Functional Advantages of a lift and/or bigger tires

2" lift + 1" larger radius tire = 3 inches.

I suppose many would consider that to be functional advantage. On the other hand, many would not.

I consider spending my $2000 of suspension lift money on liquor and smokes a functional advantage.....

 

Three

 

I went with a high performance digressive suspension lift tuned for drivability not just cranked to the max.

I can take corners at about 50% over stock and can rely on my steering during emergency or avoidance maneuvering. (Slalom).

I’m prepared and aware of the maintenance and expense associated with this mod.

It is the single most important mod I’ve done.

 

i have had the same experience of dragging my rear over rocks and dirt. I think departure angle is perhaps the biggest weakness of the truck when negotiating certain types of trails. I debate between a lift+tires or high clearance rear bumper would be the best fix.

 

I can’t see how this didn’t garner more attention the first time

 

Functionality of a lift and tire combination ultimately depends on the vehicle the mods are applied to.

I had a 1991 Ford Explorer years ago. From factory it came with 235-75R15's tires ( 28.3" tall ). Now Ford made the SUV more of an on road vehicle than offroad, 4X4 was not a priority with it. I blew up the stupid auto locking front hubs the first time I went out on a trip. Ground clearance sucked, approach and departure angles were in the single digits. Not a great start for a 4x4 vehicle. I found a Ranger in the wreckers that had all the drop brackets for the front, bought 5½" front lift coils, put the axle under the leaf springs in the rear with custom shock mounts and put 32x10.50R15 TSL Superswamper Radials on it. Ground clearance was now increased but over 6 inches to the frame and about 2 inches to the pumpkins. Wheeling became far less challenging. I went over and through stuff I wouldn't have considered before the lift.

So with that vehicle, there was definitely an advantage to lifting it and putting on bigger tires.


Now with the Tacoma, Toyota built them with more of an offroad capacity in mind. They have better approach and departure angles, great ground clearance, large tires. These are things Toyota advertises about the Tacoma, regardless of trim! Is there an functional advantage to lift and tires on a Tacoma. That ultimately depends on you and your use of your truck. If you rarely hit or drag on the trails you do, then it doesn't seem necessary. If you find you are always hitting or dragging or bypassing because you know you can get through then maybe a lift is for you.

 

The acheived lift to tire diameter increase is a 1:2 ratio. A 1" larger tire nets a 0.5" increase in ride height noticed below the axle.

2" lift + 1" larger tire = 2.5" lift. With 2" noticed above the axle and 0.5" below the axle.

 

Probably because people are over it. This question has been asked & answered a million times before.

Going up increases ground clearance. The higher one can go, the more ground clearance one will have. That is the functional advantage of going up. Attempting to disprove this will not disprove this... Let's say that a 12" x 12" x 12" mass is in the road, and someone wants to drive over it. The space between their tires would be more than enough room to clear the 12" width of the mass, but if the lowest part of their axle is only 11" off of the ground, the bottom 1" of the axle will hit the top 1" of the mass, meaning that they will not clear the mass. Now, if they were to increase the height of their tire by 4", this will lift the axle by 2", from 11" to 13", giving them 1" inch of extra height to clear the 12" tall mass. "But a 4" taller tire won't fit, Dave!" Then they would need to make room for the taller tire to fit. Everything has its limitations. It's all relatively simple. Hope this helps, OP.

 

Yes, discussions like you just posted are very common. I’m trying to dig deeper than that. I think I’m just asking the question wrong. I’ll keep trying to ask it correctly do that I generate deeper discussion that is not as common. Please see the edits to my original post if you haven’t read them.

 

I’m still confused by what you’re asking. In your edit you mention stock vs. 2” vs. 6”... I have not personally run the experiment that you are suggesting, but i can ascertain with a high level of accuracy, assuming(my fault) that tire size has increased along with the suspension height, that YES, 6” cleared more than 2” which cleared more than stock... Google may also be of assistance to you. I would suggest researching & reading as much as you can find, & then asking your questions. You may even find your answer during your research. Good luck.

 

It was satire Mr. DWDpettytheft. However, I appreciate the visual your 12x12 mass illustration gave me

 

A 1 inch larger tire gets you a half inch lift...

 

Jeez.
how many of these threads are you guys going to start.
What size tires...
What size lift...
Can I fit...
Do I need...
Do a little research. Here or google. It’s there.
You’ll be a more informed buyer.
And we won’t have hundreds, probably thousands of new, redundant threads on the same questions.

 

Mmmm... I’m not so sure. You clearly took that hoke, line, and sinker with this retort:

Probably because people are over it. This question has been asked & answered a million times before.

I do like John Madden though

 

I am looking for input from people that have actually lifted their truck for functional as opposed to aesthetic reasons; especially from people that have experimented with multiple different builds and can compare/contrast the performance of each. I'm considering modifying my truck to increase its off-road performance. I have money to spend. I have an analytical and experimental personality. Ultimately I have to find what works best for me, but I want to make an educated first guess. Does that make sense?

Edit: I have also read many many articles and posts on the subject of lifts and tires and very few of them dive deeply into the real functional benefits of the lift/tires. Most just post a few pics and say it "rides great". Or "rides like stock". God I hope not. If I modified my suspension and it road like stock, I'd be very disappointed.

 

I know. Radius. I edited my post to clarify.

Geometry police......

 

I don't think there is an answer to the OP's question no matter which way it is asked. The functional benefit is different for every user in the way he or she uses their truck. I am new to a Tacoma, but not new to driving offroad. I've driven trails with a stock Wrangler that a Raptor couldn't handle, but I would be scared to death driving a Wrangler through the desert at high speed.

Are you speaking just hypothetically to discuss or are you trying to find the perfect kit? Because there are tradeoffs no matter the direction you want to go.

 

R=D/2

 

Oh shit I wrote “hoke” again. Now I really look silly. I think your right people should take this forum fucking seriously. Op listen to this man

 

You’re still struggling, dude. All good, tho.