Best 3" lift?

Subd..OME very soon.

 

Ok thanks for the help , im second gen i have a 14 DCSB TRD OR

 

Skip the diff drop.

 

This is what I was told as well.

 

I would recommend wheelers offroad they are great people no tax either. And OME kit would be the best affordable wise, and for high end cant really say best IMO Fox, King, ICON, cant go wrong with any of em.

 

I think from the pic of you in the wash stuck up to the axle you aren't into 4x4 trails but more high speed desert stuff.

If that's true, don't get ome or rancho. Rancho is old technology, low cost materials, and uses blocks. The ome kit at least addresses the rear springs but they are stiff as hell and I don't think are designed to go fast like all pro or a set of deavers. Deaver is arguably the best spring company if you call and tell them your application. They can actually chose from a shitload of different springs they have unlike any other vendor who has maybe 2 choices.

I do not believe that a ome nitro whatever shock is gonna hold a candle to a 6112 or a rr coil over in the place you showed in the pic. If that's your off-road spot and you want to drive through that in 2wd and not get stuck or slowed down you won't be happy with the rancho or ome.

Total automotive performance has 6112 for about 700. You could spend about 4-600 on leafs and pair them with an appropriate blistein, icon, or king shock and you will be very happy. This would probably be about 1500-1700 but you will be riding smooth and fast no problems.

If you wanna crawl around the desert get the ome lol

Just go spend some time in the mid travel thread to find deals on used ome and see how many people switch to a full coil over and address the rear with new springs after having already done a similar kit to what you are referring. If funds are tight get 5100 for now.

 

Why skip the differential drop? It prevents excessive CV Joint angles and takes about 15 minutes to install..

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/remove-the-differential-drop-on-your-05-tacoma.118545/

 

Yeah, but did you read the part where he states that he himself changed the skip plate from being smooth to have a deep indentation for something to get caught on. Sounds to me like he should of used a skid plate that wasn't so close to the components where he had to modify it. The stock one has plenty of clearance.

 

If you're 100% pavement, then yes. I'm sure the diff drop is fine.

It also doesn't really "drop" the diff. It rotates in a way causing the internals to not properly be lubricated thus causing damage to key components. $30 kit causing $2k+ worth of damage? No thanks.

 

Better not drive on an incline for too long than

 

just joining the conversation…love the info! I have a 3'' leveling kit (w/ diff drop) in my tacoma. Should i get rid of it and install the Blistein 5100 kit w/ dakers? opinions on this and what total lift can I get from this?
Also do I go with the 2885 (no steel bumpers just Avid off road body armor bumpers) and are UCA's needed?
One more thing, recommended height for the shocks for front and rear to make it even?
Thanks for all the help!!

 

Diff drop is a waste of time on 2nd gen trucks....Just that simple....It will cause more issues than it could ever solve. . Go with what works..... In this case, it's leaving the diff drop in the box.

The best bang for the buck lift is available from Headstrong Offroad..... It's Bilstein 5100's and OME coils. I like 885's for 2-1/2(+) lift. (set @ 0") get them to assemble the struts...Then (at minimum) Deavers 2" AAL. (If you really want more weight capacity, go Dakar leaf pac) For $80 more, have 'em include rear U-bolt flip lit. If you really want the full 3", go with 887 OME coils. This will most likely require the addition of aftermarket UCA's....which will add $400 to $1000 to the cost of raising the truck, depending on brand/style of UCA you choose.

With the 885's, it's UNLIKELY you'll need aftermarket UCA's to get in good alignment. I got splendid numbers and stayed in the middle of adjustment range on my alignment.

The "kit" comes with 1/4" lean spacer. For some unknown reason, my truck needed a 1/2" left spacer to get level side to side....I make my own poly spacers, so this wasn't a big deal.

I ended up with 2-5/8" front lift and 2" rear, a MUCH better ride (firm, but compliant) A good look, and great off road performance. I personally do NOT like preloading stock coils (setting shocks to "higher settings" while using stock coils) Harsh ride compared to longer coils.....AAL is far better than blocks because stock rear leaves are too soft. There are various versions of AAL's available, and several complete leaf pacs. Depends on amount you want to spend.

Since installing this lift, I've logged just over 20,000 miles, several off road "adventures", and hauled a few heavy (for a Tacoma) loads. I have NO negatives and quite a few positives to report. Highway ride is awesome. Low speed road ride is AT LEAST as good as stock. With good alignment numbers, the truck actually HANDLES better than it did new.

You MAY get a little "better" by spending a LOT more money, but increments in performance will be small in relation to dollars spent. Since MOST of us aren't flying off dunes or running the Baja 1000, just normal driving and sane, low speed off roading, a kit such as this will give you all the advantages you want while leaving a few peso's in the pocket for other mods....

At one point, I had a much more expensive lift, which had some issues....Not going to mention it by brand....problems were cause by previous owner (of kit). I replaced it with a 2" spacer lift and had good luck with it for close to 50,000 miles. Just don't slam the front suspension....Spacers cause shocks to run out of travel before suspension runs out of travel....possibly causing shock failure. But, the ride was as good as stock, and I got the look I was after. When the shocks began to wear down (after a LOT of highway miles) I went with the Bilstien/OME/Deavers lift and have been MORE than pleased with the results.

 

Thanks Bluegrass Taco. That advice/explanation was perfect. So if I don't plan on heavy loads in the rear end, I can just go with the Deaver AAL instead of Dakers? Would it be more beneficial to just put in Dakers incase I do start adding heavy loads?
I appreciate the advice on the 885's vs. 887's. I do want to try to get 3'' of lift so I will go w/ 887's with UCS's.
Since you had the spacers in before, is it difficult to remove current spacers and also remove diff drop kit? Toyota had it installed for me so I didn't put it in. And do I need to remove all those extension pieces they put in for brake lines and such? Thanks for your advice!

 

Removing existing spacers is as simple as removing the existing struts....Spacer is attached to the top of the strut. I'd guess removal of a diff drop is no more difficult than installing one....Which takes a little time, but isn't all that tough. I never had one on my truck, so I can't speak to that specifically.
Installing Dakars from the jump start would be great! I didn't want to spend the extra money at the time, and the AAL did everything I wanted, so, no brainer for me. At some point, when a few bucks falls out of the sky, I'll probably install Dakars.

 

Ok awesome, last question…is the only difference between the 885 vs. 887 the amount of travel/lift you get? So i'm assuming more with the 887's...

 

Yes.....The 887's are (I believe) 5mm longer than the 885, which translates to 1/2" higher ride height. (3" vs 2-1/2") The 886 is actually a higher rate spring than the 887, and with that, better if you'll be adding winch/plate bumper/skid plates/etc...

 

oh ok….then I guess better safer with the 886's….thanks a lot!!

 

The 886's are a higher rate spring than the 885's and 887's. (to support weight) They are actually just a bit TOO stiff for use with Bilstein 5100's. They tend to overwhelm the rebound dampening of those shocks. Most vendors will suggest you use the OME shocks with 886's.

 

Say I don't add a custom bumper, what would you suggest for lift height/performance..885's or 887's? I would like to stick with all Bilstein shocks
Side note…I do have an avid front/rear bumper armor