Regular Cab Lift

Any advice/comments would be appreciated.....

I have decided on a lift for my 2011 Regular Cab 4x4. I spoke with ToyTec and Wheeler's and they gave me their advice. I will not be doing any heavy off-roading, but will be hauling things and their advice was that aftermarket springs wouldn't be necessary for the front and that the AAL would hold more weight in the rear as opposed to the progressive AAL. This should level the truck out, as well as give it a small lift to allow the larger tires

Front 5100's @ 2.5" using stock springs
Rear 1.5" Alcan AAL from Wheeler's and 5100's
Spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers
285/75/16 BFG M/T KM2's on stock steel rims

If anyone is running this setup or similar, photos would be great!

Thanks,
Dan

 

Anyone???

 

In my 2009 reg cab case, 2" would have set the truck level, while being bone stock out back.

It will look good anyway. Those wheel spacers are like 200 bucks for all 4? Why not just wait and get some wheels instead.

 

I just lifted my 08 reg cab this past weekend and it has some factory 16in alum wheels and the stock 265/70/16 Rugged Trails right now until get my wheels maybe next week. I can take some pictures and post them later today on how level it sits. I installed the Bilstein 5100's at 2.5in up front and a toytec 1.5in rear AAL. I've been going back and forth on which tire size and wheels size too...can't make my mind up. Lol.

 

joebob - That would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance! Dan

 

Well I think I've decided to order some 285/75/16's. Here are a couple pics of mine lifted still on factory alums. I will be ordering my new wheels and tires within the next couple days hopefully.

 

Nice looking truck! I just installed a 3" Tuff Country lift on my black 2011 4x4 reg cab, 5 spd manual. Looks great, drives great, rides great. However, (are you sitting down?) I put the lift on at 6000 miles but when I purchased the truck (first Toyota product I have ever owned) I noticed what i thought was excessive backlash in the drive train, just got used to it. I also noticed a grinding noise in the rear diff when in 5th gear, ignored that too. After i installed the kit i took it for alignment and test drive. A new roar developed at 55-65 mph and the rear diff really sounded off like chicken bones in the garbage disposal. Took it to the local Toyota dealership where it has been for the last 2 weeks. Talked with the shop foreman this morning.. They replaced the transmission, transfer case, rear axle. Got rid of the roar but the new diff out of the crate from factory still grinds like the original one. WTF? Mechanics took off the drive shaft and drove around in 4x4 and quite as a mouse. So, I still don't have a fix. Have not replaced the driveshaft but pretty sure that's not what it is, but what do i know? The shop is now taking this on as a project and his hell bent to find out what the problem is. A rep form headquarters has been dispatched and briefed and is involved in the operation. So, we all agree that it was not the lift kit that caused all this but it may have changed geometry enough to amplify the noise. The dealership is still scratching its collective head and is at the end of their list of drive train components to replace. I am getting discouraged and afraid I will be stuck with new truck that's grinding itself into dust. How can this be??

 

There is a known grinding type sound with the reg cabs. If you are going about 50 mph or faster and take your foot off the gas, it can make the noise. The noise is more pronounced if you are going downhill due to the engine braking effect. I have it and so do some others. I've had the noise for 40+ K miles, since the truck was new and I havent bothered to fix it.

The fix is, If you flip your driveline around, it's been reported that the noise goes away 100%.

Although maybe your noise or noises are different ones.

 

Yeah, mine has some type of extra driveline humming noise in 5th gear when I'm accelerating hard. Starts doing it around 57mph and goes on up to about 65mph, and it was doing that before installing my lift. I haven't driven my truck much since putting my lift on but the little a have drove it seems like factory ride except for being a little more stiff in the rear. Doesn't do it when coasting, just under heavy acceleration.

I ordered my wheels and tires today so hopefully I'll have them on by next weekend. Ordered Goodyear Duratrac's in a 285/75/16 and some black MB 72's.

I'll have to take pictures of how they fit and how close the tires are to inside front fenders and try to show how much we have to trim to run that size tire. I thought about getting the 265/75/16 size but thought they might look a little small for the look I'm wanting to achieve. I searched for some time on here but had trouble finding pictures showing close-ups of clearance running this setup. I noticed that I couldn't find anyone running a 285/75 size and complained enough about rubbing to want to downsize to a 265/75 size. I found many posts for other people on here say they run the 265/75 size and want to move up to a 285/75 for their next set of tires. So I chose to go with the 285/75/16. I'll post pics when I get them installed.

 

OP if u have 4wd then watch out for the "dreaded" front end vibe.. bunch of posts about it. might fuck with ur warranty. the vibe is the front diff bearing and ive read on here that the dealerships will give u a real hard time fixing the front diff under warranty due to the lift

 

?? flip driveline around ?? Trying to picture that. Can u elaborate?

 

Remove it, flip it around end to end, (so the diff end goes to the trans end and vice versa) and rebolt it back in.

It moves the U joint to the opposite end and makes it quiet. So I've heard in a few cases.

 

mine makes the roaring too, i am going to try out the shaft flipping.

 

Picked up tacoma after 3 weeks in shop. Bottom line: ITS THE LIFT KIT.. According to Toyota the shorter body of the regular cab creates a larger angle between the differential and drive shaft (2 degrees) and that is the cause of all the roaring/grinding noise that caused them to completely replace the transmission, transfer case, and rear axle. They said they put 500 lbs. in the bed and the noise completely went away therefore proving that a mere 2 degrees is the difference between smooth and quiet and rough and noisy.

Conclusion: Don't install anything on a Regular Cab 2011 Tacoma that will in any way change the angle the driveshaft makes with the rear differential or you will have the noise problems i described above.. They did say just drive it. No harm. Just ignore the noise and vibration, turn up the radio, etc.

Well friends, i ain't too happy about the outcome of this. My plan is to just move on and accept the fact that this is just the way it is. Don't want to remove the kit cause i like the way it looks, drives and rides. Could always put 500 pounds of shingles in the back and haul that load around.

 

I noticed you guys are all 2nd gen. Do you have a 2 piece drive shaft after the tranfer case or is that just on the longer frames(AC & DC)? If you have a 2 piece do the carrier bearing drop. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/beefed-taco/137876-vibration-gone-carrier-bearing-drop.html

 

Or you could flip the driveline, keep the lift and make the noise go away.

 

They sell 3 degree axle shims you can install to minimize the angle of the drive shaft going to the differential. They will rotate the front of the differential upwards removing harsh angles incorporated by installing a lift. May want to try them and see if they help at all. Here's a link below.

My 08 reg cab has a solid one piece drive axle. I think just the longer frames have the 2 piece drive axles.

 

Oh btw, here are some pics of my new wheels and tires.

 

OK wasn't sure. This is my forth Toy PU but first Taco, first 4x4 & first AC.

 

Those sidewalls remind of Swamper LTB's