ReadyLift Leveling Kit Opinions

I was considering getting the ReadyLift Leveling Kit for my 2010 Tacoma Sport...seems like a pretty solid upgrade for $230. Can anyone offer any feedback (good or bad) on this product? How does it affect the ride...or how does it alter the amount of tire you can fit under your truck?

Thanks
Brandon

 

For $300 you could get bilstein 5100's shocks for the front, and an add-a-leaf for the rear. That's a much better option.

From the Camburg website:
We get asked this question all the time. “Why are most spacer lifts be bad”? Well spacer lifts can cause a few problems and cost you big dollars to fix. First there are a few different kinds of spacer lifts, there is the kind that just bolts on the top of the existing shock that spaces it down to give lift. The problem that can come from running this kind of spacer is the shock will now be allowed to droop to far downward causing binding and damage to ball joints, 4×4 axle cv’s, and steering joints. The other issue you might have is since the shock is now just pushed down when you bottom out the suspension on or off-road instead of hitting the bumpstops you will just bottom out the shock. This can lead to some hefty damage. The next kind of spacer lift available are the preload spacers. These will usually cause the coil springs to be preloaded to give lift. The side effect to this type of lift is the shock valving is not designed for the extra preload of the spring giving the ride a bad bouncy feel that sometimes feels uncontrolled. And in some cases we have seen the spring coilbind causing damage to the shock and the frame. This is because the spring is designed to move about 1/2 its total length so when you pre-load them they are now compressed to much so near bottom out they will bind before you hit the bumpstops.

 

Thanks man, that does sound like a better upgrade for performance...instead of just looks. Now, I may be totally wrong...but for some reason I thought that my truck (2010 Tacoma TRD Sport DC) came with some sort of bilsteins. Is that totally wrong...or are the 5100s just better shocks?

 

yes your truck has the trd bilsteins. The 5100's are adjustable in the front allowing you to level out your front end. the shocks are better than the stock bilsteins and are a great option for leveling out your truck. That being said i once had the readylift kit and it seemed ok. I still have the 2.25" spacers and will let them go for cheap if you are interested.

 

the readylift spacers seemed to ride a little stiffer than stock but allowed a 32" tire. Hope that helps.

 

See I'm gonna be putting 265/70/17s on my truck...so I'm not THAT concerned with clearance. I just want my truck to sit a little more level. I'm just trying to figure out my best option for that.

 

The bilsteins you have are referred to as bilstein HD's. The 5100's are adjustable to preload you springs to achieve lift. They are also valved to dampen the stiffer spring rate.

 

So, for not much more pricewise, I could upgrade to the 5100s...level out the front and just leave the back alone?

 

I wish I had researched more before getting a spacer lift, seems like a wast of money if you do any off roading at all.

 

Yea, I don't do too much off-roading, but it seems like for a little more money you could avoid the spacer lift and get something that's actually useful.

 

Ha ha this is true, but we all live and learn

 

If you get the 5100's go ahead and get the rear's also. From what i hear they are a much better riding shock than the stock trd bilsteins. You can get all 4 for around $300. Money well spent.

 

Haha, for sure. I'm just trying to get all this figured out before I start throwing paychecks at it, lol.

 

Geez, that's not bad at all...I could level the front out, and I assume the rears are adjustable too, so I could even tweak those a smidge if I got bored. Thanks for the info. Do we, here at tacoworld, have a preferred suspension retailer?

 

There are a few, just look in the Vendors section on the home page.

 

The rears are not adjustable. You will need an add-a-leaf. They are under $100.

The two best vendors on here for suspension stuff are Down South Motorsports, and Wheelers Offroad IMO.

 

Downsouth motorsports usually has the best prices on 5100's. rears are non adjustable

 

KPT i know obvious reasons why spacers are bad (too much stress, over extend, balll joints) What about some reasons why 5100s might be bad?

 

The 5100"s WILL cause premature wear on your front suspension also. All coilover lifts will do this. Your truck was not designed to be lifted.

 

The downside of 5100's are similar to those of coil spacers, i.e. reduced down-travel compared and a stiffer ride than stock. However the 5100's are designed to dampen the stiffer, preloaded springs and your stock shocks are not.

You'll find that most 3" lifts share these same two downsides in common.

The ball joint stress you are referring to is really only an issue with top-plate spacers.