What do I really need for a lift?

FWIW, I installed the IronMan NitroGas kit a few weeks back and it performed extremely well on some pretty aggressive trails. Definitely going to be removing my sway bar though

 

Yes you do. Buy one ,be happy, rejoice with a beer

 

I have the stage 2 nitro kit which means it came with UCAs too and I believe it was around 1600 with free recovery boards too! I wheel my truck and I’m pretty hard on it and it stands up with no issues. I know it doesn’t have names like Dakar or OME or bilstein but I would say it’s either comparable or better.

 

bilstein definitely makes some of the best budget friendly suspension, the 5100 series and 6112 series are great kits and will last you quite sometime, both height adjustable and the 6112s specifically are rebuildable so you can service them just like a King or Fox coilover. As far as leaf packs, the icon AAL is a nice cheaper pack, holds up some extra weight and gives you about 1.5-2in height if you leave the overload spring in, as well as the procomp full length AAL

 

Were there any gates by any chance that prevented you from getting into the park?

 

None. The top end of the Berdoo Canyon trail connects directly into the "Geologoy Loop" dirt trail that's designated for car traffic by the park service.

I've also run most of the Pinkman Canyon trail on the other side of the Park, but at a certain point I lost track of the trail and think I wound up driving along a dry creek bed before getting bogged down in a sandbox (I was dumb and didn't air down enough). Fortunately, the scrub in the desert has deep enough roots to be used for a winch pull (I had to use a 20' recovery strap to extend my rope far enough to hook up to something, though), since I was violating the first rule of off-road driving.

 

How much does the ride change on the street when you add the lift ? I drive a lot of miles for work each day I want to lift a little like 2-3” but don’t want to make the ride so stiff I regret it. Thanks! I have a 2018 Tacoma quad cab long bed

 

A lot depends on how you do the lift (springs vs spacers/5100s) and whether or not you remove the sway bar. If you do a spring lift and remove the sway bar, you'll notice more body roll in corners for a while, but you get used to it. With a spring lift on the back end, the rear will likely ride significantly stiffer (especially if the bed is empty). Improved shocks will mitigate that somewhat, but overall you'll get a ride that's more "like a truck" (Toyota has been pretty good about making their trucks ride somewhat more like cars than some other makers).

 

Alot of people are happy with Eibach's offerings. Reasonbly priced as well.

 

Not bad if setup properly. I ran bilstein 5100, ome 888, and AAL in the rear for a few years and it rode pretty nice. Set the bilstein on the lowest clip setting and upgrade the spring. If you use the stock spring and set it at the upper clip settings, it will ride terrible.