Advice please! What would you do differently first time purchasing a lift kit/suspension upgrade?

If I had to redo my lift, I would have skipped the Bilsteins and gone straight to Kings

 

Sub'd. I'll data dump all my findings once I get some rack time. Just got off work and I need sleeeeeeeep.

 

It looks like most of your questions have been answered already. Here's my two cents:

Agreed with setting your truck up to support whatever extras you plan on adding in the future. The ride will be stiff with heavy springs and no additional weight, but it's a helluva lot cheaper and easier than buying new springs when the time comes.

For on-road use, I recommend against removing the sway bar. Lifted trucks pose a greater rollover risk and no one wants to die from trying to achieve more front-end flex. If you see yourself doing more off-road driving than on-road, then by all means.

OME stuff is okay, but they aren't without their own issues. See this thread for more information:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/looking-for-aftermarket-suspension-with-oem-longevity.665998/
I would guess that the rebound valving in OME's shocks is insufficient to prevent top-out with heavier springs, like their 886.

I would give "skinny" (255 width) tires some serious consideration. They are 10" width versus the 10.4" width of 265s, so you aren't losing much surface area (-3.8%). You can gain some ground clearance (via increased diameter) with minimal weight penalty due to the reduced tire width. I'm not sure what size wheels you have, but Michelin makes the Defender LTX M/S in 255/75R17, which is a 32.1" diameter skinny tire. Not sexy, but will perform well in most road conditions and last a projected 85k miles.

As a final note, I'd add Dobinsons to your list of potential lift manufacturers. They're a relative newcomer to the Tacoma market, but have picked up quite a following in the 4Runner scene.

 

@ardrummer292 Thanks for the skinny advice. I have 16’s and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon. Thoughts on 255/75/16 vs 255/85/16? Read they will fit on stock suspension without rubbing? I’m liking the 255’s more and more I read about them. Reached out to Dobinsons and seems to be another great option so much appreciated to making my decision even harder ha

 

I have your option # 1. Works well for the use you suggested.

 

Looks familiar ↓

 

I'm new to all this stuff, so don't consider me any sort of expert. The skinny tire thread is a great resource, albeit a bit overwhelming:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-skinny-on-skinny-tires.529656/

If your stock wheels are pretty heavy, you might consider going to a lighter alloy wheel to save some fuel economy and acceleration/braking performance. There are some valuable data points to think about here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-specs.30754/

The value behind keeping your wheel/tire combo light is explained in detail here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eel-tire-combo-trd-rock-warriors-ko2s.381030/

 

I have been reading that thread so much the past few days. So much info its overwhelming but 100% worth it and couldn't imagine not reading any thread that could save you time, money, headaches and everything else associated. If i had to money for the lift I would like now making the tire decision would be so much easier. Thanks again

 

I went through 3 different suspension set ups before settling on my ome bp51s front coilovers medium dakkars with the aals to make them heavies and fox 2.0 rr rear shocks. And have 285s I like the wider tires then skinnies.

 

Don't waste time on AAL.... Toyota leafs are junk, they sag and they break.... go for the Dakars..

***Update***
For the record, i did the AAL route on my last Taco, an 05....broke 2 leafs on that truck...went to Dakars and they were great...when i got my '15, i upgraded to Dakars at 750 miles.....have 88k on it now and it's still good...

 

OP.... I have 265/75/17 on my 15 DBCB and have 10,000 miles on them and love them. Put them on my wife's 17 4Runner. She loves the look and we just drove to the Carolina's from PA with no complaints.

 

Trying to get this exact same thing figured out...

I have a post here and I am now following this thread as it seems the response(s) are more informative

Thanks for listening...

 

If you're doing your due diligence, researching a suspension upgrade is basically a full-time job for at least a month. Like you, I'd rather pay out the nose once than try to cut corners and eventually end up spending twice as much. I'm not rich enough to be cheap.

Here's a few threads that may be of use.

Discussion about the longevity of different suspension types, useful if you want to minimize how often maintenance is required:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/looking-for-aftermarket-suspension-with-oem-longevity.665998/

Discussion about things that go wrong when lifting your truck, useful if you want to know about/prepare for all eventualities:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/stuff-that-breaks-after-installing-a-lift.667252/

Discussion about what to do when driveline vibrations just won't go away (with a focus on DCLB, but good information for DCSB as well):
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/single-piece-driveshaft-for-dclb.672397/

 

Thanks for the kind words and advice... Back to reading some of the links that you have posted

Thank you Ardrummer292!

 

Thank you for your nice comment @SHBCTacoma coma, we try to do what we can to help out

Thank you for the recommendations and comments @RoughRder we know there are lots of options and in teh end we just want our clients to be happy with what they purchase

And thank you @ResearchMonkee for your business it means the world to our little shop