2015 DCSB Tacoma Sport build Lil Foot

As it sits today.


I don’t know if “a build,” accurately describes what I’m doing to my Tacoma, but I found a ton of useful information on the site and wanted to contribute.

My Tacoma is a 2015 DCSB 4x4 Sport, 6-speed manual that I purchased Nov 21st 2014. Trading in my lifted Dodge 2500 with the 5.9 Cummins on the Tacoma was a decision that was fully supported by the wife, and in reality it was a smart move. I just didn’t need that much truck anymore and between fuel and maintenance I wasn’t getting my moneys worth. Enter the Tacoma.

The first week of Tacoma ownership I vowed to keep it stock and continue my streak of responsible behavior, but deep down I knew my sickness would soon surface. No matter how nice a vehicle is when it leaves the lot, like a moth to a flame, I’m forced to modify it. Like I said, “it’s a frigg’in sickness.”

I soon decided I would lift the Tacoma and install tires and wheels. Having owned several lifted vehicles in the past I also decided that this time I was going to keep it reasonable. I'm limiting myself to no more than 2.5” of lift and 265/75/16 tires. I know that there are keyboard commandos roaming the Internet promoting the performance benefits of 35” tires and 6” lifts on Tacoma’s. They make promises like “fuel mileage will only be reduced a couple MPG” and “performance wise, you’ll hardly notice.” I’m here to tell you they’re full of it. Hell, I took a mileage and performance hit by putting 35” tires on my Dodge. At this point in the game, I’m a lot older, but only a little wiser: after all if I had learned my lesson I wouldn’t be writing this post.

The first purchase for the Tacoma was a set of 16x8 Black Rock Yuma 908M wheels, with 4.5” of backspacing. Let’s rewind that a little bit, because I did purchase Weather Tech floor mats and a Toyota bed mat during the week I vowed to keep it stock (I’ll post additional pictures of these later). Back to the wheels…

Here’s a picture test fitting one of the wheels the day Santa Clause dropped them off the back of his brown truck.



Although the wheels cleared the calipers, just as I’d researched, I soon noticed the wheel studs looked pretty short. I’ll apologize for these pictures in advance, and I’ll try to improve the next batch. Anyhow, here’s the close up of the wheel stud.



I measureed the stud and determined that I only had .5” of the wheel stud exposed.


This dilemma provided me with a reason to search several thousand more pages of Tacoma World in search of a solution. I fully intended to replace the wheels studs with longer ones, because I wasn’t sure if extended length lug nuts would be the best solution. Then I stumbled across a SEMA article that recommended the extended length lug nuts over regular conical seat lug nuts., so long as you meet minimum SAE thread engagement. I ordered these lug nuts from Wheelers Off-Road and they worked perfect! With the wheel and lug nut situation under control I moved forward with my mission to collect enough parts to complete stage one of my project.

On to the tires... I figured the only way in hell I was going to limit myself was to pull the trigger on a set of 265/75/16 tires. At this point the 265 vs. 285 tire debate had been ongoing in my mind and on my laptop. Deep down I knew the 265s was the smart route for my intended purpose, but damn the 285s looked sexy. I also considered the 255/85/16 tire size, but with the amount of parts I needed to collect and the higher price of tires in this size, these were scratched off the list. The 265s seemed to both fit the bill and provide the most bang for the buck. I needed to pull the trigger on some 265s and commit to the plan.

With tire size cemented in my mind (well kind of) I proceeded to look for a set of rubber for the Tacoma. Oh, decisions, decisions… So many brands, so many prices… Ultimately I settled on a set of BF Goodrich KO’s that I was able to snatch off Ebay (Tire buyer) for $670 shipped. I’ve run KO’s on other, much heavier trucks, and they’ve always offered a great deal of performance at a reasonable price point. With the release of the KO2’s there’re some deals out there on the tried and true KO’s.

Once again, parts are thrown off the back of that brown truck and I’m one step closer.



At this point in the parts collecting stage of project lift “Lil’ Foot” (my wife came up with the name, it fit the Taco after driving the big Dodge for years). I got the wheels, I got the tires, and now I need a lift… I know I could have run the puny 265 tires without a lift, but that’s not the direction that I’m taking this. In my mind a truck has to show a little wheel-well, and suspension is function over form.

