Thinking about Lifting the Taco

Hey, just bought a 2014 Taco and I'm thinking about putting a small lift/level on it. I don't plan on getting bigger tires or anything, just purely for aesthetics.
I'm thinking about going with 5100s on the front set at either 1.75 or 2.5, and then maybe just a spacer on the back, but not too sure what size to keep the truck level. I want to avoid dealing with diff drop, replacing uca, etc. from the lift as I'm not very knowledgeable with that stuff yet.
Any advice?

 

You can do a 3 inch with no diff drop, no uca, it will work just fine

 

Don't worry about the diff drop it is completely useless. Just set the bilsteins to 1.75 with the eibach coils and for the rear just put an aal oon. That should be good for your lift needs.

 

1.75 with Eibachs ?

 

Would you recommend slapping 5100's on the rear also? I know it won't raise it any, I've just heard it really improves the ride

EDIT:
Also, how much lift does an AAL add to the rear? From what I've been reading it looks like it'll add 1.5. Will the truck sit level(ish) with that setup?

 

Usually the least amount you can get from an AAL is 1.5".

To get a better idea of where your truck will sit you need to figure out which rear leaf suspension you have. Whether it's the 2+1 or the 3+1. Either way with the front set at 1.75 and a 1.5" AAL the truck will still have a rake. More so with the 3+1 rear leaf.

You could figure out the difference between the front and rear by measuring and go from there with your settings. You can also get a 1" rear block if you dony want more than an 1". If your not doing any major off roading it isn't going to hurt anything.

 

My offroading is pretty minimal so that's why I was considering just a 1" spacer for the rear. Like I said it's purely for aesthetics.
I don't know what my leaf setup is, and I'm out of town so I can't just run outside and look. Whatever the stock 2014 TRD Sport comes with is what I have, unless they vary.
If offroading isn't going to happen very often in this truck, can I get away with the 1" block on the rear and 1.75" Bilstein/Eibach on the front? I don't want the ride quality to diminish, but this is a pretty minor lift so I can't imagine it would.
Thanks for the input guys.

EDIT:
Did some more digging, apparently Eibach's add lift in addition to the Bilstein. Maybe I should just go with the AAL then?

 

I have a 1 inch block in the back and I might just be imagining things but it feels a bit rougher now than it did before. The ride isn't exactly silky smooth stock either though so whatever.

Personally I think if you lift a truck 3 inches the smaller stock tires look kinda goofy. They just look really small. On second thought it probably wasn't the tire size because a more aggressive tire would look a lot better at the same size.

 

That's another thing that's been on my mind. I don't really want to go with a 3" lift because it definitely does look a little goofy with the small stock tires. Ideally I'd like to go 1" at most on the back and around 1.75" on the front, but AAL's only come in 1.5".
Are spacers that bad on the rear? Because the 1" blocks sound like a pretty good solution for me. Or would getting new leaf springs with more lift be a better idea?

 

Lies. Diff drop is useless yes, but without new UCAs you won't get back into alignment specs and it will make your truck wander at higher speeds.

 

The problems that I've heard are that the blocks can cause axle wrap and the ride quality is subjective, the ride quality doesn't bother me in slightest but for some people it's the end of the world.

Honestly I don't think the half inch is going to make much of a difference because the stock rake is a 2 inch difference IIRC.

 

Mine is in spec w/o a UCA and it drives straight as an arrow.

 

This is true for larger blocks. 1" isn't going to do anything and will retain the factory ride.

New complete leaf packs are a better quality option, but again a 1" block isn't going to hurt anything. A single AAL is going to be a stiffer ride.

 

I've been checking out the Wheeler's 5 leaf pack, and I think it might be my best bet. It's supposed to add 1.5", and I'm assuming it would stiffen the ride a bit, but one of the leafs is removable, reducing ride height a bit and softening the ride. Then all I need is 5100's all around, with the front set at either 1.75" or 2" and I should be set.
My next question, do I need new coils for the 5100's? Not a big deal if I do, but it seems like most coils add lift. Which would be the best option to add minimal lift?

 

too much preload, i would not set at 1.75

 

Exactly my thoughts

 

Just lifted my 2014 DCLB a couple of weeks ago, 5100's up front set to 1.75 (stock sport coils) and 1" rear block. Tires are 265/70/17 (Nitto Terra Grapplers). As noted above I haven't felt any difference in the quality of ride from the 1" rear blocks.

The lift is just enough to improve the look but still allows me to fit in my underground parking at work.

 

That's a pretty solid looking setup, I might end up going that route as I think replacing my rear leaf springs or even going AAL is overkill considering how little offroading I'll be doing.

Did you have to add a diff drop/UCA/whatever in addition to the lift? I keep reading everywhere how mandatory it is to get a diff drop kit when lifting more than 1.5" and I'm seeing even in this thread that new UCA's are a good idea, but does it matter with a lift under 2"?

 

You do not need UCAs at 1.75".


You do not need a diff drop at 1.75".


Even at 2".

 

Same goes for a 2" lift?