Tacoma lift, wheels, and tires information

I have an 07 TRD sport sr5 double cab. I bought it used and it came with a "claimed" 3 inch lift. I assume it is a spacer lift, as the front stock suspension is still being used. The rear has rough country shocks. First of all, is that lift any good at all? I have not had any problems yet, but what's everyone's opinion? I've heard things about ball joint wear etc. My second question is, if I keep that lift, what are the best (I would say biggest, but I understand going too big can cause problems) tires, and what would be the most suitable 16" rims to accompany the tires?

 

spacer lifts should be temporary, unless its a pavement princess. theres no beneficial gains with spacers. depending on how much lift, you should be able to stuff 285/75/16s in there with trimming

 

If you want to go off-road then spacers suck since every bump is going to be magnified.

 

I hear that spacer lifts ride like crap but I can not figure out why. Why would a spacer above the strut assembly ride any different than stock?

 

Spacer lifts cause this:

 

I have the exact same set up, (wife bought it for Christmas last year) I want a better set up to obtain the same lift. Id like to keep around a $500 dollar budget since my wife is going to tell me "I already bought you that". What should I get.

 

i think 5100s are the cheapest thing that would be better -

 

A good read plus a response from someone who works for a company that makes spacers. Have to ignore the usual Tacoma World BS posts.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/345272-why-exactly-front-spacer-lifts-bad-9.html

 

the spacer decreases the space that your spring sits in, adding preload to the spring and compressing it, so when you go over a bump the spring moves less than it would before and makes a harsher ride.