Just got a sweet 01 Tacoma questions on Tires, Lift and Suspension

Relatively a newbie here and recently purchased a nice little 01 Tacoma 4x4 V6 Limited with crew cab. Took it to "The Truck Shop" in San Diego before driving it cross country and they recommended new tires, front + back shocks as the ones on it already looked original to the truck

I'm in Boston now.. seemingly far from extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable Taco lovers so I am looking for some basic help on what kind of all terrain tires I should get and should I stick to the p265 70 R16 size thats already on the truck or would I different size be more ideal. And for suspension what should i get for all the damn pot holes in the north east and how can I get a modest 2-4" lift over the stock height.

My resources are a local mechanic, autozone and a bunch of local tire shops in the area... This is definitly FORD, CHEVY AND DODGE Country in these parts so some insider tips would be helpful... I would love to get Bilsteins but they tend to be backordered in my experience... There are some heavy duty gabriel ultra shocks avail at autozone but not sure if they are the right choice.. Not sure how I could achieve this modest lift and would like some help on what tires to get.

 

If mostly city driving BFG all terrain or nitto terra grapplers are never a bad choise.

As for suspension don't buy something at autozone. Order sone decent shocks online. Downsouthmotorsports.com is a decent place to order from

 

2nd gen section ftw lol

 

belongs in 1st gen threads

 

Many options on that site but its a good lead most seem pretty pricey, I am not sure I need anything to fancy as people up here wouldn't know the difference.. more looking for function and price.. is this your website you are advertising

 

man one thing I can say for sure ... this site is great but evryso often someone like you ask for help and rather than getting help you get a few of those who point out your mistake like 1gne 2nd gen threads "bs" ...

Anyhow from what i hear Downsouthmotorsports.com is real good place to shop...... how long are ya in boston for??? check ebay, and any other off road online and local 4x4 wheel shops.... Bilistines are bad ass for the $$$ but you can always do better if ya have more cash try
for just the front or
for full lift any how if you go with toytec you'll see they have a few choices ya can go with as for tire theres tons just do a search I have some falkens and really like them....

hope this helps ya a bit sorry about the silly big head that were to worried about which thread ya belong in to help ... most member aren't like that....

 

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Tires - If you are set on getting AT's look at the hankook atm rf10 if you are on a tight budget. If you aren't set on AT's and can spend some money, IMO Michelin ltx ms2's are the best tire for on-road driving you can get. They aren't as good in snow as the Michelin AT's but they are great in everything else. As for size, I have the stock with an AAL out back and stock in front, I have a slight rake and the tires look good. If you're lifting 2 or more inches the stocks might look a little small. You can check online sites like Tirerack or Tirebuyer to get an idea of what up-sizing you can do.

Shocks - Again, if you're on a tight budget look at the Bilstein HD's (yellow), they work well and are less expensive than the 5100's. Another brand you could look at are the KYB monomax's (red), that's what I have on right now.

Lift - if your rear leaves are in good shape you could go with an AAL, relatively inexpensive and not too difficult to install yourself. For the front, a set of OME springs maybe, or a set of 5100's set at .85 would lift you a little.

As for where to buy, check around for best pricing after you've decided on your tires. I found a great deal at Sears for my michelins. The one thing I'd warn you about is going to Town Fair Tire. They have shops all over s.e. Mass and RI, but I've read a lot of complaints about them, and I don't like them myself. When I was looking to buy tires last year I called 3 different T.F.T. shops (they had the lowest listed prices online) and all 3 tried to talk me into a lower quality, lower priced tire and really wouldn't listen to me about what I was looking for.

 

Heh, you refer to 'up here' like we've never seen a Toyota before... Open your eyes man, they're all over the place! As far as tires, you mentioned you're gearing up for a cross country drive. If that's the case, do yourself a favor and get a good tire like a michelin. Something quiet that wears well. Someone else said it, the Bilstein HD's aren't half bad but the 5100's ride very nice and are a cheap lift for the front (at least on the 2nd Gen, I'd imagine it's similar for the 1st Gen also).

