Lifting/Leveling and regearing

I've searched the forums a few times and seen so many different responses for different reasons so I thought I'd risk angering you all by asking. Sorry, but searching the forums really made more questions than answers for me.

2017 4x4 TRD Off-Road Double Cab AT all stock are my truck details.

I need to tires after 40k (not bad) and so it's time for me to decide on bigger tires and lift vs level. It's barely a weekend warrior at this point (owned for 2yrs) so it's just a DD and when I finally escape the daily grind I tow a 4500lb TT for camping. Bigger tires look good but is it worth it for me? I don't know. My current tires are stock with the TRD stock wheels. I don't like the idea of throwing off my Speedometer and Odometer nor have any idea of the cost to readjust for a new tire size.

My buddy says get "2" lift, coil overs rear shocks and upper a arms" from camburg and their $1900. Says it will level out the truck, still be good for towing and improve performance and enjoyment in and off-road. https://camburg.com/shop/suspension/camburg-toyota-tacoma-pre4wd-05-19-fox-2-0-trail-series-kit/

Do I bother with this or regear to 5.29 first to help with hills and also help with my light towing needs? I love the look and abilities of overland builds (especially bed racks) but I stay in my trailer when I go out anyway so racks can come later if at all. I consider my truck an all around "Swiss army knife" so I'm not leaning to extreme any which way.

TL;DR? Bigger than stock tires? Lift or level for towing 4.5k? Regear to 5.29 for towing good?

 

Man. I wish someone would respond. I want to know the answers lol..
I am needing new tires and have some questions on the MODS i am going to make or not make lol
My truck is really just my DD and then my work truck on the weekends. it is my baby and i love it. so i want it to look sick..
I am thinking of doing a leveling kit and getting some bigger tires.. just not sure it is worth it or not.

 

Eventually your going to get lots of opinions. So here is mine.

I did the 'Lift Thing on a 2007 JK (daily driver). Loved the look. But hated what it did for performance and fuel economy. The JK is about as aerodynamic as a brick. And the 3.8 V6 is/was a DOG. The Tacoma is somewhat better than the stock JK. But the modifications will have about the same results. If you really want the modifications - don't let me stop you. But you WILL sacrifice Fuel Economy and Horse Power. And be prepaired to spend money on all the other issues that go along with lifting and bigger tires. : IE - Brake issues - up-grading brakes replacing pads and rotors more frequently, Drive-ability issues - up-grading suspension and drive-line components. Buying more fuel. More expensive tires. Ect Ect.

Just my $0.02 - Mod only what you really need and forget about what you think you want.

 

Go mild, 2.5inch lift.
265/75/16 tires (if you have 16” rims)

I didn’t regear, no issues at all, aerodynamic are trash after the lift though but it’s built for the end of the world though.

 

What is the going rate for a regear? How much and what are the options on speedo correction after regear and or taller tires?

 

- 265/75r16 = largest tire with no rubbing. It's only 1 size up from your stock size. No need to regear unless going 33's or 35's.

- 2" lift does not need upper control arms.

- I'd go with bilstein 5100 all 4 corners. Or better 6112/5160.

 

You sir are very correct.

 

x2, put an OME lift on my 15. Regretted it instantly. Looked good but rode rough, mpg took a shit, tires cost more $$$, stability control always kicked in randomly when driving aggressively on curvy roads. I could go on & on. If you want a lifted rig get a dedicated vehicle for wheeling.

Just put some skinny 33's on it at call it a day. The stock truck with a good set of tires will conquer way more than you'd think.

 

No speedo corrections are necessary when regearing. For different sized tires, yes. You can get a module to stick inline behind the dash to compensate. That's about $200 or so. The dealer can also do it but I've heard it can be pricy ("This is the way." - Dealer)

 

I really appreciate all the opinions. I've done more research since this post and I'm looking more into just beefing up suspension. I'm not sure if the struts my off-road came with are halfway decent so I'm thinking just max wheel stock size is about all I should do. I was thinking some Fox shocks but I don't need the truck lifted beyond what I'd need for 33" tires. That's the max size im willing to go.

Also CHOOSING a tire is it's own insanity for me. I feel like an all terrain is the way to go but do I want to spend the money for 17" wheels or stick with the ugly AF off-road 16" I have now.

Regearing isn't at all necessary at the moment. My overland build is just too far away to be bothered with this level of modding.

 

you can get skinny 33’s on a stock truck no rubbing

 

I'm new to the off-road world. Is skinny about an 8" width?

