Levelling Kits

Good afternoon,

I'm pretty new to the world of trucks, but I was hoping someone would be my guide to levelling my 2016 Tacoma TRD. I was debating between a lift kit and a level, but I think that a level and beefier tires would be the better route for me.

What type of level kit would you recommend? Tires? I really have limited knowledge on the topic, so I'd appreciate helpful answers and opinions. Cheers!

 

You might want to look into doing Bilstien 5100s in front instead of a spacer to level. Worth the extra money.

 

Hi Scott, thank you for your quick response. Would that mean that I would still need to put a spacer in the back? My end goal is to be able to take it off-roading with confidence but I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the information out there.

 

Leveling is the exact same as lifting except it's specifically the amount of lift needed to "level" the front and rear. Some leveling kits only lift the front to bring it level with the rear. Others lift the front and rear but by amounts which level the ride height. My truck had a 3" front / 1" rear "leveling" kit and IMO it was actually higher in the front. You do not need to lift the rear in order to level the truck.

You can lift and/or level using spacers/blocks or by replacing the shocks/springs. Typically, we all agree that spacers/blocks are not as good, but they have their place for some people or some situations.

Contrary to popular believe, lifting doesn't really provide extra clearance for bigger tires. There are other, more important, factors at play than ride height.

Since you're new, I'd get out there and start using the truck, then decide what needs to be improved. Your stock truck will be very capable off-road and you probably won't run into any issues unless you find yourself needing more ground clearance for larger obstacles.

 

If you’re wanting to just level, no you can leave the rear stock. You would just be getting new struts up front to pair with your stock coils and set them to raise the front end a tad to match the rear.

 

Hi Colin, thank you for your response, super helpful answer! I've taken the truck up a few FSRs and I noticed that I was scraping the bottom of the truck on several cross-ditches and larger rocks/ obstacles which is why I've been playing around with the idea of lifting my truck

 

Looks like you'll definitely want some lift then. Depending on where you're scraping that'll help figure out how much lift and whether you need front and/or rear lift to accomplish the clearance you need.

Bigger tires are a no brainer as well. 265-75-16 fits easily, generally referred to as the largest size you can go without any trimming or cutting. But, you can get some other, taller tires to fit depending on the width of the tire and offset of the wheel. I opted for that tire size but am now considering going bigger. Check out the "skinny" tire threads in the wheel/tire section. Many people are getting a 32-33" tire to fit without any rubbing issues.

You may also want to consider skid plates if the scraping is bad enough.

 

OP Look into Bilstein 5100’s or eibach great budget lifts for weekend warrior camping and everyday driver. IMO stay with 2” - 2.5”. You may or may not need UCA for alignment and caster adjustment.