New Here: Just bought a Regular Cab 4x4 second gen... Should I lift?

Hey all, excited to have purchased a 2007 Reg Cab 4x4 Manual taco yesterday. 155k miles and it runs great. First thing's first, I am going to clean the frame up (just some surface rust) and paint the stock steel wheels black. Also going to have the leaf spring recall done ASAP.

I am tempted to do a small lift and larger tires. Thinking 265/75/16 would look nice with a 2in lift. BUT I am not willing to pay to have a regear done and I live in the mountains in CO. I am afraid of power and milage loss as this thing is already super slow. I plan to off-road this quite a bit in the summer.

Any budget lift recs under $500? I saw some people recommended the Bilstein 5100s but there are a few versions and I was unsure which to order if I go that route. Let me know what you think! Or any must have mods!

 

Yes but stick to the 2.5” tops anything else is headaches. Learn the platform and buy it once, cry it once. Cheers!

https://youtu.be/_68Hc8GtLko

 

Nice looking truck!!

 

Congratulations on the purchase of your Tacoma, and welcome to the forum

 

I would wait until after the rear leaf replacement before deciding on the lift. There's a chance you will have a higher rear lift as the result of a new leaf pack so you likely will only have to address the front to level it out. That size tire can be run on stock Tacomas without a lift but not sure if you will need any wheel spacers with your current wheel backspacing.

 

Truck kooks great as is, honestly. Get some good tires and maybe some billstein 5100s and call it good. As for the rust, I would refrain from painting and just fluid film it yearly. It'll stop the rust and let moisture out and wick off water.

 

Which engine do you have?
If you plan to use it here in CO, I would be more concerned about armor than a lift with the short wheel base.
Good looking little Toy!

 

If you have the 4 cylinder. Be very conscious of the amount of weight that you add to the vehicle. You'll notice it at the higher elevation of Colorado.

I agree with @Wattapunk. Wait until after your rear leafs are done, and see what height the rear is at after they are installed.

 

Welcome! "Cheap" and lifts (or anything else tacoma wise) don't go together. I have 6112 5160s with dakar heavy duty leaf pack on my baby taco (taquito?)

 

if you want/need/ could benefit from a lift and bigger tires, then go ahead.

just understand that gas mileage will go down, acceleration will decrease, and then you might want to regear which will decrease gas mileage at higher speed even more... if that matters to you.

 

If I had to do it all over again I'd do quality stock-sized all-terrain tires first, then a locking rear diff, and skip the lift kit. Ground clearance won't do shit for you if you have poor traction. Stock regular cabs have plenty of ground clearance and they're very nimble. Most of the available lift kits are meant for heavier V6 access cabs and double cabs so you'll typically get more lift than advertised on a regular cab. 2 to 2.5 inches of lift puts you in the danger zone where you'll likely need expensive aftermarket upper control arms to get a decent alignment. And I believe the only aftermarket upper control arms that allow caster adjustment are the $700.00 SPC's.

 

^^^ What he said. ^^^


Welcome to the forum great looking truck!

 

I have camburg ucas on mine. But they were pricey as well

 

You can get a practically new 3rd gen take off suspension, front and rear, for at or below $300. Pick your poison, off-road grants a suppler ride, sport firms it up a bit. I went sport, as I don’t off road much and prefer the tighter feel while on the road. It’s a 1inch lift as well either way. Can’t go wrong, and the price is most certainly right. Check out the buy/sell threads for both 2nd and 3rd gen as they will be posted in both.
Best of luck and welcome aboard matey
As for tires I went 265/70/17, with the Pro SEMA wheels, perfect for my needs.

 

I went 265 70 16 and my gas mileage didn't change. Stilling getting 19/20 around town.