Confused newb needing help with lift/tires

Ok I am a newbie(actually just switched from my honda civic to my 2013 tacoma double cab sport edition). I know i just signed up but I've been reading the forum for a few weeks. Reading some of them has just confused me more. My question, which has been asked 1 million times on here and I'm sorry to ask it again just confused, I am going to put a lift on my truck and i want to know the best one for a "factory ride". Budget is around 2k. I want to as xd series rims but how big of tires can I fit with it being lifted 3 inches without any rubbing or any trimming. My rims size is 17"! What can I do about the speedo being off as well? I know I can calculate how much its off but I want it to be correct with my tires.

Thanks for your help and again sorryt for being a newb!!!


Also any other mods you recommend? My truck is white and I want to black out as much as possible headlights, taillights, rims....

 

Keep in mind you said you wanted to optimize for "factory ride" and "no trimming or rubbing" above all else.

So - with those choices in mind - here's your selections:

It's simple. Everyone who's running 33" tires (e.g. 285/75R16) is EITHER rubbing OR trimming (sometimes both.)

So, if you don't want to trim anything, and you don't want to rub anything, put 265/70R17 tires on your stock 17" Sport rims. Yes, even AFTER you lift. Remember, the suspension compresses, and the wheel still has to fit into the wheel well at bump.

If you go to wider rims such as XD, they're going to have more negative offset. That leads to rubbing on the plastic in the wheelwell, mudflaps, and cab mount - whether you're lifted or not.

Since you're a pre-runner - the lift choice that preserves the factory ride is called "lift spindles" which simply changes where the front axle is positioned relative to the rest of the suspension. You'll want a new leaf pack for the rear, and some shocks to go with e.g. bilstein 5100s.

Now - this may not be the answer you were looking for. In that case, you're going to have to re-assess your priorities and decide how much you value "not trimming" and "not rubbing."

Or, you may look into the cost of those spindles and leaf pack, and may decide that a less expensive option, perhaps with a bit more "taut" ride wouldn't be a bad thing after all. Many of us actually PREFER the slightly more taut ride that higher spring rate springs give, especially since that means we don't bottom out anymore on bigger bumps or potholes hit at speed.

 

Thanks bjmoose! I guess I have to rethink what I want. Its more important to me to have the bigger tires so I'll have to deal with trimming or rubbing. Any idea what trimming may have to be done? Can you recommend a good lift kit? Been looking at the toytecs and I'm between a few of them.

Thanks again!

 

basically you do a lot of cutting of that thin inner wheelwell liner with a box knife, use zip ties to reattach parts of it kinda out of the way. I made a simple bracket with a strip of aluminum and a couple screws. You can searc "cab mount chop" that's the more severe trimming. But none of this stuff is visible to anyone who doesn't get up close and know what they're looking for.

5100 shocks, eibach springs, and "add a leaf" is kinda the default lift. replacement leaf pack if you carry a lot of stuff in the bed. "old man emu" if you do a fair amount of offroading. Icons/Fox/Kings etc... if you do high speed stuff.

 

I had no trimming to do with my lift. Just removed front mudflaps. I have 285/75/17 cooper stt tires. So far so good. If you have 2k for the lift I would do the icons and aal. The suspension feels amazing, better than OEM. Let me also say that I have pretty high standards as far as how the truck drives and handles. I was in the same boat as you about a month ago. Glad I spent the extra few bucks. Good luck!

 

Thanks guys. How did you get so lucky of not trimming or rubbing??!! This stuff is so confusing to me

 

False.

I have run 285/75/16s for over 3 years and have never rubbed or trimmed anything.


With a proper alignment (adjustable upper control arms are required) and proper backspacing of the wheels (4.5") you too can run 285's without hacking up your truck or rubbing.

Yes, I have done a little wheelnig here and there. No rubbing, ever...not once. Did I mention that I was running 285s?

 

I think his budget is 2k total. With that said if you are getting wheels and new tires that will eat up a LOT of the 2k. Your best bet is to go w/ Bilstein 5100's for the front for $200. You can set them at .85, 1.75, or 2.5. Most people at 2.5 have to purchase UCA's to fix the alignment costing another $350 and up for those. If you go 3" you will need UCA's period. You can go w/ 885x coils which will run ya 160 or so and will give ya about 1.6" of lift then maybe set the billies at .85. Most will say not to run these two together but they will work just fine and you shouldnt have any issues. For the rear you can go basic not recommended a block 1.5" an AAL a lot run or an entire leaf pack for the best ride. Rubbing will vary greatly depending on what wheels you buy and the size tires you run. I run 265 70 17s on my billies set at 1.75 and dont rub but you will wanna go bigger is you go to 2.5" or 3" more than likely a 275 70 17 not much cutting or 285 75 17 w/cutting.

 

Sorry for the confusion. I'm willing to spend up to 2k on just the lift alone. Wish I wasn't so confused...lol

 

