Lifting questions...

Okay, being a complete newbie when it comes to lift...now, if I, let's just say, want a 3 in. lift and order some parts from a vendor. After installing all the components, do I need new/bigger size tires? Do I need new differentials? I know I will need new struts and shocks, but other than those, I have no ideas what else is/are needed.

TIA!

 

Here's some reading material to better educate yourself.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lifting-your-truck-things-you-need-to-know.40469/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-tips-mods-more.7174/

After reading if you still have some questions please ask as I'd be happy to help clarify.

 

If you want someone to tell you what to buy, talk to Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road. She'll be gentle, and get you what you need.

3" lift looks a little silly on stock size tires (never skip leg day), so you'll want to go bigger. I chose 255/85/16 to fill up the wheel wells, have greater clearance (33" tires), and they fit on stock wheels. No trimming needed.

 

Thanks for the links above.

Now, a somewhat un-related question:

I read somewhere someone was saying TRD all come with higher ground clearance already, is that true or not?

I also read somewhere someone was saying bigger tires put more stress/strain on the stock differential ratio, causing early failure. Is this true? If there are too many cons, I might just stick with the stock.

 

Yes and no on both.

There were TRD models with a factory lift (TRD Pro, Baja TX...), but the TRD Sport and TRD offroad only have "higher ground clearance" because they came with larger tires than the base model trucks. Past that the suspension is all set up the same with the same geometry. The TRD models did however come with Bilstein shocks which are an improvement over the shocks on the base models.

As for extra strain on the differentials, also yes, but not anything to truly worry about. I've been running oversized tires on the factory gears for ~110K now with zero issues. Not saying ALL people will have zero issues, but most do not have a problem. If you're going to a ~33" tire it will slow down the truck as the gear ratio is no longer ideal for the truck. Now this can be fixed by re-gearing your truck but that's expensive and most just "deal with it" by having their truck a little more sluggish. As long as you're not foot to the floor from a stop and banging through gears it won't damage your drive components. Just make sure to keep up on maintenance like oil changes for the diffs and keeping your u-joints lubed up.
Another side effect is more strain on the suspension components from having a heavier tire (wheel bearings, ball joints, bushings...) again it's a marginal change but expedites the wearing out process none the less. Again, myself, I've accepted that parts will wear out more quickly to have a lift and larger tires.

If you want to lift the truck a bit but avoid a majority of issues stick to around a 1.5-2" lift. You won't need new UCAs and the stock tire size won't look so out of place. That height will level out the front for a more balanced look to the truck.

 

The 265s the Sport and OR come with are wider, not really larger in diameter - so they have the same clearance. Pro and Baja models are lifted, so more clearance - not sure about tire size.

 

Very informative. Thanks, guys!

 

Working on PM now

Thank you for much @Pigpen I do try to be gentle (sometimes )