Tacoma TRD Pro Lift Kit

If you are absolutely set on a spacer lift, put a 1/2" top plate on and three leaf progressive in the rear - don't overdo it or you will throw off the geometry of the suspension and start fighting vibrations and worn CVs.

 

Got myself a new TRD Pro and immediately put custom mirrors on it

 

Toyota tow mirrors

 

Before this thread totally breaks down I'll throw in what I'd do. I have a 4Runner TRD Pro and I messed with the suspension as well so I will hate not on what you want to do.

If you want to get 2"-3" of quality lift I'd look at removing the stock TRD suspension, selling it (there is a market, someone will buy it) and looking to something like an ICON setup. Here's a complete list of all the stuff I'd get.

For the front-
Coilovers
ICON Extended Travel 2.5 (diameter not height) coilovers
http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop...ravel-remote-reservoir-cdcv-coilover-kit.html
These coilovers are just as capable of whats on your Pro now but will allow you to adjust the height as you want on the fly with a wrench. They can go up to 3.5" of lift (around 3" is the max recommended).

Upper control arms
JBA Off Road
http://jbaoffroad.com/toyota/tacoma...r-upper-a-arms-for-2005-14-toyota-tacoma.html
These UCA's will get your alignment back into spec after lifting. Lifting these trucks much past 2" leads to bad driving characteristics like wandering and bump steer. You will need UCA's. I like this setup personally because of the sealed ball joint, especially if its your daily driver.

For the rear-
Shocks
ICON 2.0 remote reservoir
http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop/367-toyota
You'll need these to match up with the coilovers in the front. Check with ICON because they don't list this as a fitment for your vehicle for some reason, but it should fit.

Leaf Springs
Someone smarter and more experienced than me can chime in on leafs. Personally I like soft leafs because I don't haul anything, ever. Personally, I don't mess with add-a-leafs or blocks because I feel like a full leaf pack is the correct solution, especially if you're spending money on the rest of the suspension. Anyway, full leaf pack, a few companies can make you a leaf pack to your specifications and needs. Just for an example here's a link.
http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/p456/Deaver_Leaf_Pack_-_J66.html

As far as wheels and tires, I really like the Stealth Custom Series offerings, as they place the tire exactly where they need to be in the wheel well. Tire sizes is up to you, I think 285's (33's) fill out the wheel wells great and don't require much in the way of permanent modification to the vehicle. Above 285's you're looking at having to cut and weld potentially. People will recommend 265's, 275's, 255's and personally I think they either look to small or too narrow but I understand the purpose.

 

This or ADS.

 

So the suspension is naturally higher in the rear to give the vehicle a forward rake. This makes it easier to see over the hood while still putting a load on the back of the truck. The term "leveling" means to lift the front suspension to match the height of the rear suspension to give the truck a level stance with no load. The problem is if you lift too high or put any kind of load in the rear the whole truck will point upwards which is commonly known around here as a "bro lean." When lifting its best to leave a little bit of forward rake.

If you decide to lift both front and rear suspension it is recommended to replace your needle bearing in the front differential with the ECGS clamshell bushing. If you don't you can experience a vibration in your front diff and if the needle bearing breaks down, it could cause catastrophic damage. You also want to watch the boot on your CV axle, if you lift so high that the ribs begin touching each other, the boot itself will break down a lot faster forcing your to replace CV axles more often.

If you lift the rear, the angles of the drive shaft will be out of angle a couple degrees. So you have a good chance of experiencing a vibration from that. This is most commonly resolved by either the OME carrier bearing spacer (commonly sold with the Dakar Leaf Pack) or a shim placed under the leaf pack to correct the angle of the rear drive shaft. This is a more complicated process because you have to take measurements of your driveline angles after the lift before you buy the proper angled shim. For the 2nd gen tacoma the common algorithm was 1 degree for every inch lifted. So if you lift 3 inches in the rear you would want a 3 degree shim. However I don't know if this translates to the 3rd Gen or not. I can tell you I have the OME EL095R with the OME carrier bearing spacer and I don't have any vibrations but the EL095R is only a 2.5" lift in the rear.

 

Well it seems like this is going to be way more than what I thought. The only way to do this right (and to not downgrade what I already have) is to spend $3500+. If I keep the FOX suspension I have now which has a 1" lift, put a strut spacer on the front (somewhere between 1-2.5") what happens to the rear? Won't the front be taller now? I heard nothing but horror stories about those rear blocks.

 

If you only do 1" you will probably be ok and have a very slight forward rake if not leveled, anything more you will definitely be higher in the front. So your options for the rear are blocks which again will be fine for street application but not so much Off-Road. You can do an Add-a-Leaf which will add extra support to your existing leaf springs. This is better than the blocks but there are a lot of horror stories out there of them wearing out after a year or two. Your last option is to replace the leaf pack all together, this is your best option but also costs more money, in addition you will need extended brake lines and possibly longer rear shocks. (I don't know what the extended length is of the pro shocks) at this point you will also need either a carrier bearing spacer or a shim to help with driveline vibrations.

Keep in mind I'm speaking from my personal experience, because you have a Pro you may not need the carrier bearing spacer or shim like I did because your angles may not be as affected since you already have a lifted suspension. A really good resource is Marie at Headstrong Off road. She is VERY knowledgeable and has sold thousands of Tacoma kits and probably the one person I'd trust most to suspension related questions.

 

I have a trd pro, but i mainly use it to haul restaurant supplies (non heavy equipment). I think it is still too low...so I want to add this kit:

https://www.readylift.com/3-f-2-r-sst-lift-kit-toyota-tacoma-trd-sr5-rock-warrior-2005-2017-12.html

Is it really that bad??

 

pretty sure adding a 3inch spacer lift on a trd pro setup is bad news. its just going to ruin your fox setup

 

my pro sits 3/4 lower in front,,,im considering this also, 1/2 spacer in front = 1 inch front lift ? 1 inch factory lift,, and AAL in back , with this, i hope it stiffens the ride a tad,, the ride is awesome, maybe just a tad stiffer would be perfect,, i think all would be good

 

Well it has been some time since you posted this, what did you do? If I caught this much sooner I would have suggested that you not lift your truck and stuff 33’s under it. It’s what I did and I LOVE it. I out wheel most lifted jeeps. Granted I have been wheeling for 30 years and I know how to drive. If you get a 6” lift my 90 year old grandmother in a stock ‘90 subaru loyal will out wheel you.

 

Do you have any pics with just the 33's?

 

3 inch is the max or your CV joints will hate you. 2.5 seems to be the sweet spot. Anything more than that you will need to go drop bracket but at that point you are pissing $$$ out the window by buying the Pro.

 

Here ya go. I actually just lifted my truck because I over loaded my rear with equipmunk. I just felt it was more cost effective to pay for a lift with overload leafs versus just getting stock height overload leafs. I went with Dobinson if oh are curious and could not be happier with them. That being said, I have my pro lift for sale now.

 

@JBRz85 hey man how many miles do you have on the stock Pro suspension and what are you selling it for?

 

Scroll down and you will find all the info you need. I also forgot to mention that it is less than a year old. The mileage mainly comes from my work. I do a lot of freeway driving.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wtb-trd-pro-suspension.528055/page-19

 

wish I could understand lol

You paid $ 50k+ plus to have a PRO that you about to ruin with a 6inch lift! wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should of got yourself a sr5 for that.