For tires, check out Townfair tire. They price match so you can find the cheapest, down and dirty place to give you a quote (I'm talking the type of place you'd never give your credit card to), print it out, bring it to them and they'll match it . I'm not sure what part of Boston you're in, but the Townfair in Norwood is new and the staff isn't half bad. If you want some more help finding shops, go to the Northeast section, there are quite a few of us in and around Boston, myself included.

 

Hey Kingston thanks for the info what is an AAL and where do I buy it? I am thinking of getting the bilstein 5100's at this point sounds like the best option.

 

plain and simple.....great ride with low price......bilstein 5100 front and rear and nitto terra grapplers....the bilsteins are adjustable in front from 0-2.5in lift....if you go with 2.5in of lift get a 2in add-a-leaf for the rear and run 285-75-16.......if you stay below 2.5in of front lift you will not need the rear add-a-leaf and run a 265-75-16...but you will not regret nitto terra grapplers!!!!! on road or off snow or ice mud or rain there awsome

 

also i ordered my 5100 from downsouthmotorsports.com and i went with rear lift blocks instead of add-a-leafs which i ordered from toyteclifts.com

 

I put a set of General AT2's on my Truck in Dec/Jan and absolutely love their performance. They ride well, has little highway noise, and pulls very well.

 

toytec AAL (add a leaf). Probably one of the least expensive lift options for the rear. Look through the site, there are several threads explaining how to install these, 2nd gen section has a how-to and google is full of different How-To's for installing these.

 

I am just going to suggest everything I have on my truck....I know that sounds narcissistic and typical, but I actually think it may suit your needs pretty well.

OME 2 in. in the front, 1.5 in the back (level), better ride than 5100s, doesn't sound like you need or want coilovers.

Check out Wheelers Offroad. Call Dan. Great service.
For tires, you may want to consider going up to 265/75-16 for a little bigger tire to take the edge fo the potholes a bit wihtout getting into rubbing issues.

I would highly recoomend that you undercoat, rustproof, and paint the snot out of your underside/frame before you to to the NE. Your nice Cali truck will become a rust-riddled case of fail otherwise...

 

I'll just say this about the tires:

I have 265/75 R16's (stock = 265/70 R16) on it now (were on it when I bought it used from dealer). The fronts rub the frame slightly at full lock in both directions (both sides rub, but behind the axles, not in front).

If you want bigger tires, IMO, you NEED to lift it (no body lifts will work b/c mine rub the FRAME)

Everybody seems to be going with the Bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks (at least in the front) that give 0-2.5" lift. This is what I plan to do as I can leave it at stock height for now, and when (or if) I plan to actually lift it, keep the front shocks (just move the spring perch) and lift the rear with either shackles or new spring pack. Nothing to drastic.

 

So from the sound of it seems like I can get away with a 2" lift in the front by adding adjustable 5100's and setting them at a higher length and by adding blocks in the rear.. this will give me the performance I need for now and also allow me to add slightly bigger tires...

 

As I said in that other thread, I *hate* block lifts. Just the idea of spacing the axle away from the springs scares me. Even an inch or two will increase axle wrap significantly. I'm sure everyone has their thoughts on them, I just don't like block lifts. Longer shackles aren't that expensive (~$80 from Toytec), and IMO are a better long term choice.

I believe the 5100's have 3 height options, stock, 1 or 1.5", and 2.5" lift

 

To add to the above opinion, an AAL won't cost much more than a block anyway and be much more effective. I agree, blocks = bad

 

I live about an hour away Like the other New englander said Townfair tire is the way to go! From personaly experience BFG A/T ko have been the best all terrains i have run. Gods gift to wheelers in snow Bilstien has a good rap. I have Old Man Emu on my truck with 33's and i feel that it rides very well on the road. (not as well as the TRD Billsteins with variable rate springs however)