I'm going to lose my mind with all the options for a lift!

Hey guys,

Sorry for the long title but i can't get over all of the different options for lifting your truck.

I've been a long time lurker/reader and just recently signed up since i purchased my Tacoma and i think i am more confused now about lifts then i was previously.

I am looking for a small lift on my truck, maybe 2-2.5" and i have no idea which direction to go. I live in the NE, philadelphia area, and i am driving on highway 90-95% of the time with the occasional 2-3x a year i'll be taking my truck off road. I mainly want the lift for the look and the occassional off-road adventure.

With that being said, i have a few different options in mind and i am hoping someone can shed some let on the best option for me. Also, keep in my that i am on a tight budget, under $1000 installed right now. I also will be putting some 265/75r16 Falken Wildpeak AT3W's on it as well.

Option 1
Motofab leveling kit, 3"front and 2" rear

Option 2
Bilstein 5100's with stock coils in the front only set on 3rd rung to give me approx 1.75" lift

Option 3
Bilstein 5100's all the way around with front set to 3rd rung to give me approx 1.75" lift

Option 4
Bilstein 5100's with OME Coils

Any other better options would be greatly appreciated but just remember, i am unfortunately on a budget at this time and can't afford to spend over $1,000 total.

Look forward to hearing your responses, thanks guys!

 

I would go with option 3 and also get a 3 leaf progressive AAL for the rear. On the 3rd notch, I think that is only like 1.1" of lift for the 3rd gen 5100's. If you set to 4th notch, then you could get 1.55" of lift. The 5100's + the 3 leaf progressive AAL would run you around $500 or so from @HeadStrong Off-Road.

There are a ton of different combos options out there to run, and it can be very difficult to narrow down on what you are wanting.

 

4.

Preload for lift will never be as good as proper spring choice

 

Kings all around with a spring under conversion.

 

This.

 

If i were to go this route though and chose the 885 OME coils which give a 1.75" lift in the front, it would make my front higher than the rear by about .5" because currently my rear sits 1.25-1.5" higher in the back. Would that cause issues?

 

And you do this for $1k how?

 

I went option 4 until I do a mid travel setup. It rides wayyy better than stock. 5100s on OME 888s.

 

Just email Marie at headstrong and tell her how much you wanna spend and she’ll send you the best kit for the money. Or conversely, tell her your expectations and she’ll send you a kit that works well.

 

Do you happen to have any pictures? If you didn't add anything in the back and just went with the 5100's and the OME 888's wouldnt that make your front higher than the rear? sorry is my math is wrong here

 

Those are book numbers, which may, or may not, be what really happens.

Do the install and see what actually happens. If you need to tweak the rear a bit, do it after, when you know what's really needed.

 

Random people on the internet vs professionals. lets see who wins.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/accutune-suspension-tech-spring-preload.520246/

 

OP - Have fun with it!!!
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I'd suggest finding a local enthusiast group.

Go check out some rigs! Ride in them, ask questions.

Get real world experience and you will feel better about your decision making process.

 

Lol. When talking about adjustable coilovers that aren’t tuned specifically for each vehicle, this is pertinent information. Adjusting the preload on a stock shock however, is not discussed here.

 

This is exactly how I felt op. Finally realized there was no option besides just pulling the trigger. Worked with Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road and she calmed my nerves. I was stressed if I needed UCAs and to redo the ECG bushing (this website will make you think your truck is going to blow up if you don’t spend the max amount of money on something.

I went with HeadStrong’s 3 leaf aal in the back. Left the stock springs and overload in there. So just added the 3leaf under the stock springs. Also threw in 5100s in the back.

For the front I did 5100s set at 0 with 887ome coils. I didn’t measure but. The truck looks perfectly level and lifted about 2 inches (in the front) and 1 and a bit in the back.

I have a 2017 double cab long bed 4x4. Trd sport.

I didn’t add the 1/4” spacer for taco lean because mine doesn’t have any. Again. I was freaking out about adding it because this site makes you think you have to have it. I even find myself when driving convincing myself there is a lean. But it’s funny. In my head the lean looks more like it’s high on the drivers side. Not lower.

I’m not a major mechanic. Know very little. But am handy with tools. I did it all myself with the help of an auto shop teacher at the local high school. He teaches adult classes at night. Was super fun to do myself and really not tooo hard.

I don’t have any good pics because lighting has always been bad when I go to take a pic. But I’ll try grab some today. Even have stock wheels and tires still on her. Gonna wait til tires run til I buy new ones. And going to just black out my sport rims.

 

Thanks so much for responding man and your honesty! I couldn't agree more with once you start reading everything on this site you begin to think if you don't spend a billion dollars your truck is going to fail. Thanks also for the insight into what you did to your truck and would love to get some pics of the truck to see how it looks now.

 

I'm running option 4 right now. 5100s, 887 springs, Freedom Off-Road UCAs, AAL and 5100s on the rear. I think I spent about $1000 for everything.

 

You can go with whatever option you want. I think most people will tell you to get the 5100s all the way around instead of leveling kits. I personally have Bilstein 6112s up front and 5160s in the rear and got that for under $1000. The problem you are going to run into is all the other minor stuff that goes along with a lift. For example if you lift or level your going to want to get the ECGS clamshell bushing to eliminate your needle bearing from vibrating. Depending on how much you lift your probably eventually going to need UCAs for proper alignment. Don't forget about the extended brake lines on the rear. If you truly need to stay under the $1000 budget, make you sure you take all the factors into account.

 

thanks for your input, i will definitely take all of that into consideration. As i previously mentioned, i really am just looking for a 1.5"-2" lift to level the truck and run some 265/75r16's and make it look a little beefy.

 

There are people who have only done 1" and got vibrations from the front differential. If your only lifting the front you won't need the extended brake lines or the carrier bearing drop. So you got that going for you. But would definitely look into getting the ECGS bushing.