Lifting 2nd gen Tacoma with extra weight.

Alright, I’ve searched through all relative threads with no clear answers.

my goal with my 2005 tacoma double cab is to lift 3” to gain more travel and add bigger tires to be able to have all the off-road capability I will ever need here in Utah going on hunting/fishing/wheeling trips

Simple, but not.

Front set up:
I’ve been looking at bilstein 5100 and 6112’s for front shock but need to account for extra weight with bumper and winch (about 150lb gain) on the front to be able to have a true 3” lift without stacking a bunch of lifts (not ideal). So I’ve been looking at OME, Toytec, Eibach, And procomp lifting coil springs to put on bilstein 5100 or 6112 shocks. Any body running a similar set up or can give clues to what length and spring rate I should be running on 5100 or 6112 with 150lb extra while still having ride height sitting at 3”? Also will I need some kind of limiting strap to not overextend the shocks or what?

also looking at upper control arms to correct alignment/tire, and ball joint wear issues caused by lifting ride height. I’ve been looking at all kinds... SPC, total chaos, freedom, JBA, fabtech just to name a few. Anyone want to share their experiences with any of these UCA’s?

Rear set up:
I bought a truck to be able to use the bed for different projects but these stock Tacoma leaf springs are surprisingly saggy and weak for my taste.

so I’ve been looking at just doing an AAL to probably 1.5-3” lift to have less sag and more capacity with a little rear lift for larger tires in the future. I’ve heard good things about supreme suspensions, toytec, OME AAL’s etc. But obviously any genuine advice from people with real experiences with a rear set up like this is always appreciated.

for rear struts I’m aiming at bilstein but not too sure which model will work with a 1.5-3” lift.

I know this is a huge bundle of info to pick through but I know I’m not the only one with questions like this and like I said, I could not find real solid answers for these questions so maybe some more experienced fellas will chime in and be able to help not only me but many others also. Kinda what forums are made for.

 

There are hundreds of posts on this subject. There is a big difference on wanting lift for wheeling or if you actually want to carry more load. They are not the same issue and are not always solved the same way. Obtaining both is where the real question is.

So ask yourself; Do you feel lucky and just want lift or do you actually want to cary a real load?

Here is a real thread about load or not:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sold-ome-dakar-leaf-pack-2005.618146/#post-21033089

 

I just went with dobinsons rear heavies 2.75In lift. loaded for a 4 night camping trip they didn't sag at all, road great down some rough washboard roads and a short washed out trail that flexed the suspension as well as you could expect.. Im super impressed with them after the toytec setup i had that couldn't handle my weight.

 

I feel your pain; I am going through something similar.

From everything I have found "wheeling" and camping (which involves some off road traveling) are two completely different beasts, as has been pointed out already.

So, what I am going to do is get my truck configured/loaded the way it will be living its life. This will involve adding lots of weight to it; the majority of which will be in the area of the bed.

Once I have that done I will get it weighed so I will know exactly what I am dealing with; both axles and combined weight. This way I can get the the proper suspension set up for the weight we will be carrying.

I think most people will not want to do this because they will be using the truck in different weight configurations where ours will be dedicated to full time travel which means the only significant changes will be the gasoline which will make the vehicle heavier when full and lighter when empty (total capacity 35 US gallons). And then there is water which will be in the same quantity. That's ~560 lbs. right there not counting the weight of the larger tank. Then there is a bed slide (125 lbs) = 685 lbs. add 350 lbs. for the two of us = 1035 lbs.

Not a lot of room for all of our gear, weight wise. My point here is that it is not too hard to wind up with a very heavy vehicle.

And, based on my experience traveling off road on motorcycles, weight is the enemy. So, I don't see us doing "wheeling" activities with this set up. Yes, we will be doing a lot of off pavement travel but we will definitely not be on the Rubicon for what I hope are obvious reasons.

