Tacoma Lift FAQ/Guide - READ THIS

For the money the kit'll get you there. Don't pound on the truck too much and it'll last awhile. Get yourself a diff drop for the front, it'll help alleviate the CV angles a little. You should consider upgrading to greasable shackle bolts for the rear. And the final upgrade you should look into are SS braided brake lines. Be careful to set up your rear portioning valve properly, or it'll start to mess with your braking.

I believe the tires will fit fine, with maybe a little rub if you're really flexing the truck.

 

^What he said. It'd be a good time to do them all if they are worn anyway.

 

So have a 2013 trd off road 4wd. Looking to do a 3" lift and have done a lot of research yet still decided. My budget isnt too much of a factor cause I would rather spend the money and do it right. I tuned euro cars for years but have now moved onto trucks and finding myself a little lost so here it goes.
Want a 3" lift (not a leveling kit) with 17" fuel boost rims on a...idk 28-30" tire, reccomendations welcome. For the lift it seems like it has narrowed down to 5100s in front and the rear with a leaf pack. Or the $1000 3" kit from rough country. I would only be using the truck for light off roading so not looking for anything crazy. Again don't know much about lifts so feel free to outline it like I've never seen a truck before.

 

and yeah didn't even re read it so a ton of typos

 

That's a pretty small tire, I think it's smaller than stock. I have 265/70/17s (just a little less than a 32" tire) on mine, and a lot of folks run 33" tires (285/70/17s). 5100s are a good budget lift. If money isn't an issue, i'd look at Icon or a couple of the other high end lift kits. I like OME

 

So heres what i am looking at getting

Billy 5100
Eibach front coil lift springs

now for the rear, should I

get a 1 or 2 inch block?

or get an AAL

the AAL is actually cheaper than the blocks....unless i am researching this wrong

Do i need a diff drop? Am i missing anything? seems a little too simple! lol

 

Go with the AAL or new leaf pack. And I've heard the diff drop is pointless.
Im running the same lift. It gave me 3.25 front lift. watch for the see-saw affect even with the 2" aal. I had to make my own leaf shackles. to get a slight rake back

 

Right on....Them leaf packs are a lil pricey! but I might as well do it right the first time right. The AAL isnt bad at all. I can afford that. haha

 

Yeah I know. Thats my next is a leaf pack! Even tho I keep thinking about a 2nd gen or FJ stromtrooper lol

 

But new leafs are worth it. Even with AAL's I couldn't put 400 lbs in the bed without the nose sticking up, and I eventually broke one hauling firewood for a friend.

I had my leafs rebuilt by a local company for just under $500. They just added a single, thicker, leaf to the factory pack, installed plastic shims so the don't squeak, and put on new guides. They arched the new leaf to give me a slightly higher rear to compensate for a plate steel bumper in the future.

I had forgotten I had 200lbs of pellets in the bed that day, so it's probably a little higher in the rear than needed. However, I can load 800 lbs of pellets and she sits level!

 

An excellent point. Replacing the entire leaf pack can seem a little pricey up front, but overall when the deal is done and you don't have to spend anymore time or money on the rear it is a good way to go. If you want to tow/haul or otherwise use your truck (IMO as it was intended) a new leaf pack is worth it.

My. Best. Investment.

 

Thanks guys...very convincing! I appreciate the 411

 

Ok what if I wanted to do a full 3" suspension lift? I want to run 5100 bilsteins in front and back and want a full 3" lift I don't want to do a cheap lift kit but don't want anything too expensive?

 

Eibach coils up front on the 5100's, and a new leaf pack that nets 3"... Or 2" AAL and a 1" Shackle?

 

Where could I get it from or order that stuff from? What would be the best add a leaf pack to go with?

 

Can get them a few different places...

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Tacoma-95-04_c_72.html

^^ Some leaf packs there as well... Do not think they are 3" but they can accept an aal added to them I believe for more lift. Or a longer shackle?

I dont know much about the different complete leaf packs but hear a lot of mention of the All Pros.. I have a 2" Wheeler's AAL (just one extra leaf added to your stock pack) and am happy with that.... I will eventually get a new complete rear leaf pack down the road.

 

I went through Wheelers Off Road. Great prices, fast shipping, and if you need any assistance Yota Dan is really helpful. I netted a full 3" with his Bilstein 5100s and 887 coils with an 1.5" HD AAL in the rear (don't tow or have a cap so didn't need the full leaf pack).

 

That's what I'm looking is for a full 3" and that in the front and rear right? That's what I'm looking at and you only needed 1.5" AAL on too of the stock to accomplish that?

 

That wont get you 3" higher in the rear as far as I know... it will get you 1.5" higher but will somewhat level your truck out.

IMO I would at minimum do 2" AAL in the rear with 3" in front. I did new stock springs and 5100 set at 2.5" with 2" AAL in the rear on stock 162k mile leaf springs. This got me only about 1/4" to 1/2" higher in the rear (with the weight of a cap). So with 3" front and 2" rear, you will probably be dead nuts level. If you want to keep your stock rake, you could then add the shackle to lift it a little more if you wanted.

2nd gens have more rake than 1st gen Tacomas I believe so I think that setup would give you rear squat... Depends on what kind of look you want.

Here is mine with 2.5" front and 2" rear...

 

Great info guys!! Thank you!

What size tires are you running? Im hoping my 265/75/16 dont look to small when i lift. Eventually going to 33's