Upgrade off road performance,keep daily drivability

I've had my 98 since 98.daily driver and weekend camping/wheeling rig. I don't want to sacrifice road performance too much,but want to increase off road durability. Right now it's a stock xtra cab 3.4 trd with 31-10.5 bfgmtkm2's. Planning to add a leaf on the rear for heavy loads and a slight lift. Looking for advice on the front end. I only want a couple more inches.

 

I went with OME (Old Man EMU) 881 coils & struts up front on my 96 3.4L. Gave about 2" of lift, nice smooth ride..... You can actually fit 32 x 11.50's under there if you wanted to. OME is probably a little expensive, but I think its worth it.

 

A lift is not going to increase durability - it actually degrades it to a certain exent. CV angles are increased, driveline is altered, and as you most likely increase tire size, you put more stress on the engine.

That said, what are you really hoping to solve?

It's actually one of the least expensive routes if you want to do things right, provided tires alone can't get you there. Another option is the Bisteins, but I have seen the OMEs as a superior option.
Spacer lifts will compromise comfort (and reliability if overdone).

 

Nate, my use sounds very similar to yours. Daily driver, occasional weekend use for trails/forestry roads/hiking/camping, some snow in the winter.

I also wanted overall improved handling and safety over the worn out stock stuff.

I settled on the OME 881 up front (~ 1.75 lift) and a Wheeler's offroad 5-pack on the rear (~1.5), and OME Nitrocharger shocks all around. Not the cheapest, but excellent quality, and I'm very happy with it for my needs and use. I think it is a good long-term investment. You can check out some pics in my gallery.

It is a mild lift, and has not created any additional issues on my truck, such as vibes or CV boot tearing.

 

A few misconceptions:

This is not entirely clear-cut:

- A lift will reduce handling because you are raising the center of gravity, therefore inducing greater body roll
- HOWEVER, your original parts were worn out. Any replacement would increase handling, including a direct replacement of new, original spec equipment
-HOWEVER, you went aftermarket, with superior valved equipment and tension, which most likely overcomes the negative aspect of the change in center of gravity.

To achieve maximum safety, the OP can simply choose increased performance shocks that do not lift the vehicle.

It is possible to minimize driveline issues by correcting the angle, but it can sometimes be difficult.
CV boots won't tear 'immediately' unless the change in angle is severe. However, lifting the vehicle is always going to change the angle of the CV at both the inner and outer boot, which does cause increased wear.

Keep in mind, if the lift is done properly, these issues are all minor and are rarely a deterrent for those of us who considered a lift.

My point in being so specific in my answers is that I want the OP to fully realize the effect of a lift. Here on TW, many people give advice without fully understanding the OP's desired goal.


If the OP does in fact determine a lift is desired, I support that goal.

I offroad on a regular basis (at least once a month) on respectably difficult terrain.
I put in an OME lift around 20k miles.
I have had one CV boot tear around 45k, but it was easily rebuilt with a new boot.
I have some mild driveline vibration because I haven't really corrected my angles (I've been making changes and expect another change soon), but I plan to focus on that soon. I haven't seen any reportable issues due to this situation.

 

If you want to increase off road durability than what you want are sliders, skid plates and maybe a snorkel. For all these things will protect your vehicle, to an extent, from the act of off-roading. As for front lift, for an affordable lift i agree with the previous posters as evident from my sig.

 

This is a good thread to follow. My previous vehicle was an FJ Cruiser. Lifted and armored. I went with a heavier than stock OME springs to account for the added armor. I never had an issue with the CV boots. The stock Toyota shocks controlled the springs quite well. This was a lot less cost than the Full lift kits my friends were installing on their FJs.

Because of the increased lift, front alignments were a challenge. And the UCA angles were tooextreme. I drove it though for over 100k that way and loved it. The only parts that wore out were wheel bearings.

For my Taco, I'm aiming for more of an Expo camping vehicle. Maybe an Icon lift, Ironman or maybe just another spring lift. There is no doubt the Taco could use some handling improvements... I'll also be looking at steering components.

 

I'm in the same boat exact boat.

For me sliders and a little extra armor underneath will go a long way.

 

lol... holy chit, I'm quoted?

 

Lol ya. You posted that in the first thread i made the day i bought my taco and was getting anxiety about different noises it was making. I actually thought about that quote a lot on like long drives. I reread that thread the other day and realized it was you and i see ur posts all the time on here so i deemed it sig worthy.