First lift inbound. Could use some experience criticisms/opinions before I pull the trigger.

Pretty new to this, but I'm finally at a point where I can upgrade the truck and enjoy the farmland/trails/camping in my area. Trying to keep it simple and stick with a complete kit. I will be adding some weight to the back in the near future but only have a tonneau cover for now. No skids or front bumpers to speak of.

Completely stock 2015 TRD 4x4:

Complete Old Man Emu Kit w/ Dakar Leaf Pack - 05-15 Tacoma from Headstrong Offroad

Coils: 887
Struts: 90021
Dakar: Heavy Duty

Any experiences or opinions with a setup like this would be appreciated.

 

Only thing I’ve seen is some guys on here complaining about OME stuff sagging sooner than they would have thought. I went with Toytec stuff and after 2 years have had no issues.

 

well I would be prepared for vibes to show up when it’s all said and done....if you’re going to be lifting >2.5”. Some people have had vibes show up with as little as 2” of lift. Equally as many people blame driveline vibrations on the angles the driveshaft sees after the lift as there are people that preach these vibrations are from doing a drop of the carrier bearing.

I would 1,000,000% recommend removing the drivers side needle bearing from the front diff and replacing it w/ the ECGS bushing at the same time you do the lift.

While I’m not running OME shocks I am paired up to 885 springs in the front that is holding up an ARB bumper (no winch) and I will say that an 887 spring is gonna be stiff as fuck without any armor in the front.

Why are you going w/ an 887 spring? How much lift are you looking to net? How much constant load will you be running in the bed down the road - Dakar’s are no joke.

 

That’s usually because people are under the impression that Dakars are the best leaf packs ever. They aren’t, and they’re often overloaded on this forum to begin with because of it.

Front end sag isn’t particularly common with OME, but unlike a performance coil over they can’t just be adjusted to account for it. Every spring sags with time and weight.

 

With all of the conflicting stuff I've read, I'm torn between the lift and just beefing up wheels/tires. Only thought of 887 springs because of the sag people have been complaining about. Would like to have a bedtop camper down the road, but I guess I could upgrade to heavier leaves when the time comes.

Ideally, I'd like a nice, level 2" functional lift but it is still my daily so I don't want to jack it up too bad and start having issues. What about 885s and medium duty dakars as I don't have the heavy rear load as of yet?

There are a shitload of options to work with, but trying to piece together parts from different kits is wild to me, ya feel?

 

I originally lifted my truck with 885's and a AAl that gave me 2" of lift and I ran 265/75r16. I wanted a little more ground clearance so i put a 1/4 spacer on the 885 and went to 3" new ucas and a dakar leaf pack and 285's

 

https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/col...-0-suspension-kit-for-2005-to-2019-tacoma-4x4

 

OME is good stuff. One of the go-to brands

I've had OME on my truck for over 60k miles with no issues

 

I rode on 886’s for about a year with only sliders until I added a plate bumper and winch. They ride much better with the extra weight. Yes, they are stiff but not teeth jarring stiff if you don’t have a bumper but If you don’t have plans on adding a bumper soon go with the 885’s

the only difference in the 887’s and the 885’s are the 887’s are 5mm longer

 

You can always buy the heavy duty leaf pack and remove the third (I think) leaf which converts it to the medium pack. Then you have the extra leaf in case you ever add enough weight to warrant it. This is what I did on my rear and have not been disappointed.

 

I have all ome front and back with 885x coils. And the medium leafs. Here's how it sits .

 

The only extra weight I have on mine is a Hooke Road roof rack (maybe 50-75 lbs?) and fiberglass ARE cap on the back (100-150lbs?).

I did 887s with 5100s and SPC ucas + Headstrong 3leaf AAL 1/2 shims/blocks and toytec boss ex length rear shocks. I think 887s are originally meant for the 3rd gens but they work fine on our 2nd gens and lots of people run them, armor or not.

I immediately felt the Needle bearing vibrations so be ready for that. Way to tell if its needle bearing is, once you feel the vibrations, put it in 4wd, if it goes away immediately, its the needle bearing.
So be prepared for that cost... Parts are $60 ECGS bushing, $20CV seal, +install if you dont do it yourself, I got mine installed at RSI Offroad in Denver for $175.

ive also got the CB drop kit installed, i do feel some very minor vibes from driveline at takeoff and slowing under 10mph so i gotta maybe do diff drop and rear axle shims but im going to do the measurements to see exactly what i need first to get it back close to stock driveline angles.

