New 2019 Tacoma Access Cab Lift questions?

Hello! This is my first post here on the forums, I did try and search before making a post.

So I recently got a 2019 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab TRD Offroad it is/will be my daily driver but I got it to use as a truck when needed but also build it out to blend in overlanding with the daily driving.

So I've had plenty of time to think through what mods I will add to the truck armor bumpers racks ect and I've figured most of that out (just haven't been able to do it yet)

So I'm currently debating a 3inch lift kit(kings/fox most likely) with 33 inch tires OR 6 inch lift(probably the BDS/Fox kit) with 35 inch tires.

I will say I think the 6 inch lift/35s looks amazing!

Fully built out from what I've gathered I would get roughly 14/15MPG with 33s (armor racks ect) and with 35s looking at 12/13MPG.

I'm not really looking for opinions but facts about one system vs the other.

I'm not big on the idea of having to chop/weld on a drop diff or the idea of a spacer lift, although from hours of research it seems like that would be the best 6 inch lift kit I could get. I think the 6 Inch kit is some strange hybrid coil over/spacer lift?
http://bds-suspension.com/product?kid=823F

Here is the 3 inch lift kit I'm looking at-
https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...iVRic0TMnzrdD5l-TtZBe6zSobV5WVyUaAgnNEALw_wcB

So from what I'm understanding is pros
Pros-33 inch tires
Cheaper cost
Better ride?
More wheel travel?
Better MPG
Lower center of gravity(although I Don't think the difference would be much between the two.)

Pros-35 inch tires
Looks way better IMO
Good bit more ground clearence
Can see over more vehicles when driving down the road
More offroad capability

So now onto the questions-
1. Is it true that spacer lifts have a rougher ride then a coil over system?
2. Will a coil over system have the same amount of "flex"/wheel travel as a spacer kit?
3. Are coil over systems a more (quality) lift over Spacer kit.
4. How will each of these systems handle a near maxed out Payload?
5. Will a 3 Inch kit be near stock height when under a near max Payload?

If anything I have stated is incorrect feel free to correct it with facts though please.
Thank you!

 

I have Icon Stage 8 lifts with full leaf pack. Under payload only see an inch decrease in rear. This makes the truck basically level under load. I hate nose in the air under load.

 

Spacer lifts are not ideal offroad. Better for just show trucks.

 

Awesome!! I'm really leaning towards the 3 Inch lift with 33s now after starting to understand some of the differences between space lifts and suspension lifts. Any thought on what weight leaf springs I should go for? With a fully built truck my Tacoma would be near max payload 100% of the time.
Still haven't fully been able to understand at what time I should have what weight leaf springs.

 

I have the RXT leaf pack setup with option 3. With shell and 2 spare tires rides great, that's how I run most days. With empty bed and no shell still does better vs stock. Mostly full bed and utility trailer with a cub of cinder blocks worked just fine.

 

So, it sounds like you've had plenty of time to THINK about the mods you want, but have you actually experienced any of it? Have you encountered situations where your current tires aren't big enough to clear obsacles?

I mean, you have a perfectly capable rig bone stock. How much off-roading have you done with it as is? What mods do you actually "need" vs. mods you think you need based on other people's builds?

Overlanding is simply camping with a 4x4, and really even a 4x4 isn't necessary. Back in the day we just called it "camping". Now there's an entire industry that's dedicated to the "overlander".

I'm willing to bet you don't "need" 35's. Hell, most people don't even "need" 33's. Drive your vehicle as is for now. The more you drive and gain experience, you'll be better equipped to actually KNOW what you "need".

As for what type of lift: if you want more for looks (i.e. your statement: 35's "look way better"), get a spacer lift. If you want actual performance, you're going to need to spend more money and modify the suspension accordingly, depending on the type of terrain you frequent and your driving style.

