LIFT KIT….someone please just tell me

Hey y’all,

I have a 2019 TRD Off Road with 6’ bed. I want to get a 2” lift/level kit. I’m not trying to spend all my money on it but I also certainly don’t want something that’s crap. I want a one and done deal. Likely something with control arms, shocks, and the whole shooting match.
I have some specific needs that I want to be able to meet all around and they are -
-I off road pretty regularly
-I highway drive a lot and want to be comfy
-I tow a trailer regularly
-I carry around a lot of heavy tools in my bed regularly

I’ve researched quite a few different kits but honestly feel kind of stuck as to which direction to go.

Someone please just give me an answer and why

 

Define what you mean by "offroad".

Second, you're most likely wasting your money/budget on "control arms" unless you're also trying to stuff a giant tire in there.

Likely, you should/could just get a set of airbags to support your towing and heavy weight carrying and be done.

Why do you need a 2" lift? To "level" the truck with your use case of towing and heavy weight in bed, you'll likely never be happy with where it sits unloaded OR loaded. Airbags will solve this issue.

 

I appreciate the response. Off roading meaning hefty trails in New Mexico, CO, and Utah regularly. I want the lift so I don’t bottom out on big rocks anymore. I also honestly like the look, especially on a long bed like mine.. it seems a bit short to me at stock height

 

I have no experiences with off-the-shelf kits, but if you like the photo below check out my build thread in my signature to find out what I did

LM - Day 3 - 03 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

 

Got my OME from Headstrong Off Road. Had it installed, total price was about $1700.

 

Lift only gives you a little clearance unless you're adding bigger tires too.

You're about to go down a big expensive rabbit hole.

Lift - Fox, Kings, Icon, Bilstein will all do what you are looking for. Pick your poison and your budget
UCA - not always needed if going for 2" or less but worth doing IMHO
Needle Bearing - worth getting replaced
Leafs - don't get an AAL. Get a new leaf pack. With shell, tools and towing you're looking at an option 2 or 3 (Icon RXT) or talk to Deaver and they can figure out exactly what you need
Tires - you'll end up going bigger than stock to gain clearance and also aesthetics

Here's the issues you're going to have with just doing the above:
-MPG will take a decent hit
-towing will take a hit

To fix these you're probably going to also want to regear to 5.29. This will turn the tires better and also make towing better.

I'm not an expert but from my research and what I've done to my truck I did all of the above once I lifted it.

 

I appreciate the thorough list! I’ll look into those parts. Thanks

 

Why don’t you try 265 75 16 on stock wheels first? This will give you 98% of the capability you need and look good too. The rest is going to be more for aesthetics.

 

OME coils, nitro charger shocks and dobinsons leafs. Good quality kit, rides great and won’t break the bank. Also get to keep your stock UCAs.

 

even the cheapes level kit/2inch lift would be a Spacer for the front shocks. and they are made of a metal, you keep the same suspension and ride quality. now if you want the 3-4/2 lift that raises the back 2 inches and the front 3-4inches. that would be different

 

First you need to figure which of the 4 items you mentioned is most important you. Build for that knowing you won’t get 100% of the other 3 items. And plan on spending all your money, it’s what we do.

 

Your truck, in stock form, is the best configuration for what you are doing.
Why? Because modding to haul heavy and tow heavy is opposite of the mods you need to off-road successfully. On road is opposite of off road for mods.

Good luck, but right now, stock is the ultimate compromise to do many things pretty good.

This is where a lot of people mess up and won't admit it.
They mod for off road and it rides and handles like shit on the highway.
They mod for heavy loads and it rides and handles like shit off road.

 

I appreciate all the feed back. In response to not modding, would it effect all of those things poorly if I just put the spacer lift on? I think it would help with aesthetic and a little more clearance off road. Also, leaf springs to aid in weight capacity? Just trying to find a balance and I’m absolutely new to doing any of this. I’ve always had beater work trucks and now that I have this one I’m starting to give more of a shit!
Also, I don’t have stock tires..

 

Everyone else has already hinted around at the point, but simply put, what you won't doesn't exist. Building for off road, towing, and on road, are all very different things. To excel in one, means compromise in the others. Without an actual dollar amount being talked about, nobody can tell you what to buy. To set yourself up for the best possible outcome, run far away from this thread and train of thought, and put in at least 1 solid month learning everything you can about suspension, how it works, researching parts, etc; then, buy what you think you want, build your truck, be happy for a few months, learn from mistakes, and rebuild it later. Understand you're going to spend 3x as much as you're probably currently budgeting when its all said and done. Good luck!

 

Your 255 70/16 are near the limit of tire clearance. You might be able to get 255 75/16 without any further modification but that’s the limit to my understanding before trimming and cutting, bashing and welding. IIRC there was this video put out about how independent front suspension and tire size are not 1:1 clearance and articulation is important too.

 

This might ruffle some feathers but it’s almost Friday. Personally I would stay away from the band aid products and address the issues that the Tacoma has. The factory leaf springs really aren’t designed for load and towing, I would avoid products like airbags, sumo springs and aal products. I would put a good set of leaf springs on it and consider a set of @ARCHIVE hammer hangers. Match the rear shocks to the fronts. I would suggest something at bilstein 6112 or higher quality.

my personal setup after multiple different configurations are
Deaver U402 Stage 1’s
Hammer Hangers
JD Fab front Uca
King hydro bumps up front and still running stock bump stops in the rear.
King 2.5’s with rear adjusters. Off the shelf tune. I run them wide open with no load and usually 7-10 clicks up when towing.

I have a Forest River Wolf Pup 16bhs and next week we get our new Geo Pro 20bhs. They are 3500lb trailers dry and with an Andersen Wdh I have no issues. I have no need for airbags, sumo springs or additional equipment. The truck works well as a dd, weekend warrior and tow vehicle. Know it’s weaknesses and build around it. Band-aids aren’t fixes, they are just temporary patches.

 

Alright, I guess I’ll just run for the hills for now

 

no one can tell you what you will be happy with. im putting on 6112 up front, UCA, Add a leaf in the back with 5100 rear shocks (coming from the SR stock Hitachi suspension it will be a huge upgrade) Do what you want and enjoy the truck .

 

At the end of the day, just be realistic with yourself. We see countless threads here daily about the same thing. No one here is angry at you, and we may come off harsh. But learn from all of our mistakes. Be realistic about how you plan to use your truck, and the money it will cost you to achieve that (done properly, bc half-assing will cost you 2-3x when you just have to rebuild it later). Many here overbuilt their trucks and daily drive it still; its possible to do, but that means theres some compromise in both of those areas, and a huge reevaluation of budget usually.

 

Bilstein 6112s front
Bilstein 5160s rear
Deaver u402 leaves