Help! Lift for towing AND offroading? Maybe

Hey guys, new here. Been searching for days and I'd like some input. I see so many different ideas, I do have a budget, and I have talked to people at multiple places that sell lifts. Please help me decide.

Here's a quick run down, I have a 2011 tacoma double cab v6 4x4 with tow package, it is a daily driver, and I tow a camper a couple times a month (it's new so I've towed maybe 4-5 times so far and maybe 4000lbs max including everything else in the bed). I don't offroad besides some dirt/muddy roads once in a while. I just got new tires 265/75r16 that rub at full lock. Also it has the crappy 3 leaf pack in the back and squats too much for my comfort.

I'd like to stay around 800ish but willing to spend a little more if it makes my life easier and is a better ride.

So far I am thinking 5100s all around and maybe wheelers 3 leaf aal... what I can't decide on is do I use stock coils or get ome coil springs, how much more beneficial is the full leaf spring set(and which one), will this eliminate my tires rubbing, and do I need anything else for this to work for me without a terrible ride.

Here's my taco now and the squat I had on my last trip, also trying to get this done before camping season starts again.

 

Ditch the stock pack and go for a brand new leaves. The AAL will just place your rear suspension on borrowed time.

 

Agree, never bother with AAL with old packs.

Buy new leafs oem spec and AAL or buy heavy duty leafs.

lol

 

I’ll just “leave” this hear

 

Sub’d, same issue, same desire to go 5100s x 4 and replace my leaf springs.

 

Get OME Dakar heavy duty springs in the rear with bilstein 5160s. OME 887 springs up front on OME nitrocharger shocks.

 

So if I went this route, from what I've read it may be a pretty stiff ride? And if I just ordered those, is there any additional parts needed? How big of a lift would it be?

 

you can order the medium duty and/or take out a leaf or two to suit your needs.

 

If i were hauling a trailer that often, i would def get air bags on my shit. Plus the HD springs, and at minimum, the 5100. These trucks are not tow pigs…

 

I mean.. will the medium duty solve my squating problem? And is it decent with it being a daily driver?

 

Oh for sure. Stock leaves are a joke on this truck. And if you’ve towed and there in negative arch an AAL will not bring them back to life.

 

So the thing about it, not sure if it makes a difference, there's so many places to camp near me. I never really go further than an hour. Most common place is about 30 minutes away from me. Furthest I plan on going is maybe 2 hours aways. Are airbags really necessary?

 

full disclaimer: I have a 3rd gen but had similar needs.

AALs add height but no increased load capacity.

I bought kings with an Icon AAL. It was pretty obvious right away that the AAL wasn’t cutting it and even started sagging after awhile. I towed a 3,000lbs and it just couldn’t handle the tongue weight. Serious squat.

So I replaced the stock spring/AAL with Deaver Stage 2s and some new DuroBump bump stops and have had zero problems so far.

As for the front, it sounds like you need a CMC? A lift should help, too. SPC makes good control arms, too, that let you set the caster and move the wheel slightly forward.

Pretty much anything that is good is gonna cost some change. The Deavers cost about $900 plus bushings. It’s been my experience with all kinds of suspensions (cars and trucks) that you get what you pay for.

For reference (before then after of rear):

 

Ok ok, many questions...kinda.... that stuff seems a bit out of my budget..but one thing I'm sure of now is AAL is out. Since I'm only looking for a small lift, is a control arm necessary or can I do without for now?
I'm mechanically inclined enough to learn and do things myself but not too versed of what things are sometimes, what's a CMC?
Also just by your pictures it seems you do quite a bit of offroading, I don't really plan on doing much but the ability to if I needed would be nice.
As for bump stops, how do those really help if you don't mind pointing me in the right direction for info.

 

I am in the same boat- my trailer isn’t as big as yours but for a general lift I personally went with the Eibach pro lift with a aal. Regrets should of done a whole pack but that is neither here nor there now. Dramatically improved the trucks ride and Handeling and gave it a moderate lift. Will have no problems hitting smaller trails or towing. But still great for daily driving. I got mine fully built so I spent an extra 200. Total around 1000 with aal and assembled with new springs and top hats. I have 100k on my 14.

I was really close to the Oem uca- so I did space it out till I get new wheels.

overall very happy. Just my .02.

 

So by fully built, you mean assembled and you put it on yourself or do you mean someone else put it on for you? I saw the eibach stage 1 was reasonably priced and then I could get the Dakar leaf pack seems to be roughly around 1300 or so... wheelers also sells the full ome kit for about the same price. A little more than what I wanna spend but would be more than what I'm probably needing and should save me from future upgrading for a while.

 

a CMC is a “cab mount chop” which basically cuts out part of the frame and bends back a pinch weld to allow the inner part of the wheel well to clear larger tires. I believe your truck came stock with 265/70R16 tires. The 75 profile added about an inch to the tire height. That inch seems to be playing an issue. I believe the 2nd gens and 3rd gens have similar frame positions as well (don’t quote me).

I think your front options seem to be:

1. Get a new upper control arm setup (like the SPCs) that allows you to set the caster on the front wheels which will angle the center of the wheel forward and hopefully clear the frame and rear lower fender if it’s rubbing there, too.
   
2. Suspension lift of probably at least 2”
3. Get 265/70R16 tires
4. A CMC

In order to prevent squat you have to get leafs that can hold up to the added weight of the trailer. When you do, you will add height to the rear as a by-product. Rear bump stops help prevent the suspension from overcompressing and blowing out your shocks. If you put on weight and it starts squatting, there won’t be as much room for them to travel and it will put more strain on the internals due to added pressure.

Bump stops are relatively cheap and a good set shouldn’t cost more than $100-$200 but can go as high as $300. You might be able to “cheat” a bit with a set of sumo springs which are basically glorified bump stops that are made to “catch” the rear and prevent over compression via the bump’s own progressive compression rates. They won’t give you any lift but might prevent a bit of the sag. The problem may lie in that if you don’t solve the leaf issue, you’ll basically be riding on the sumos. But it still may be a more cost effective method to try first?

it’s just been my experience that, depending on use, suspensions are the trickiest and most headache-causing modification that can be done to a vehicle due to all the dynamics that come into play (load, springs, shocks, tires, lift, bumps, etc). Unfortunately, I think all suspensions are almost trial and error if you go conservative. I don’t do hardcore off-roading either. Mainly “overlanding” to fun campsites. I still use it as a daily driver and wanted to keep as much comfort as I could while still doing a lot of towing and getting around through snowy trails. But I also saved my pesos due to my propensity for going big or going home. Lol

 

Deavers are a great leaf pack and can be had with various weight ratings. They also have a great reputation for being quiet (which is why I picked them. I kept hearing how Dakars can sometimes become quite chattery). I bought mine for about $900.

Hope I am able to help.

 

So if I'm not mistaken, that photo is of your cmc?
I guess I could look up how to do it, if it's something I can do myself. So far here's my thoughts...

1: 5100s x4 w/stock front coils, progressive aal
2: 5100s x4 w/ stock coils, Dakar leaf pack
3: 5100s x4 w/ 886 ome coils?, Dakar leaf pack
4: ome nitro w/coils and leaf pack, with a uca in the future

And possibly bump stops on any of those choices...

Budget was trying to keep it 800ish but I am also the type to "go big or go home" and I'm looking closer to about 1400+ and I know I could definitely spend more but the wife would probably kill me

 

General springs are a great replacement for stock leaf springs. I had a set on my truck