New Taco Owner - Tampa

Welcome to the site, where in Tampa are you?

 

Hello TpaTaco,

This will be a long & picture filled post but I wish I would have seen one of these when I started modding. It would have saved me some money & time.

I agree with k9cop, slcsez2000, & SpruceTaco. 4WD definitely has a traction advantage over 2WD but 2WD does have an advantage in the suspension area. All we have to worry about is rear take-off vibes & shudders which can be minimized &/or reduced via driveshaft spacer, axle shims or Carrier Bearing drop. No front diff to worry about. If the next Tacoma that I purchase is a 4WD then I'll go OME complete kit. If it's 2WD, Spindles, 5100's & Dakar or All-Pro leaf packs as k9cop mentioned. And an angle finder for either type of truck. This way you can set up the drive shaft angle to closely match the OEM position.

This was my first truck ever & I knew nothing about lift kits when I bought my '08 on January 2012. Hopefully, this will steer you in the right direction & you can skip what I did, spend less, & go straight to Spindles.

In this pic I had just installed the 5100's with the fronts at .85, 1/4" ToyTec spacer & Hellwig Helper springs for the rear to help my sagging 2/1 OEM leafs. About 1" of lift front/rear. Just by adding the 5100's alone & even at stock height you will feel the ride more firm. I was very happy with this. Most factory shocks are "twin-tube" & 5100's are "mono-tube". Mono-tubes are more responsive & sway less.


In these next pics I have the fronts @ 1.75 & I went with OEM 3/1 leafs with Wheelers 3 leaf AAL (2" lift). You mentioned 285/70r17's. In these pics I have FJ Cruiser wheels with 285/70r17's & they only rubbed when the wheel was turned ALL THE WAY (lock to lock) on the upper control arms. No rubbing on my mud flaps. I trimmed 4"'s off of each mud flap because I don't like how long they look, not due to rubbing. The important thing to remember is wheel offset & width. That's why I love FJ wheels. I actually have another set of them that were redone. I'm waiting for the "refreshed" BFG AT KO2's to come out so I can use those wheels.










Now, My current set-up is:
17x7.5 FJ 6 spoke alloy wheels with BFG A/T 275/70R17.

Spidertrax Rear Wheel Spacers (rear only).

FRONT:
OEM PreRunner coils,
5100's @ .85,
MaxTrac Spindles,
1/4" Taco lean spacer.
ground to fender base: LF & RF: 40"'s
hub to fender base::::: LF & RF: 25"'s

REAR:
2012 OEM 3/1 leafs,
Wheelers 3 leaf AAL,
2" Tapered steel block.
Bilstein F4-BE5-B110-T5
ground to fender base: LR & RR: 41"'s
hub to fender base::::: LR & RR: 26"'s

All mud flaps trimmed 4"'s shorter.








Before driveshaft spacer:


After driveshaft spacer:




In this pick I had the 5100's @ ZERO. 1 month later I bumped them up to .85. Now there is less rake but still some. I like a little bit of rake. I have no pics of it though. At least, not on level ground.


I like the Leaf Packs vs the Steel blocks but I haven't had any problems to complain about them either. Leafs are considered better than block but if you do go with blocks go with Steel Tapered, not aluminum.

PS:
A lot of the people on this thread & on this forum were very helpful to me & I appreciate them.

PSS: I installed rear wheel spacers because the Spindles increase your front wheel trac width almost an inch on each side. Some people like this or don't mind it but I like for all 4 of my wheels to stick out the same.

PSSS: HAHA.
Your truck will handle curves like a champ due to the trac width increase!

I hope this helps you.

 

just saw these replies! thank you so writing all that! i def would like to see some one your trucks in person and also pick your minds before i buy anything.

when is the next meet up? btw just ordered LED everything. heads, fogs, interior, license plate. excited to start modding.

 

you just missed the Ocala mini meet Oct 5th
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/florida/346500-ocala-meet-sunday-october-5th.html

next big meet is Citrus. Better get caught up and add your name if your interested in going
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/florida/345446-2015-annual-january-tw-citrus-meet.html

 

A few of us just got together Saturday for lunch at Quaker Steak over here in Clearwater.


Heres a short video taken by Blackhorse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGly6iHCwq0

You can keep an eye on this thread, usually if we do anything local we'll post in here.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=262544

 

Good looking Tacomas & that Chevy is sweet also!

DAMN your 1st Gen is high! Looks awesome!

 

The Chevy wasn't with us, it was already there. The 1st gen isn't mine that's Blackhorse's. Total of 9" of lift on 35's. Mines the green one.

 

any other meet ups like quaker steak?

 

Not planned right now but thus one was kinda last minute but we were talking about planning another & posting it so more people would show up.

 

We can post in the Tampa Bay thread & see what everyone thinks.

 

Yeah not bad, what 7 guys?
Not as good as the Tamlando meet with 20 something.
Or was it more? can't remember.

 

welcome, im down in st pete

 

if someone could pm me when there is another meet up that would be awesome.

i got the mod bug already. LED headlights, fogs, interior and license plate lights. love it so far. much brighter and cleaner looking.

one headlight bulb bad as soon as i plugged it in. started flickering and pretty much quit working. calling about a replacement tomorrow. hopefully after that i will be good to go

 

is there anyone in the wesley chapel/ new tampa/ brandon area with a bilstein/coil lift or that would meet me to look at their truck?

im still really on the fence with what lift i want to do and would like to see either or both in person

thanks guys for all your help

 

Scooter WCT is up in Wesley Chapel, actually works at Wesley Chapel Toyota. He has 5100's, send him a pm.
I've got 5100's with Maxtrac spindles & work in Ybor city.

 

^^^ that ^^^

Stop up at WCToyota and I'll show you my set up

 

my sis in law is organizing if anybody is interested, completely free, free alcohol, bring the kids, i'll be there

https://feedingamericatampabay.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/mooboo-thurs-oct-30-at-6pm/