension to carry the oncoming weight of all your gear and additional mods.

6) Rear locker - If your building slowly, by the time you get here you should have enough trail time with an "open" diff to be able to pick your lines on the trails and you will be able to fully appreciate the dramatic increase in capability once installing a rear locker.

7) Everything else.

You only asked for 5, but I was never good at counting.

I appreciate your inability to count, thanks! So my 2016 Trail has a locking rear differential. Are you suggesting a mod above the factory feature?

Thanks!

Nope, one of the perks of having a Trail ;) You're just a step ahead of the game already!

Depends on what you want to do. I suggest rock sliders, then skids, then lift, then front pumper with winch, rear bumper. That's not the order I went with but you will be surprised what a stock trail can do.


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Thank you, this is all good information...For me it's about the ability to get to some off beaten paths for Fly Fishing and I am just starting to get my young kids into camping. Many times fishing its only me and some of the roads/paths are schetchy! My previous vehicles have all been stuck before and a shovel luckily got me out, but so far in the TR4 I have had no issues. This spring in Canada, will be its next big test.

Great thread! I'm in the middle of this very conundrum. I am thinking I am going to go with skid-plates and or sliders first. I need to get rid of my stock running boards first. It is so tempting to go with rims and lift first, but looking through a few build threads on here area good reminder that it doesn't all have to happen at once.

The bad news is that the more time I spend on here the longer my list gets!

In a similar situation, just got it in fall. I took off the stock running boards and it looks soooo much better. I'd suggest sliders first. I bent the stock running boards a few times out in the woods. So the trail is telling me what to do.

I'm roughly in the same boat. Having a TRD Pro I have a small front lift, a rear locker, and semi-decent tires for a beginner(Still passenger rated tires though) Only thing I've done so far is sliders, and going out with more knowledgeable friends to learn. Skids and more recovery gear are next since I seem to like to drag hard parts. It IS hard to stay away from even more lift and 33's though. Damn vanity.

Great Ideas everyone hopefully this thread keeps up to help out some new modders coming into the addiction. Thanks for the replies

For anything, I would do repair/recovery first. recovery can just be getting a strap, and someone to go with you, and both have good tow points. Factory hook or tiedown tabs on front, and receiver bumper work fine.

Air compressor and tire guage

Then more fun, sliders, skidplates. Your trails will dictate lift, tires, lockers, dual cases etc in fairly short order. But at least with recovery gear, you can figure out what you need, and still get back home! With a compressor, spare tire, and tire guage you can play with airing down, knowing you can get back home as well.

Definitely recovery gear first. Having to make multiple middle of the night calls to friends to come pull me out because I was an overconfident 17 year old with a lifted jeep was no fun. Too bad it took 3 or 4 times before I got smart.

I am in the market for a 4th gen or 5th T4R. Will a center diff still work for off roading or should I look for a rear diff?

I'm assuming you're asking about a center diff lock vs a rear diff lock. Two different things. Read this thread in the 3rd gen section - it should help you understand this better.

Rear Locker vs Center Locker in Practical 4x4 Uses??