4 or 6 inch lift

hey guys, I have a 21 taco trd off road. I want to lift it more or less for asthetic but also to be able to run trails when I go up north. I’ve been looking at a lot of BDS suspensions with the fox coils and shocks. I want to get a better idea of what a solid lift for a budget of $3k -$4k not including wheels and tires. I hear people say drop brackets are bad but I don’t think I’ll run it hard enough for that to be an issue. Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated!

 

Unnecessary in my opinion. I'd stick to 2.5in or less, otherwise you'll be messing with the factory geometry too much. I could be wrong but highly doubt you'll be spending 3-4K on 4-6in lift btw. Especially if you're in a 4wd vehicle. Brake lines, leafs, shocks, towers, CV angles will be wrong, diff drops, etc. Not hating at all on what you're trying to do but just think you'll be in the 5-8K territory plus wheels and tires.

 

2 in lifts are achieved with better shocks and no drop brackets. Also is "fully reversible". You are charging in I think without knowing why you need 4 or 6 inch lift (non-reversible, often) instead of trying simple steps first.

People deplete IRAs and savings accounts if they do not first determine a need for <fill in the blank> (LED lights, lifts, snorkels, etc).

 

https://bds-suspension.com/products/6-inch-lift-kit-fox-2-5-coil-over-toyota-tacoma-16-23-4wd

this is the lift I was looking at. Comes with knuckles, drop brackets and front differential drop hardware. I watched the install of it and the guy used the factory brake lines. Towers and the CV angles were straight given the drop. I’m only asking for advice without wheels and tires.

 

I’m not worried about it being reversible. I have extra cross members if needed. The need is mainly looks with overland capability. I guess it’s more of a “overland capable” build rather than purpose built. The end goal is a lift for looks that can go on back trails.

 

4 to 6 in lift totally unnecessary for trails and won't even look good imo unless you're gonna run 35s and all the mods that go into that

 

Generally, first prove the need for anything you cannot reverse. Reinforcement brackets for the bed walls (down near the tailgate) are priorities when doing and thing with the bed (cap, bed rack, heavy hauling, etc). Other reinforcements make more sense immediately, including skid plates ... if you go far offroad, then skid plates. But not everyone runs skid plates just for forest gravel roads.

This cannot be said enough ... prove the need for major structural changes first.

 

As far as 35s go. What I’ve seen is cab mount trimming and front liner trimming. I’ve seen people get away with 34s depending on off set and width. I really like the look of 4 inch with 33s. What other mods are involved. I want to make sure I have all bases covered before I commit.

 

thank you for all the info! I don’t have any cover on the bed except for a tonneau cover and that should explain how much hawking I do lol. I don’t really see a need for a skid plate as of rn. Like I said 95% of the time I’m on pavement. Yes it will be a pavement princess. But I do help my folks with stuff up north in the woods with getting firewood and basic scrap. I am 100% committed to lifting if it means the cross members gets cut. I am really asking if anyone has any other kits they’ve seen or setups they run that would be better than the BDS kit.

 

Honestly looks like a "good" system and setup. However there are some HUGE caveats to it. Can't use 17in wheels, can't ever reinstall factory wheels, bracket modifications necessary and strut compressors.

To give you an idea of what my setup is like and what I do with it. Stage 4 icon suspension, c4 fab bumpers, sliders, full skids, etc. I'm running probably a 2in lift and have about 10.5-11inch of clearance off the rear differential (pumpkin). This truck is more than capable without having to do heavy modifications. Totally get that you are going for aesthetics here, but it'll end up biting you in the butt later on. Gas mileage will be horrible. I have 265/75R16 tires BFG KO3 for reference. Most of the trails I'm running I only see jeeps on btw. Almost never any other trucks.

 

those look sick! Those are definitely bigger than anything I’ll remotely go over. The clearance I’m not worried about because again it will mainly be on pavement. I have a set of method 18” wheels I’m looking at. My friend is going to help with the install and he has a shop that’s kitted out. (He has a strut compressor). If I want the best of looks and somewhat not ruining the reliability would a 4 inch be better then?

 

I would agree that 4in is better than 6in, unless justified. Seems like you want the look which we all get, you'll have to run 35's tho.

 

Those lifts that drop the LCA mount just end up dragging off road.

If you crank up the preload so your control arms at at max drop at normal rose height, your handling is going to be terrible.

 

Your truck looks like you take it off road. The LCA drop lifts look like they can't do much more than speed bumps at the mall

 

Just for looks? If I was going to do something silly like this, I would go with the OEM lift kit.

 

can you tag it? Are you talking about the trd pro lift?

 

Like I said in previous posts I’m not rock crawling or climbing mountains. It’s 95% of the time for looks.

 

I guess it's the TRD Pro kit. It's a very common add-on and many here have done it. This way it's still OEM and you can rest a bit easier knowing it was not some after market thing that could cause you heartburn down the line.

 

I haven’t seen that yet. I’ll look into it. Thank you!

 

Don't buy the lie that you need major modifications to get out into the backcountry. I would advise to go with 2 in lift and 33s. I'd be worried about wierd vibrations that weren't there before and things wearing out before their engineered time.

But if you REALLY want a 4 inch lift and you've got money to burn, then go for it. But I would also listen to the advice people are giving you here. Many of us have hard experience to share from years lived. We're not trying to rain on your parade, instead trying to help you from falling down the rabbit hole of modifications.