Fat Bob's lift kit opinions?

Im looking for a lift kit but so far it's been hard to find one
All I've found was fat bobs. Does anyone have it? Is it worth it? Can I see some pics ?

http://4x4.fatbobsgarage.com/mobile/tacoma-5-lug-c48047.aspx

 

Most people run them or readylift spacers which are essentially the same

Check out this Thread out for what people are running
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/official-5-lug-suspension-setup-thread.138807/

 

Both lifts will be extremely stiff the first 1-2k miles before they wear in. After my lift weared in it felt great. I don't know exactly if they put a new sprinf in the front strut or not, but from my knowledge they just put a spacer in the front with the readylift. The rear is a added leaf and I think something else that lifts it slightly nothing unfixable. Readylift has a video on how to do it on youtube of you're a do it a self type of guy. Both lifts do great from what I heard. If you plan on upgrading the rear to 5100 or trd shocks go with the Readylift. Rear with a extra leaf and 5100s really beefs it up in the back. Front is pretty rock solid once you wear it in, it will feel weak for a little while and stiff.I have about 3k miles on readylift, no complains I think my rear shocks need replacement since Im working them harder on trails.

 

Nice thanks a lot for your input
So over all you're loving it?

 

love the lift just not the huge tires I am going to regear to 4.10 and tha will get me back to stock power. If you live in a flat area you can go a little bigger, but I reccomend staying away from 31s unless you live in a flat area and or plan to regear.

 

Lets make one thing really clear. Regearing does nothing for making power or regaining power. I see that term all over the forums, and it's just wrong.

What regearing does do is make the engine wind up faster, allowing one to hit whatever torque range there is, sooner relative to MPH.

What putting larger dia tires on has done is effectively 'regeared' the wrong way, and now folks have to dump a load 'o cash to mechanically regear to compensate. So the truck behaves as it did with the smaller tires.

I suppose the correct term to use would be that it returns 'driveability'.

So the real question becomes why do you need jumbo tires on a vehicle?

If it's to gain function for something the vehicle fails to do well today, or if it's to look cool, are you willing to pay the cost?

'Cause the cost is much more than just tires.

 

Would 33" be to big for the lift?

 

Tire calculator will help w/size vs gearing impacts.

 

I have seen a few members with 33s, that being said I don't reccomend them unless you plan on trimming and don't mind constant rubbing when hitting bumps. The nice thing about the 31s is you can actually hit bumps with the lift and trimming. @Clearwater Bill is totally right you do not get power from a regear just making it more driveable. I know little to nothing about that and thats why I would pay a professional in regearing if you plan on going that size. Unless you like to off road you don't really need the big tires. Check out the 235s they look great and work with the stock gears well.

 

Okay sweet, thanks guys. I'll look more into it

 

At this time, i'm 'stuck' at the 29.3" 225/75R16's, until i've resolved the re-gearing issue. This coming winter, will decide whether those presently-sized tires are good to go for future winters, or not. Eventual end-goal is 235/85R16's .. tall and skinny is good for pushing through snow accumulations. I already have the displaced power-band rev-range issue in mild form below 20km/h or so. The 4-banger needs to build mid-range RPM to get the torque to the rear wheels within an optimal rev-range from a standing stop - anything larger than the OEM-sized tires, particularly with the Manual's 3.31 ratio, and acceleration definitely lags under off-peak RPM's. Don't quite understand why Toyota didn't equip the Manual version with the same 3.58 gearing, as the Automatic .. On the other hand, my extra-legal highway speed gas-economy is much better than expected.

In short, lack of torque because of the final drive gearing change brought about by differential tire-sizes, is the issue. The truck is still making the same power that it had previously made, before the loose nut behind the wheel started messing with what the engineers had already optimized for 'drivability'.

Towards that end of the torque issue - i had been researching the LCE long tube header - the dyno charts that i've seen, indicate that the header lowers the torque curve by ~650 rpm overall.. I have to wonder if this is a possible partial fix in my case, with my mild case of lag-itis.. certainly cheaper at $450.00, vs 4x that once all is said and done, for a replacement 3rd member.

As far as going larger tire-sizes, and the motivation behind that - i would say equal parts practicality, and vanity, applies.

33's will likely require a cab-mount chop, in addition to the black-box fender-well deletion, depending on your rim's offset/backspacing figures. You might also benefit from doing a body-lift of 1" or so.. i've seen 1 or 2 do that in addition to the spacer/AAL when running 33's.

If you are going to be running 33's... You are going to be re-gearing.

 

Pretty sure our cab mounts are different so you cant really chop them.


Also Instead of 33's' I've seen a few run 32's with no rub after removing the fender liners. (Which is my eventual plan)
Just say they're 33's we wont tell

 

Below quote indeed seems to back you up on that one. You learn something new, every day!

I know at least one 5-lugger has gone the additional 1" body spacer route in addition to whatever lift he/she was running - they were running 33"s.

Tall and Skinny would also work - LT235/85R16 measure out to 31.7".

 

The only way I know is I was looking to chop mine and was like welp mines already chopped lol

 

I think this chart will help you there. It's a snip from the specs for the '13, but I suspect yours is the same.

Just doing simple math shows the difference of trans gearing / diff gearing makes things pretty different.

You can also test your trans to the auto diff. IF that gives you adequate 'regear', then you're up for a more cost effective axle swap.

You mention tall & skinny for snow. Which is true. But 235 isn't really that skinny. If you do any significant snow driving, I'd suggest a second set of wheels (stockers would be fine) with some actual winter tires, like Nokian or Blizzak. You can pick something with that tall sidewall and do quite well in winter conditions with the 2wd.

 

I'd stay away from anything "Fat Bob" related, they did me dirty. Also, you may want to look into the SPC UCA if cab clearance is a concern. The SPC UCA allows for both caster and camber adjustment and allows you to move the wheel forward inside the well through caster adjustments made to the UCA and LCA.

 

These SPC UCA's appear to be 6-lug only. Non-compatible with the 5-lugs.

http://performancelifts.com/spc-toyota-tacoma-upper-control-arm-25470.html

 

http://www.roughcountry.com/toyota-suspension-lift-kit-746-20.html
Talked to a good buddy of mine and he told me good things about this one. Any input?

 

Under fitment table it says only 4wd (6 lug). 5 lugs get no loving we only have spacers (Fatbobs / Readlift/ Ebay) and Total chaos UCA's (Costly and getting harder to find)

 

4WD only.

And the folks over in the 4wd section will tell you it's mostly a steaming pile of a product.