3rd Gen Tacoma Lift Issues?

I've owned a 99 tacoma and an 09 tacoma in the past. Now I have a 2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
and Im looking to lift it here soon. I never had a problem with my 99 but my cv boots ripped almost instantly when I lifted my 2009(6 inches). I'm curious how the 3rd gens do in this area or if there are any other issues I need to be aware of before lifting it. I'd like to know the difference (problems wise) for these third gens for 4in and 6in lifts. I'm going either Pro Comp, BDS, or Icon. 4in ill probably go 33x12.50 on 18x10s if I go 6in ill probably go 35x12.50 on 18x10s. Should I go with coil overs? I'll also upgrade to Nitto 529 gears at some point. Thanks in advance.

 

Possibly were your cv boots already weathered before you lifted?

I have an '09 I bought in 2014 that has the 4" Pro Comp drop bracket lift & I've had no issues with CV boots ripping in the past 220k+ miles. I've ran both 285 & 295/70/17's. Drop brackets are nice in that they keep your CV angles perfect, at least mine are. However, I did replace my front CV axles last year.

I imagine the 3rd gens would be the same.

 

Your are going to want a lift that includes a front diff drop and new CV boots. The correct CV boots will have a wider ridge spacing so there isnt contact when they flex. Lifted trucks destroy CV boots when the higher angle causes the ridges of the boots to rub and wear quickly.

Bigger point to make is that lifting a Tacoma beyond 2-3" is a cosmetic lift and not really a functional lift. You cant get enough flex out of a IFS truck to make a 6" lift do anything more a 3" lift will. And since you need to drop the front dif lower, you really arent gaining any clearance. Look at some of the posts on here of people that do a ton of wheeling. Most of them are running a pretty modest amount of lift.

 

I sense you have some misconceptions about lifting/modifying a 3rd gen taco. Here are some good sources of info.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l1tTelhdEiM

(Check out his other videos too)

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-tacoma-lift-guide.509171/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-those-that-wheel-and-love-alignments.594309/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/put-255-85-16s-on-stock-or-wheels-and-suspension.491079/

 

I gotcha. I won’t be off-roading hard just easily cruising though a hilly cow pasture with some creeks. And semi deep muddy ruts. I’ll probably just stick to a 4 or 3.5.

 

Thank you that video was help full. The only reason I was considering a 6in is because I need ground clearance for big rocks and hills and creeks in the cow pasture I’ll be driving in. I think I’ll go 4in max though and more likely end up with a 3.5 icon.

 

I think you are thinking about this wrong. Instead of thinking about the amount of lift, you should be thinking about the type of lift.

Restricting the conversation to front only, these are your options:

spacers: 0-3” (ideally no more than 1”)
coilovers: 0-3” (ideally no more than 2”)
mid-travel: 0-4” (ideally no more than 2”)
drop bracket: 4” or 6”
long travel: not sure, 2-4”?
SAS: not sure
body: not sure but ideally not more than 1”
spindle: 4” (2wd only)

 

Your ground clearance will only come from bigger tires, not the lift. Unless you mean you want the bigger lift to accommodate bigger tires. But, as mentioned, with a higher lift, you should be dropping the diff which then lowers the amount of ground clearance you might be anticipating with said lift.

 

There isn’t enough down travel from the factory to lift a 3rd gen 3.5” using a spacer or coil over. They only have about 3” and you don’t want to get near zero.

 

yeah i think it’s like 2.75 for the 3rd gens and 3.5 for the 2nd. I’ll have to double check that.

 

You can get an extra 1” or so of down travel with an extended length shock. The tinkerers adventure videos discuss this topic, but keep in mind that he is not taking about a Tacoma. There are a lot of similarities, but also some differences.

 

yeah i meant 6in with 35s would be more clearance. I just don’t want to bottom out in a rut or scrap a big ass rock or my front end to hit the ground when i go in the creek.

 

You could go for a 3" lift and a 1" body lift for 4" total and then add in a boot mod slide for the inner boots or replace the boots with a high angle boots. I feel like this provides more usable function than going for a 6" lift and having to drop the Diff down.

 

A 6” drop bracket lift does more than lower the front diff. It lowers the entire front suspension. I also requires that you cut the front frame cross member to clear the propeller shaft.

 

Ya I just meant that its a lot of work and a pain to reverse vs a 3+1

 

Righty alright. You (and some others) seemed to be implying that 6” of lift can be accomplished by something as simple as a top coil spacer combined with a diff drop spacer. I think this thread would be more informative if everyone was specific about the type of lift they are taking about instead of just using the lift height.

 

If you want the best performance out of your lift, don’t do more than 3”. 2”-2.5” is ideal. Drop bracket lift won’t give you any more clearance.

 

I saw a taco with this lift today, I still don’t understand why folks do it. It strictly for looks, adds no clearance to your taco.

 

A drop bracket lift is a mall crawler or mud bogger / monster truck lift. It is also a relatively easy way to fit 35” tires. While it might not directly affect ground clearance, it does help fit taller tires and increases approach, departure, and break over angles.

One of its biggest disadvantages is that it increases the center of gravity more than other lifts and that it not great for rock crawling and other similar activities. It’s fine for mud bogging though. There are plenty of videos of Florida mud bloggers with huge drop bracket lifts.

EDIT: monster truck lifts are technically not the same as IFS drop bracket lifts since monster trucks generally have a solid front axle, but they both raise the center of gravity dramatically.

 

Some people have off-road toys to take off-road. You don't need gobs of travel or clearance to drive over speed bumps, which is about the most half of these "overlanders" & "off-roaders" do anyways lol.