Level/Lift/Towing.

Ok, ive read numerous posts but nothing directly for what we do with our truck regarding lifts/levels.

What we drive:
2023 TRD OR DBLCAB 4x4 Short bed
2k miles.
Stock 265/70/16 Duratracs.

Towing:
We tow 50 miles round trip every 3 to 4 weeks from May to October to our second property to mow.(7x12 trailer with mowing equipment, total weight is probably 3500 lbs including trailer.)

Off-Road:
Our off-road is Ocala Nation Forest trails, sand, gravel, limestone, mud, dirt, mild rock, etc. We don't do anything crazy at all like MOAB or anything. No climbing at all.

On-Road: 99% of the time.

The question is, we want it lifted with a tiny bit of rake for towing purposes. So what is our best route you believe?

1- Can we get by with a basic 2" front spacer with 1 AAL?
2- Bilstein 5100 in front with 1 AAL?
3- Bilstein 5100 in front with 1" block?
4- Other????

With any of the above options do I have to mess with replacing the needle bearing with the ECGS? UCA's? Anything else? Would like to keep the price relatively low because most likely will do bigger mods in the future---2 or 3 years from now.

Thanks for your input!

 

if you are on road 99% of the time and 95% never towing and if youre going to do bigger mods in the future, just save your money and dont buy anything rn. just get some better bumpstops for the rear like sumosprings and thats it. with 5100's and stock springs every notch you go up will make it a harsher ride as you are increasing the preload, might be okay for towing but remember you are not towing 95% of the time. if you want to to go 5100 rn buy a spring like old mam emu for example that are made to work on the most bottom notch of the 5100. what you said in your post is for noobs that want to raise their car for the looks, not for towing. most "lift muh truck" threads on this forum are brand new tacoma owners who have zero experience so beware, finding out the good info takes time.

 

I tow a few different loads(waverunner/boat/camping trailer/car hauler) and do a bit of offroading here in SoCal. I ultimately went with King 2.5 w/ adjusters(best dampening performance/longevity/no "shock wane" from overheating), run a AAL and Firestone ride-rite bags(run 15-45 PSI depending on hitch weight), and some UCAs. My taco is heavy though, full armor, campershell, racks. I regeared to 5.29s and have KDMAXX tune on 265s(E load for the sharp desert rocks in DV/Anza), the gearing/tune makes the truck perform how it should from factory. All in all, i go by the old addage "buy once, cry once" as the aftermarket for these trucks is not the cheapest.
I aimed for a "stock" looking capable truck.

There are many options out there, with numerous forum posts on the efficiency of each "kit" or shock setup(pages on pages).
There is nothing wrong with the Bilstein 5100's, they are entry level though and provide minimal improvement from stock(check shock shaft size), i would find ones with external reservoirs as they assist with heat dissipation(heat kills shocks rebound ability). Spacers are quick and cheap "lifts", but remember that is all they provide..."lift" without any gained function(actually limited functionality due to adjusted geometry w/ spacer lift).

 

Check out the Roadmaster Active Suspension. I tow a 5100 lb trailer and it works great. Zero maintenance. Gives a slight rake with no load in the bed or on the hitch. I think my truck rides better with it too. No other suspension mods. Going one tire size larger gave me a "lift" since the tires are larger in diameter. It is legitimate ground clearance.

 

Ya, I am basically looking for one setup that can be used for everything. The ones I posted are just options I keep seeing on the forums and FB.

 

The problem with front lift is no matter what rear suspension you have, you'll lose weight on the front, it will fulcrum the suspension higher.

On spacer lifts it means even less down travel and extremely light steering. Headlights in the sky.

Stay away from spacer lifts and stick to 1" max front if you tow often.

I always say throw an add-a-leaf pack into a new pack like yours then replace the full pack later on.

So I agree to 5100s front and rear with icon AAL (its 3 small leaf that are progressive).

 

Ya, like mentioned above, stay away from spacers...

Bilstein's have a great reputation for a reason.

And 5100's are a huge improvement on oem brake dive, alone! Bigger better shock than the the oem Bilsteins, with the added bonus of a lift of 1' to 2".

 

So, in your opinion, do you think if I were to get the factory lift from Toyota as in the TRD lift would that affect towing at all I plan on buying a small camper? Just to mention I am a NOOB to Toyota and have always bought MOPAR, but I love my 23 TRDOR DCSB AT, but want more ground clearance; A: Because I think it will look better, and B: I do wheel although not anything serious hunting for camping and fishing areas and stuff. It helps when you ask knowledgeable people about things unknown.