Very good answer, I might add that wheel backspacing has a lot to do with getting things right. Getting proper assistance to figure this out can save a huge amount of headache down the line.
I ran 275/70/17's on stock sport rims with billies set at 1.75 on stock sport coils, the front mudflaps had to go and I had the Cab Mount Chop done even though I didn't technically need to do it. The backspacing on the stock rims meant I was extremely close to rubbing on the UCA's and it did rub on the back part of the LCA's. I just mounted 265/70/17's on SCS Stealth 6 wheels, the wheels have 2.20 inches more of backspace than the stockers did. I was thinking of going to 285/70/17's which at that point the cab mount chop comes into play and I would have had to trim some of the inner fender forwards of the front tires. I wasn't necessarily opposed to doing this but I also was leery of loosing more MPG's pushing around bigger tires. As it happened I came across an incredible deal on some Nitto 265/70/17's that I couldn't pass up. Now having them mounted on the truck, in one eye you could say they look a little small on the truck but to my eye they actually look more proportional to the truck, the additional backspacing means the tires sit farther out, thus lowering my center of gravity and (I think), giving the truck a more aggressive look.
I did much reading and talking with folk here to figure these things out. My truck is a DD work truck, I am on the road much more than I am off so economy and load carrying capacity comes into play here. If your truck is a toy or you don't have to log 25K of miles every year then sure, if you want the bigger tires then yeah, go for it, but keep in mind, going for that 'look' requires at least some trimming and cutting at 3 inches of lift, while you can mitigate this somewhat with properly backspaced tires, 285's are still gonna need some work to make them fit without issue.
My first impression with your budget is that you could spend $1500 on rims and tires alone, a proper 3 inch lift (proper meaning components that are going to improve the truck's capability, not diminish it), could run you close to 2K just on the hardware (Dakar rear leafs, rear Bilstien 5100's, front adjustable Bilstien 5100's set at .85 inches on 885 coils and Light Racing or Total Chaos UCA's), this would give you a solid 3 inches of lift, the front can be properly aligned and would fit 285/70/17's with maybe a little trimming depending on what backspacing your rims have. If you have the ability or you have friends who can do this you can save mucho $$$ on installation of all of this.
I don't blame you for feeling confused, it's a very complicated equation, countless folks here have installed coil spacers, rear leaf blocks and body lifts as a cheaper way to get up there only to find they compromised the truck's abilities and/or (in some cases), damaged their trucks. Worse yet, many of those folks ended up removing those components and replacing them with proper ones at additional expense.
I don't want to discourage you from your dreams but I think your budget is unrealistic at this point with what you want to do. Now, that being said, here's the good news: You are now part of a HUGE community of truck nuts that are buying and selling stuff ALL THE TIME, in addition, on this site's Vendor List is a bunch of Vendors that cater to us Tacoma owners, their ability to retain Vendor status here is based on their ability to serve us Tacoma owners well, this means good prices and great customer service. What does that mean to you? Glad you asked What it means is that, with a plan in hand, and some patience, you may be able to acquire many of these components from other members at a substantial discount used. My Bilstien shocks, my airbags, seat covers, front grill, lights, wheels, tires, came from other members, and Mod Days in my area saved me huge $$$$ not paying someone else to hang stuff on my truck, plus I learned how to do it myself and I'm no mechanic. Cae in point, like my wheel and tire setup? How much do you think everything ran me? We're talking new SCS Stealth 6 wheels, new Nitton Terra Grappler 265'70/17 tires and mounting and balancing, 2K? 1.5K? All told, everything, including the $100 I spent on mounting and balancing, less than $1300. Sweet huh? This was mainly due to knowing folks and keeping an eye out on TW for a good tire deal. Patience was the key here (and some luck too ).
If I were you, I would do some more research, lay out a game plan of components I need and how to get them installed, price out all of those components new, and then start hunting for those components on TW. On a fairly regular basis, TW members will upgrade their suspensions and will sell really good stuff and a decent price, I and other members have saved a lot of money doing this, Like I said, a game plan and patience is the key.
My truck:

 

Thanks acdronin...helps out a little! By the way nice looking truck!

 

Now take your sway bar off and wheel it hard i am pretty suprised you have had no rubbing. Adjustable UCAs that add caster will move the wheels back in the wheel well with a 3" lift and in spec caster numbers, making you more likely to rub the cab mount. Plus low offset wheels like 4.5 bs push the tires farther out and make you more likely to rub the fender flares/ cab mount during compresion when the wheels are turned. I guarantee you that most people with those specs have rubbing or had to trim.

 

You're welcome and thanks

 

+1 I feel like its impossible to have no rubbing and 285's if you're actually flexing out the truck, especially while turning...I've got 285's, Icons, Camburg UCA's, 16x8 4.5" BS wheels, lots of caster, and I keep finding little spots where I need to trim more on the inner fender.

 

OP, the best idea is to spend some time figuring out what components interest you and then find an active thread where people are already talking about those components. I spent about 6 months lurking and reading before I pulled the trigger on my setup but I got something that works for the need to maintain a daily driver, my level of wheeling, and my budget, which was about the same as yours.

Lots of people here have lots of different opinions about what is best for these trucks, but most of these are opinions and your's is the only one that matters. You've already got a budget, next decide what you plan to do with the truck. Is is going out to the swamp every weekend or do you want something that looks pretty in the parking lot?

Read random threads, speak to guys in your area, attend a meet and greet. See how the different lifts and tires actually look on a truck, it might change your opinion.

 

Here's a few good places to start

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/florida/

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/10070-lets-see-your-white-tacoma.html

 

Yes thats a good affordable setup for a mild lift. 265/70/16, 265/75/16 is a good size for this setup. If you want to be sure that you will sit level you need to take some measurements on your truck. Some tacomas sit higher in the back than others, so 1.75" could make you nose high. Find a nice flat level spot to park and measure from the center of your hub to bottom of the wheel well. Add 1.75" to your fromt measurements and see where you would be at.

 

If you are thinking of going 1.75" w/ Bilsteins' in the front, do yourself a favor: Save a little more and get the Eibach coils and set the Bilsteins on zero. You will have the same lift, but the truck w/ Eibach coils rides much better offroad (big hits/bumps). I've got two trucks, done it both ways, wheeled them both off road side by side in the same conditions - Eibachs are money well spent...



My son and his friends on a recent trip to Arkansas with our two trucks. Both have air bags in the rear instead of add a leaf. The off road has 265/75 R16 Mickey Thompson ATZ's, the Sport has 265/70R17 MT ATZ's.

David

 

Cooper doesn't make a 285/75R17 tire.