FOX Lift Problems

Here’s a review of my lift. I lifted my truck on December 20, 2017. I have waited to post this to actually provide some feedback other than saying its great the day after the install. I started with 2006 DCLB 4x4 V6 SR5. The truck was in stock trim with a Leer Shell, Fuel 16” wheels, Toyo AT 245/75/16 and the TSB rear leaf.

I used a local shop in Bakersfield that specializes mostly in GM, Dodge, Ford and Jeep. To my knowledge there are no shops in Bakersfield that specialize in Tacomas.

Anyways, I went with the following build:

Fox 2.5 (Non-Reservoir)coil overs with 600lb springs up front.

Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir with adjustment in the rear

Sway bar relocate brackets

SPC Light Racing Upper Control Arms

Wheelers Progressive 1.5” Add-A -Leaf

Wheelers Bump Stops Front/Rear

Wheelers Steel-Braided Brake Lines Front/Rear

Toyo AT 265/75/16

Before the lift the front measurements center hub to bottom of the fender were:

R/F 20.25”

L/F 20”

R/R 21.75”

L/R 21.50”

On the initial install I forgot to tell the shop to leave the overload leaf out. I did tell them that I wanted the truck level or just a tad higher in the front.

When I arrived to pick up the truck it was still on the lift and it appeared to be level. It was after dark and I drove it home without a lot of inspection. The truck drove great and handled well. The next morning I went out to look at it and take measurements (R/F21.75”, L/F 21.5” R/R 23.25 L/R 23”. I called the shop and asked if they would remove the overload, which they did. After removing the overload it still appeared to be a tad higher in the back, but it still drove great and handled well (although it was a smoother ride with the overload in). I expressed to my mechanic that I still wanted it raked a bit higher in the front. The mechanic asked me to drive it for a couple of weeks and then bring it back which I did. After driving it for a couple of weeks I returned it to the shop with the measurements being roughly 21” in the front and 22.5” in the rear. The shop raised the front another 1.5” (mechanic told me the front coil overs were set at 1.5” so he adjusted them to sit at 3” higher. Now the truck sits at roughly 23” in the front and 22.5” in the back. I really like the height on it now, but the truck does not drive nearly as good as when it was set at 1.5”. It looks like they really had to crank down the springs to get the 3” of lift. The front end handling is really sloppy now and I have a lot of slop in the steering wheel.

I spoke with the mechanic and he suggested that I call FOX and ask their opinion, or that we lower the front coil overs back to 1.5” and add spacer plates on top of the coil overs to get the additional lift (this doesn’t seem right to me!). The mechanic also said the axles were at too much of an angle with the 3" of lift. Or would this work?

So my question for those who are up on this, what do I do to fix the front end ride?

Do I need to switch to the 14” 650lb spring or 14” 700lb spring to get the 3” of lift in the front that I want? I plan to do bumpers, skids and sliders in the future, so at some point I know I’ll need to upgrade to the heavier spring (but that may be 2-3 years down the road). Will upgrading to the longer/heavier spring now improve the ride. It seems like the compression on the front end is rougher now than it was before we added the additional 1.5” to make it 3”. Like I said before the ride was great when the front was set at 1.5" of lift and not at 3" it is horrible.

I've used my mechanic for 25+ years lifting many vehicles (but he doesn't do too many Tacomas). I am willing to drive to another shop in Southern California to get this fixed if there is a shop that knows what they are doing (and won't try to rip me off!) It seems like all the SoCal shops specialize in lifting GM/Dodge/Ford/Jeep, but none are specializing in Tacomas. To the Tacoma lift experts out there, please help me!!

 

I assume you got a proper alignment after this was done? I have my coilovers cranked way further down than what most would recommend, and although the front is a bit stiff it tracks like and arrow and has very tight steering. Seems like an alignment issue to me maybe?

I say this because after I lifted my truck and drove to the shop it felt horrible...

It was a chain shop I first took it to, they said they hadaligned it to spec but didn't give me readouts as their printer was broke or some b.s. , well it felt even worse after they touched it

So I took it to a privately owned shop, they did it properly and it was like night and day.

 

The higher you lift these the closer you get to the limit of aligning it properly. I would suggest measuring from the top of the shock body to the spring adjustement ring on both sides. My guess is the distance is greater on the drivers side as most of us are trying to offset the taco lean. If this is the case I would raise (loosen) the drivers side adjuster and install a 1/4” spacer on top of the coil over. You should probably buy 3 new bolts that are longer too. This will minimize some of the preload you put on the spring to get the lift you want. In reality the mfgs of the coilovers set them at 1.5” for a reason. I’ve found that 2.5-2.75 is about the most you can get without alignment issues. For the rest I would suggest loading the back with some weight (sandbags) and this will help accelerate the rear spring sag that will happen over time anyway. The fronts set pretty quick since the weight of the engine is there all the time where the back mainly sits unloaded most of the time. It’s sounds like the previous advice you’ve been given is spot on.

