3 inch lift info

So I’m gona lift my truck in about couple months and was wondering everything I need and a range about the total price, wanted to get a toytec 3 inch lift and put the biggest tires I can put on those without trimming but if it’s very minimal I will do and most likely will put pro comp 69 series, when I say everything I mean everything everything

 

Youre going to need some UCA's and still have to hammer the pinchweld in the front to run 33's.

 

The toytec lift is a good "starter" lift, and is what I went with - you're welcome to check it out here: The BOSS lift - prepping for armor

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Whatever lift you get, I'd recommend going for something closer to 2" than 3". 3" is about the max for our 1st gen Tacomas, and puts a lot of stress of the CV axle joints and boots, and will result in you tearing those up more than you need to.

Also worth reading - since you are interested in tires - is this post, which outlines what you need to think about with those, and what work is necessary for different sizes to fit them on our trucks: What size tires fit my lifted Tacoma?

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I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that you need UCAs with a Toytec lift - I didn't. Rather, I'd totally recommend installing the lift and then taking the truck to get it aligned. If it can be aligned, then you don't need aftermarket UCAs. If it can't be aligned, figure out why...and if the problem is the UCAs, then consider some aftermarket ones.

 

Oh, and once you install bigger tires and a lift, you might want to consider the Tundra Brake upgrade, to help stop those heavier rubber donuts you'll be spinning down the road on.

Here's how to do that - with all the parts needed and step-by-step instructions: New-to-me Tires and a Tundra Brake Upgrade

From that post:

• 2 Toyota Tundra OEM rotors (L/R: 43512-0C011)
• 2 Remanufactured Tundra 13WL calipers from Napa (L: CAL SE3263) (R: CAL SE3264)
  
• 1 set of Toyota Tundra OEM brake pads (L/R: 04465-35290)
• 1 set of Toyota Tundra OEM brake pad shims (L/R: 04945-35120, or 04945-0c030)
• 1 Tacoma-to-Tundra Hard Brake Line Upgrade Kit
  
• 1 set of Stainless Steel front brake lines
• Some DOT4 brake fluid, and 3M brake cleaner

 

Alright will do

 

How much did all the parts run you?

 

Ahh yes, the "I want the biggest tires I can fit without any work" thread.

You can "fit" 33's on your stock suspension, but it will rub (obviously). But as @turbodb has mentioned, simply lifting the truck doesn't even prevent the tires from rubbing because you haven't actually changed anything about the susp. geometry except the ride height. Tires will still rub, just maybe not when you're in a parking lot.

If you stick to closer to 2.5" lift, or even 2" you likely won't need UCAs. It's only when you go higher that it's typically hard to get proper alignment, so the aftermarket UCA help correct that. Staying under 2.5" should eliminate that. UCA's can help with tire clearance, but that's usually only if you've chosen wheels with too little backspacing.

That extra .5" of lift won't do much, if anything to reduce how much hammering or cutting you'd need to do.

A good way to minimize the amount of cutting/hammering is the proper back spacing on your wheel, and a skinnier tire. 255/85r16s (33" pizza cutters) generally don't need near as much trimming as the fatty 285's do, sometime none at all (or so I've read). As an added bonus, they actually give you MORE traction because traction is proportional to contact pressure (not contact patch/surface area). Fatter tires have higher surface area which lowers the pressure = less traction.

As for price for this type of lift, that can be anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand. Best to set a budget and figure out what makes the most sense based on that.

 

Where do I gwt the trimming done if I get 33’s? Could I do it myself?

 

Absolutely. Most people just end up hammering down the "pinch weld" inside the fenderwell to create just a little bit more clearance.

I didn't mention earlier that also with 2.5" you should be thinking about a diff drop kit. It lowers your front diff to lesson the angle of your CV joints to help preserve them. Well worth the $20-$30 for a diff drop kit. Get one that comes with the spacers for your skid plate (or modify your skid plate accordingly).

Just search "pinch weld mod" on this site, and there's tons of threads on it.

That said, your mileage may vary. Some people have rubbing problems on the frame (I did). My 276/75r16's rubbed the frame behind the suspension (see pic). Pinch weld mod won't help that.

You can see where it rubbed at stock height (rusty marks), and then where it still rubbed after 1" lift with 5100's (clean marks). I eventually went to Kings (kept about the same 1" lift), but what stopped the rubbing was the UCAs that pushed the suspension out just enough (after getting it re-aligned) that it hasn't rubbed since.

I'm planning on 255/85r16's next, so we'll see what ends up rubbing. Some people say they don't get any rubbing with that tire, but there are a lot of other factors too (lift height, wheel back spacing, etc.)

Main thing is get your tires, and see where it rubs and hammer that back so it doesn't rub.

 

For the suspension or for the brakes? The BOSS suspension I installed, I got from Toytec, so I'd just go look at their site for the BOSS kit if that's what you're curious about.

For the brakes, I don't recall exactly, but I linked all the parts right there in the post. If you click on those links and add up the prices, you'll get the total amount.

I just did it - looks like something on the order of $525.

Since those are quality OEM parts, they are not the cheapest way to get Tundra brakes, but I didn't feel a need to cheap out on my ability to stop the truck. Plus, this article does a good job of showing that the OEM parts are significantly better than aftermarket: Hard to find Specs, Info & Measurements on 231mm 13WL Tundra Calipers & Rotors (archive)