Like you I was torn between the 885's and 887s when i was trying to decide too. You're going with the full OME setup which is nicer than what ive got but some similarities.

The only difference between the 887's and the 885s is coil length, theyre the exact same spring rate so youll get a little bit more lift out of the 887s than the 885s.
That being said, its more spring so it will be a little bit stiffer, but in no way is it even stiff enough to complain about even without any extra armor. Ive never ridden anything with 885's so i cant say comparison-wise between the two, but it is still a truck so its not gonna ride smooth as a Rolls no matter what parts you throw at it. I previously had the stock 2015 TRD OR suspension and swapped it for the 3rd gen TRD OR suspension, front coils on the newer 3rd gens trucks have much higher spring rate (i wanna say in the 700 lbs? vs 2nd gens in the 600's) and 1in lift over our 2nd gens, and the ride was much more planted and less bouncy after bumps on the highway than our 2nd gen stock sus. Between the lift and heavier tires, I'd expected it to not ride quite as smooth as before.
We went up to Crested Butte and back over thanksgiving weekend and had no complaints on ride quality, only complaints were the 80mph cross winds pushing us around on the icy roads.

I cant really speak to the rear leaf pack but youll prob get more lift than I did with a 3 leaf progressive AAL +1/2block but consider some extended brake lines if you havent already.
I think you're looking at a pretty similar setup to what @boogie3478 installed (subtract OME nitro struts, add 5100's +B110s) and i think he got 3 in front and 4 in rear his youtube 'tacomaholic' is awesome and tons of info in his videos and does a great job explaining why he chose certain things.

Keep us posted on what you go with and post some pics when its installed!

 

I just did the full OME kit from Headstrong with JBA UCAs to head off any alignment issues. I ended up with about a 2.5" lift in front...no needle bearing or CV issues. I replaced my endlinks and swaybar bushings while I was in there, but I had some suspension noise indicating that it was time.

The OME shocks act like a limit strap in the rear, so extended brake lines aren't a requirement. I'd still consider them as mine were getting pretty tight during spring installation. You'll definitely want them if you go with the extended Bilsteins.

I recommend checking your alignment bolts up front before tearing everything apart. I had seized cam bolts on one side when they went to do the alignment. I'm going to have to pull the front back apart to address that.

 

Bought this OME/bilstien kit here w/885’s and medium Dakar’s.
https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/s...tein_5100_Kit_w/_Dakars_(HS05BK-1-Dakar).html

it’s been on my truck 3 years and 50k mi. Haven’t noticed any sag beyond the initial settling in the first month or so. Still have 2.5” in front and close to 3” in the rear with the topper. Nothing else in the bed. 255/85 cooper tires. Looking at 4runners for the wife and will probably do a similar lift.

 

Yep I forgot about the rear limiting travel.

Mine is limiting about 2 1/2 inches of droop. But really the only way to solve it is relocate the mounts. The mounts just aren’t far enough apart to for any shock use the full travel once you lift it.

Just so Op can make an informed decision.
My OME setup has been on for 90k miles and I haven’t had a problem with it. I also beat the shit out of it with anything from rock crawling to lots of mud.
It’s not my daily anymore only a trail rig for the last year. And still no problems

 

I had OME 888's, Dakar medium leafs and nitrochargers all around. Truck rode great but the 888's sagged terribly in very short time. I ran that setup for a year (12k) but I ended upgrading to Kings. I'm happy, although I did cry when I saw the month's CC bill.

 

Curious if you got your kit installed. I am looking at an OME from headstrong. 885’s, 90021, and medium Dakars for my 2010 access cab. Wondering if I should add 1/4” spacers on the front and how you like your set up.

 

How much did removing that leaf lower your truck and how hard is it to do? Previous owner of my truck put in the heavy duty dakar pack + an AAL, and the rear suspension is stiff as hell even with ~400 pounds back there.

 

to be honest i don't know the difference, i took the 3rd leaf out before i installed it. I would start by removing the AAL, that seems nuts in addition to the HD dakar. The HD dakar is rated for 2.75" lift with 660 lb in the back, so i could imagine with only 400 lb that would ride harsh as hell. Removing a leaf is super easy once you get the leaf pack out of the truck. While you're at it, grease up the anti-squeak pads.

 

I actually ended up going with some Icon 58630 adjustable coilovers, RXT leaf springs, and 2.0 rear shocks. I've only had time to install the coilovers, but they've been perfect for the driving that I do.