3 inch suspension lift questions

This summer I recently traded in my brand new camaro v6 2LT for a 2012 tacoma trd off-road 4x4. I love it so far and it rides 10x better than my camaro did. Im looking into lifting it 3 inches but I'm only 18 so money is kind of tough. By new years I should have $1500 saved up. The lifts I've been looking at were a pro comp 3 inch suspension lift or just go with bilstein 5100 up front with a 1.5 aal in the rear. The pro comp lift is $600 but southern offroad was gonna make me pay $1100 to buy it and have it installed. I'm not sure how much the bilstein setup would cost to have it installed. I'm wanting to be able to fit 285/75/16. Any ideas on what I should do with my limited budget?

 

Are you looking for function or style? 5100's and OME are great for your budget btw

 

Im looking for style and just decent riding. I used to go off roading a lot but I don't go anymore. I just want something that will make it look good but also not hurt the truck in any way. I went to Southernoffroad and they said $1100 to buy pro comp lift and install. But im looking for something under $800 to buy and install. Bilsteins up front and 1.5 inch aal in the back kind of sounds like a good way to go.

 

How much are OME? I want to buy something and have it installed for under $800 if that is possible.

 

I think $1100 is overkill for what you're looking for. You can get a good looking lift for less than $400 with the 5100's and AAL

 

I thought it was too. For a $250 rough country lift they said it would cost $770 to buy it and install it. Im not going with the rough country because I have heard bad things about it. Any ideas of how much the bilstein setup should cost total?

 

I just put 5100s all the way around on mine and added an Icon 1.5" 3 leaf progressive add a leaf in the rear. I wanna say my total was around $540 total and shipping was free. downsouthmotorports.com is where I got all my parts from.

 

Do you notice a difference in height at all when you look at it and drive it? Also, how much was it for installation?

 

hmm you can get 5100's front and back for around $300 and AAL for around $85. Labor would probably be $150-$200? Just a ballpark. So $550-$600 range total. I put my rear shocks on myself. They're not bad at all if you have some basic knowledge with working on your vehicle

 

Yeah it's noticeably bigger but I also have 17" wheels and 265/70/17 tires which are taller than stock as well. I have the front set to 1.75" setting and the 1.5" add a leaf. It's not huge by any means but if you park it anywhere close to a stock tacoma you can definitely tell a difference.

I installed them myself with a buddy. Took about 4 hours total. It really isn't that difficult if you're handy with tools. I'm not sure what a reasonable price would be to install them.

 

Okay thank you! Is there a big difference compared to when you had it stock? I don't know if pictures give a 3 inch lift justice...

 

Okay thank you! Your setup is really nice. Did you have to use any wheel spacers?

 

I have mine set at 2.5 with 285/70 16 tires and can tell a big difference.

 

To me it rides just as good as when it was stock, if not a little bit better. I'm not sure if that's in my head because I'm now paying attention to how it rides or not, but it's not harsh at all. But I went with the 3 leaf progressive add a lead which is a little more expensive than a single add a leaf, but it's supposed to ride better from everything I've read about them, which is why I went that route. I think a single add a leaf is $75-$100 and the progressive add a leaf, which is actually 3 leafs instead of 1 single add a leaf, are around $175-$200 depending on brand from what I've seen.

 

Okay thanks man! I'm probably just going to order the parts and then just go to shops and see what kind of deals I can get. Do I need to order anything else besides the bilsteins and the aal? Like any kind of washers or anything like that?

 

does a single leaf do 1.5 inches in the back or would I need the progressive add a leaf for that much lift?

 

The 5100s come with all the mounting hardware that you need, you will reuse your coils and the upper mount from your existing coilover. My progressive add a leaf came with everything needed to install it, I'm sure most of them do as well. Should include new centering pins for your leaf springs, I'm not sure if you need extended u bolts for a single add a leaf or not but I did for my progressive. If you do I would imagine it would be included with the add a leaf.

 

A single can do 1.5", the progressives are just supposed to ride better because it splits up the lift over 3 separate leaves instead of just adding 1 stiff leaf to do the lift. I'm not sure that you could really tell the difference or it's just a marketing thing? I've never rode in a tacoma with a single add a leaf so I'm not sure if the difference is that noticeable. I just didn't want to risk it so I spent the extra $ because my wife and I have a 2 year old that's with me a lot and I wanted to keep it as nice as possible and still lift it.

 

okay awesome. They will be ordered soon and I will post a picture once I get it installed

 

Haha alright awesome! Me and some buddies should be able to do it. Your setup is SWEET!