Need help/opinion on lift and tires

Hey everyone new member here but I've scrolled through here a lot when working on my old 99 Tacoma so I'm fairly familiar but I just bought an 04 Access cab and wanting to do some nice mods to it so I figured I would get the best advice I could.

I'm looking to get a small lift with 17" rims and a good off-road tire but nothing that isn't road tolerable as a daily driver. I hunt a lot so it will be off-road some but nothing extreme. Rough country has a decently priced 2.5 lift for about 250 but I noticed a lot of people don't like them in here but I see them everywhere here in Tennessee.. Why? Anywho.. What's a good small lift to buy with nothing extreme and something I can fit a good size tire under and how big can I go? Lemme know what you got

 

I hate to be the guy that says this but you gotta search the forum for this question. This very same question is literally asked at a very minimum of once a week.

You see the spacer lifts everywhere because they are so cheap....
If you really want spacers just make sure to not get coil spacers that preload your coils. Instead look for "top plate" spacers...

Go with a set of bilstein adjustable 5100's if you want something cheap but not garbage. Pair them with some lift coils to achieve the lift or get some oem size coils or even keep your old wore out stockers, your call, and utilize the adjustability of the shocks to achieve your lift. There is 3 different settings on those shocks.

 

Thanks for your help I'll look more into the forum now.

 

Why use top plates instead of preload? My only guess would be install.

 

They just make it so stiff! In return could cause premature wear on components and like you said install is 100x's easier.

 

Regardless of installing a top plate spacer or coil spacers, in the end it's the same 'premature wear' on components.
If the OP takes this route, the top plate spacer is best in that there will be no additional pre-load on the OEM coil.

Good luck OP.

 

I don't know man. Top spacers completely change the geometry of the suspension and in a very bad way. Every time you bottom out you're hitting the bottom of the shock not the bump stop.

 

Yeah pretty much any spacer isnt gunna be the best route...like with anything you get what you pay for.... as good an idea as it seems because of price to go with spacers its really just not the best way to go. And as cheap as 5100's are, just save a lil bit more and go that route.

 

I think the same could be said with coil spacers but on the opposite end of the spectrum. Instead of bottoming out the shock with top plates youre over extending the shocks with coil spacers when in a full droop situation.
Pick your poison i suppose...
Moral of the story i guess is...stay away from spacers???

 

My.02- I have the toytec ultimate lift and have been happy with it. $1000 and put it on in a day. I also put on axle relocation brackets, SORD, moved the axle forward .75" to center the flex.
Why the 17" wheels? Tires cost more. Are you planning on bumping up to 33" tires? (That's as large as you can go without some serious cutting) I'd say stick with the 16" wheels. Sidewalks stay firm for the DD and flex enough when you air down. 15" wheels for me have too much sidewall and a little too weavy on the road.

 

Good point.
The OP should do the right thing and go with a reputable CO and be done with it.