IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFTING!

So I'm considering ordering my Fatbob's lift and then getting 31" tires and 15x8 wheels BUT! I do have questions, alot of people "re-gear" after getting their lift and since im young im still trying to learn about the tacos, What is re-gearing exactly, and ive seen some people get travel kits after getting the lift..what is the recommendation and what does it do. So please somebody help me answer these questions, also if anyone has questions about suspension and lifts feel free to ask on this thread

 

Ok,I'm not even close to a suspension expert but I can answer your ?,s I think...


You will not need to regear with a Fatbobs lift. 31" tires will alter your speedo accuracy a bit but no biggie. There's some great calculators online to figure EXACTLY what you change and by how much with bigger wheels/tires.

Long travel kits increase performance,not just looks. It allows your wheels to "travel" further up/down than stock. (think of the pics of a truck with one wheel on a boulder,shocks are waaaaay extended, that's long travel). In easy terms, you trade your "car-like" suspension for an ATV suspension... Can you say CHA-CHING? Big money mod for real offroading.

That said, a spacer/AAL lift like FatBobs will require longer shocks (FB lift comes with longer rears). I'm in the same boat as you... Ready to order,BUT I need to keep my ride quality, and I haven't figured how to do that yet. My best solution so far is:

FATBOBS or READYLIFT KIT
BILSTEIN HD SHOCKS (longer than stock) FRONT + BACK

Grand total is a bit over $500, but IDK for sure if that setup will do what I want. Idk enough about suspension... Do I need new coils for front or can I add a longer Bilstein HD with stock coil? Will a shorter AAL sag less than a longer one? Will a short AAL combined with a longer,better shock keep my ride smooth?

I JUST DON'T KNOW!!! AAAAARGH

 

There are a lot of useful threads on suspension on this site you should use the search function or look around in the suspension portion of the site..

But since we are here I'll say this CAUTION with spacer lifts if you plan on going off roading and pushing your suspension the spacer lift will eventually break your shocks. Something like this
http://i42.tinypic.com/f1iah4.jpg

there are applications like the bilstiens have that allow you to lift the truck in the front bu adjust the ride height on the shocks with out a spacer that are pretty inexpensive and a better ride. also they are designed to take a little more beating off road so there is a lot less chance of them breaking.

My best advise would be decide what it is exactly you want you truck to do (i.e. just look lifted/function off road) then research what suspension type would work best for you. The best thing about this site is that just about every suspension question has already been asked and can be found.

Good luck to you both and I hope this was helpful

 

True story. Dont think this lift means u can offroad like ivan stewart

 

Well I mainly just want it for looks, even though there is alot of terrian out here im not really the offroad kind of person, I was just shooting for a nice lift, since Im not a big fan of my current ride hieght. I've been reading about alot of people getting the Billstiens but I need to know what kind to get, (length, type, etc.)

 

here is the bottom line.

the lifts available for the 5lug tacoma go as followed. Ready lift spacer with Add a leaf spring, fatbobs spacer with Add a leaf spring "neither require upgraded shocks but its nice to have" or looking into a mid or long travel type suspension which like said above gives your suspension more free movement. rather its going over rocks or jumping dunes. Travel is costly but you pay to play. i have the spacer/leaf lift with upgraded shocks and have done some minor off roading and plan to push it a little further until i decide its time for LT or to trade up for a 6 lug. anyways... Regearing is purely personal. The bigger tires will throw off your speedo and odo. Not much but it will. This is due to the axle rotating less becuase of the larger diameter tire. With that just said you also lose power when taking off from a stop or when punching the gas because the smaller stock gears are trying to move the axle attached to these 31 inch tires as opposed to say stock 26ish inch tires? The gears in your transmission are a small "3. dot dot dot" not sure of the stock size off hand . most upgrade to a bigger 4.10 gear which will give you a little more umph when you put the pedal down and help move the tires a bit better. When i was in the ford mustang world people also regeared there cars to get a little more get up and go off the line. In the end its all what your willing to live with. We all rock the same few lifts and a few different gear ratios do some searching and you'l get a shit ton of info. i myself have 32's and everyone said id need to regear but im fine with my slow as a turd truck i never throttle up anyway trying to save gas haha.
"i didnt proof read the above, it may all be jibberish" - BT

 

31's are going to be a nearly 14% difference. When the speedo reads 65 you'll actually be doing 75.

But the problem is with lugging the engine... city driving will suck and it will kill fuel economy. Highway mileage should improve, but off-roading capabilities are going to take a shit because of the tall gearing.

 

Lifting by using an adjustable shock would be great, but can I do it on a 5 lug? Bilstein doesn't make an adjustable shock for us. I like the mx6 (ProComp so/so?) and I LOVE the Emu stuff but I'm not sure what OME parts I'd need/what they'll do. I swear I came across a 5 lug OME setup but I can't find it . I agree there is LOTS of info about 5 lug lifts,unfortunately its mostly of the "OMG I need a lift like now whatchoo got?" or "ReadyLift or Fatbobs,just do it" variety. I know for under $1000, Fatbobs and RL are my options.... But I want to spend a little more and keep ride smooth and put least possible stress on stock parts.

