Lift, tires and wheels questions.

So I recently paid off my '13 DCLB and have been itching to start putting some of that money towards mods. So far all I've done to it is add a camper shell. I want to lift my truck but I'm a complete novice mechanically speaking and have no real clue what I'm doing. My current stock tires are getting close to the end of their life so I figured this would be the right time to start looking at options. I'm looking for a 2.5-3ish inch lift with new wheels and bigger tires. I don't offroad a lot but I do occasionally and its generally pretty mild (forest service roads and whatnot).

For wheels I really dig the SCS Ray10's and the TRD pro wheels. I imagine both of those would be fine as their made with Toyota's in mind, but I'm not sure if I should be looking at 16" vs 17". I have the stock 17's currently but 16's seem to be really popular with offroad peeps. Also should I be looking at 5 wheels and tires or is the stock spare ok to use if I'm changing sizes and lifting?

Lift kits are where I get completely lost, there are so many options. I've looked at Icon and some of the OME stuff but I was hoping I could possibly get some recommendations. I drive probably 99% of my time on roads and highways so maintaining the ride to be at least as good as stock is my number one concern and I'd be willing to pay a little extra for that (do cheaper kits have a worse ride?). Also, I don't think I could install a lift myself, I just don't have the knowledge or the tools. Who would I even go to get get a kit installed? We have one motorsports type place in town, but they seem to specialize more in "bro" type truck stuff than actual offroad mods, and there is a 4wheelparts shop about 30-40 min drive, but I've read on here that they shouldn't be trusted.

For tires the largest I'd want to go is 33" and even that I think might be too big. I've read on here that I'll most likely have to cut some stuff to fit 33's and that kind of scares me being the novice that I am. So I'm thinking I should stick with whatever the biggest tire that will fit with little to no modification that runs great on the highway and can handle a little rain and an occasional offroad and or snow trip. What brands/models/sizes should I be looking at?

Finally is there anything else that I need to consider, stuff I got wrong or might be missing? Thanks in advance for your time, you guys are the best!

 

Depends on your budget I went with ome lift at Headstrongoffroad get a hold of Marie and tell her what you want to do and she will point you in the right direction.

 

Get a hold Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road tell her what you want to do with it. Search for local TW groups to help with mods.

 

I just went with Fox's thanks to @HeadStrong Off-Road.
Fox 2.5 's Coilovers on the Front
Camburg Uniball UCA's
Fox 2.0's for the rear

I just purchased some 285/70/17's Falken Wildpeaks and put them on some SCS SR8's.
Love the way my Tacoma handles and looks.

 

That is almost exactly the look I want. Did you have any rubbing issues with your tires? Also, whats up with HeadStrong? Three comments and all recommend the same shop.

 

How about the best prices and customer service around. Also free shipping on everything. Hard to beat.

 

You will have get a Cab Mount Chop done and trim some plastic away. There is also a lip that sticks out I plan on
beating down smooth. You will see this lip when you cut some plastics away.

 

I am just now getting to all of my alerts. Your truck looks awesome. I know I already told you that but I wanted to say it again Thank you so much for your business, we truly appreciate it!

 

would encourage you to read crashnburn's post. if you're spending 99% of your time on the roads you might want to opt for a p rated lighter weight tire to match the ray10's. I picked up 16" ray10's myself (2014 DCLB) and went with the 265/75/16 cooper at3's 116t rated. Ride quality is great. No cutting or anything, just remove front mudflaps. Next to no difference in noise or gas mileage. Really quite happy with the tire/wheel combo (taco is my DD/family/work vehicle all rolled into 1)

i'm going through the lift options now as well. Similar requirements as you in terms of keeping a quality ride but improving responsiveness and handling. I've been eyeballing the 6112/5160 combo, which is similar to the TRD baja setup. 610 lb spring. Adjustable perches. I'm thinking setting #2 to keep stock leafs, but most seem happy with #3+1.5"AAL for ~1.5-2" lift.

If you're even a little mechanically inclined, grab a Haynes and watch some youtube vids, its not too difficult of a job. Although lack of tools can be tough.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eel-tire-combo-trd-rock-warriors-ko2s.381030/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bilstein-6112.421995/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...112-5160-with-3-leaf-aal-for-1-5-lift.486379/