If I'm not going offroading, do I need a ~$1000 lift kit?

I have a sexy ass Tacoma that I don't really envision taking offroad very often. My brother has an 05 4x4 something that isn't a prerunner (thanks Justus, lol), and he goes romping/hunting/camping/general manly activity-ing all the time and he put a Toytec 3" lift on it. 3 inches seems to be right at the height that I'd like to lift mine, then throw some sexy ass BFGs on it and roll out looking like a badass.

If I want the purely aesthetic result of the lift, is there something else I can get that won't cost as much as one of these lift kits? My brother also said that I can get spacers but they'd make the ride kinda rough/bumpy. Could I get these spacers and then some aftermarket shocks/struts or something to smooth out the ride?

Any answers, insights, comments etc would be greatly appreciated. This is the first truck I've bought and I'm trying to do this right.

 

ur brothers right about spacers.

try an OME lift

but he does NOT have a 4x4 prerunner

 

It's already done right. I would drive it for a while and see if you really need to lift it to get to the places that you want to go, with $1000 in your pocket.

Mike

 

haha alright, fair enough. i'm not too savvy on the differences, i've only been an owner for about 2 months

thanks mike, that's a pretty good idea.

 

If you get spacers don't go with new shocks....they'll just get beat to shit and be a waste of money. If you lift the rear you'd need new rears. Do an AAL for the rear if you dont want a full leaf pack.

 

Look at the last sentence of your post. If you are going to do it, do it right. My OME lift was less than $1000 and I love it.

 

You get what you pay for. Even if you replace your shocks and run a spacer your ride will be stiff due to the coil being compressed more. Since your a prerunner you can always get spindles and get a 4" lift and still have factory ride and keep your tie rod angles like stock versus a 3" kit.
I would figure out the tire size you want to run and go from there and buy your lift accordingly.

 

I second the OME lift. It looks like its about what you are looking for

 

4" Maxtrac spindle lift kit, easy on the pocket ($600 something), 4-3.5" of lift for bigger tires, and stock ride..... DONE!

Your a prerunner, why do an OME kit???? Makes no sense to me as lift coils equals a stiff ride. Spindles are the way to go for sure

 

He has a 4x4.

 

So much face palm in this thread...

 

Drive it for a year and see if you still think you need it.

I went from a Chevy Colorado to my Tacoma. Not sure how much but the Tacoma sits a little lower. That said the Chevy was only getting about 16mpg and the Tacoma is knocking down 22 or better all the time.

Only other way I would see spending money on lifting is if you frequently carry a lot of weight in the bed, IE a tradesman of some kind. I'll let others chime in on the best way to go if that is the case.

 

Personally, people that lift, modify their trucks for off-road driving and don't off-road them look like posers in my opinion.

 

Troof.

 

If it is a brand new truck, I would wait at least a year to do anything to it. Tint the windows and enjoy the nice stock ride

 

I love the guys on here that have dropped thousands on aftermarket parts and lifting their PreRunners, but didn't find adding 4x4 at purchase worth the extra $$$. ANY lifted PreRunner (aside from LT) looks poser in my opinion.

 

Can we just help the guy out?

 

If I did a ton of offroading or camping or hunting or any activity that required me to go off of roads onto difficult terrain, then I would have gotten a truck with 4 wheel drive. Seeing as I rarely do these activities, it doesn't make sense for me to pay money for an option that I would use MAYBE once or twice per year. Yeah, Tacomas are known for being more than capable off-road trucks, which is especially evident if you take a look at some of the threads here, but they're also known for holding their value and lasting a long time, which are 2 of the main factors that made me buy one. I don't really see a problem with wanting to make my vehicle look badass; after all, I'm going to be driving it for a while. Might as well make it turn some heads in the mall parking lot, right?

just my two cents though. thanks for the constructive responses itt, I really do appreciate it.

 

Ur truck, ur money.........I also have no need for 4wd, but enjoy sitting up a little higher in traffic, plus after a couple knee surgeries, its easier to get in a taller vehicle than to bend the knee and twist to lower myself into a lower vehicle.

Enjoy ur truck man, that's all that matters.....and stay safe

Not everyone will agree with ur tastes, but that's why we all make our trucks our own.

 

As for my lifted "poser" prerunner, ill just enjoy the 300+ ponies pushing her along