Questions Regarding Upgrading Suspensions!

Hey all! Be gentle as this is my first post and excuse me if I ask super rookie questions here...

• I've been doing my research on suspension upgrades for the Taco's, but I still can't get my head around a few things. SO I was hoping if anybody could answer these questions for me to clarify a few things before I pulled the trigger on some new goodies!

1. Q1: If the new tires I have on were descripted that they will raise my stock height 1", will adding a 2" aftermarket strut achieve a total of 3"? OR are those 2 separate matters?
   
   
2. Q2: If I achieve a total of 3" raised ride height with aftermarket struts, will I still need an aftermarket UCA for alignment purposes?
   
   
3. Q3: If I run aftermarket rear shocks that raise the rear to 2"(with 1" of added tire height(=3")) will I then need an aftermarket rear control arm upgrade?
   
   
4. Q4: Will I need rear differential spacers with the rear shocks or no? (reason for asking is because for rear spacer lift kits, they include the differential spacers. I also don't understand this.)
   
   
5. Q5: Do you need to upgrade your rear's suspensions at all? Or should I only be focused on the front of the truck when it comes to suspension upgrades and lift upgrades?

• And lastly can I get your guy's opinions on these parts that I had selected for the upgrade?

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I had selected these parts with the intention of raising my truck's ride height and not off-roading on stock suspensions with stock height. OR off-roading with lift spacers.

This is my first truck ever , and I really want to tackle some light-medium difficulty trails in the near future. I wanted to keep all the parts I had in mind SOMEWHAT budget friendly to help me grow the passion with possibly off-roading first, before I jump the gun on a $1500+ kit.

(I am completely open to any suggestions, my budget is about under $1000 possibly without a UCA, but if it can't be helped, then I'll also invest into a new UCA ) . ($1400 Stimmy coming in clutch lol)

• Front Struts upgrade: https://www.roughcountry.com/toyota...00075.html?find=2021-toyota-tacoma-4wd-756520
  
  Reason for choosing RC 2" front struts were because I was looking for struts that helped raise the front with only 2", because of my new tires added 1" of ride height makes it 3" I'd be fine with that. I couldn't find any adjustable front struts with a pre-loaded coil.

• Rear Shocks upgrade: https://www.roughcountry.com/premiu...269n.html?find=2021-toyota-tacoma-4wd-756520#
  
  Reason for choosing these rear shocks were because I wanted the rear suspensions to not be stock and be able to drive with a better aftermarket rear shock. I've read the reviews on RC and they seem to keep the stock ride feeling, but they claim that these can do off-roading as well.

 

I'll take a shot at dispensing the stock answers:
1. Tire and suspension are different matters. Going from a 31" tire to a 33" (diameter) tire will raise the truck 1" (radius change = lift). The increased height you get from larger tires is about the only way to increase ground clearance. Suspension can help get the bumpers higher (increased approach and departure angles) but suspension can't lift your axle. Hope that makes sense.

2. I think many people would advise against a 3" suspension lift for a basic lift. The issue is that more lift equals more problems. Every truck and part combo is different so there are lots of opinions here. Keep it at 2 to 2.5" and you can dodge some problems with cv joint angles and aftermarket ucas. Again, many stories about 'works fine' or 'total suck' exist but if I were in your shoes I'd look at 2" as a target with your budget and skip the UCA to start.

3. Good news! No rear UCA exists. Time to point out lift comes from the springs, dampening of the springs come from the shocks. The rear shock you selected is listed as 0-2". Without adding a block or changing something (add a leaf, or new spring pack) with your rear leaf springs you will get 0" of lift. Many people do a 2/1 leveling lift. This is 2" in the front and a 1" block in the back to lift the rear.

4. Diff drop kits just try to restore the driveline angles to reduce stress. Remember question 1 about more lift and more problems? The further you go from stock the more opportunities there are for vibrations and other gremlins. Diff drop is a common attempt to fix them. Do you need it? You can try without and then see if you need it.

5. Here is that 'need' word again. If you lift your front 3" and your rear zero you might have a weird angle. Does TSS sensor work pointed up like that? Dunno.. you could try. Short answer is probably 'yes you need to do something in the back'. Also, I've heard the sport models can be mighty stiff, new rear shocks might be a noticable improvement.

Finally, don't let this place get in your head. Your stock truck will be a remarkably capable truck. Maybe take it out stock and see how it goes? It's easy to read a few threads here and feel like mods are needed. Some weird internet peer pressure thing.

If you want a lift for the look then go for it. If you want a lift that increases performance maybe driving it as is will inform your purchase. If you are looking for a cheap lift so you can stuff 33 inch tires, maybe read up on the 255 width tires.

**In before "Bilstein 5100s". (They are the commonly suggested best bang for the buck)

 

Thanks so much for responding lol, here I thought I had asked too many questions for anyone to even attempt to respond to...!
Long story short I decided to pull the trigger on : https://ironman4x4america.com/nitro-gas-suspension-kit-suited-for-toyota-tacoma-2005-stage-1/

There was a discount code that shed about $300 off($1100 total) and I couldn't resist but to buy it because it includes coils, front struts, rear shocks and new leaf springs. Plus the website said it's an estimated 2" of lift!(Exactly what I was looking for too!)
I also researched the suspension kit and it fit exactly what I wanted to achieve with a $1000 range suspension kit. There's not much online about them, but it was the best bang for my buck and I've heard good things about them besides possible rust issues...(Wisconsin lol). If there's anyway to make your shocks/leaf springs more rust proof without things breaking I would greatly appreciate the tips.

And yeah, the sport suspensions ride rough, I'm not too sure how it is where you live, but WI is covered in pot holes and have poor road management. I feel every bump, though it's not entirely bad...I would like aftermarket suspensions to dissipate nasty pot hole bumps and any future off-roading bumps. After installing my new tires/wheels; I did have an issue where my TSS sensor was not reading correctly and coming up with an error, but it eventually disappeared (as I drove literally less than 5 extra miles after it appeared).

I'll also find a few local trails this weekend and hit them with my stock suspension to see what could be also improved for future references. This is my first time really modding any vehicle lol, so I'm not too knowledgeable in such areas; especially trucks! But you cleared the majority of the questions I had. Thanks again!

I'm also running 265/70/r17 AT3 Falken Wildpeaks, mainly because I didn't want to go 33's and deal with the trimming etc...I'd like to keep my tires near stock with a 2" suspension lift to make it look good on the side and ride well without worrying about heavy rubbing from crazy bumps/future off-roading.

 

Here's a thread about the 255/85/16s mentioned above: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-and-suspension.491079/page-154#post-25342633

I just upgraded and had many of the same questions you do.

 

Great answers! I got talked back from the 3" lift cliff a few months back on this thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/33-tire-owners-what-is-your-wheel-size-offset.575657/page-4

I also just upgraded to 255/85/16s and while they're great on my stock SR5, i'll be going with Bilstein 6112s and 5160s as my next upgrade. 1.5" lift in the front and 1.5" add a leaf in rear and OME UCAs. Quick question for you. I was unboxing my add-a-leaf kit and one of the plastic guards was partially cracked off. You think this is a big deal or not?