3" lift kit for Tacoma TRD 4x4 Sport

Not sure what he was saying, but they can be... if you go fully adjustable and oversize. They don't have to be... the factory shocks were bilstein already LOL

 

Same price as my OME kit?!

 

Unless specified, every Bilstein reference on this forum is for 5100s. They're exciting for some reason, like when a 13 year old who finds his first Playboy.

6112/8112s are coilovers so it'd be redundant to say "Bilstein's with coils."

Just confirming.. my first lift was 5100s and a 3 leaf AAL, and that's a sub $500 setup. Add coils $170+/-, and you're under $700, nowhere near $1200 - so I'm pretty sure I'm misinterpreting something.

My current setup is full OME with Dakars and it's $1200/1300.

 

17" down to 16" you will not loose 1" of height. You will loose 1/2" of height. The hub bolts in the middle of either wheel.
You will loose only the 1/2" below the center line.

 

Same for adding 2" in taller tires. You will only get 1" more ground clearance. 1" is below the center line giving you the added 1" of ground clearance. The other 1" is above the hub center line and will give no added ground clearance.

 

nobody has said it all in 1 post.

stock wheels on an off road are 16" and stock tires are 265/70/16, the +1 size is 265/75/16

stock wheels on a sport are 17", and stock tires are 265/65/17 the +1 size is 265/70/17 (same overall diameter as the offroad due to shorter sidwalls)

see tire calc for the numbers

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=265-70r16-265-65r17

 

PM Sent!

Thank so you much @ChadsPride

Thank you as well @bobrown14

And you too @justinalldredge19

 

How was the ride with the spacers? (Above coil spacers?) What did you put in the rear for lift? Tks

 

Wouldn't a 2" lift up front make the front 1" higher than the rear? Stock rake is 1" greater in the rear.

 

I used above the complete coilover spacers (didn't have to disassemble the coils). I had no intention of using them long term... they were to fit my tires, then fit my winch bumper and all the other extra weight, and see where the ride was at. With a winch bumper, winch, skid plates, etc... they actually only lifted the front about 1" over stock. the ride was pretty much exactly the same.

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this, but here's mine. I've replaced suspension on 4 different yotas now (tundras mostly, but first gen was the same setup), so take it for what it's worth:

If you just want higher ride height, there's no problem with 2" spacers. 3" is a problem, as the shock will bottom out before hitting the bump stops. spacers under the bump stops prevent that problem, but 3" is asking a lot no matter how you look at it. Ride will suffer a small amount, because the suspension is at a steeper angle (less leverage), but you get that with any suspension lift (except long travel)

If you want better performing suspension, off road, it comes with a cost. Usually, aftermarket companies make coilover springs softer and the damping harder. This allows more flex. But, it means the suspension can't react to small bumps as quickly and easily as a stiff spring with little damping. So, the ride suffers on road, and improves off road.

Toyota did a great job of balancing the two, so spacers are a great way to go for most people. The TRD Off Road already had some really great bilstein shocks all the way around.

So, why did I change? Cause I needed fully adjustable suspension. I wanted the full 2" of lift (thats all you can do with the 3rd gen) with heavy bumpers, winches, etc, and the ability to adjust as needed for later additions.

I did not lift the rear initially. this was all a testing setup. For permanent, I went with toytec fully adjustable fronts (I've had great experiences with them) and 1.5" add a leafs in rear (also toytec, using the boss shocks). I tow a heavy trailer, so the add a leafs are great. If I didn't, 1" blocks would have been just fine. And yes, I use my truck hard on and off road.

I'm sure I'll take some heat for my opinion. It's hard for people to spend 2 grand on suspension and admit that a 50$ set of spacers would have done the same thing (better for street use), but that's my experience. It's only an opinion, so again, take it for what it's worth.

Here's my taco thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-tacoma-build-parts-and-truck-review.469447/#post-14121030

 

Yes, sort of. But, I was experimenting with ride heights, weights, etc. I actually loved the way it looked and rode for the brief time I ran it without added winch bumper weight and such. I didn't like the way everything wanted to slide backward in the bed every time I accelerated. who would have though that a slight rake to the rear would make it impossible for anything to stay put in the back. I run a rubber mat back there now, but as you'll see above, I completely changed the suspension out once I settled on a configuration.
If you happen to look at the link in the post above, you'll see the truck with just the front lifted in some of the early pics. You really couldn't tell the back wasn't lifted.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. I guess what I should do first is ask what you guys recommend for lift kit, and wheels. I want BF Goodrich KO2 tires. I won't be doing a lot of off road. But I want the truck to look a little more bad ass than stock, if that makes sense, and I'm sure it does. I don't want the tires to stick out past the factory fenders.
I may not even need a lift? I hear suspension blocks might get the job done?

 

That's about the best explanation and answer I've read on TW in regards to spacers. I know most will throw you under the bus for even mentioning spacers but from those that i've spoken to, they seem to say the same with ride quality as a daily driver on road. I just need 2" to fit the wheels I have and I use my truck as a DD.If I put a 2" block in the rear, will I need to change the stock shocks? and what shock would I need? Thanks for your reply and experience with spacers.

 

If you place any blocks in the rear, you really SHOULD replace the shocks with longer ones. Otherwise, when the suspension unloads, the shocks will be what stops the axle from dropping further, not the springs. You'll likely feel the shocks top out over speed bumps and such. As far as which ones, I'm not entirely certain. I'd suggest contacting a company that does lifts like toytec.

 

Tire size explained. 265/65/17. First number is a measurement of distance from inside edge to inside edge over the tread (265mm). Second number is what percentage of that measurement is used in making the tire height (65%). The lower the middle number the higher the first number needs to be to have equally tall tires. I'm rambling...

 

If I keep the front shock stock, would the 5100 rear extended shock be sufficient and come close to matching the 4600 fronts. Tks

 

What a damn Proseur