I debated the many possible suspension scenarios that play out daily on the pages of Tacoma World. I searched countless treads on lifted Tacoma’s with 265/75/16 tires, you can literally waste days researching lift kits here. Bilstein w/ OEM springs, Bilstein w/ Eibach springs, Bilstein with OME springs and then there’s the rebuildable coilovers; Icon, Fox, King, Sway-Away… The choices we have in suspension manufacturers are overwhelming to a new Taco enthusiast. When I finally ordered my suspension I felt relief.

Once again I placed an order with Wheelers Off-Road for Camburg UCAs w/ moog ball joints (military stationed in the snow and salt), Icon extended travel coilovers, Icon 2.0 rear shocks non-res and Wheelers 1.5” AAL. I also added UCA bolts, Camburg UCA covers and a Spanner wrench to the order, its only money right…

The week that it took Wheelers to get my parts here was exhausting. UPS tracking moves pretty damn slow when you’re checking it six times a day. Finally, I received text notification that the brown van visited my house once again. I hurried home to save the 145lbs of parts from the pending snowstorm and like a kid on Christmas I dug in.



All my parts showed up on a Thursday just as a snow storm hit Southern Maryland. This was both a blessing and a curse. You see we got enough of the white stuff that work was called off the following day. I hope you can see where this is going. I had the day off work and over $2000 in suspension parts sitting in the garage. I debated putting off the install until warmer weather, but that kind rational thought only lasted a couple of beers. The next thing I knew the Taco was on jack stands in my sub 20 degree garage.

Although I froze my ass off the install went without incident. I didn’t take a lot of pictures during the install, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. Remember I’m trying to contribute. I will mention a few things that I did do to make the install go smoother:

1) Buy new UCA bolts. Cutting the heads off your UCA bolts and installing the new ones from the other direction will speed things up and reduce your frustration level. It only took me a minute with a Sawzall to cut the bolts. Plus I didn’t have to cut or bend any sheet metal during the install. It’s worth the twenty something bucks you’ll spend.
2) I bought a pitman arm puller from Advanced Auto parts prior to beginning the job. I really didn’t think I’d need it to remove the tie rod ends, since I’ve always been able to strike the spindle with a dead blow hammer to release tie rod ends. My tried and true method of tie rod end removal didn’t work on the Taco, so I broke out the pitman arm puller and finished the job easily. This was defiantly worth the $15 I spent on the puller. Your mileage may vary, since I’m working on a three month old truck with less then 5600 miles, rust was not an issue.

Here are a few crappy pictures I snapped during the install. Take note of the snow and ice on the garage floor in the first pic. Man I miss SoCal…



In this picture I’m about 90% down with the drivers side.



Between the weather, the Coors Light and a late start I was only able to compete the front of the truck on day one. Total time spent on the front was about 5 hours, but I was drinking beer and taking smoke breaks. All in all, I think the install was pretty painless, other then the cold frigg’in garage. If you’ve ever laid on your garage floor in 17 degree weather, you’ll be able to appreciate what I’m saying.

The following day I took my truck down to the local tire shop to have my tires mounted, balanced and installed. I wanted the tires and rear AAL installed prior to making any adjustments to the coilovers. I still have take care of the rear of the Taco, but here’s a really crappy pic of when I picked the truck up. Ignore my finger in the picture please….



And one more of when I got it home and unloaded the tires.



Incase you’re interested in the before and after measurements. Prior to the lift, the front measured 20.5”, center hub to fender on both sides. Post lift measurements, where 22.5” passengers side and 22.25 drivers side, so I’m going to need to make some adjustments.

Here a couple pictures of the truck at this point. Remember the rear suspension is totally stock and I’m sitting at around 2” of lift in the front. I’ll be knocking the rear out this week and getting the truck in for an alignment. The weather is warming and I’m liking the direction my truck is headed. Life’s good.





I drove the truck for a couple days with just the frontend lift and no alignment. Having lifted several trucks I was surprise how straight the Tacoma went down the road without an alignment. Anyway I finally got the motivation together to jump back under the truck and install the Wheelers 1.5” progressive AALs and the Icon 2.0 shocks.

If took me about two hours to get everything wrapped up and the install went off without a hitch. My only recommendations would be to follow the AAL install sticky in the suspension forum and loosen all the u-bolts, but only completely remove one side at a time. This is especially true if you’re working by yourself.

Installing the AALs worried me after having read several threads on post lift driveline vibrations, but I guess I lucked out. I only installed the AALs and shocks, no carrier bearing drop of shimming of the axle, and I have no vibrations what so ever.

