Is much of a lift to much of a headache ?

This s what I was trying to explain to my brother in law. He was set on these 17x9 inch wheels with -12 offset and now he's rubbing with a 275 70 17. People are gonna do what they like regardless if you steer them in the correct direction or not.

 

Right, I will caution like @Off Topic Guy mentioned, just do your research. This is a great community (besides this thread right now ) with lots of great information. I'm running a TRD lift kit (2.5" lift in the front / 1" in the back) on 265/75r16's. I think that tire size and combo are just about perfect (I'm a weekend warrior and it's plenty fine to get me to all my muddy hunting/fishing spots - but doesnt affect the daily drive all that much), although maybe some 255/85r16's when these need replacing... I am also aware of the needle bearings and keep an ear to the ground for that and am just waiting for the day I need to do the ECGS bushing upgrade, but I am prepared for that. For now, ill run the OEM needle bearings until they give me an issue.

If you're trying to be ridiculous with a 3"+ lift on 35s+, you'll be down an expensive rabbit hole lol

 

2wd taco.

No needle bearing required, no diff drop required. just don't ask me to pull you outta a ditch. LOL

I also run E load Toyo AT3's on a 2.7L Tacoma with no problems. 2/1 lift. Simple and cheap, gave me the look I wanted and rides same as stock. Lift set me back a whopping $160 with alignment!

 

The 3rd gen suspension is nearly identical to what was on your 2nd gen, so why not just repeat what worked for you on your 2nd?

 

I know suspension components have improved and changed and my second gen rubbed a lot at full turn or angles, but I’m think something very similar to what I had with a little less narrow tire and different offset wheel. My second gen worked really well for my needs and I imagine a similar set up would do just fine. I just had never heard or needle bearing issues and what not in the second gen or maybe I was a lucky one that never had it.

 

Looks good man !

 

If you've already lifted a 2nd gen before, the 3rd gen is really no different. But as you've experienced with it, lifting can introduce some other complications. There's nothing wrong with throwing whatever type of lift you want on the truck and chasing problems as they arise (if they ever even do). Thats honestly what a lot of people do, but some prefer to anticipate problems and solve them before they ever happen (like the needle bearing replacement, certain degree of axle shims, extended brake lines, bump stops, etc). You don't HAVE to do any of it, but the more you know on the front end, the better you can build your truck to meet your exact needs, instead of throwing somebody else's generic solution at your truck and hoping it sticks.

FWIW the ECGS replacement needle bearing should be a necessary addition to your lift setup no matter what brand/height you go with in my opinion. Its an extremely common failing point, and the replacement is a good insurance policy. You'll already be in the area working on the coilover, so might as well. To fully address you wanting to run a 33" tire, your wheel specs (rim offset/backspacing/width) will be extremely important. You'll also pretty much need an aftermarket UCA with added castor to adjust your alignment specs to accommodate the larger tire. You should 100% expect to have to trim some plastics around the wheel well area, and expect to get a CMC (cab mount chop). Sure, there are going to be a handful of people who have gotten away without it, but the general consensus is its a must (if you plan to use your truck/flex the suspension). If you find any topics of value discussed in your thread and want some more info, you can always ask, but pretty much expect everyone to jump down your throat because people ask the same questions hundreds of times a day. The search function in the top right will be your best friend. If you struggle finding something using the search, google your keywords + "tacomaworld" and you'll usually find something that way. And last resort, start a new thread. TW is a cool community. Lots of assholes. But also lots of good dudes (who are also assholes)

 

2"/1" and 285/75/16 on 0 offset wheels

 

Wheel offset/width is more important than lift when trying to do 275 or 285. Get some 17x8 zero offset, eibach, Bilstein, or OME lift and a good alignment guy. Easy peasy. Don’t get discouraged by some of the comments here

 

OP This is your answer. Very well said

 

Like most things that involve significant time and expense, it's worth asking yourself why a few times. You stated that you were thinking about lifting because of the added weight of bumpers, a winch, skids, etc. Why are you adding all of the weight? Do you anticipate wheeling hard enough to justify all that heavy steel? Is it for looks? Same question with wanting to fit bigger tires: why?

Any reason you give yourself is a valid reason in my book. It's your truck, after all! But the answers you give will help you narrow your options down for how high to go and what equipment to use.

A few general thoughts and resources:

1. A friend of mine once pointed out that once I started messing with my stock Tacoma,, I was never going to be able to stop adjusting, repairing, upgrading, etc. I have found this to be true. Especially since lifting. That said, I love working on my truck and learning new things. I also don't have to rely on it as a daily driver since I work from home. That factors in a lot.
2. The previous comment about a correlation between the amount of heartache and the height of your lift seems to be true.
3. Even if you think you know about IFS lifts, I highly suggest watching these two videos (and really anything from this channel) before you make any decisions:
   • Everything About Toyota IFS | Suspension Construction and Limits | Part 1
   • 4 Common Myths About IFS Lifts | Everything About Toyota IFS Part 2

For myself, I'm running Bilstein 5100s on OME 885s and an AAL. I changed to this setup to get better approach and departure angles (I was always tearing off the front valance and rear bumper caps) and it did help with that. I'm actually about to dial down the preload up front now that I have a CBI bumper since that gives me a much better approach angle.

 

Almost 50K miles on Eibach Pro Truck Coilover 2.0, add a leaf in the rear, cab mount chop and bumper trim. 285/70r17 KO2 on Methods. No rub anywhere at full stuff, rides great on the highway. Stock UCAs, no alignment issues. Make sure you have an alignment guy that knows Tacomas. No regrets.

 

are you running aftermarket UCA with you 2.5'' lift? and does this 2.5'' lift how does it effect your gas mileage? 255/85r16' pizza cutter this is the same size i will be going with, plus Youtuber Tinker's adventure says you get better gas mileage with pizza cutters

 

I should correct myself; the TRD lift is actually 2" in the front, not 2.5". I am currently on 265/75r16s. I was saying when those wear out I would be considering the pizza cutters, but that will be a long time from now as I have only had the new tires on for ~3 weeks haha. I just still have plenty of room in the wheel wells on all sides (even maxed out), so that is what made me want to consider stepping up to 255/85r16s when these are done.

No UCA kit, on stock

I got the lift in December of 2022, and I do remember it tanked me about 2mpgs in town and I never got more than ~20mpgs on the freeway at best. Now with the new tires, I'm averaging about ~16-17mpgs all around no matter what it seems, but the jury is still out since they're fresh and the computer seems to be adjusting still.

 

Hi, I think this is really good advice. Its great if you can figure out and research what parts you need to get to where you want to be. Granted, sometimes you end up somewhere else, but having a vision is really helpful. I used to build full size lifted trucks, and I was always running into a limitation, or breaking parts, which led to my next upgrade. Upgrades are good, but changing anything from stock will have consequences and require effort and work depending on what you do. Good Luck on your build.

 

That’s the look I’m going for while maintaining the practicality.

 

thank you yeah that’s why I was asking questions and trying to figure out what is best for me and what front end knowledge is needed to do it right.

 

Thank you I appreciate that

 

Thank you for those videos and will watch them.

 

Thank you