2012 DC Tacoma lift - good plan?

Hey guys,

I'm new here and need some help. My brother in law bought a black 2012 Tacoma Double Cab TRD (Offroad Edition) a while back and he wants to lift it.

He's not mechanically inclined, so I've offered to do the lift for him. He's on leave for about 2 weeks coming up (ARMY) so we need to get parts ordered.

Here are some things to consider:

• He drives 95% of the time on-road. Road handling is more important than off-road handling in his case.
• He only wants to lift a maximum of 3". He'd probably prefer to stay in the 2-2.5" range to avoid drivetrain and UCA issues.
• He wants to run bigger tires with new wheels, probably 265/75-17R or so. He is willing to keep his stock rims (16") if the backspacing, etc. will allow him to use the bigger tires. Would he need wheel spacers?
• He said his truck has 3 leafs on the back springs, so I'm not sure if those are the TSB springs or not. Can someone explain that?

I've convinced him to avoid the spacer lift and spend some money (doing it right the first time is important since it isn't my truck and he may not be stationed near me in the future).
He's willing to spend around $800 on the lift but obviously money is always a factor.

I don't want to drag this out forever, so here are the parts I've selected and the reason they were chosen.

Shocks Front and Rear:
Front coils: with
885 for the Double Cab (no heavy bumpers or winches will be installed)
The OME springs are supposed to be softer and better riding than the Eibach springs (from what I've read here). Since ride quality is important, I picked these over the Bilstein/Eibach kit on toytec.
When used with the OME springs, the top plate spacers are supposed to give a full 3" of lift up front. Since the Bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks allow 0-2.5" of lift, they should work well with the coil + spacer combo.

Rear Leaf springs: Is this the spring I should get him for the 2" lift in the back or since he has 3 leafs right now should I get a different one?
This should give us 2" of lift in the back and 3" in the front, levelling it up and reducing the truck's rake.

Drivers Side Lean: This is supposed to correct a drivers side lean that tacomas have. I have never noticed it, but we may as well throw it in there while we're at it.

With the tacomaworld discount, the toytec cart comes to $644.07 with 39.04 shipping to TN. That is right alongside his budget. I'm looking for backup here before pulling the trigger, so please offer any suggestions or insights.

Does this plan suck or is it a good plan? Do you have any recommendations on wheel offset/backspacing for this size lift?

Thanks everybody!

 

Someone I'm sure will verify this. You may want to consider a set of light racing UCA. Most people seem to add these to help get the proper alignment and not have to fudge it when adding their 3in lift.

 

Looks good, if you do the 885 with top plates for a full 3 inches you'll Definitally need new UCAs. Look for Light Racing UCAs. Especially if your looking to have a nice handling truck.

I just switched from the eibachs to the 885, I can't say I notice a huuuge difference, but the ride is real nice.

I also have the toytec 2 inch AAL and Bilstein 5100's on all corners. Very happy.

But yes you will want new uCAS or try to stay below 2.5inches. Even at that point you should probbaly get new UCAs. wish I has sooner.

 

you won't see the lean on the drivers side unless you lift without the spacer, Toyota has a longer stock spring on the drivers side to compensate.

another option would be to go 884 with no top plate spacer, 2" lift up front, avoiding the need for UCAs.

I used OME shocks on all 4 corners and I like the ride. I have a 2012 DCSB and I'm dead level. I didn't do anything to the rear, as chances you wouldn't need to either as the TSB is already part of the 2012 from what I understand. I don't see the need for adjustable shocks if your going springs to set you at the height you want, but the ride quality of the Billy's is something many people around here like. I have no comparison to my setup, but I like mine, so it works.

If you go 3" up front and 2" in the rear, there will still be rake, it will be reduced, but not level.

For tires, most will run 265/70 even with stock wheels, 16 or 17". With the front mud flaps off, you should have 0 rubbing unless at full lock off road.

 

WolfDog - what difference in ride quality did you notice between 885's and Eibach's?

I'm thinking of a lift similar to what was described here too. I don't want to have to pay for UCA's and I'm prepared to sacrifice 0.5 to 1" of lift because of it.

Would 884's with spacers give a better ride than 885's without spacers?

 

I'll respond to the UCA comment and the last question.

I've done a ton of research and what I've read is that the closer you get to 3", the more you can count on needing UCAs. Some say it is really actually needed at 2.5", definitely at 3". At 2", you should be fine.

I've read anytime you add a spacer, you're not getting the best ride you could be, with a 1/2" in lift from a spacer though above an 884, I'm not sure you would notice a difference over an 885 without, but it seems like if you're going to do it, get the 885 and do it right if you're convinced thats the lift you want.

 

I have a full 3" with billy's set at 0 with 885. I bought new LR UCA to avoid alignment issues. I do not have a taco lean nor have I seen a lifted 2012 with a lean. The rear i have billy 5125 with the icon progressive leaf pack. I have a slight rack. If you want the best driving around town I suggest getting the sway bar relocation brackets. I hated the ride without the sway bar installed. I love my setup! It's better then the stock suspension setup!

 

one post, and hasnt been back in a week. his post is too well written, i think he is a dealer or manufacturer trying to get free info... just my $.02

 

either way i'm glad he asked the question because I'm looking to do something similar, haha.

 

I'm not a dealer guys...I'm just very detail oriented and like to be thorough. When presenting a question online, I think a well thought out post is a good thing...if I can provide some detail and backstory to avoid the back and forth, it saves everybody's time.

Want to see pics of the final install?

We went with the procomp 7089s in matte black...looks badass with the 285/75/17 bfg at kos.

 

Sorry I haven't been on here in forever. Here's a picture of the final product: