Rough Country 2.5" Lift Kit Questions

Anyone have experience With these? Looking to lift my truck and this seems like a very basic option. No crazy offroading, just gravel roads and deep ruts where increased clearance and larger tires would be very helpful. I know they aren't as good as Bilstein 5100s etc but seem like they would do the job. Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!

Lift Kit HERE

 

Personally, your best option is to replace your shocks with non-lift variants like Bilstein 4600's.

You do not gain ground clearance from shocks like the ones you posted; if you look at your suspension geometry, all a lift does is add preload to a shock and remove downtravel or droop.

If you watch your suspension cycle, whether the vehicle has a lift kit or not, the suspension travels through the same range of motion.

The difference between shocks from one to another are; exterior components used for shock bodies and reservoirs, internal components, and even the oil used. The size of the components as well, which aid in dissipating heat and allow for longer sessions before performance fades. Then you've got resistance to outside elements as well. And last but not least, variances in overall length which can add to actual suspension travel, when other inhibitors are removed.

With that said, a Tacoma is very capable in the right hands...moreso than many drivers. When drivers ask if a budget kit is "a good one" or not, my mind says "you should get some more experience under your belt".

Larger tires right off the bat however, will gain you some clearance that you're after. Quality tires will ensure you have the grip where you need it most. And quality tires with a higher load range IE E 10 ply, will naturally be more "puncture" resistant and allow you to air down much lower than a C 6 ply.

 

The name say it all "ROUGH"

 

I was wanting to put 33" tires on. I would need a 2.5-3 inch lift for that I believe. Is this correct?

 

Re-read what @Kwikvette posted, and let it soak in.

To run larger than 32" tires, you'll need to do some hammering on the pinch weld (at the back end of the fender) at least for 33s, 33+ requires some more chopping. But because of the aforementioned IFS cycle logic, that would be true regardless of lift.

 

I see. So it would make more sense to get something like this?
https://yotamafia.com/product/1st-gen-tacoma-2-5-lift-kit/

 

No.

Re-read what I posted above.

 

I understand what you are saying. These "lift kits" just add preload? Kinda like putting stiffer coils on it?

 

What makes sense about the 5100s is just that they are an all-around better shock.

A 3" Bilstein lift or a rough country 2.5" lift will not change how much the tire rubs.

 

Here's another example, especially if you ever had an RC toy.

When an RC toy is sitting on the ground, you may have a half inch gap between the fender and the tire.

If you physically lift the RC car up, you'll see the suspension 'droop' causing a larger gap between the fender and the tire.

That's essentially what happens when you install a lift kit on an IFS truck (like your own).

Let's say you fit a larger tire, based on the larger gap you witnessed when you physically picked up the RC toy; put it back down and what happens? The initial gap when the vehicle was sitting is gone, or worse..the tire is actually rubbing.

This is a demonstration as to how the suspension cycles.

So even if you can fit a tire when the vehicle is 'lifted', you'll come to a point where your vehicle's suspension will compress and rub those new tires.

If you want clearance, you'll need to create it as mentioned above with some hammering and/or cutting.

 

That makes sense. It won't make a difference when the suspension is compressed. You would need to change a lot of different things to do it right.

 

Not too much.

A skinnier tire alleviates "how much clearance" you need like a 255/85/16 which is still a 33" tire.

 

Is that a 33 x 10.50?

 

We can't just spoon feed all the information; do some of the leg work yourself.

This is the start of your guide -

 

That's more of a 10" tire than 10.5". Use the link referred in the post above.

 

Yeah I just looked

 

I had Rough Country rear shocks on my 3rd gen and they rode really nice.

There isn’t a lot of feedback on the RC’s here cause most go basic bro build and run 5100’s, including myself.

RC has been around a long time and is in no way a small company. If they make a decent shock with some smooth valving, I’d be down.

 

Thats what I was kinda thinking

 

I just put that exact lift my 04 double cab and really wish I would have spent a little more and gone with a better quality coil over. I was in need of new shocks all the way around anyway and this truck is just a hunting truck so I went with the RC set up because of price and figured it would be good enough for what I need. Finally made it to the woods yesterday and it rode like sh*t! This was on national forest dirt roads and some older logging roads, so noting crazy. Can't go wrong with bilsteins, there's a plenty of other options out there too.