Questions about 3" lift options

I recently purchased my 2010 TRD Off-Road Double Cab and I love the look of a 3 inch lift with 285's. I am not an extreme off roader. The most off roading I do is getting to and from my hunting stands and maybe a back road or two, nothing major at all. I want to lift my truck 3 inches but I absolutely do not want to suffer vibrations or steering problems.

After reading everything on this forum, it seems that the Toytec ULK with the addition of TC UCA's is the way to go if I want to do it right. The questions is, can I get the look and the ride without putting up this kind of cash. I'm not really sure why spacer lifts catch such a bad rap if your not really ever going to use your lift for what its intended for, unless the ride is really affected. Any help on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

 

If I were you I would get a spacer lift. I have a full OME setup and my truck rides like a brick, which is not fun.

 

A cheaper but also a great alternative would be the OME complete kit, which would be around $700, and Light Racing UCA's. They run about $450, but are a ball-joint style, not the uniball. The OME kit or ULK is a FAR better option than any spacer lift you can buy.

 

i've ridden in tacomas with spacer lifts and they are atrocious. my OME lift rides super smooth and plush..love it!

 

I'm worried about the alignment issues of the stock UCA's with the lift. The TC's are suppose to account for that. 650 seems like a lot though. Also, anyone had any warranty issues with this kind of thing. I'd hate to void that $1200 extended warranty.

 

Learn to fix it yourself. Then you always have a warranty.

 

Fixing it myself only covers labor. If you'll cover the parts I'll order the lift tonight. New transmissions and the like can get a little expensive.

 

You're not gonna have to worry about the tranny. The tranny in these trucks is the same one in the previous gen 4.7L V8-powered Tundras and 4Runners. It's way overbuilt for our application.

With lifting the primary breakage concern is CV axles....hopefully to be resolved soon by stateside sale of high-angle replacement CVs from an Aussie manufacturer...

 

I've been looking around here for ideas to lift my Tacoma as well and found these during my escapades. They are called Built Right UCA's and they look legit from everything I have read about them. Cheaper then the TC's and work the same.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/97398-new-built-right-ucas.html

Oh, and as far as warranty goes, I talked to the dealer around me and they said as long as what you do does not cause the damage they will replace anything that came from the factory. So if you break a CV joint because of the lift, they will not fix it, but if your motor dies (seems drastic but easy analogy), they will.

 

Built Right seems fine, but I went with this kit:

http://www.offroadwarehouse.com/products/sfID1/4/sfID2/78/sfID3/83/productID/39121

Which basically sells the TC UCAs at the same price as the built right. Next cheapest option I could find for the same components was at Wheeler's Offroad, buying all three components separate for $2400...the price difference between TC and Built Right is...about $200. Same as the difference between Wheeler's and ORW.

So rather than order the COs and shocks from Wheeler's and the BRs from SD truck shop, I just kept it simple and grabbed the OR Warehouse deal.

 

I don't know what your smoking mine rides like a brick!!
And mine only cost 400 from wheelers off road

 

If your lift parts only cost $400, then you probably put OME coils on your stock shocks, right? That does work, but isn't the best option.

To the OP, I'd say that the cheapest acceptable lift solution would be the Bilstein 5100s up front, adjusted up to 2" or so, with a Wheeler AAL. The price is good from Wheelers - you'll need a spring compressor to assemble your stock front coilovers with the 5100s, or take them to a shop to have them reassemble. The rest is fairly easy if you read the writeups.

Spacer lifts don't just ride badly, they can also damage the suspension - if you spend some time reading about suspensions, you'll see that they really don't work with the rest of your suspension geometry in a friendly way. It just isn't worth it. The Bilstein 5100s are just a hair more expensive, and really a much better solution. You can always go with a full OME lift (including the coils AND shocks), or adjustable coilovers if you want to spend your money, but if all you can afford is a spacer lift - save up for a few more months.

Upper control arms are only necessary if you can't get a good alignment after installing the lift (or if you are using a special coilover with extended travel, which probably isn't in your budget at the moment). If you lift to 2-2.5" you may not need them, and you can always wait to buy them if you want to see if you can get a good alignment with the stock UCAs.

As to the warranty - by law, they can only void the warranty on parts affected by the modification. So they wouldn't warranty the control arms or CV axles, but they couldn't void a warranty on an engine part, or door locks or something. They have to reasonably prove that the modification affected the part in question.

-Sam

 

don't know what kinda lift you got man, mine was 700+

 

No I have the OME nitrocharger sports with the 885s....and I it wasn't 400 it was 450 for the front and 60 for the aal in the rear.

 

But, you have to decide what's your PRIMARY driving consideration?

Is it 1. The look of the 3" with 285s?

Or is it 2: avoiding problems with your truck?

More than half the folks who lift to 3" experience driveline vibrations, and some get expensive front differential problem related vibrations (typically not covered by warranty)

About 20% of folks who lift to 3" get problems with the VSC (vehicle stability control, and also not covered by warranty.)

100% of folks who lift to 3" can't align the truck perfectly unless they also spend the buckage to put on UCAs. (For some of us, that's OK. I've got the tire-wear variables: toe and camber, set optimally, at the expense of running caster around zero. That changes how the truck drives a little, but I'm happy with it for now, and currently see no need to put on the UCAs to get my caster back.)

Ride is subjective, but folks who say that a lifted truck rides "better" than a stock truck are folks who seem to rank a "stiff" ride as "better" than a "plush" ride.

So, what's most important to you?

If you're determined to get that 3" look and want to spend the least amount of coin, then as long as you're willing to DIY, you can pick up a used Revtek spacer lift with AAL from the for-sale section of TacomaWorld for less than $200, and install it yourself. You'll still need to pay for an alignment job. If you're happy with the result - dandy. Get your wheels and tires, trim plastic as necessary, and you're done. EDIT: If you're NOT a DIYer, Les Schwab can install the same thing new, including alignment, for under $700. Make no mistake, many folks are happy with this setup!

If you want a "lower risk of problems" option, get bilstein 5100s, set them to 1.75 (NOT 2.5"!) in the front, along with a 1.5" AAL in the back. This slightly lower lift will align correctly, and has much lower chance of VSC, differential, excessively stiff ride, and CV boot wear issues. Then go with 265/75R16 tires. That's still an aggressive, larger-than-stock, off-road look, and will still improve your performance down those hunting roads.

You might read some posts that tell you "they wish they'd done it right the first time." I disagree. Once you're modding away from stock, "right" becomes highly subjective, and it is only by following the path of modification that you ultimately discover what "right" is for you personally.

Your money, your sweat-equity, your choices. No whining.

 

That is so true that it's almost painful.

When I start lifting my truck I am going to have to do it on the "cheap!" Not because I want to, and not because it's the right or wrong way. But because that is the only way I can afford. So I will look forward to all the consequences that go a long with it.
When you make your bed >>>> get ready to lay in it!

 

i just put the toytec 3 inch spacer lift with a little stiffer coils on my truck. i also put the add a leaf in the back. it rides a little rougher but the look of it pays off. i have 285/70/17 bfg all terrain tires. here are some pictures.

 

spacers suck... go with 5100's or OME. a few people here even have the 3" Procomp lift and like it, so check into that also.

 

Thanks for all the input. Probably go with the 5100's or the OME. I plan on keeping this truck for a LONG time, so vibrations and wearing out parts prematurely is something I'd like to keep to a minimum. 2 in the front with AAL in the rear and 265/75/R16's seems like the best option for me.

 

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