Max lift and tire size for 96 4 banger Tacoma?

Hello Peeps,
I just bought back my old 4 cylinder 1996 Toyota Tacoma and I want to give it a lift and add big tires. What is the max tire and lift I can add to this truck?
Thanks bunches

 

That depends a lot on budget and how much you want to cut! You can fit 285s with a 3 inch lift and some trimming. You can fit 35s with a 3 inch lift and A LOT more trimming as well as cab mount chop and tubbing the firewall.

Also, the wheel's backspacing and offset will determine this. I couldn't fit bigger than 265s without spacers because it rubbed my UCA. Tire width will matter too. In other words, this is a broad question that has a million answers. Just open your wallet or pocketbook!

 

The limit is your imagination!

 

Keep in mind that most 4 cyls are pretty gutless with even the stock tires.

You throw some "big tires" on there and you'll need to start measuring your 0-60 times in weeks, not seconds. Even if you regear it, you've got a TON of extra weight you're pushing around.

There are numerous threads on which tires can fit with various budgets, lifts, and how much cutting you want to do.

 

I was going to state that there was no limit but those pics are better than what I was going to say.

 

and wallet...

 

Wow!!! Thanks guys for your responses!! I wasn’t prepared for these pics!! Lol. Those are not exactly what I was thinking of! Lol. But very nice!! Ok so I have my homework cut out for me. I think I really need to see a lot of pics and just see what looks best for me. I shall thumb thru all the forums for pics!! Thanks bunches

 

My 97 4 banger has 33"×10.50s on stock rims with a 2.5" spacer and add a leaf lift. Minor pinch weld trimming is all and no rubbing without bottoming out hard while turning. Also still has decent oomph with 5spd and stock 4.10s

 

I will post a pic tomorrow. Maybe I can get some feed back on where to start.

 

I would definitely be thinking about re-gearing if your going to do any increase. That motor is tough and a fantastically reliable but as people have pointed out, you are not going to be going anywhere too quickly lol.

 

So I need to get more robust gears in order to handle the bigger load. What kind of gears would be good quality? I’m learning here!!! This is awesome Thanks bunches

 

Here are a fee ideas to get you rolling:

Not more robust gears, but a different gear *ratio*. The bigger tires have a larger circumference, so that makes all your gears “taller.” Think starting out in 2nd gear all the time.

It sounds like for your needs, you won’t be doing a lot of hard rock crawling, so the gears won’t need to be uber strong, so just any ol gear set you get from a gear shop should be fine.

 

Saw this just now for sale .. 15 inches of lift and 44 inch tires

* not mine and no affiliation with the seller

 

I’m doing fine on my 4 cyl and 33x12.50s. I’m not going anywhere too fast but I can get where I want without any trouble. You also might wanna figure out your stock gearing cause it might make a difference. My truck came with stock 4.30s which is probably why I noticed a smaller difference than others.

 

keeping in mind budget and imagination, the sky is the limit. For something simple and a little more "down to Earth"... 33" diameter tires are a good limit if you don't want to get deep into modifying your truck. Even at 33" you're likely going to need to make other modifications. There is an overwhelming amount of information on here about the options. My best advice is start reading, read some more and then ask questions. Good Luck!

 

why?
Do you want an offroad truck? Daily driver? Pavement princess? Mudder?
I would keep it simple...lift it 3 inches, slap on some 33s and you'll be fine.
Or dont....lift it 6, grab some 35s, swap your UCAs, install a diff drop, lose the sway bar, start trimming, correct your offset, run 1.5 inch spacers, etc etc etc..
You can go any direction your wallet will let you.

 

I’m probably looking at keeping it simple. What does a 3 inch with 33’s look like?
Thanks

 

This is mine with 2.5” in the front and 1.5-2” in the back with 33x12.50x15s. The front looks a little higher in the first picture because it’s on a very slight incline. Here’s another picture.

 

Even with a 3” lift, you should be running a diff drop kit on 1st gens. There is still some debate about diff drops on 2nd or 3rd gens, but it is nearly universally accepted that 1st gens need a diff drop on anything more than 2.5”. I’m running one with about 2”, but I also went mid travel..

Another option to minimize the cutting and mods to run 33s, is to run a tire like a 255/85r16, the so-called pizza cutter tire. They actually do a lot better off road in most conditions (except sand, deep snow/mud), and since they are skinnier, don’t interfere with fenders or suspension as much.