Ideas for a lift kit and tire size

Hey, I want to lift my truck and add larger tires. Can you give me some ideas on how to do it right and in an reasonable budget. I do not want it so high that its impractical for everyday use and comfort. I was thinking 2"-4" lift with tires that match the lift. Please add your thoughts and pictures. Thank you in advance.

 

That's very much a loaded question. Read the Tacoma lift guide first: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read-this.11282/

 

2.5" lift and 255/85/16 tires

Spend a bunch of time doing your research. Lifting these trucks could be considered complex, depending on your desired height and use. Start working extra hours now also.

 

Thank you, a lot of nice trucks on here. And I have plenty of time to research and save up. No hurry. I just want to do it right the first time. Need to know the type of lift to get first, name brand that is durable and not damage the truck.

 

The Bilstein 5100 lift is popular here. I've done it. 5100's set at 2.5" of lift up front. The rear 5100's don't add lift so you can throw an add a leaf in the back to raise it. 265/70/17 tires look good. Just remember when you lift you change the geometry of the truck in a couple of places. It's the fixes you have to do after the lift to get the truck performing the right way that are annoying. Good luck and God's speed.

 

Other than alignment, what do you mean?

 

Driveline angles change too.

 

Sure but what are the fixes he is talking about? A small lift is not enough to have to shim the rear axle and I've heard mixed thoughts on the Tcase drop. Just curious.

 

Say no to diff drop, I have the carrier bearing drop and it works for my setup, anything over 2" and you should consider UCAs that get you back into alignment - mostly caster.

 

Ok yeah I just wanted to make sure I wasnt missing anything. I eventually want do get a full OME lift with 884x's and I would like to not have to get new UCA's but we will see.

 

A common problem that arises is the needle bearing. Putting the cv at an extreme angle causes more stress on a poorly engineered component. Some trucks develop the problem without even lifting. Ecgs makes a replacement bushing to remedy the problem that I am actually going to order tonight. You can tell the bearing is bad by a wurring cyclical sound coming from the drivers side and vibration coming through the floor at certain speeds. Eventually if left unfixed it could potentially ruin your differential. The vibes are driving me insane. I can't wait to do this fix. Then there is the drive shaft. Since the angle has changed you can get vibes from that or a shudder at take off. You can get a carrier bearing drop or a diff drop in a more extreme case that can help out. I just made sure my leaf springs were torqued down to 75ft lbs and made some 3/8" spacers for my carrier bearing which put my drive shaft within 1/10 of a degree of both parts . This eliminated any potential drive line vibes and smoothed out my take off. There's more, but those issues are the most common. If all this hassle isn't for you may I suggest slightly larger tires. Some wheels with a little offset to create a wider stance. Upgrade your shocks.

 

I just put on Dakars and got more lift than expected. I'm going with 885 or 887 coils. I would plan on the UCAs regarless of spring choice - you'll get better performance. I forgot to mention the needle bearing. Plan on that one too.

 

I'm really just wanting to add a little bit of carrying capacity, tired of bottoming out on the tracks when the camper shell is on, so I thinking either airbags or Dakar. But I'd like the front to sit level so I am thinking of going with 884s.

 

I thought I read about taking a spring off the Dakars, maybe the overload spring, to get a little less lift?

 

Yeah, I thought about it and should have done it. I also have the Dakar AAL. I carry a bunch of weight for DD and tow frequently. I have air bags too.

 

Do you plan on any offroading or you mall crawling like me

 

If you just want to increase load capacity, get airbags. When you do the front you can always use air to level the rear. It rides fine when paired with a good rear shock. I ran that setup for a couple years. I tow, haul, and offroad regularly. The Daystar airbag cradle is a necessity if you are going to offroad with air bags.