Best leveling kit on market

Hey everyone. Still pretty new to the world of Tacomas, so Im curious what you can recommend as the best option for a front-end leveling kit for my rig. Its an 08 double cab 4.0L. I see some billet units on Ebay for $65 or so. Price is great, and billet is killer, but I have no idea if these are dependable or not.

Recommendations...

Thanks!

 

bilstein 5100

 

Fil ,

this is a great place to start

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/11282-tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read.html

 

Thanks guys! -- Total noob-esque question here, but how do the bilstein 5100s add lift if theyre only a shock, and not a complete shock and coil package.

As far as leveling kit spacers go, are they considered OK for Tacomas. Any suspension problems, etc... I should know about.

Fifi, where abouts in BC are you. I lived in Victoria for 4 years, and Im moving back in the next couple months.

Cheers,
Fil

 

IMO ReadyLift is the best leveling kit. They guarantee a stock ride. They also install them on new vehicles and cover them under the factory warranty. They may cost a few bucks more, but you get what you pay for. Good luck.

 

Do you plan on hard 4 wheeling? If you do go with the Bilstiens, if not go with the leveling kit.

 

Sorry, should have included this earlier: No, I dont plan on any serious off-roading. My truck is primarily a commuter, or daily driver. It gets out wheelin on occasion, but Im a bit of a wuss with it.

I just want to level out the front end for aesthetic purposes, and of course, put some bigger shoes under there when the stockers wear out.

 

The 5100s have an adjustable plate that you set (via circlip) prior to reassembling the strut. there are a few settings: stock (+0"), .85", and 1.75".

The upside is that the 5100s give you leveling while being fairly cheap (don't have to buy new coils).

the downside is that they are preloading the coil by however much you "raise" the front so the ride is a bit harsher. It's not bad though. I have them set to max lift on my first gen, and the ride is still fine.

 

Got the 5100's to level out my Taco originally, set them at 1.75 with the factory trd 16' wheels.....rode and looked great.

Got a nice deal on some 17s with 285 BFGs......raised the 5100's to 2.5 added a 1" block some slight cutting and removal of mudguards to fit and it was pretty much set, still rode nice slightly stiff. Advantage was not having to buy different setup.

Although the 2.5 is possible and lots of people run them like this fine for miles I've added some Total Chaos UCAs to the mix and have been wishing I bought the Toytec Coilovers that have the Billsteins.......not that it rides bad, probably going to add the coils to my shocks so I can bring them down to .85 and have more travel as well as better ride quality.

The Billsteins are a nice add to the factory setup but you may want to research some coilovers first......once I had it level I sure wanted it lifted and once I had it lifted I now want it better!