Another "Lift" question..Now with results

And that's what I meant when I said "I didn't know what to look for" Now I do !!!!(sort of...haha). I try and get as many pic's as I can before they come out and try and sell me the thing. They are like wolves over there.

 

i have a 2.5 1.5 on my 2011 and it runs fine. it will feel different because it is different... not better, not worse. I went the inexpensive route and have had no problems... on top of the spacers you could add UCA.. you could do coilovers instead of front spacers... you could do AAL or a new leaf pack instead of a block in the rear.... you can look up any car/truck or any configuration on the web and find people who have problems... some are unlucky, some are self inflicted and some people are too picky.

carl

 

That is the worst part about investigating things online. You have to read a thousand threads. Then take the best 700 of them and figure it out yourself. I'm usually pretty good at it. But for some reason this lift thing is pretty tough to get a read on. And since I want to do it to a 30 thousand dollar vehicle that I still have years of payment on I figured I better ask the pro's directly. And you guys have been great at helping me.

 

I researched for 8-10 hours a day for a year trying to find what worked best for me at this stage of my life..definitely makes you insane But, with everything I have learned from my time researching, I am happy to "pay it forward" to those new to trucks wanting to lift them.

 

I wanted a better looking mall-crawler... so my options were wide open. I would do things differently if I had the chance.
1) don't get so wrapped up in reading about issues that you see them in your config. it will ride different so be ready for it.
2) I allowed the shop to talk me into a tire/wheel config that I am not completely happy with. I should have gone with tirerack combination 18 inch wheel and 285/65R18... would be totally happy... most of my issues were with balancing and I think I got out of round wheels... tirerack will go to great lengths to get you a well balanced set of tires/wheels so that removes one big issue.
3) I would consider aftermarket UCA... but still on the fence as to how much that would help for a 2.5 lift.

have fun and ENJOY the truck when you are done... don't look for issues.

Carl

 

I was just thinking of this(Carl's post triggered my dumb brain). How about the tires? those trucks at the dealer all have 285's on them. Before I waste more of your guys time could it just be the tires lifting it up so high? I wouldn't think so but I'm not a "big" tire guy either(never got into them).

 

For some reason I see 265 If they are true 285's, the front inner fender plastic at the bottom near the mudflaps would be trimmed just to drive it on the street and not rub. They also have the mudflaps removed. You will have to see tonight. If they are 285's there is definitely some kind of lift on it

 

it is tough to see but I'm almost positive they are 285's. I did a screen cut. Still tough to see. and I will double check tonight.

 

I have wondered similar questions about lifting my truck and here is what I have found first hand, I'm sure none of this be news to you but I figured I should throw my $.02 to give some more opinion.
1. A friend with kings all 4 corners, long travel in rear, TC UCA, and an AAL drove amazing off road which was to be expected but he had too wide of MT on there and he got noise and bumpy ride I assume form the tires. He also has had tons of problems and eventually when for a full long travel.
2. Another friend had 5100s up front with 887 coils, fox 2.0 w/ resi in rear and no AAL or anything in the back. He is a 2wd so he installed the spindle lift for 4' of lift in front and the stock amount of space between fender and tire in rear. He has some nitto AT and I noticed off-roading was a little stiff but on road at high speeds it was smooth.
3. Many friends and a lot of reading has lead me to believe this, lifting your truck is going to make it stiff either on or off road based on quality and that is unavoidable. If you want to float on clouds while in the woods then Long travel is the way but you'll shell out $$$ in every corner. If you want a functional lift that is expected to be stiff but looks great and performs good then go with the headstrong Tacoma lift kit with the 5100s and your choice of coils (I personally just bought the 887 for height and if I get a bumper in the future). Removing a sway bar will help with allowing those preloaded or extended shocks have a little more give and if you like driving boats then you'll love the feel of it but like everything when you take out the sway bar to allow a smoother ride with more droop on the shocks then you also wont be able to drive 75 on the freeway and make a sudden maneuver to dodge a car accident or road hazard so you're jeopardizing safety if you want to continue driving like you're in a BMW.
In conclusion, I suggest avoiding spacers but that is just my opinion. I figure you paid $30k+ for your truck so don't spend less than $200 to lift. I when with 5100s with 887 coils set to .0 in front with a 1/4 spacer to correct taco lean, light racing UCAs, fox 2.0 shocks in rear, and a 1.5" AAL in rear. Total cost be under $1k from a well known company. If you can buy some nice coilovers and new rear leaf packs and new uca and lca but expect to spend well over $2k. If you know its a DD then get a good set of long lasting AT tires. Good luck and Ill provide some links to help you out too.

Review on Tires:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/0909or-long-term-off-road-tire-test-updates/
Lift review:
http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old/index.php?article=137
Im sure there are more /better places for info, goodluck!

