Installing TRD parts into a non-TRD truck

Hey all!

Recently, I saw a post about changing the suspension in a second gen Tacoma with a third gen (Specifically, the user TacoFergie) from a 2nd gen sport to a third gen off-road.

I was wondering if I could change the suspension of my second gen Tacoma, non-trd, non 4x4, to that of an off-road trd or it's equivalent. Mainly, I just want to add a bit of height to the truck, something real subtle. It would also help since I moved to the country recently, and the roads are less than smooth.

It's a 2012 Toyota Tacoma prerunner V6, with the only changes being all terrain tires and different rims.

If I can't, are there any aftermarket suspension parts that could accomplish this?

Also, I'm a college student, so I'm not looking to spend over 2K for parts. I don't know too much about mechanics itself, so details would really help! Thanks in advance!

 

Bilstein 4600s would be an upgrade with a slight lift. Then you could try local classifieds for Off Road take offs.

 

TRD:Offroad trucks don't different much from yours regarding their suspension. Putting that suspension on your truck wouldn't gain you much, so I'd go aftermarket unless you get the take-offs for free.

Where in Texas are you?

 

If you can find 3rd gen OR take-offs they will work on your 2nd gen. Assuming your stock (no armor, bumper, up front) the 3rd gen spring/shock will give you aprox 1” lift in the front. No lift in the rear. You’d needs blocks, AAL, etc if you want to lift the rear at all. I swapped out my 2014 Limited suspension with 3rd gen OR & it pretty much leveled it out. Not a huge fan of the soft ride with the OR suspension tho & will be changing it out soon.
Think I got the rear shocks & front coilovers for $200ish off of Craigslist. Check your locals & they come up on the classifieds here on TW quite often. For the rear You can get an AAL for $100-300ish. Unless your going cheap as possible, for under $2K tho you can get a full brand new lift kit that’s probably significantly better than a used OR set.
Check out the suspension section here, tons of info. Good luck

 

@Naveronski

I'm in Center Texas, chock full of old dirt country roads that are rarely paved over

 

Fox 2.0 takeoffs would be ideal. I think they run around $1400 new. Which would put you into a whole new realm of possibilities.

 

Clean truck! Love that color !!

 

Bilstein 5100’s on the front set at the second clip. Leveled

 

If you want a basic lift, 3rd gen OR take-offs are your most budget friendly option. Yes, it will provide lift. Amount will depend on current suspension condition, but on average, most net 1" in the front and a small amount in the rear. Check this out for more info.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/review-3rd-gen-suspension-on-2nd-gen.542843/

 

Sharp Ride! Great color.

 

For $2000 you can get a lot more than 3rd gen takeoffs, both financially speaking and from a performance standpoint. General consensus is that Bilstein 5100, OME coils (885 works best for most if the back isnt constantly loaded with weight), AAL (which raises the back), and after market upper control arms if you are going over 2.5 inches of lift seem to be the most bang for your buck. Should run you about $1000 or less. A step up would be the Bilstein 5160 for the front, 6112 for the back (doesnt raise it, but improves overall ride quality) plus the AAL and UCAS. Should run you pretty close to $1500. Of course, if you arent planning on lifting your truck more than 2.5 inches, you can skip out on the UCAs which should save you a couple hundred on each set up. Other “optional” parts include the OME coils for the 5100 set up and the 6112s for the 5160 set up. In regards to skipping out on the OME coils, technically you can still get a lift with the 5100s by setting them on a higher notch, but ride quality will suffer. Skipping out on the 6112s will not affect ride height but will affect ride quality as well. Also keep in mind that you can also skip out on the AALs and just raise the front to “level” the truck, in which the front and the back of the truck would be the same height. Happy hunting.

 

Yo, thanks for all the feedback!

I'm gonna spend this October researching a few things here and there, so I'm planning on installing something around late November...

But I appreciate all of the feedback and suggestions!

If I remember, I'll make a new post about how it turned out!

 

You can get a dobinsons set up for less then 2k which is way better then bilstien 5100s and ome coils.

 

Beautiful color.

 

I really like the color