Is a 6 inch lift worth it?

As mentioned in here the why you want/need really will determine if it's "worth it"

Use is key here. Will the truck never leave pavement are you hoping to use it for a weekend camping rig are you hoping to tackle tough trails with it. Do you live in an area that regularly floods etc......

In simple terms though a 6" lift is never worth it in my opinion. It's to invasive very hard to reverse if you wanted to.

I would bump up 1 tire size and change out your wheel to somthing with 0 offset to give a bit beefier look then proceed to drive it untill you see what truly suits your needs.

 

less is more in this scenario, your best bet is to research while you find abilities of your stock truck. As mentioned, good A/T tires will get you a looong ways.
Other than to look koo, the only reason to lift a truck is to add larger tires, which is what actually gains the truck more ground clearance.

 

24” lift is what you’re looking for.

 

Welcome OP!
- Do some research on the topic on previous posts on this site. Lot's of insight already available.

My 2 bits: No, it is not worth it.

Such a lift will only produce negative performance results, so there is no good (practical) reason to add such a lift.

It will make the taco VERY unattractive to any potential future owners significantly impacting its value in the market. (most knowledgeable buyers would not touch such a lifted truck with a 10' pole).

It will be expensive to reverse, so it will be a waste of significant money coming and going. Cutting into the frame opens a big can of worms...

Let us know what the intended use for your taco is and folks can suggest some mods for your goal. I'd suggest driving it for a while and getting to know how your taco performs. Then address any shortcomings as they become evident.

Enjoy your Taco!

 

Hunter, anything over 2" changes the reliability, the handling and the resale value. But if you want 6" it's doable.

 

And as usual, the comedic misinformation from parrots who have never had persists once again lmao.

OP, You seem to have a good grasp on what is involved with installing the lift, so you should have no surprises there...

However do know that ANY lift or other major modification (to include weld-on shackle hanger & shock mount swaps, etc. which no one seems to ever mention) is potentially going to impact resale value just the same... It does not matter a bit if you cut into the crossmember or not. Everyone here bagging the 6" lift for this reason is completely overlooking this fact as well (especially if any fender/firewall cutting and/or welding has been done to fit a bigger tire).

The state inspection thing someone continues to bring up appears to only be a Vermont thing, and not every inspector there will apparently fail it either (this has come up exactly one single time in the 20-year (?) history of TW).

The 6" lift is actually the easier one to reverse vs. a 2-3" lift where fenders/firewalls have been cut/hammered. All that is needed is to weld the crossmember back on (as opposed to replacing/painting fenders, trying to cover up/undo a tub job, etc.).
How many people here actually reverse their lifts anyway?? Sure there may be a few, but it's far from even a significant minority.
If you think you might de-install the lift at some point, then be sure to save your crossmember.

If you do any moderate rock crawling (even occasionally), 4-5" of extra clearance is VERY MUCH worth having on your rig (6" if you have a DCLB). This additional clearance can easily make or break you clearing a climb vs. getting caught up on your skid plates (as was demonstrated quite vividly last year when I was up on Gold Mountain in Big Bear Ca., I had to strap another fellow up the same rock climb I had just driven up myself w/o slipping a tire... He was running 2" lift & 33s, I'm on 4½" lift & 34s, both he & I were locked F&R).
If you don't do any rock crawling, then I can agree the lift becomes more of a "looks" thing, but some people are certainly into that as well.

As for lift suggestions...
Rough Country does get a bad rap because so much of their stuff is junk... But the RC 4" bracket lift is one of few products they sell that is actually decent (and is a decent value too).
If you have more budget to spend though, then I strongly suggest the BDS 4" w/Fox PES DSC shocks or the 6" version of the same. These would be your top choices here (has beefier knuckles and better-engineered components than the RC, and of course those drool-worthy Fox shocks).
I normally suggest the 4" version first because it provides shorter 2" rear lift blocks instead of (big) 4" blocks (but is otherwise identical), giving you the option to combine them with a quality set of 2-2.5" lift leaf springs instead of having your entire rear lift being lift blocks. You can also get custom springs to do away with the block entirely, if you'd rather go that route (Alcan Spring is popular).