 

I don't want to take over the OP's thread with issues with my own Fox suspension, but I have a similar conundrum deciding whether or not to go with 14" springs for similar reasons (ride quality and droop) as OP, although my alignment is spot on with 2.5"-2.75" of thread showing at the top of the shock. That said, one issue with the new Fox coilovers I'd like to highlight is that Fox "highly recommends" removing the coilover from the truck before compressing the spring and adjusting the preload. I had to take my coilovers to a shop with a proper spring compressor to make the necessary preload adjustment, even after attempts to adjust the preload with the front of the truck suspended from the ground on a floor jack.

To OP, I'd look seriously into getting 14" 650lbs - or 600lbs if anyone makes them - springs for the height you desire. Unless you already have the additional weight on the front with armor, winch, etc, 700lbs coils are going to be extremely stiff and unpleasant.

 

Did you get the extended travel Fox 2.5 or regular travel? Ext. is designed for 3" lift (which as you have seen isn't really possible with still keeping everything else in proper form) and non-ext. are a 2" lift.
Fox's 13" 600lb springs are a fucking joke. They need to be 13" 650lb or 14" 650lb. I'll be upgrading my Fox 2.5 ext. travels to 14" 650lb due to not being able to get a 3" lift with the Fox supplied springs. Pisses me off I spent the kind of money I did just to get something that's not what I payed for.

 

My mechanic is usually really good with alignments and in the initial install when the shocks were set at 1.5" the alignment was spot on. One thing I forgot to mention is he did adjust for the Taco lean cranking down the drivers side more than the passenger side. I guess I need to lower it back down an inch and add the 1/4" spacer to account for the lean. Is there a guide that describes how many threads are an inch, or something similar? Because my mechanic isn't a Tacoma specialist he's playing the guessing game. He took care of me on the cost of the initial install, but when I took it back to have lifted more he charged me for the labor and it was just as much as the original install (I purchased all the parts myself from various TW vendors).

What would be the effect if I lowered it back down to 1.5" where it rode good and then used spacer plates to get another inch of lift? Will that negatively effect the ride?

 

Depends on the spacer used. To quote @jberry813

 

I believe I have the 2.5 Extended Travel. I'm ready to take it back down and just have the rear end be higher than the front (not the look I like). I'd be happy with it just being level.

 

The spacer just makes the assembly longer just like a spacer only lift. The amount of preload on the spring changes ride quality. The 600# springs are definitely on the soft side to preserve ride quality while providing some lift. Longer springs with the same rate should keep ride about the same giving you lift with less preload. As you increase spring rate the ride essentially gets firmer to carry more weight without trying to add too much preload to compensate for the weight. If you have any familiarity with dirt bikes it’s kind of the same concept. You set the static sag based on bike weight and race sag based on riders weight. If you weigh a lot and crank the spring so far to account for the added weight you end up with no static sag. If this happens you need to go to a heavier spring. From my experience it’s about 1/8” height change per turn on the collar.

 

Spacers and coilovers aren't recommended, they don't play nice together. If you need different heights use the coil adjustments.

 

Every question you've asked has been answered ad nauseam. Look in the "suspension" section. There's 5+ threads, on the first page, pertaining to all the Fox questions you've asked and possibly could ever ask.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/suspension.18/

 

I hate fox’s. I sold mine and am now running Kings with 14” 700lb coils and the ride is amazing.

Did you get new upper control arms ? If not.....that’s your issue

 

I must've got lucky with my coilovers, I love them they've been great. I've got mine adjusted to 2.9" of lift up front with the extended travel versions and like I said the ride is a little stiff but its really not bad! Hope you can get your situation figured out OP.

 

He has SPC LR UCA's.

 

I've spent hours reading through most of the posts on here and I still did not find the answer to my problem.

 

So, will switching to 14" 650lb springs solve my problem? Do you have a part # for the 14" 650lb spring?

 

I need to emphasize that when we had the front coil overs set at 1.5" the steering and handling was great. As soon as we moved it up to 3" the handling became sloppy and the steering wheel has play. Mechanic says the alignment is spot on (he's been aligning trucks for 30+ years and he does know how to do alignments). I believe something else is going on, so will changing the spring fix the problem? I know there are some guys on this forum who have real world experience and knowledge. Please Help!

 

You need to pm @glorifiedwelder he is down in Santa Clarita and is a tacoma specialist.

 

Thank you

 

No longer 600lbs springs will take the same amount of preload to achieve the same lift. The only thing that will be different is having less threads showing with longer springs.