 

285/70R17 added about 1.5 inches of lift I think... there is a tire calculator on this site somewhere that tells you the difference in size for different configs.... I really should have gone with 285/65R18 which would have given me the same hight but no wider than stock.

Note you cannot put 285/70R17 on a stock truck without a 2.5 lift... infact, I had to remove a tiny bit of the inner wheel well liner (front rub on turns)... and I removed my flaps but I plan to put them or a aftermarket set back on.

Not sure I answered your question....

 

thanks Pirhett and yes you answered great Mercerc. The tire size thing is next. I have to figure the lift out first. My brain can't handle both at once. But I do love those rims they had on at the dealership. I don't know if they did it right or not but it sure looks good!!!! I almost locked them up when I saw the thing. Pulled a "U" turn right in the second I caught them out the corner of my eye.

 

My local dealer lifts them with the cheapest materials possible, spacers and blocks. They don't even swap extended length shocks in, meaning the truck will perform poorly with reduced suspension travel in about every situation other than posing parked. Guys not knowing anything see the 'cooler' lifted truck and pay a premium, and the dealer makes a killing. There are a few TRD Pros (Inferno orange/black/white) but they are not as high as those trucks and will have 265/70/R16 (stock tire size).

I wanted a small lift, to not have any geometry headaches and perform as well at 75 mph on the free way as it does rock crawling in the mountains, with more travel (not just lift) than stock. I also wanted a system to be firmer than stock and balanced front and rear by competent engineers. I did not want to exceed 265/75/R16 or 265/70/R17 tire sizes (1" bigger than TRD stock) because after that tires get very heavy and kill acceleration/mpgs/braking.

Based on the above criteria I chose the TRD Baja TX Pro kit + 1.5" Icon AAL. The setup is stiffer than the TRD Pro, and designed by TRD engineers to give a proper 2" lift in the front. It also includes extra attention to detail like extended travel bump stops and brake line extension brackets. The result is the truck looks proportional, and looks almost like it could be stock until you see it next to a stock Tacoma. Handling is excellent both on the street where it is firm and controlled and performs well off-road.

 

I've been curious about this as well. I have a 2" lift - but my goal has always been for it to be a quality 2". And I often hear about aftermarket UCA's giving much better ride and handling characteristics. Mostly I hear about alignment specs - which my truck seems fine at - but it's the handling improvements that interest me most. Been eyeing the Camburgs.

 

That looks to be exactly what I am looking for Crash. it is tough to tell in the pictures though the height(like you say). Looking at the picture I attached (from the dealership) would you say yours is around that same height? Not that it matters. I don't need to be high. Just higher than stock.

 

Looks like this is the one I need Crash. But couple questions(I've been reading all day on it and mostly your posts). Some say they can't get anymore? But i'll figure that out. On the leafs. I have 3 leafs and then the one big thick one. Do I still get the one you did?(Icon AAL). and if so do you think I should take out that thick one like you did? Edit: just looked online and see it's in the instructions to remove. just want to makes sure that my 3 regular and one thick leafs are normal(can't keep up with all the Tacoma leaf squeaks and TSB's)

And any thoughts on the new pro suspension kit instead? Would you of done that one if it were today?

 

Headstrong Light racing UCA for $375 shipped to any lower 48!

 

let me ask this Pirhett. I keep seeing people say UCA. are you saying(and them) that you can get lift with new upper control arms? I don't get it? wouldn't you need much more than just the upper Ctrl Arm

or maybe it doesn't mean that?

I know you need new ones when you go over 3" lifts. But seen a few people saying you just need UAA(again unless I'm reading wrong)

 

The UCA's correct the alignment issues you're going to get from ANY lift you might get. You are correct, they don't provide any lift by themselves.

It's not just 3" and above that benefit from them.

 

If just for looks with better ride, just go with Bilstein 5100's. The dealership pic you posted appears to have a leveled look and most dealership lift I've seen are spacers. Setting the 5100's to .85" or even 1.75" will get you the look you want and not have to change tires though the right tires give the right look. When I had 285's, it killed my mpg and was getting around 15. To fit 285's, minimum lift would be 2.5" with minimal cutting and acceptable rub as well as correctly back spaced wheels.

I chose to go 265/75/16 this time around to keep my mpg's as it's my daily and get to keep my mudflaps.
5100's set to .85"

 

hey bro. i went with the 1.6" eibach's in the front and a wheeler's 1.5" AAL in the rear. Bilstein 5100's all around with the front set at 0. I still have the factory rake, but it's about 1.5" higher than stock. I've been really happy with the results, no vibes and the ride is still better than stock. The total cost, being that i did the labor myself, and i paid wheelers to assemble the front struts and springs, was $571.