FABTECH 8INCH LIFT

Just bougt a 2001 Tacoma 4x4 crewcab that has a 8inch fabtech lift. It still has the stock bilstein shocks. The ride is super bumpy. I understand a lifted truck with 35inch tires won't be a smooth ride but what's the best way to make it as smooth as possible?

 

Do you have pics? Im pretty sure fabtech offerd only a 6” lift not a 8” and the fabtech one should use its own shocks now the bilstiens

 

Maybe a 4" drop bracket with 2" pucks?

Best way to make it ride better is throw all of that in the trash and get a set of coilovers that give you 3" with a new set of rear leaf springs and shocks.

 

That's a 6"db lift

 

The listing on craigslist stated 8inch fabtech lift. Not the most reputable source lol. So, any tips on how to make my 6inch fabtech lift ride smoother. ie certain type of shock? coils? Not trying to make her a caddy just don't want to crack my teeth on a speed bump.

 

Get rid of the fabtech and install a REAL suspension.

 

That lift only has 8k miles on it. I didn't pay for it but I can't in good conscious just trash it. Theirs got to be a way to improve on what's already their.

 

Also a thought, he had to cut his cross-member to put in that lift, trashing it would imply straight axle conversion no?

 

Contact marrie @HeadStrong Off-Road great people and will help you find the perfect set up for ya.

 

Yeah it would be pretty difficult to revert back to the stock setup, that drop bracket replaced the stock crossmember. Bilsteins are known to ride pretty stiff, perhaps a different shock setup would give you a better ride. Those leaf packs look pretty beefy too, if you don't have any weight in the back of the truck I bet that would make it feel pretty stiff. You could try removing one leaf out of each pack and see how it feels.

 

There's nothing wrong with a fab tech drop bracket lift.

I'd been in some tacoma with drop bracket lift from FT to RC, some ride smooth while other ride like cr@p. How sure are you that setup have only 8k miles? From the look of your picture, the drop bracket and front lower shock seemed to have more mileage then what you're told. Maybe your shock are worn out, that's probably why your ride is rough.

But why do you need to go that fast through a speed bump that can cause you to get hurt? Speed bump are there for you to slow down and remind you to pay close attention to the road cause you're in a neighborhood with kids running around.

 

Kings.

Or so I've been told. And if everything had a drop bracket, you should be able to fit the standard size I would imagine.

 

Thanks for the tip o2hilux and drr. O2hilux 10mph is enough to rattle my brain......< just keep smiling>

 

Yeah take this guys advice and throw that lift in the trash and get the best shocks on tacomaworld, bilstein 5100s and get you some 255/85/16s. You’ll be super unique!!!

 

Put that lift where it belongs: The garbage.

Then spend some money on a good suspension lift with good shocks. My Kings ride really nice, but honestly, pretty much anything that's 3" or less will ride better.

 

You can get extended shocks for the drop bracket lift.

So you can run good coil overs instead of spacers

 

OP, if you like the look, ignore the haters. However, there are a lot more than 8k miles on those front shocks. I would start with getting some full length coilovers, keep
The drop bracket and see how it works out from there. ($$$$$$).


People don’t understand that a drop bracket lift alone doesn’t make it ride bad, it’s the shocks. So going to a 3” lift on stock components, will ruin the near stock geometry your lift has now and could have the same crappy ride depending on the direction you went. Start with the shocks, because it has pretty much nothing to do with the fact it’s a drop bracket lift.


Also check your tire pressure.

 

...says the bro who's not bro enough, lol.

With all the spacers, brackets, extensions, etc... bracket lifts most certainly do effect the ride because they do a pretty good job of effing up the geometry of the entire suspension and drivetrain. Throw Kings on there and it will still ride like shit.

Better shocks and tire proper tire pressure will help, but it won't fix the actual problem.

 

See, this is some serious misinformation right here. Drop brackets maintain factory geometry....