Half lift?

You are correct...It does not truly NEED a lift. Otherwise they would have installed one from the mfr. Not being a smart alec.. I agree with you. The tacoma does look very small sitting next to my lifted 4x4 full size long bed. I would like a lift, if I can manage it without too much negative impact.

 

1. At 25 miles per day to and from work (12.5 each way), about half of which is at highway speed, the over 55 comment is relevant.
2. What is a speedo correction? Can you not just go into the computer to adjust the tire size?
3. Yep, mine is an automatic. Guilty there too.

 

Some clarification in case it was missed earlier. This vehicle IS my daily driver, so MPG is a concern. Not the only concern, or even the primary one, but definitely a relevant one. I bought this truck because it will do the majority of what I need a truck to do. For anything else, I have the full size.

 

Lifting the front 1" will level the Taco and cause you the least problems. Most do the 2/1" lift as the next step up.

Going 3" and higher is where you run into more issues.

 

This would only be true of a drop bracket lift. the bracket itself would cause extra drag. other than that though a small suspension lift won't change the cross sectional area of the truck, it'll just change the angle of the suspension components like the control arms and tie rods.

 

Lifting, no matter how you do it, will create additional drag by additional turbulence underneath. Vehicle is basically punching a two inch higher hole in the air.

 

But the air is thinner in those 2 inches of altitude, therefore its a wash.

 

Lifting your truck and adding off-road or light truck tires will generally affect your truck in many negative ways during daily driving. It’s hard to quantify and somewhat subjective though. People are tossing out numbers in this thread that I’m skeptical about based on my personal experience.

Keep in mind that the decrease in fuel economy is the result of your truck having to work harder and means it will feel slower as well.

Also note that the type of lift is more important than the lift height.

 

I don't disagree that there will be some change in performance and, of course, MPG. As someone said, the laws of physics don't lie. I am trying to figure out if I should make an change and if so, how much of a change I should make. More accurately, how much of a change can I make with minimal negative effect? I like the look of a lifted truck, especially one that sits so low when stock, and hope to get some improved performance offroad for those uncommon occasions that I will be offroad. I will change my tires at some point but do not know yet what direction I will go with it.

 

It not only depends on how much change but also on how you change it. Spacer lifts, coil over lifts, long travel lifts, and SAS lifts are different. A 3” spacer lift might destroy your ride quality or destroy your shock but a 4” drop bracket lift should not affect your ride quality except for making it tippier due to raising your center of gravity.

 

Less is more. Nothing you are considering will make anything better. So if you do make changes regarding lift and tires, it will be somewhat proportional to the amount of change. If it does most of what you need a truck to do...........

For the offroad you describe, it's unlikely that a lift will make any difference. Suspension lifts only add some ground clearance for approach and departure angles, not the chassis. Taller tires are the only thing that will do that.

 

I suppose that's not incorrect, but I would hazard a guess that the increased turbulence of a 1-2" suspension lift is pretty negligible when the truck is already basically a brick. Add in larger, and/or off-road or all terrain tires, then the difference in drag caused by increased turbulence is by far the smallest thing contributing to decreased MPGs.

 

ART Replica 237's, satin black finish, 17x8 with a 5mm offset. They are a replica wheel of the 2019 - 2020 TRD Pro but in a 17" version.

 

1. Stop and go traffic has little to zero affect regarding wind drag that would otherwise be a factor with reduction of mpgs. Lift or no lift, mpgs won't change within your daily calculations. Over 55mph, a lift might cause some change in mpgs, but nothing drastic. Fuel quality, air temps, altitude, elevation changes, driver skinny pedal use, etc will all have a small variable on your mpgs.
Taller and wider tires will certainly make a change.

2. Google "Rough Country Speedometer Calibrator". No you cannot change the tire size in the truck computer (at least in the 2017 model year). This is really easy to setup and plug in.

3. Sorry to hear that. You had no choice with the longbed.

 

I am running one. Works well. Easy to install and set up. I tested the speedo against GPS before and after the tires and lift and am with in the same 2% margin of error. And this margin will get lower as the tires wear. So I am happy.

 

It is a good unit. Mine seems very dialed in.

 

Say what now?

 

wow.. that is unimpressive that you cant make changes in the computer. Especially to something so commonly changed as the size of your tire. My dodge was easy. yes, I know this is not a Dodge forum...

 

So, do you have to leave it plugged in, or do you run the calibration and then unhook it?

 

I should have said differential, not chassis. Duh.

The lowest point of the vehicle is the axle lines/differential. Only taller tires will raise that.

Suspension lift won't, but it will improve the approach/departure angles of the body, since it extends well beyond the axle line.

Thanks for the catch.