can't make a decision, can anyone help?

i have a 2003 single cab 5 lug, and idk what i wanna do with it. i wanna do long travel but i dnont want to spend that much money and then it end up being a pavement queen. but at the same time i wanna lower it and make it a g machine. but some of my friends want me to do the long travel, others want me to lower it, my gf wants me to do the long travel. i just dont know what to do. what do you guys think? and please dont make this into an argument about how lowered trucks are gay and pointless, or how long travel trucks are stupid and bro, i just wanna hear an honest opinion. but i will be doing mostly driving on the streets, but i do have a dirt bike and go to the desert some what frequently which is why i like the long travel idea, but i like the lowered idea as well becuase taking turns at like 30 is just soo much fun.

thanks,

nick

 

thats part of the problem idk what i want right now. which is why iam kinda looking for other peoples opinions what they like about their long travel, dislike about their long travel, and what people like about their lowered trucks and dislike about them. iam more or less just trying to make a pros and cons list

 

true. which is why iam trying to get a pros and cons list so that i can look at it and make my final decision

 

100% agreed....


But LT FTW...fuck lowering your truck.

Think about which one will be funner? A shitty riding lowered truck, or a badass LT's tacoma ripping through the desert?

http://www.chaosfab.com/98000.html

 

i love long travel trucks! but i just dnt want to do that to my truck and then have it end up being a pavement queen, cuz i hate sick lifted/long travel trucks that have never seen dirt, cuz when i see that i just think their pussys that are afraid of breaking something

 

Indeed sir, I like both lifted and lowered trucks...it's a matter of how you want to drive it.

 

uh...then take if offroad...

 

when ur in school, or working its not as easy as just taking it offroad.

id just like to have a few people list some cons(ik most of the pros) of having the LT
and have some peope list some cons of having a lowered truck, and for the record i dont mean a slammed, air bagged, ghetto looking truck, i mean a performance lowered truck that can actually go up drive ways

 

Im still kinda confused...just drive it offroad...lol..

You say you ride dirtbikes in the desert....same thing??

 

thanks. thats pretti much the kind of response i was looking for

 

how can u still be confused? if iam always in school or working then how can i go offroading?

 

My truck isn't really that low but I'll still scrape if I approach something at the wrong angle, if you do it right other than the occasional scrape there aren't any cons IMO.

It's more stable while towing/hauling, easier to load stuff in the bed, and if you get helper bags you can actually increase your hauling capacity.

I don't know much about drops for Tacomas but for the ride your looking for your drop will probably consist of drop leafs and coils, that's how mine is dropped and I absolutely love the way it rides.

 

I am sure you dont go to school and work 24/7 365.

I was in school and worked man..its possible to still be able to go out and have fun.

 

If you say you dirt bike in the desert, I say go LT. And the only con of LT other than the cost is that you will cause people around you to piss their pants and beg to ride in it or drive it.

 

and the cost is what really turned me away from the LT

pretti much i do, i have school, football, work, and when iam not doing one of those 3 iam either working on a buddies car, a family car, or hanging out with my gf, and due to certain personal circumstances we cant always just pack up and go out to the desert at any time

i can deal with an occasional scrape, i can buy a lowered skid plate from streetacos, and iam not gonna be doing any towing with my truck

 

I have an 04 5-lug and have had the same dilemma as you. I ended up with spacers and let me say that I HATE them. If anything I would have a decent midtravel setup and some spindles.

I think the biggest part of your dilemma is how much money you would have to spend to make the long travel investment "worth it". When I started considering a suspension setup like long travel I also thought about what else I would need to upgrade to make it a practical rig offroad. The first thing that came to mind was that I would want a locker in the rear. You can have all the travel in the world but it doesn't do any good if you're stuck in the sand. Next was some kind of performance upgrade. The 2.4 is a durable motor but it lacks oomph trying to turn 33s. To me that meant a turbo, headers and an exhaust system.

And on top of all that I love my music and wanted an audio system that I stood up my demands. When you consider all the money it would take to do all that it might be better just to buy a prerunner or a 4wd. Thats what I've decided anyway. It's all up to you but thats just what I've decided in all the research I've done.

 

thanks a lot! thats pretti much the exact answer i was looking for, i feel like the money that i would have to spend to make it a capable off road truck would be WAY too much than i should or would want to spend on my truck, not cuz iam cheap but cuz iam only 18 and dont have that kind of money

 

If you dont have 8k to blow on your truck..dont bother taking it offroad lol or even think about lt. Just keep your truck stock and reliable. Save money for food and gas.

 

i know you didnt ask for this but i installed a largeley unpopular spacer front lift and shackle rear lift. it looks good and increases ground clearance. i am not afraid to hit the off road every once in a while but i dont try to like, do a jump. total cost was 279 plus about 3-4 hours. it was worth it because I like it, but it is all a personal preferance. mine went up a total of 2.5-3 ". however the stance is no wider. for that i will need offset wheels and whatnot.nice thing is that with the lift i used (rough country) it didnt change the factory ride.

 

Just my opinion, not tryin to offend anyone, so here it goes..
Id say LT the Sh*t out of it!
I think small lowered trucks do not look that nice.
Only lowered trucks i like are the huge american duallys.
Plus your girlfriend would like it too...