New Obsession

They grow up so fastt

 

Hey man I just got a 2014 double cab and have been looking pretty extensively at lift kits. After looking I keep coming back to the Icon Stage 4 like here:
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/ICON-Stage-4-Tacoma-suspension_p_971.html
Is this pretty much what you've got going on? How do you like it so far?

Two other routes I'm looking at:
http://www.ishock.com/i-11635542-fo...-w-matching-rear-shocks-and-camburg-ucas.html
^^looks too good for the price, maybe I'm missing something. With this kit I would also add a leaf.

And then there is this 6" from BDS that seems well put together for the price. I'm just not sure how I feel about cutting up my new truck.
http://bds-suspension.com/product?ma=12&mo=45&ty=1&yr=2005-2013&kid=816H

I'm just looking for your experienced .02....

 

The stage 4 would be an awesome choice! Pretty much the same setup that I run except it would have Icon UCA's instead of my Total Chaos UCA's (mine were just as good but just a little more affordable) and all of your Icon's have remote Resi's. I'm doing fine without them but it would definitely make me feel better if I had them. Especially because I have done some fast desert driving a few times.

Honestly, when I first got the Icon's I was a little surprised that the upgraded suspension made the ride stiffer as far as being a daily driver. The lift wasn't as much as I expected either and my wheels would rub at full turn.

Now I've learned that the progressive valving system of them makes off roading considerably smoother, especially once you get some speed. I've done a little bit of crawling and they had a descent amount of flex to them, and hit a some small bumps/jumps and that felt great going off of those, although my wheels would stuff a little when I landed and rub on the inside of the wheel wells though still.

With my Icon setup I wish:
- I had remote Resi's
- I probably would have just replaced the leaf pack instead of getting the add a leaf because they've ended up sagging a bit I think
- I wish I had long shocks to give me more flex
- I need to do a body chop because they still rub
- I want some Icon bump stops too

Honestly sometimes I wonder if I had just gone with some bilstein 5100's if that would have served my needs. Probably not, I imagine I would have broken them by now. When I do go out I tend to abuse those Icons pretty badly haha as some other users here might know and they've held up great.

I'd want bigger front coil overs though because to get a full 3" lift (the Icons I have are adjustable) I had to compress the spring a good amount which makes it even a stiffer ride. I also wish my shocks in the back were the full 2.5" (not cheap though)

The best thing I did was to take out my sway bar, I love the feel of the truck without them; but would be worried to do this if I had a shock less capable then the Icons.

Thats my quick .2 cents on the Icons. Overall I'm pretty happy with them, and i like the ride height. My wife doesn't like driving the truck as much anyway with the suspension / tire combo but she still can when she has to. It's not that big of a lift either like I mentioned - but any higher would be difficult for her to get in and out if you have a lady. Everytime I see a 4" or 6" lift though it makes me realllly wish I had a bigger lift kit on there, although the 3" is probably what most guys run here and will accomplish most of many regular offroaders needs as long as you have a locker and armor (sliders, skids, and ideally a bumper ).

You sound like your a lot more knowledgable then I was when I first started but if you haven't seen this yet go over some of the suspension notes in this thread, and if you want to see some more Icon setups just poke around some of the build threads within the various AZ threads because a good amount of the guys out here are starting to run Icons.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/11282-tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read.html

I don't really know anything about Fox or the BDS. My quick thoughts are that a 2" lift isn't worth it you should do the full 3 to fit some 32-33" tires - and that Fox shocks are software at lower speeds and stiffen up as you speed up, it's the opposite as the Icon's. I feel like NoFords08 would know more, he runs fox and lovessss them haha. Fox definitely has an incredible reputation and whether you choose Fox, or Icon you are definitely making a good decision. As a good amount of people here will tell you - best to do it the right way the first time. Otherwise you'll just be contemplating how you'll be able to sell your used parts for different ones.

I'd probably stay away from the BDS kit or at least customize it a bit IMO. I don't like that it's a block lift, it probably has spacers in it too for the front. Not a good choice for off roading. I don't fully understand what people say when they say Drop Bracket lift, but a lot of people talk about it, and it's not a good thing. I don't really know 6" lifts but you can search the forums for more info.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/221673-bds-4-lift.html

 

My vote is Icons

 

Definitely some good insight, thanks mayn.

Like you said, those six inch lifts look pretty incredible, but I don't want to do any cutting on my truck. I agree I don't think the blocks are a great design choice when doing a lift. With that said, I found that Allpro makes a pretty slick long travel setup: It's all bolt-on so no chopping up. Think I may save up and go with this set-up. I called AllPro to ask about it. The guy said he's had the kit on for years and has driven it from Montana to California cross-country and other trips without any issues. I think a few other guys at AllPro run this kit as well. You do have to purchase the longer axles ($495) and it doesn't come with a setup for the rear.

We'll see, I'm still in the saving and researching phase. Thanks for the info fellas