Rookie needs lift advice

Got my first Tacoma 2020 trd off road. I want to lift it mostly for the aesthetics look. I do a lot of camping and exploring which puts me out on the back roads. I have looked at several bilstein kits. Are there any suggestions? What height should I shoot for to get that awesome Taco look we all know and love? What’s the best tire size post lift? I dont want to grind, trim, weld to prevent tire rub.

 

Oh man. So much goes into answering this question. You can spend a lot of money and everyone has opinions on suspension set ups. I suggest Bilstein 5100's all around with an AAL or the Eibach Pro Truck lift kit with an AAL. Both will perform better than stock. Don't go over 3 inches or you'll run into more issues. Personally, I like 2-2.5 inches. For tires, you can go up one size with no issues at all. That'll be a 32. Alternatively, you can go with 255s and run a true 33. Both are popular options. I think a 32 on a 2 inch lift looks a little small, but everyone has their own ideas on aesthetics.

 

Welcome to Tacoma World.

This is a question that really can only be answered with more question...

How much money do you want to spend?

What are you plans with the truck? Offroad or Mall?

Lifted for function or show?

Will you do the work or a shop? ( Works into the first question.)

What is your final goal? You mentioned that look we all know and love, everyone has a different view of what they love.

 

Here's a good thread on 5100s, setup, and some pics:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bilstein-5100-settings-for-dummies.638394/

You'll see my results in there also.

The fact that I have more capability on road (and off) with a slight lift surprised me.

 

Here's some solid advice; don't do it!

 

I did Bilstein 5100s up front on the 4th notch leveled it out nicely and am running 265/75r16 if you want to go larger than a skinny 33 inch tire you are gonna need to do the CMC (cab mount chop).

 

Looks good. Is 4th the highest or do they go to 5? How does it ride? I want to get rid of the bound of the OE Sport shocks but don't want it to ride like a rickshaw either.

 

I run a eibach pro stage one 1 spent about $800. Im also running icon 1.5" AAL's in the rear, spent about $240. I do quite a bit of wheeling whith a wide variety of terrain. All in all i get about 3in in the total lift. Great functionality and gives the truck a good stance. Really, the amount of money you want to spend is up too you. You should figure out what your needs will be and the lift accordingly. If your gonna do a lot of trail running then think about something along the lines of what im running or more expensive like an icon or toytec boss. If its for looks you can do blocks and spacers which will run arourd $300. If your gonna have a shop do it also factor on that cost, but if you have the right tool suspension lifts are fairly straight foward. The options are endless hope this helps.

 

Thanks! Yeah i didn't go to the 5th notch because I didn't want it to be nose high. The ride is perfect not too firm but not squishy either

 

Skinny 33's are the official tire size for Tacomas

 

I wish i had gone with 255/85r16.

 

That's almost my exact set up. I've got mine on the second notch and I got about 2.5 inches. I also had to add a 1 inch block because even with my AAL I was still about a quarter inch low in the rear.

 

Bilstein or Eibach can’t go wrong. Great kits for weekend warrior and daily. Before upgrading I had 5100’s. From 3rd setting to 5th no difference in ride. You can’t go wrong. Good luck.

 

don't lift it until your warranty is out.

 

OME 2" all around lift with 32's, done and done. I've got 30k miles on my lift and drive my truck a lot harder and farther offroad than the majority of tacoma owners, and its served me well on many PNW random trails. Even had some good fun in Moab with this combo.

 

This is also words of wisdom. Keep truck stock until warranty is out. I lifted shortly after my 30k oil change/service warranty period was up

 

^^^this

 

Your question is highly subjective to each individual and will depend on many factors. It’s not a one size fits all, as it can be very complex.

 

Ok, so sorry to everyone for not responding sooner. Work, Life, and bullshit. Here is a link to what I have been looking at. What's the general consensus on this for a first time lift install?

https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...BojThwlaWgaQI3CDFR8TnmNYbX94MDPEaAg2rEALw_wcB

Questions:

1. Do I need to do a UCA swap?

2. Tire Sizes and rims for that sweet ass look we all know an love. (Ones that do not require a Cab Mount Chop)

3. Do I do the diff drop or not because I see people arguing this. I was thinking I should but by all means educate me.

4. What are block shims and will I need them with this kit?

5. Do I need to put in that drive line spacer?

6. Do I need to consider re gearing the truck?

To sum up some of the questions asked by you guys.

I am not an aggressive 4x4 guy. Mostly I road trip with my wife and We love to camp and go off the beaten path. I am notorious for parking my truck and walking a trail long enough to get an idea of what I might be driving into. I also do this periodically throughout the path. I don't rock crawl and I don't trail break. I like going places that 3/4 tons and travel trailers can not follow.

I know that my stock set up can handle most of what I want to do if not all. So this is probably more of an aesthetics lift. It's just if I have to drop my my front end to put in a spacer than I might as well upgrade the suspension. I was going to buy an Ikamper and a bed rack until I really got into research and realized I would rather spend money on better camping gear and just bed down by my truck. So price is not really a huge thing with me but I am not one to over buy either. I buy what I need and what I want.

Please post links to kits and wheels.

Again I want something practical for what I am trying to achieve. Improved performance and clearance and an awesome look.

Sorry for the late response.

 

If you want descent alignment numbers and a truck that drives highway well with less bump-steer your will need UCA for pretty much any lift. Why not go 2" and get digressive socks for the rear to match the front? Pairing the 6112 in front with stock in rear seems contradictive. If you plan to put much weight in the bed for those camping/road trips you will wish you had leafs instead of blocks.

265/70/16 tire of your choice on stock wheels will keep mileage and transmission happy and keep the mediocre power/tq while saving $1k