Bilstein 5100's and AAL?

Hi all! New guy here with some questions. I recently purchased a 2005 Tacoma DC. I plan to use this truck as a daily driver, but would also like to use it for light fourwheeling and hunting. I would like to run
265 75 16 tires, with chains occasionally. I would also like to install some type of plate bumper up front that will house my Mile Marker SI9500 winch. My truck already has an A.R.E. Z-series topper on it. Also I tow a trailer with a raft on it occasionally, total weight between 1500 and 2000lbs if that makes any difference? I don’t want to spend a ton of money on this, but don’t want to buy junk either.
My questions are what type of lift will I need to clear the larger tires with chains? What will I need to do to support the extra weight of the bumper and winch on the front? Will Bilstein 5100’s all the way around with a 1.5” AAL in the rear work? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

This is most probably the easiest way to go...I don't know about tire chain clearance with this setup, but you can run 265/75R16 with stock suspension...

 

I have this setup on my truck right now. Adding the 1.5" AAL to the rear will raise the truck approx. to 3" lift in the rear. For the additional weight of a plate bumper you will need to run a different coil spring in the front. I recommend the toytech eibach coil for the front it will support the plate bumper with little sag. Remember with the AAL you may need to purchase a drop receiver for the trailer to ride level. I use my truck for a daily driver and off-roading and the 5100s and 1.5 AAL is a perfect set up. Toytech offer a discount for TW members and have a package that you can buy with the AAL, 5100s and eibach coil spring.

 

All said and done, with the plate bumper, winch and the topper, how much lift do you want over the stock setup and how much do you want to spend to get it done?

You do not need any lift to clear 265/75R16 tires, they will fit on a stock Tacoma just fine. As far as clearance for chains, I believe you will have an issue on the front. I'm not 100% certain but I don't believe there is enough clearance on the front to clear chains, you might end up requiring wheel spacers or wheels with a different offset. There is an entire thread on putting chains on the Tacoma, I'll see if I can find it so I'm not trying to repeat things off memory.

 

Thank you all for your help. I guess, if you get down to it, I dont really care about the lift. I just want to clear the larger tires and chains and also support the heavier bumper and winch. So that being said is there a better way to go about that than the Bilsteins and AAL?

 

The chains issue is separate and won't go away regardless of lift. You'll have to search out another member who has chains to find out how they made them clear everything.

To support a plate bumper and a winch, as mentioned above, you should look into aftermarket coils with a higher spring rate. Eibachs on 5100's are a good option and you'd still be able to adjust them somewhat also. Depending on the amount of lift you want, OME makes some good options as well and then you have all the fully adjustable brands like King, Fox and Icon (which was why I asked what your budget was). For the rear, an AAL will do the job but if you tow heavily, won't last a long amount of time before it's sagging. Wheeler's Off Road sells a HD 3-leaf progressive AAL that would be decent for towing or you could look into either air bags or an aftermarket leaf pack setup.

 

I wanted to recommend these as a step up from 5100s for the back http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacoma-marketplace/254917-new-fox-rear-2-0-shocks.html

 

So I figured out I want to keep my lift 2" or less. If I use the Bilstein 5100's set at 0, with the eibach coils I should be at around 1.6" up front and this will support my bumper and winch? Can I get away with the 1.5" blocks in the back?
Thanks for the advice on the chains as well. I think that I will just be getting a set for the rear.