I think that those who are serious off roaders (wheeling) would never do it with a vehicle that is carrying any more weight than is absolutely necessary for the vehicle to operate on that given day/event/trail/road/whatever. We are talking about two different types of travel in which each have their own requirements given the type of activity involved.

I have also looked at a lot of different suspension set ups and I see weight and wheeling being two different animals suspension wise. Suspension travel is not an issue for suspensions that will be carrying lots of weight. Conversely, rock crawling does not call for a suspension that must support a lot of weight.

I think you are going to have to really look hard at what you expect your vehicle to do in order for you to decide what type of suspension you will need.

Good luck with you research and decision...

Regards,

Jim

 

Ok I will keep searching for more and more threads for these questions I have.

Yes I want an AAL or new pack for added ride height but also want to be able to load the bed without flattening my leaf springs and bouncing all over the place. The Tacoma is absolutely terrible at haulIng anything actually heavy compared to a truck really designed to tow so no I don’t expect to carry a “real” load. Like I said, little more lift, less sag. That’s it.

 

Similar to being quick and being fast. You can't have both, so find the happy medium.

 

Read through a bunch of build threads and see what worked/ didn't work for other members. My original desires for my truck didn't match my real life needs. I think you'll find some helpful info in my build, but there are hundreds of other you can learn from too. Search and read all over this forum. In ten years, you'll still be learning more about your truck - both from your own experience, and the experiences of others posting on this site. Don't get too worked up if you have to do some things twice. it's all part of the adventure.

Edit: Also, remember that some parts are meant to wear out. You'll have to replace them multiple times over the life of your truck. Shocks,brakes, ball joints, axles, u joints all have a life expectancy. If you're doing it right, you'll have to replace them eventually.

 

Towing and carrying a load are not much different.

When you hook up a trailer to your vehicle you are loading your vehicle with weight; tongue weight. When done properly, the tongue weight of you trailer will be 10 to 15 percent of the weight of the trailer. Given that a Tacoma with the tow package can only haul 6300 lbs behind it this mean your max trailer tongue weight will be between 630 and 945 lbs.; this is 50 to 75 percent of the total capacity that a Tacoma can carry. Add 350 lbs for a driver and a passenger, 152 lbs. for a full tank of fuel and you can quickly become overloaded by the time you load the kids, pets, toys and various other items.

If your vehicle did not come with a tow package your towing capability is cut by more than one half of that 6300 lbs. which means the suspension is not capable of carrying much weight to begin with to say nothing of no oil cooling be it for engine or auto transmission.

If you need to tow anything of any significance, a Tacoma is NOT the vehicle for the job. It was not designed to do such things and is priced accordingly. I also have a Ford that has a GVW of 12,000 lbs. That is the vehicle I have to tow most anything beyond a lightweight (5,000 lb.) utility trailer. The big diesel engine does not hurt either.

You say you "don’t expect to carry a “real” load" which I find somewhat amusing given that weight is weight, whether it is in the bed or on the hitch. There is an old adage about having your cake and eating it too. Lifting a vehicle to increase ground clearance is really counter productive for a vehicle that is going to be doing work, carrying lots of weight. When the vehicle was not designed to carry much weight to begin with it makes things even more precarious.

As most everyone has said, you need to make up your mind about making a choice for your vehicle configuration; weight carrying or off road rock crawling; never the twain shall meet.

Regards,

Jim

 

Didn’t read all this but I got front coil lift springs and rear add-a-leafs and shocks and 33’s. Works great. Put in in 2015 when truck was new. Still going strong.

 

You weren't wrong--this post was helpful 5 years later. Thanks! I've been trying to cobble together old TW posts while teaching myself about suspension and your post was the helpful summary I needed. Cheers.

 

Welcome to TW! Yours is one of a very few first posts that shows you're going in the right direction. Continue on and best of luck!!!


Keep in mind you're heading down a heck of a rabbit hole, but it's a hell of a ride!!