 

255-85r16, there’s a 100 some page thread on it here somewhere.

 

I lifted, re-geared, ran bigger tires on, modded the hell out of my last daily driver. i was happy to get rid of it and get a stock truck. when people say things like "there is no need to re-gear with X size tires" or "I saw no change in anything running a factory drivetrain with a lift and bigger tires" they are full of shit.

If you change out your factory 3.91 gears for something like 5.29 gears, it will tow things around town way better, but on the highway it is going to use a lot more fuel to maintain speed. if you re-gear and go with a larger tire, it will maintain highway speed better but it will still use more gas.

Also, doing anything more than a 2" lift/level on a daily driver will make it much less enjoyable on highway trips and longer drives, plus if you drop in a suspension set up designed for towing with a 4,500lb trailer, it will ride very stiff in the rear without the tongue weight of the trailer compared to stock.

tires for towing and tires for off road are different, getting a tire that does both will result in a truck that does neither particularly well.

most importantly, whatever you choose to do, do not cut corners, good parts are expensive for a reason, and shops that specialize in things like lifting/re-gearing trucks charge more than random "custom shops" for a reason: they are both worth it. you spent $35k or more on your truck, don't cheap out on a suspension set up or a couple thousand to have a skilled set of hands playing with your diffs.

TL;DR: think before you spend, I would maybe look at the OVtune and some adjustable air shocks before throwing serious mods at the truck

 

If the truck as met your needs for 2 years as is, why do you need to do anything except replace the worn out tires?

There are lots of choices there, but for your described use it seems all you need is a + size, maybe in a Michelin Defender.

There is no rule that says leveling or lifting makes a vehicle better or more functional. There certainly can be function added if the use of the vehicle calls for it. The majority do it because it looks hot down at the mall.

 

I would go right down the middle and make
some small modifications that help your truck feel like new without sacrificing a majority of the benefits of having a mostly stock truck.

Here’s my .02

- Throw 5100’s all the way around and some coils to level it. (Eibach or OME)
- Throw a set of 275/70/17 cooper’s (I run the st maxx and love them, if they make an AT3 in that size I hear great things about those as well)
- Purchase an OV tune to regain a bit of power/smooth out the shifts and you have a brand new looking and feeling truck!

 

If it’s a DD then why do anything more then just new tires. People forget how well these trucks can do in stock form. If your looking to beef up the suspension or get a better ride, check out falcon shocks. They have a tow/haul oriented rear shock that has a three position selector on the shock that you could adjust for towing. I have a 2017 TRD OR that doubles as my DD and vacation get away vehicle. Randomly throughout the year I break away from the daily grind and find remote places to go that challenge the vehicle. I couldn't do some of the stuff in a stock vehicle. To me loosing MPGs, stiffer shock, etc is all worthwhile for my 3-4x’s a year week long off-road camping trips.

 

I like the idea of these suggestions. I'm looking at the 5100s but they just say lift kits. Are they just body lifts?

 

Man I hope this is not a troll...5100 are bilstein shocks. The front shocks allow you to choose a ride height (adjustable). The rear shocks are not adjustable for height.

 

You are going to see different companies offering different “lift kits”. The shocks themselves (the 5100’s in this case) are one piece of the puzzle. Once you choose the 5100’s there are basically two options to lift the truck.

Option 1: You can use stock coils and pre-load the shock. Most will recommend against this as it stiffens the ride the more the shock is pre-loaded. With the only benefit being you don’t have to buy new coils.

Option 2: You can use aftermarket coils that supply the lift and keep the shock/strut at it’s factory “0” height. This provides a better ride. From my research lots of people recommend OME or “old man emu” coils. I’ve heard these coils can sag so I tend to like to recommend eibach coils.

Completing either of these options to your front suspension will allow you to increase ride height on the fronts. For the back you will need either an AAL or “add a leaf” to add to the factory leaf pack for a lift. You could also install a whole leaf pack, an AAL is 70-120 vs 400+ for a new leaf pack.

These trucks come with a factory “rake” which is just a fancy way of saying the back suspension is higher than the front, so when you here people talk about “leveling“ they are referring to leveling the front height with the back height, which could be achieved buy adding the right coils and 5100 shocks.

If you want a complete kit I would look at headstrong off-road. They have a good general price, and options like a 1/4 inch spacer for a the Tacoma lean that you can pack up into one kit. Lots of people say lots of good things about calling and talking to them as well.

Hope this helps,