Huge Rear Axle On My TRD Off-Road Trim - 9.5" Upgrade | 4th Gen Tacoma Forum

h4ngman tacoma · 2025-07-27T04:42:44+00:00

Last year, I helped a friend put a Miller Cat skid plate on his Tacoma. It took us about 30 minutes to do it by ourselves, even though it was an easy one-man job. Probably because of the beer breaks we had in between, haha. We started off by lifting the truck. We then took off the weak cardboard piece with a wrench, put the skid plate in place, and fixed it tightly. That was it. The steps are as straightforward as this, and we only used simple tools. Pictures below are from last year after his installation. Tomorrow, I'm set to help another friend set one up on his Tacoma, the same easy way. I've done it before, and I'm eager to see his truck get that tough bottom cover. The Miller Cat's strong build is great for trail-ready Tacomas, and I know he's really excited to nail this install, because it'd be his first DIY mod too.

rustytaco

Administrator

Staff member

Feb 15, 2025

For those wondering, Toyota did give us a lot of what we asked for in this new truck. One crazy important feature, the 9.5" rear axle. This axle is nearly as big as a Dana 60, only .25" smaller. Naturally, they are super strong. You could technically run a 40" tire with relatively little issues. My plan is to run 37s bare minimum in the next few months, and 40s only if I decide to throw it on portals. But I'm beyond stoked on the beefier rear end. Hopefully the front can keep up! The 3rd Gen had a max size of 8.75". While still a good size, these new ones are much better.

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