Icon Suspension + ?? = More height - Help!?!

Hey Folks!

So I have a DCSB with an Icon S4 suspension setup (coilovers + aal + uca's) and am trying to gain a bit more height in the wheel wells. I have been researching about this for a while and am getting ready to pull the trigger on something, but have some questions. I live in some bumfuck town so I don't have a lot of shops to go and ask, any help is appreciated.

I guess my questions are, if I go with option 2, how to do i make the rear be level with the front? New leafs? do Dakar heavies really give an extra 1" in the rear? I am sure as fuck not willing to use blocks. Are top plates going to fuck up my coilovers? Clearly I have a ton of questions lol.

Could I combine option 2 and 3? I dunno, what do you guys think?

Also, (risking being crucified for sounding retarded) i don't really understand the whole shackle flip scenario and how that will give me more height, any insight on that is also appreciated.

Finally, I do try and wheel the truck somewhat frequently, not a pavement pounder (i know that will come up). I'll post some pics.



Option 1: Long Travel

This is the worst/best option, i really want LT but i don't know that i need it right now, i would rather not spend 5k+ on LT + a 63 swap and all that nonsense, but i did put it here because i know people will say "long travel".

Option 2: Top Plate spacer

I am not sure this is a good idea, or not? I saw a guy online with this setup but i don't know if it will damage my shocks in the long run, the idea would be to put a top plate spacer kit on-top of the coilovers to get an extra inch or so.

How would i go about the rear though? would i have to get a different leaf pack? i can't add any more leafs to this AAL setup i currently have?

Option 3: Body lift

I've been thinking of getting a 1" body lift, not sure about it either, probably the simplest option but i am not in love with the 1" gap on the rear bumper after installing it.


Thanks anyone/everyone who responds. I appreciate it.

 

A few things:

A long travel setup will not give you more height automatically. What it does is improve the length of travel of your suspension. A lot of guys will get bigger tires when doing long travel which will make your truck "taller" but not give you more space between the tire and the wheelwell (but there are other things to consider such as body/fender clearance).

I would not recommend getting a top plate spacer as it will put a crutch on your existing suspension setup. You spent a lot of money on the stage 4 kit and by adding a spacer, you run the risk of ruining it by changing the base geometry that it was designed for. Anyone will tell you not to combine suspension "lifts".

Body lift seems to be your best bet from what your intended use is, but the things to consider after that are the gaps that will be created in addition to separating your body/frame. Aftermarket slider and bumpers will now fit a little wacky or have to be custom made to fit like they would on non-body lifted trucks. Some guys will hate, but there are enough guys on 1" body lifts and the aesthetics speak for themselves.

Dakars wil lift your rear end and give you a bit more room but your current rear shocks will limit downtravel. That's not a total loss, but realize you're leaving a little droop on the workbench until you upgrade the shocks to a longer stroke.

The shackle flip will lift your rear end as well because the stock shackles are an inverted design, meaning the shackles are above the hangers and suspend the leafsprings higher in relation to the frame. A shackle flip will "flip" the shackle via a new hanger so that the leafs are suspended lower than the frame of the truck. Think of it as somewhat of a spacer for your rear leaf spring eye, but there are other benefits to it as well when pared with the correct springs.

Lastly, what bumfuck town do you live in?

 

Thanks man,

I live in Morro Bay, Ca.

I should've also elaborated, my plan is to switch my front coils to 700lb for when my bumper arrives, my original plan was to also put dakar heavies in the rear for the rear bumper+ swingout, that should keep me at the same "level" height as i am now, i am guessing the 1" body lift is prolly the best choice right now. The ultimate goal is to be able to fit 315's without having to hack the whole front off. I've seen guys do it semi-stock and it looks good but i bet it rubs like a motherfucker when you wheel. I would like to avoid that.

There seem to be more options (shackle flip, bigger leafs) for the rear than the front (no real choice other than the top plate and that risks fucking my shocks up). Am I sort of right?