Here's what you should do first: Focus on safety and recovery gear FIRST. But don't go out and buy a bunch of gear you see on people's bed racks (like a hi-lift or traction aids) without considering if it's appropriate your your use. More than likely a hi-lift will be useless unless you have rock sliders and aftermarket bumpers. Maxtrax look cool mounted on your rack, but a well placed rock or branch or two is often just as effective, not to mention free.

Once you find out that particular equipment/suspension you have is limiting where you want to go, THEN start researching what will allow you to go there. In all honestly, most of what is likely limiting where you can drive is driver skill. A good driver can take a bone stock truck to places that a novice with a dual locked truck on 35's could never get to.

I know you didn't ask for OPINIONS but here it is anyway. 6" lifts are dumb for everything but the LOOKS category. If you want performance, stick to 3" or less. Big lifts do nothing but make your center of gravity higher and don't offer any real increase in performance (i.e. suspension travel, etc). It only means you don't have to trim as much to fit yuge tires. For performance, a good set of coilovers and a well thought out setup will run circles around any 6" lift. Another option would be long travel IFS or even a SAS, but those are easily going to set you back close to 10 grand or more.

 

Good information!! Yah I've had/still have time to think through what I'm wanting vs what I need. And I'm the type of person who would way rather have it and not need it then to need it and not have it (recovery gear/armor mostly in this case) as for a lift I'll be getting one either way rather I overland or not with it because I like the bigger tires ect. As for bumpers,sliders racks ect I have everything picked out. (Although purchasing in order of importance to start camping) bed rack RTT ect then plan to start on the armor before getting back into the more rough/unknown trails. I am actually starting to really lean towards a 3 inch lift with 33z now that I understand more that 6 inch spacers have more downsides and don't offer true lift.
At this point I'm trying to wrap my head around what weight leaf springs I should be getting as the weight system confuses me a bit.

 

You've kind of hit on the hardest part of a build. Spring weights. You're kind of putting the cart before the horse if you try and set up your springs first, then dump all your junk in it.

If you go with an adjustable coilover system, you can actually compensate for different weights (not ideal, but can be done) by cranking the adjusters up, or if you have 5100's move up one clip to increase spring pre-load. For the rear, most people end up with an add-a-leaf once they add weight.

Another way to do it is get something like the All Pro Expo leafs, which will be way too stiff until you put all your junk in the trunk.

To truly do it right you'd get some bandaid suspension like add-a-leafs and cranked up coils and keep those on while you do the rest of your build. Eventually you'll get to a point you won't be adding any more weight. Now go to a truck scale and weigh the front and back of the truck and get the right springs based on those weights. That's in essence doing your suspension twice, but "buy once cry once" isn't always the best approach. 5100's and add-a-leafs are pretty cheap to start out. OME coils are pretty cheap too, all things considering.

Have you done much camping before? I'd honestly just start with a ground tent. You can get an extremely nice 4 person tent for less than half the cost of the cheapest RTT on the market (not even including the bed rack needed to mount it). There's +'s and -'s to each setup, and RTTs are a big investment. For my needs, a ground tent is more than adequate, especially considering the cost of the alternative. An RTT is still on my wish list, but for right now, it's pretty far down that list. I don't get all the #instagram "overlander" points, but it's not like I care either, lol...

 

See that's where I've been back and forth, I can get the suspension system/wheels/tires before any armor/bumpers. But then I feel I would have rubbing due to not having the high clearence front/rear bumper. OR I get all the armor first on stock suspension then have a really low riding truck and then upgrade the suspension later when I can. As if I added up all the weight of my armor ect was hoping to be able to be led to some lead springs that would work for my expected carry LBS.
(I'm here to learn that's why I posted to begin with)

Hah I was raised up in Christian boy scouts camping, hiking, backpacking, rappelling, float trips camping float trips ect since I was about seven years old. I'm extremely comfortable with camping and even car camping at that. My job total currently is Adventure Therapy and I do all these things for a living. I wanted to explore overlanding as a new style of adventure I've not done much of yet. (RTT and all) I've done plenty of camping from tarps bivys, hammocks tents ect.

