New to the Taco life

Hey everyone.....after months of market research and countless test drives....I finally bought a tacoma.

2012 double cab TRD sport, short bed.

im a first time truck owner, before this I drove a 98' lexus gs 300 which i still own.

With that being said, I plan on making a few modifications to the taco. I plan on lifting it but only an inch or 2.....probably just 1 inch. Any suggestions on a lift kit? and how much it would cost (roughly) to have someone install it? I live in massachusetts, so if any of you are in MA and are willing to do it for cash that would be great.

I also plan on getting bigger tires. I've done research and apparently BF goodrich seems to be one of the best A/T tire brands.

anyways.... If you guys could shoot a couple suggestions my way about the lift kit and tires that would be great.

thanks

-paul

 

Bilstein 5100's and aal for rear would give you the lift u are looking for.

 

I run duratracs but toyo as good A/T tires

 

The Tacoma, she is such a cruel mistress. Always wanting more.

 

hey man thanks for the quick reply. I was looking online and I found this 1 inch body lift kit. the link is below.
is this legit? or will i actually have to get new shocks and add a leaf spring?

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/1-body-lift-for-05-Tacoma_p_1351.html#

 

nice. Ive read up on toyo they're pretty good too. I live in new england so im looking to get some mid size snow tires for the wild winter we're about to get. I probably wont even make a decision on what to get until after the winter has passed

 

gotta love her though!

 

Haha so true. From what I gather from folks here on TW 5100's is the best way to go. Better ride and reliability. I'm not a big fan of body lifts. My suggestion would be... do what I did...lurk around TW forums and then you will get a better understanding of what kind of lift is the best fit for you.

 

ok, so you dont recommend that body kit I posted? I've seen a lot of mention of the 5100's just by skimming through the forums. Do you have them? and is the aal necessary or can i just get 4 5100 shocks and itll be all good?

im a noob. i know

 

U don't need the aal just the billy's. They are adjustable so they will level out ur taco. If that's what u are looking to do. They have different settings. You can lift up to 2.5 inches with the 5100's.

 

ok thanks good to know. I just want to lift the entire truck about an inch or so and i dont want one end of the truck to be lifted higher than the other

 

Absolute first thing I would do if I lived in MA is check my frame for rust and if none then I would have my frame treated!!! Lift/tires can wait.... Just do a search on frame rust, and you will prob run to get that taken care of. Just so you know I just asked dealer what the cost for undercoat and was quoted $800 with lifetime warranty. I think I'm going in on that just for the warranty since replacement is $12k

 

good idea. I was actually thinking about doing that too. I guess that should be the first thing on my list.

thanks a lot

 

is the treatment something i would have to do at a dealership? or can i do it myself?

 

A 5100 lift would be good since mass has restrictions on lift sizes as well and would be WAY better than any kind of spacer or body lift

 

yeah mass has so many laws when it comes to vehicle mods....but i see so many trucks with 5+ inch lift kits. so the 5100's is all i need for a 1 inch lift? I know tim already answered that but i like to hear from everyone

 

Ya I spent most of my life in mass until I joined the service. Speaking from past experience guys who had that 6 inches knew a guy who knew a guy type thing who would pass them through inspection but if I'm not mistaken it's no more than 3 inches up or down in mass.

The 5100s should give you around 2.5 inches depending on what you set them at. You shouldn't need new UCAs because it's under 3 so you should be good and I know you said only a one inch lift but 2-2.5 won't really make much of a difference and will guarantee clearing an agressive tread tire without rubbing.

 

ok nice. so, what, do i buy 4 5100 bilstien shocks, take them to my mechanic and have him to the rest? hes a family friend so he wont be ripping me off or anything. But i just dont want to show up at the garage with 4 shocks and have him say that i need more parts, you know?

 

That's all you need.

 

Check out headstrong off-road.com they have kits plus if you give them a call they'll tell you everything you need to know. They might be closed til after the holidays though not sure