BDS also has a basic version of their 4" kit which you can combine this with any 0-2" lift shock option of your choosing (such as the value-laden Bilstein 5100s or 6112s). This gets you the same beefy knuckles & stuff as the BDS Fox kit, but without busting the bank so badly. If you decide to go this route though, then you must use the 4" kit (the 6" kit will not work properly if the shocks you use have any lift of their own). Whatever lift your shock kit provides will then appear above the 4" of the BDS kit (so 6" lift if your shocks are 2").


Welcome to TW.
If you have any more questions (and don't want the "noise"), I'm probably your man to ask.

 

No.

 

Sounds like a guy desperately trying to justify his 6" lift.

 

What other said. Are you going offroading? If lift your Tacoma 6 inches, only for show, be “highway princess!” Only pretty!

 

Nope... I just use what actually works, not what the the internet tells me to use (three decades in this hobby teaches you a lot of things about that).
And my lift is 4½" (you would've seen that had you read my post).

 

I did my 2.5" lift paired with 33" tires, resulting in zero inner fender trimming, body or firewall hammering, CMC, or fender trimming.

Full flex/tuck even while full lock to lock, no rubbing on anything.

So, if I ever wanted to return mine back to stock, I just swap parts back and be done with it.


A proper 6" lift used for actual off road use will also require a lot more than just the lift to make it function well with any respect. Steering and suspension geometry, center of gravity, and final drive gearing will all be heavily affected.

 

IMO go to the suspension section read and learn lots of great advice. Definitely build it for your use IMO but that’s me. Are you going to drive it till the wheels fall off? If so save your cash and build a nice rig with great suspension etc.which is a great investment if you’re keeping it. Also don’t cut your frame

Good luck

 

Wow!

Check this out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6prhsZHeZT4&t=1s

 

What kit ya got

 

Only place a 6" lift seems to be acceptable is in Hawaii. In the states, stick to 3" max as it will be just fine.

 

I completely agree.
33s are well within reason for the many who do mild-moderate offroad / "overland" use, and/or want to be able to easily de-install their lift. But I'll ask again, how many here actually do de-install their lifts to go back to stock? (I'm doubting OP intends to be among the few that do since he's aware of what is involved here)

The BDS Fox suspension kits I linked above are actually pretty darn complete on their own (and is why they are the $$$$$ they are), but like with anything else, there is always room for further improvements (such as the leaf spring thing I mentioned).
Suspension, steering, & CV geometry are not affected any more so with a 6" lift that has 4-inch-lowered crossmembers than it is with a 2" lift that keeps the factory crossmembers (so has little change on ride quality and component reliability).
CoG of course will be higher, but wider wheels & tires nearly always become a part of the package as well, which that offsets the raised CoG to a great degree.
I suspect many here don't realize just how much of an angle a 4x4 truck (lifted or not) can be put to without it tipping (it's a lot, like 35° or even more).

You probably could tell "acceptable" doesn't mean anything to me. I use what works, and 3" just doesn't cut it quite as well as I like when it comes to the rocks I encounter (BTDT).
Hawaiians though, yeah they'd likely go 10" lift if they could. lol

 

A combo of things.

Front:
ADS 650lb spring coil overs with rezzies.
Icon billet UCAs with Delta joint and PTFE-lined ¾” FK rod ends.
DuroBumps bump stops.


Rear:
ADS shocks with clicker rezzies.
Icon RXT leaf kit.
DuroBumps bump stops.
U bolt flip kit.


5x BFG KM3 255/85R16
5x KMC XDS Bully 16" x 8" wheels.
(I rotate the spare with the rolling 4)


The rear was actually too high in this photo as I torqued down all the leaf spring hardware while the suspension was still suspended. After I loosened everything, jumped up and down on the tailgate, and retorqued it, it lowered about another inch.

Also, I didn't have the DuroBumps and U Bolt flip kit installed as of these pics.
Was another two weeks before those arrived.

I have it setup for Oregon desert trails, hours of washboard, and rough baby head two tracks, rather than rock crawling and mud bogging.

Essentially more available droop than lift.

Also, factory rear locker, ARB front locker and 4:88 regear.

Zero issues with alignment, rubbing, weird noises, or loss of torque with 33" tires.

Skinnies for the win!

 

Plenty Tacoma trucks lifted higher than 6 inches in Hawaii. But they only for show. All “highway princess!”

 

It all depends on what your needs are.

 

On the plus side, with a 6 inch lift you could drive over people in crosswalks without hurting anyone.