The truck does ride a little firmer, but by no means is it uncomfortable or harsh.

Measurements of the rear of the truck were 22.5”, from the center of the hub to top of fender prior to the install and 23.5” after the install (I removed the factory overload). I took the truck for a quick spin, found a level parking lot and measured all four corners. I ended up adjusting the front coil overs, 4 turns on the driver’s side and 2 turns on the passenger’s side. The frontend now sit at 22.75” (level left to right) and 23.5 in the rear. I think the ¾” of rake looks good and I’m happy with the outcome.

Here’s a few pictures of the Taco with the rear AALs installed.

 

The new ones come with a Flux Capacitor? If they do I'm getting one.


Welcome to TW and congrats on the Taco!

 

Thanks Medic,
Time kind of flies when you spend the day under your truck in sub 20 degree weather, with a twelve pack... Original posted edited

 

With the wheel and lug nut situation under control I moved forward with my mission to collect enough parts to complete stage one of my project.

On to the tires... I figured the only way in hell I was going to limit myself was to pull the trigger on a set of 265/75/16 tires. At this point the 265 vs. 285 tire debate had been ongoing in my mind and on my laptop. Deep down I knew the 265s was the smart route for my intended purpose, but damn the 285s looked sexy. I also considered the 255/85/16 tire size, but with the amount of parts I needed to collect and the higher price of tires in this size, these were scratched off the list. The 265s seemed to both fit the bill and provide the most bang for the buck. I needed to pull the trigger on some 265s and commit to the plan.

With tire size cemented in my mind (well kind of) I proceeded to look for a set of rubber for the Tacoma. Oh, decisions, decisions… So many brands, so many prices… Ultimately I settled on a set of BF Goodrich KO’s that I was able to snatch off Ebay (Tire buyer) for $670 shipped. I’ve run KO’s on other, much heavier trucks, and they’ve always offered a great deal of performance at a reasonable price point. With the release of the KO2’s there’re some deals out there on the tried and true KO’s.

Once again, parts are thrown off the back of that brown truck and I’m one step closer.



At this point in the parts collecting stage of project lift “Lil’ Foot” (my wife came up with the name, it fit the Taco after driving the big Dodge for years). I got the wheels, I got the tires, and now I need a lift… I know I could have run the puny 265 tires without a lift, but that’s not the direction that I’m taking this. In my mind a truck has to show a little wheel-well, and suspension is function over form.

I debated the many possible suspension scenarios that play out daily on the pages of Tacoma World. I searched countless treads on lifted Tacoma’s with 265/75/16 tires, you can literally waste days researching lift kits here. Bilstein w/ OEM springs, Bilstein w/ Eibach springs, Bilstein with OME springs and then there’s the rebuildable coilovers; Icon, Fox, King, Sway-Away… The choices we have in suspension manufacturers are overwhelming to a new Taco enthusiast. When I finally ordered my suspension I felt relief.

Once again I placed an order with Wheelers Off-Road for Camburg UCAs w/ moog ball joints (military stationed in the snow and salt), Icon extended travel coilovers, Icon 2.0 rear shocks non-res and Wheelers 1.5” AAL. I also added UCA bolts, Camburg UCA covers and a Spanner wrench to the order, its only money right…

The week that it took Wheelers to get my parts here was exhausting. UPS tracking moves pretty damn slow when you’re checking it six times a day. Finally, I received text notification that the brown van visited my house once again. I hurried home to save the 145lbs of parts from the pending snowstorm and like a kid on Christmas I dug in.



Coming up next, a Southern California native displaced to Southern Maryland (thanks US Navy) buys a 12 pack and install a lift kit in the snow…

 

All my parts showed up on a Thursday just as a snow storm hit Southern Maryland. This was both a blessing and a curse. You see we got enough of the white stuff that work was called off the following day. I hope you can see where this is going. I had the day off work and over $2000 in suspension parts sitting in the garage. I debated putting off the install until warmer weather, but that kind rational thought only lasted a couple of beers. The next thing I knew the Taco was on jack stands in my sub 20 degree garage.

