First Tacoma

I bought my first Tacoma yesterday and I am trying to decide what type of lift I want to do and what mods to start off with.

I want the height of a 6" but the functionality of a 4". I was thinking to get a 4" then add 2" body lift. Is there any issues that I will run into if I did that? Also, what components are recommended to upgrade or replace with a lift?

Once I lift it I will put 35s and regear to 5.29

I will be using the truck as a daily driver and to go on moderate rocky trails and sand.

 

Stop. Watch the video and then watch the rest of the videos by Kai and then do what ever you please.

https://youtu.be/_68Hc8GtLko?si=KJR2oPzaHKbxB7aS

 

Just do portals. Welcome to TW!

 

If you're 2wd you can do the spindle lift for 4" and keep stock geometry then you can do a 2" suspension lift, no problem.

 

Thank you for the suggestion, I don't know much about portals. I will have to look into the mechanics of them and cost

 

I am 4WD, do you know if there similar options available for 4WD?

 

They are the best, but also $20k.

 

Depends on who you ask.

 

This^

Search for info on this message board... avoid lots of regret & heartache later. Especially on a daily driver...

 

This^

Search for info on this message board... avoid lots of regret & heartache later. Especially on a daily driver...

Also - before messing with things, try USING your new Tacoma... See what it can do and what it needs.


Then make your decisions.

 

Yup, you don’t need what the guys on IG or YouTube are showing you.

 

Thank you both for the advice, I will check those out. I know I want it to be taller whether or not it needs to be, I just want to do it properly and get all the right components necessary to make sure that it is built proper instead of having over extended components or adding too much stress to the vehicle. With my previous trucks I have been negligent in doing research and asking forums for advice and just thrown cheaper lifts on and over stressing components leading to me having to replace control arms, cv axles, etc.

 

yeah those are out of my price range and seems to be a lot of moving parts that would be expensive to replace, good idea though and they look great

 

Congrats on the new truck! Take your time with your mods. Take the time to do your research so you don’t end up buying something, then swapping it out down the road.

 

Drive it for a while. Find where it is FUNCTIONALLY deficient first. If you MUST do something now, get good belly-armor from RCI or other quality vendors ... engine, transmission, transfercase skids and maybe LCA skids ... good sales right now on belly-armor. Lift changes accumulate ... shocks, UCAs, CMCs, LCAs, spacer ... god forbid you enter the range of "frame cutting".

If you financed/leased this ... STOP NOW and be damned sure you want to significantly alter a financed/leased vehicle.

 

The video above is spot-on about the IFS, although it makes no mention of lifting with drop-brackets, which is what OP would be getting into for any lift >3" (this video very briefly touches on DB lifts, in which he makes a quick comparison of it to lifting the solid axle of a Jeep, but still, there isn't very much in common with that).
Suffice to say, a DB lift basically just moves every component of the IFS suspension down (excepting for the UCAs), with little impact on the suspension's performance characteristics (so most of what is stated in that video still applies). The benefit here is maintaining most of the suspension downtravel while still increasing the ride height for better breakover, departure, and approach clearances (the 2nd video I linked also goes into great detail why downtravel is such a good thing to have). DB kits do require a (not necessarily permanent) modification to the frame though, so it's not without a trade-off.

OP, what is your reasoning behind why you are wanting "the height of a 6", but the functionality of a 4"? Depending on your answer to this, I might be able to suggest a specific brand suspension kit that might best meet your expectations.

 

why a 6 inch lift?, its very capable in the stock form

 

just so your clear 4" lifts are drop bracket lifts on these trucks and are the worst functionality wise. and 6" lifts ARE 4" drop brackets with 2" extra lift added through the struts or longer spacers.

as for body lifts i wouldn't do one larger than 1" on a tacoma. i have a 1" on both of my tacomas paired with a 3" suspension lift and 35s

 

Yeah i would revert back to the drawing board and go why lift and why slap on 35's. What is the purpose or use of the lift/tires. The compromise on every aspect of the vehicles functionality. If it's just for looks i feel like this is a recipe for remorse. There's ways to make it look beefier without completely destroying the truck.

Go drive it enjoy it for a long while enjoy it then get a work truck to drive day to day then mod the shit out of the tacoma and only drive it on weekends so the lack of fuel economy increased noise pain to hop in and out of doesn't end up getting annoying. That's the route I took, worked out quite well so far.

But if you have to do it CMR/-10 wheel offset/ extended bump stops/2.5" suspension lift. Easiest to revert if/when you get annoyed with the set up.

 

Thank you for the response, I have always had F-150s and had 6" lifts on them and i liked the height of the truck but know a 4" lift was always more capable off road for that vehicle (unaware that would change going into a smaller truck), and I was looking for a happy middle ground. After doing more research about Tacoma's and the damage that larger lifts can cause and the permanent irreversible work that needs to be done to accommodate them I have come to the understanding that I do not need a lift larger than 3 inches, I fish and hunt and while hunting in Utah I came across some rough larger rocky areas that I wanted to get past without a struggle.