 

I've been to more Bumfuck towns than Morro Bay, don't be so hard on yourself.

Dakars will help if you plan on adding all that weight also keep in mind the extra weight you will carry when wheeling- gear, food, cooler, ice, fuel, etc. It all adds up pretty fast. If that's the plan, get the dakars with the extra leaf. They'll ride a little rough at first until they break in, but you'll get the height you want. Also without the extra weight in the back (pre-bumper) you might even sitter higher in the back than you'd like, but they'll settle.
14" 700 lb springs up from will help a lot, again with weight considerations they may be stiff until you get your complete setup. You can always add a little preload to the coils to help balance out.

 

Thanks again!,

Haha if 90% of businesses are closed by 7 - 8pm it's bumfuck for me, lofl. I meant it in the sense that I don't have a plethora of offroad shops that work on 3rd gens near me.

Yeah i have the coils already, i haven't bought the leafs, i figured the leafs would lift the rear more than i'd like it to, so my plan was to wait, once i have fBumper, coils, rBumper and leafs then install everything at the same time

 

I am debating on a body lift myself, especially since I will go from 33's to 35's somewhere down the line. People have modified the bumper bracket to move the bumper 1" up to accommodate the lift. I think body lifts are fine as long as it's within reason and for a purpose.

 

hmm modified the bumper bracket huh? i have been wondering about that, i know the front bumper doesn't have a problem with a 1" body lift, just the rear. Do you remember where you saw that?

 

Not sure. But it wasn't a detailed on post on how he did it, but had his shop do it.

I did find another 3rd gen with a body lift and the lines look clean.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/show-your-285-75-16-and-285-70-17.469963/#post-14149320

Also, did you adjust the preload on your icons? I was rubbing my 285s at the factory setting from Icon but cranked it up a bit (maybe 1.75" threads showing) and now it doesn't rub.

 

I was thinking body lift for a bit more clearance, but have no idea of the negatives of doing this....were talking 1" body lift (I am aware of the rear bumper mount bracket modification)

 

go with 700# springs up front like @Dacon did, he also has a set of icon RXT leaf springs for sale (he bought 2 sets). you can set up at 1.875" unloaded, 2.25" (replacing 3rd spring with extra provided spring) or 2.65" unloaded by adding the included additional spring. I included the link below.

http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop...ta-tacoma-multi-rate-rxt-leaf-spring-kit.html

 

Dirt Designs is in Paso and Poly Performance is in SLO. You’re not far from some good shops that may be able to help you out.

I was in SLO for 8 years. The Central coast is a great place to live.

 

yeah Poly performance are the guys i work with now, great for doing installs and buying parts but still not a "walk in ask questions shop" though. Dirt Designs i didn't know about, thanks for the info, I'm going to try and stop by this weekend and check it out.

 

yeah I'm not at the stock height, i can't tell you what they are cranked too (i'd have to go measure) but when i put them in i cranked a bit to compensate for the lean and rubbing, i currently have 285/70's with no rub (i did do a CMC though)

 

thank you sir! where did you see the RXT for sale? super useful info, thanks again.

 

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Here is how high my truck is with Icon coilovers 700# and full pack Icon RXT leaf springs with 3* angle shims (needed) to set the pinion angle to spec angles. Truck is stock front and back, no winch, bumpers or any other weight added. Keep in mind that you need to replace the rear shocks since the OEM are short and will bottom out with Icon RXT set.
I am running 18X9 -12 wheels and 275/65/18 tires for reference.

 

@Dacon has an extra set, he put the shackle bolts on backwards, not letting the springs droop correctly, so he ordered another set thinking they were defective, when he found his problem, he ended up with extra set of icon rxt leaf springs. I would have bought his, if i wouldn't have bought mine already.

 

Why do you want more lift if your tires aren’t rubbing? Just for looks? I feel like more lift would make it look odd with the size tire you have.

I had heavy duty dakars on mine. I bet they gave me 4” inches of lift without anyway weight in the back.