Just picked up my '21 TRD-OR manual from getting the TRD Lift Kit

No question about it, I'm totally happy I went this route. Now, I'm new to truck ownership (first truck in 25 years and I've had this one all of just shy of 2 weeks now), and highly doubt I will be doing any serious wheeling or heavy duty off-roading that would require a lift kit of any sorts. I'm pretty open about the fact that I did it because it looks super awesome and that I was sold on the fact that it is made/warrantied by Toyota so I wouldn't have issues down the road, and if I did, I would just bring it back by the dealership.

The pics I took a mile from the dealership really don't do it justice. For those that don't know it's a very modest lift - 2" in the front and 1" in the rear. The truck looks perfectly level now to my naked eye which is really what I wanted. The TRD Lift Kit comes with an OEM Pro (Heritage) grill replacement that relocates the TSS radar sensors so all of the active safety stuff works perfectly as designed still; to my knowledge this is the only lift that does this. I had the OEM black tube steps installed at the same time as my fiancé is all of 5'3" had a bit of trouble getting into the truck as it sat stock. I do wish this were a little (inch or two) lower, but they are better than nothing and provide protection to the rocker panels from rocks and other debris that get tossed up from the road. In my short time with them, I've found that the best way to use them as steps is to step on them with your left foot first and then stand up so you essentially can just swing your right leg and butt onto the drivers seat. It will require some memory to do this but I'm sure it will be second nature after a few days of getting in and out (reverse the process to get out).

My drive home from the dealership was on a multi lane divided highway with a median and speeds of 65-70 mph. I did notice that the ride is more controlled for sure with this lift and the massive nose dive with the TRD-OR stock suspension is reduced dramatically. I wouldn't call the ride stiff, but definitely not as floaty soft as before. I guess if I were to try to describe it in car terms I would say the stock TRD-OR suspension is very floaty and prone to dive and roll like a 1980s Lincoln Town Car. This is more like a new Avalon - much more buttoned down and less roll, but DEFINITELY not sporty. I much prefer this set up now. I should say that the whole idea of a 'very sporty handling' truck confuses me; why would you want your truck to behave like a sports car... I won't go down that road as I'm sure everyone has their own opinion about it. Overall, I love the feeling of the truck now. No drawbacks to me versus the stock suspension whatsoever.

All of this is combined with the fact that the Toyota dealership was able to get the 1 week old Michelins road force balances and get rid of the noticeable vibration I had at highway speeds that Discount Tire claimed wasn't there. I took it to Discount Tire twice over the past weekend and they claimed the balance was perfect, the before/after sheet from the dealership tells a different story. I've had great experiences with Discount Tire in the past (first time using this particular location though) so this was unexpected. The dealership charged me $107.96 for the road force balance portion of the service so I expect Discount Tire to make this part right to me per their motto and refund the amount back to me.

The total cost for everything (lift kit installed, tube steps installed, and road force balance with all of the tax and fees was $ 3205.45. Now, I"m sure I could have paid less for a bigger lift or something more capable, but for MY purposes, I'm completely happy. I'll update my experience with this as the months and miles go by. Oh yeah, sorry for the semi-crappy pics.....the glass on my iPhone camera lens has a small crack.

 

Bill Penny in Huntsville? I worked with them on my tundra, nice people.

 

Small world! I started my career in the car business with them back in 2002 (sales then Finance Manager) and this is the 3rd new vehicle we've bought from them in the past few years despite living in North Carolina and now Georgia.

 

I've bought from a few all over being active duty and 12 tacomas, lol, now im in AL as a VA nurse and had a hard time finding a decent Toyota dealer down here until I found them. Small world indeed, truck looks good.

 

Huntsville is a growing place but still retains enough of the 'traditional medium sized Southern town' feel. I miss it in some ways living in Atlanta but do get back every few months to visit friends. I don't know how much exploring you've done of North Alabama but there are some very scenic driving roads and cool local spots to eat at.

 

Thanks man! I'm in Birmingham right now, but we are probably moving back home (IL) in a few months, fiancee got her first job as an NP.

 

Congrats! Plenty of good hole in the wall BBQ spots around B'ham too. If you get a chance, take a short drive out to Mentone, AL and enjoy the roads/scenery.

 

I like those tube steps, same ones I have! Kind of strange at first because there's not enough space to get your toe in there, but you've got the method down for getting in. Left foot on and then step in with your right and sit down. It became second nature for me in no time.

I'm contemplating getting the OEM lift too. Would be nice to have less float on bumps and corners and it looks nice! Already planning on getting 265/70R17 so it think it will look just right with those.

Enjoy yours!

 

Truck looks great. Glad you were able to get it all installed and your vibration squared away. So many tire shops have road force balancing machines but then won't take the time to match mount the tire correctly on the wheel to minimize variation and imbalance.

I went through the same thing 3 times with Discount Tire on my Wildpeaks. They kept road force balancing them but then wouldn't break the bead, and rotate the tire on the wheel. The machine can recommended the optimal tire/wheel positioning to use less weights and reduce the imbalance felt while driving.

 

wow that looks really nice! I have been contemplating getting this done on mine as well

 

Looks great. Hope your happy.

 

Nice color. Welcome!

 

I used to call barcelona red old man red but i think it looks great on the 2020+ with LEDs, especially with those red 4runner wheels. Im just partial to radiant red (my first 2nd gen).

 

I assume the black zip tie on the back shock is leftover from packing?

 

Why is your DS REAR tire .22 toe?

 

Looks great! Nice color.

 

Looks great!
Glad it drives better too. I had mine done with Toytec and it drives MUCH better. Maybe the OEM suspension is just lacking overall? These are GREAT off road trucks and for the casual enthusiast, me included, a little lift is all you need for some big fun!

 

Nice truck.

 

That's what I'm running - 265/70/17.

 

Haha, I assume so! Good eye!