 

Sorry, didn't want to patronize you, lol. Some people have literally never been camping, then see some instagram thing and want to spend 5 grand on overlander stuff without ever really knowing if they actually enjoy "overlanding" (i.e. camping with your truck) in the first place.

I'll stop telling you how to camp, lol.


So what do you feel is the most limiting to you? Not having bigger tires and a lift, or not having armor/protection? Personally, I would tend toward the tires/suspension, thereby putting the cart before the horse, lol.

With armor, sure, it's good to have, but situations in which you NEED it is avoidable for the most part by careful line selection.

As for the bumpers, who cares if you scratch them? You plan to replace them anyway, right? If you're tagging your bumpers all the time, that's a sign you need some low profile plate bumpers (or tube, whatever). But if you never actually hit your bumpers on anything, do you really need them? No, not really. Now, if you want to get a winch, then you may as well get a bumper too. That's what I did.

If you haven't, take a look at my build thread. I have a bit about my 5100s. They offer increased performance over stock, are adjustable, and they're cheap enough that I didn't mind buying "again" when I later upgraded to Kings. (the buy once cry once thing)

You can theoretically keep your stock springs too, and just use the 5100s to lift it, and help compensate for heavier loads (in the front anyway - would still need an add-a-leaf in the rear). Add-a-leafs are like $70 or so. A drop in the bucket, really.

 

Haha your good! Sorry late reply been working a lot last few days.
You made some good points although I guess it seems probably the first things I should buy before anything else we have discussed would be rock sliders/skid plates. Then after those probably work on a lift kit/wheels/tires. Would I need to do a cab mount chop to fit 33z with a 3 inch lift?
No I haven't seen your build I'm not sure how to navigate here very well yet hah

 

Just click the link in my signature for my build thread. At this point, there isn't all that much to it, a pretty basic build with some DIY welding stuff.

As for a cab mount chop, I'm a first gen guy, but from what I can tell, the cab mount chop for the 2nd/3rd gens is very common.

I ran for many many years without sliders or skid plates (aside from the stock "skid plate"). I also didn't run very hard trails since it was a daily driver, too. Not that that's pretty much all this thing will see (aside from trips to home depot, lol), I wanted to err on the side of protection. The trans oil pan is relatively exposed, and is kind of a deal breaker if you pop a whole in it.

There are so many routes you can take when starting your build. At a certain point you just gotta and either buy parts or buy a welder, lol...

 

I don't have a lot to say but if you want 33s without a CMC, which is often times the only way of going with a 285, check out 255/85R16s. Cooper ST MAXX (AT) are a hair under 33, Toyo MTs are 33.4 I think. Sure they're skinnier but my remedy for that is just getting wheels with a lower offset so they sit further out from the wheel well. 255s don't require a cab mount chop.

 

I'm not against getting a CMC/comic pinch weld folded over (I would actually prefer to get these done) just not real sure how to go about finding someone/a shop who would do these and also me feeling confident in their ability mostly with the welding. The tires I want don't seem to come in 255s.

 

You could likely ask in the location discussion groups for your area. Some people do it themselves, some people have shops they trust but I would ask there first. I hear some people accept payment in beer and pizza too.

 

Aah I didn't really realize that was a thread on here, I'll look into it thanks!

 

The cmc is definitely played out a lot more than it should be. I picked up a welder a few months ago after never even touched one before. It is fairly simple. I just did my cmc and pinchweld. I did not notch the pinchweld either, just bent it the other way to “hide” it and use it as a flange to fasten the inner fender to.

 

Yeah, there's a fab shop near my and they always advertise that they'll do a CMC for you, no appt necessary. Most of the time you can just drop in and they'll do it while you wait. So it can't be all that involved, lol.

 

it’s not bad at all.