Types of lifts+

Howdy-

I know that I may get flamed for this. I have to go ahead and ask a few questions.
I have a stock 2013' Tacoma double cab SR5 4wd. I must go ahead and get a few things done to it. I want a slight lift, either just a front level or a slight lift all the way around.
I am looking at three ideas.
My first and the "best lift" would be a kit I can buy with a 3inch billet spacer to go uptop the factory strut tower + a 1.5 to 2inch AAL in rear.
Heres my question on this kit, I have owned only full size trucks, there suspensions seem to be more stiff than the Taco. It feels like when I stop or start theres lots of "flex"? Anyways its not that I don't like it but If possible during the lift that I would stiffen up slightly? That is with the spacer lift?

The other choice is of course the trusty Bilsteins with or without a AAL depending on if I want to tackle the leafs.
I am pretty sure that the 5100s will tighten up the suspension up front a bit.

So to wrap, if I do a spacer lift on SR5 4wd stock setup will the suspension still be decent? Or will I only make the flex worse?
And of course to verify does the 5100's actually stiffen up the front a bit?
Also, if I leave the leafs alone I currently have the 3 leaf with the overload in the rear. With the 5100's what setting will level her out without touching the rear?

Thanks guys, I have read and searched but Im ready to pull the trigger so need some input!

* Also I do very little offroading, Very little!

 

whether you do a coil spacer or 5100s, your doing the same thing. you are compressing the coil before the truck even has weight on it. the more you compress it, the stiffer it gets, so yes, you will tighten up your ride.

heres the trick though, your truck naturally rides with the springs compressed some, if you compress the springs, and put them on the truck that way, it lifts the truck right? but still, the wight of the truck will compress them even more to the same "stiffness" they were before, it just happens sooner, or higher. so if you think about it, your stiffer ride isn't encountered until you hit a bump big enough that the spring is compressed further than it was before.

explanation: say your truck stock, rides with 4" of available up-travel. now add a 2" spacer, you now have 6" of available up-travel, but the spring is still is within its normal range of motion for the first 4". it is only in the last 2" of up-travel that you encounter "stiffer than stock" ride.

im not an auto engineer, nor an engineer at all for that matter so I could be dead wrong, this is the way I currently understand springs.

if your wanting to really firm things up, eibach and old man emu make stiffer, taller coils for these trucks. I am very much enjoying my old man emu 884s. inch and one half to two inches taller at ride height, with a higher spring rate to begin with. 150 bucks for those.