 

there is no other option besides readylift fatbobs mid travel and long travel.

 

^^This
For the 2nd gen 5 lugs there is only spacer lift (fat bobs or readylift), total chaos mid travel, or total chaos long travel. American Motorsports has one that's in the works and I think ryanj has a custom spindle setup.

IMO, if you're going with a 31" tire you should regear. Mileage will suffer and you'll be putting more strain on the engine and driveline. While theoretically you should get better mileage on the freeway, it becomes hard to keep it in 5th if you have to go up any hills. Regearing is expensive so that is also to be considered. I say this from experience, but it is just my personal opinion.

 

It's already too hard to keep in 5th on a hill! Sheeet,forget the hill...it's hard to get into 5th! I kinda feel the opposite, the trucks so slow anyway what's the point of regearing? Ive been driving almost 20 years and I've never driven a vehicle geared quite like this...one of my only complaints. She doesn't like to roll into the bottom of 2nd gear(never touched 1st gear at a stop sign before the Taco!),she doesn't have any top end... I suppose they wanted to make a truck that would still move when full. I'm on 235/75/16, can't feel the difference hardly.

 

You are talking about a 2nd-Gen 2011 2.7? Right?

Wow.... I guess all those years that Toyota put the 18R, 20R, and 22R and 22RE in the HiLux those drivers were lucky to get out of their driveways

Seriously... something is wrong with your truck. I have an 08 RC Base with the 2.7 and automatic, and on the way to work there is a grade with an interchange in the middle of it.
Trucks end up slowing traffic to 30-40mph at the point of the merge, and when there's an opening, I'll scoot across to the fast lane with my foot buried and I'll be doing 90 by the time I hit the top of the hill if I don't let off.

Maybe if you wouldn't short-shift your truck you'd have better results.
5th is NOT for hill climbing. It's an overdrive... but it should cruise up a MILD grade in 5th at 65 with no issues.
Likewise... starting out in 2nd? 1st is not a granny low. Starting out in 2nd is not doing your truck any favors.

 

Listen,I love my truck but anyone honest will say these things are turtles. And geared like a much bigger truck. Most compact trucks (yeah,I know it's "mid size") are geared more like the average car. 99% of passenger vehicles, you get on the freeway,get into 5th, and stay there... PERIOD. I've had big trucks,little trucks,fast cars,not so fast cars,every type of motorcycle....this is the ONLY passenger vehicle that NEEDS 4th. I don't care what the grade is,that's a doggy. And no,you're not doing this truck any favors rolling into 2nd... THAT'S MY POINT. Most vehicles don't mind,Scion xB (2.4,same parents!) does it smooth as glass,never even a chatter rolling through stops. The Taco won't have 2nd basically under TEN mph,that's unusual to say the least. So it's got a weird low end AND a weird top end AND IT'S SLOW. It doesn't matter if you have a 1.6 or a 6.6, it's how it's setup. A tank puts out 1000hp and goes 15mph. There's no reason a 2.7 can't haul ass,this one just happens not to. The I can live with it, it's not a secret. Great,solid,goodlookin,reliable,... and slow.

 

Your comparing a truck to a car. No way they will be the same

 

Ya... and it's no different from any other 4 cylinder my family has ever had. '76 Datsun pickup, '75 Pinto, Datsun B210, '88 Mercury Topaz, '89 Mercury Tracer, '90 Geo Storm GSI, '94 HiLux, '04 Rav4, etc....

My '08 2.7 auto has WAY more power overhead than the '94 with the 22RE... which struggled to maintain 80 on a mile hill, while the '08 can hop it up to 90+ on a steep hill... and in that '94, if someone cut me off on Cajon Pass, I was fucked. I was stuck at 45-55 the rest of the way up that hill because that truck would NOT accelerate on that grade.
I've had my '08 for about 13,000 miles now and I've never felt the need for more power or different gearing... and in the last 10 years I've driven a 4.7 Tundra V8, 360hp Silverado Duramax, 5.7 Suburban, and V6 Explorer and 4-Runner... as well as a 12-second '69 Camaro in college.

 

I freaking love my 4-banger! Great performance for what I need with gas mileage that makes people who ask about the truck jealous

 

How well does the 4.10 re-gear 'neutralize' the extra rolling diameter of the 31" tires?

I'd like to keep my speedo as accurate as possible, if not, then how do I recalibrate? I'm fairly sure it's ECU-driven - if that's the case, a reprogrammer like Bully Dog should do the trick, no?

 

410s should feel about the same as stock with 31"s as far as speedo being accurate i doubt it but a recalibrator might help also