Straighten me out on lift info (I have read the faq)

Hello everyone. First thing is first:

Truck:

06 Tacoma Extra Cab 4x4 v6 6 speed TRD Offroad package

Intended use for lift:

Casual offroad, progressing into regular wheeling (with some practice and finding new places)

Terrain:

I live in New England, so woods, mud, rocks, hills

Now I have read the faq on multiple sites, and I did as much research as I could. It is alot of info and I just want to make sure I understand it before I spend the money.

I have decided on coilovers for the front and AAL for the rear for a 3" lift with 33" wheels. Now as far as coilovers, I was thinking the toytec prebuilt coilovers
Why does everyone suggest the Icons/camburg and other brands as better coilovers? I read in one of the posts the toytec ones dont have as long of a travel? Is it worth the extra few hundred dollars to go with the icon?

Now since I am getting coilovers, I should get UCA's as well. Do I have to get the UCAs right away? If I invest the extra money in good COs and wheels and tires, can I wait a couple of months for UCAs?

In the end, I have a budget of $2000. Can someone post part by part some suggestions to get me in the right place? The faqs are out dated and there are new products that I dont know much about. I want to do this right, and I know you guys answer these questions all the time, but the info is so garbled and conflicting.

Lastly, just for clarification that I got it:

I dont want spacers if I am going to wheel
Coils are the springs that go over the shocks
Shocks are the cylinders that are gas filled
Coilovers come preassebled for ease of install and are adjustable
5100s are shocks
OME refers to toytec coils, with 2 different kinds

If any of that information is incorrect, please correct me. Thank you.

Dominik

 

So ome is an actual brand. What kind of stuff do they make? Off to google i go =D

 

I guess so

 

HA! I was about to post that.

 

Dammmmmm

 

Everyone is going to have a different opinion on what lift to get and the pros and cons on all of them. A lot of people start out with the toytec 3" and are really happy with it. I've personally gone with the full OME set up myself, shocks, coils, and rear leaf springs.

Upper control arms become a necessity after 2.5-3" of lift due to your stock UCAs being unable to get the alignment within spec although some people are able to do it somehow. That being said, spending the extra on coilovers will not negate the fact that your alignment is off.

I spent a good 2 or 3 months reading and comparing different websites to find the lift and components that suited my needs for the price I wanted. Good luck on the search.

 

Get 5100's with Wheeler's 3 leaf AAL if you plan to just wheel 1-2 times a month. The ride and lift you get will be more than enough for moderate wheeling. Go for OME if you want more of a "tuned" suspension but not much more performance than 5100s. The Toytec Ultimate is really just fully adjustable 5100s. Use true coil-overs, like ICON and KING, if you want to hit the high speed bumps or run through the desert.

If you don't need coil-overs get 5100s. Use the other $1000+ to buy some nice tires and complete your new lifted setup!