5 Cool Tacoma Mods For Under $500

Do you own a Toyota Tacoma? Do you have a bit of money burning a hole in your pocket? Are you interested in modifying your truck in several different ways? If you answered “yes” to all three questions, this list is for you.

Image Credit: BlackCOTaco

We rounded up some inexpensive truck mods you can do yourself. These mods will improve your truck’s appearance, or performance, or both. The best part? All these mods cost under $500!

1. Leveling Your Truck

Almost all trucks ship from the factory with "rake". Rake means that the front of the truck sits lower than the rear. Manufacturers do this because it adds maybe a half mile per gallon to the fuel economy rating. If you'd like your truck to sit level, that is pretty easy to do. You just need a leveling kit. A leveling kit lifts the front end up by an inch or inch and a half. The kit consists of a spacer that is placed between the top of the spring and the spring mount. They are easy to install, and pretty economical.

2. Installing A TRD Performance Air Intake System

Want to give your Tacoma’s engine power a kick without wiping out your bank account? Install a performance air intake system! It’s a quick, easy, and affordable way to boost your Tacoma’s power. A performance cold air intake system contains a filter designed to pull cold air through the engine. Cold air is more dense than warm air, which means it has more oxygen in it as compared to the same quantity of warm air. Air with more oxygen allows the engine to make more power.

Toyota’s Racing Division (TRD) has cold air intake systems for Tacomas. Look up your Tacoma in our catalog of TRD performance cold air intake systems to find the right part number. TRD has high quality products. That’s why we always recommend using TRD parts before aftermarket parts. You’ll save some money by shopping with us because we offer wholesale pricing for genuine OEM Toyota parts.

3. Adding A Bed Cover

Amp up your Tacoma’s functionality with a bed cover! A bed cover will protect the contents of your truck’s bed from:

• Moisture
• Sunlight
• Snow
• Dirt and debris (if you drive on unpaved roads)
• Thieves (if your cover comes with a lock)

You can easily find a quality bed cover that costs under $500. There are many different types of truck bed covers to choose from:

• Roll-up covers
• Hard or soft folding covers
• Retractable covers
• Lift-up plastic covers
• Lift-up fiberglass covers

4. Lighting Up The Truck Bed

Do you use your truck bed a lot at night or in dark locations? Do you have a bed cover? If your answer to either question is “yes”, you’ll find bed lighting very useful. A bed lighting kit will light up your truck bed when you access it. With this cool feature, you will no longer need a flashlight (or your phone light) to rummage through the cargo.

Did you know that Toyota makes OEM bed lighting kits for the Tacoma? This bed lighting kit is for 2016-2019 Tacoma trucks. It comes with two high performance LED light assemblies. One assembly is for the inside bed walls. The other assembly is for the rear of the cargo area. It’s designed to point the lights toward important cargo locations.

This kit usually costs $140 at dealerships, but you can get it from us for only $120!

5. Upgrading Your Shift Knob

There are many different ways to improve your truck’s interior. A few ideas:

• Add seat covers
• Add all season floor mats
• Install a dash kit
• Install door sill protectors

We’d like to talk about a unique upgrade that’s not done often: upgrading your shift knob. It’s a cool and subtle way to spruce up your truck’s interior. Shift knobs come in many different styles and colors. We even offer some cool OEM TRD shift knobs. Look up your Tacoma in our catalog to see if we have one that will fit your truck!