Although I froze my ass off the install went without incident. I didn’t take a lot of pictures during the install, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. Remember I’m trying to contribute. I will mention a few things that I did do to make the install go smoother:

1) Buy new UCA bolts. Cutting the heads off your UCA bolts and installing the new ones from the other direction will speed things up and reduce your frustration level. It only took me a minute with a Sawzall to cut the bolts. Plus I didn’t have to cut or bend any sheet metal during the install. It’s worth the twenty something bucks you’ll spend.
2) I bought a pitman arm puller from Advanced Auto parts prior to beginning the job. I really didn’t think I’d need it to remove the tie rod ends, since I’ve always been able to strike the spindle with a dead blow hammer to release tie rod ends. My tried and true method of tie rod end removal didn’t work on the Taco, so I broke out the pitman arm puller and finished the job easily. This was defiantly worth the $15 I spent on the puller. Your mileage may vary, since I’m working on a three month old truck with less then 5600 miles rust was not an issue.

Here are a few crappy pictures I snapped during the install. Take note of the snow and ice on the garage floor in the first pic. Man I miss SoCal…



In this picture I’m about 90% done with the drivers side.



Between the weather, the Coors Light and a late start I was only able to compete the front of the truck on day one. Total time spent on the front was about 5 hours, but I was drinking beer and taking smoke breaks. All in all, I think the install was pretty painless, other then the cold frigg’in garage. If you’ve ever laid on your garage floor in 17 degree weather, you’ll be able to appreciate what I’m saying.

The following day I took my truck down to the local tire shop to have my tires mounted, balanced and installed. I wanted the tires and rear AAL installed prior to making any adjustments to the coilovers. I still have take care of the rear of the Taco, but here’s a really crappy pic of when I picked the truck up. Ignore my finger in the picture please….



And one more of when I got it home and unloaded the tires.



Incase you’re interested in the before and after measurements. Prior to the lift, the front measured 20.5”, center hub to fender on both sides. Post lift measurements, where 22.5” passengers side and 22.25 drivers side, so I’m going to need to make some adjustments.

Here a couple pictures of the truck as it sits now. Remember the rear suspension is totally stock and I’m sitting at around 2” of lift in the front. I’ll be knocking the rear out this week and getting the truck in for an alignment. The weather is warming and I’m liking the direction my truck is headed. Life’s good.

 

I drove the truck for a couple days with just the frontend lift and no alignment. Having lifted several trucks I was surprise how straight the Tacoma went down the road without an alignment. Anyway I finally got the motivation together to jump back under the truck and install the Wheelers 1.5” progressive AALs and the Icon 2.0 shocks.

If took me about two hours to get everything wrapped up and the install went off without a hitch. My only recommendations would be to follow the AAL install sticky in the suspension forum and loosen all the u-bolts, but only completely remove one side at a time. This is especially true if you’re working by yourself.

Installing the AALs worried me after having read several threads on post lift driveline vibrations, but I guess I lucked out. I only installed the AALs and shocks, no carrier bearing drop of shimming of the axle, and I have no vibrations what so ever.

The truck does ride a little firmer, but by no means is it uncomfortable or harsh.

Measurements of the rear of the truck were 22.5”, from the center of the hub to top of fender prior to the install and 23.5” after the install (I removed the factory overload). I took the truck for a quick spin, found a level parking lot and measured all four corners. I ended up adjusting the front coil overs, 4 turns on the driver’s side and 2 turns on the passenger’s side. The frontend now sit at 22.75” (level left to right) and 23.5 in the rear. I think the ¾” of rake looks good and I’m happy with the outcome.

Here’s a few pictures of the Taco with the rear AALs installed.

 

It's been a while, but I'm making slow progress with the truck. Installed the ARB front bumper and upgraded the stereo with a 400 watt amp and JBL power series speakers. I think sliders and a rear bumper are next on the list. Here it is at 18,100 miles!

 

Good looking truck. Excellent color choice

 

Thanks Bama!

 

Updated pic with All Pro rack and SOS sliders. I added removable cross bars to the rack, so could haul our kayaks. I didn't want the rack higher than the cab.

Both the rack and sliders were painted with VHT Rollbar paint, which seems to be holding up great.

Next on the list to install is my SOS rear bumper with Ridgid Dullies and a Warn M8000 into the front bumper.

 

At some point I need to reorganize this into a real build thread, but I've been pretty busy with what life has been throwing my way....

 

Nice truck!!!​

 

I've got nothing but praise for my Warn M8000. The driver of the Bucket Truck stated his truck weight 13K lbs. I pulled him about a 100 yards to solid ground!

 

thanks man!

 

You got it!!! ​

 

Sweet truck! Curious how you like those black rock wheels? I've got an '06 silver Taco and am thinking about those same wheels. Are they hard to keep clean?