Moving to Colorado, Need to Upgrade Wheels & Tires, Need Suggestions

I got everything for mine from Wheeler's Off-Road. Keep in mind I have a 2nd gen but I used the following:
- OME 2886 Coils
- OME 90000 Sport front shocks
- OME 60091 Sport rear shcoks
- OME 95PF5 from trim packer, to combat taco lean on the drivers side due to battery and fuel tank
- OME CS047R rear leaf pack
- ES CS047 bushing kit for the leafs
- OME FK29 driveline paacker kit to drop the carrier bearing
- WHE U7754X rear u-bolts, have since switched to the u-bolt flip kit. Worth doing all at once if we think you might offroad.
- WHE TPS38 3/8 top plate spacer, again this is to combat taco lean. Used only one on the drivers side. Not all trucks need this. Mine did.
- REV STD-6 longer studs on the top hat because I was using the 3/8 plate
- LR 25470 UCA's
- SL 21036 lube for the bushings when installing
- TT TAC-DR-05 differential drop kit, some people claim it is pointless but I install this to help the CV angles
- TT 3DS shims for the rear axle to combat vibrations
- Strut assembly, this is getting the coils and front shocks assembled so all you have to do is install. $156 but well worth it for me installing in my garage.
All in I spent $1,939.65 shipped to my door.

In my opinion you need to trash the thought process of using your stock shocks with anything you install. If you lift and use them you will break them because they are not long enough to accommodate the extended travel and your shocks will be the limiting factor in your suspension. This will cause a sure and quick death to your setup. You really have two options, I like and have used OME for a long time but a lot of people get a kit with the 5100 shocks and like those. Really you have three good outlets to deal with. @Headstrong @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc @Toytec Lifts. I have purchased from all three and never had an issue with any. Wheeler's sends you candy though! LOL. Mostly I deal with Marie at Headstrong and Wheeler's. Really can't go wrong with either of those options. As for the lift I say 3" but I probably ended up around 2.5 after everything settled. If you do a good 2-2.5" lift you will be able to run 285's with minimal issues. Worst case you will need to smash the pinch weld and do a cab mount chop but that is the worst case and not everyone has to do it. I didn't. Aftermarket UCA's help a lot in adding clearance and adjustment to reduce these factors so in my opinion money well spent. Also keep in mind you might need to switch to a wheel with more backspacing to accommodate the wider tire, this will also aid in reducing things like CMC, smashing the pinch weld and cutting. If I were you I would look at the following setup, posting links to Wheeler's because I am familiar with there site and not because that is who you should go with. I like them but shop it around with the three vendors I included and see who gets you the best price. Marie has been pretty much unbeatable for price since Headstrong came on the scene. I included bump stops as I added those later. Let me know if you have questions or need anything further.

 

disclosure i did not read the other reply's. Where you moving to? I live in Summit so maybe close by? Anywho i a run dedicated summer and winter tires up here. Nokian are the best put pricey. i run copper discover m&s with studs and i am happy with them. dont get all terrains unless $$ is an issue. get a specific winter tire and stud it. also if you do live in summit do yourself a favor and just drive to Denver and go to discount tire and not mess with the crap we have up here.

 

See the post I left above but the Dakar leaf pack is the OME pack. So it is the kit you are looking at. You are not going to be able to add any lift with your stock shocks. For me I always recommend replacing the UCA's with an aftermarket set that is designed to work with a lift. For me upgrading the suspension is about making everything perform better than stock while maintaining correct geometry and making everything stronger. To that point why throw a bunch of money at a lift and be left to fight with UCA's that are at the max or beyond the spec they were designed to run. Eating up tires and so on. Just do it right once and be done with it.

 

Thanks for the advice dude! It looks like i'll probably just get the OME kit from Wheelers and some UCA's, possibly bump stops and possibly heftier spindles in the future. Right now I just need something that will accommodate the heavy bumper and some larger tires. Also, huge thanks for directing me to Wheelers and Headstrong, the strut assembly service is a huge money-saver! How easy was it to do the suspension yourself? I've got a shop here that can do the suspension swap for around $500 in labor but if I can save that money without breaking my back then I'll do it myself. I keep seeing torque specs on all the Youtube tutorials, how did you accomplish those torques when tightening up bolts?

 

No probelm, the lift is pretty east to install. I have been wrenching my whole life and have an extensive tool collection so that helps but if you want to take a crack at it I can help you out along with many on the forum here. The UCA install can be a pain but it is not that bad. If you set aside a day and do some research I am sure you will be able to pull it off. Most parts stores will have loaner tools, anything you might not have you can normally get there with a small deposit then return and get your deposit back. You would need a basic 1/2 torque wrench to make sure you get the torque specs correct. You would want to install everything then have the truck off the jack stands sitting on it's own then torque everything to spec. Pretty simple but keep in mind it all depends on your experience and comfort level. You could invest the $'s you would spend on having the lift installed into tools like a good floor jack and jack stands. A decent 3/8 & 1/2 socket set and torque wrench and then you would have them and would be able to expand from there. Lot's of help here to get the job done. You could probably find a member close to you that would help you out for beer also.

Things you want to ensure are torqued correctly are spring and UCA bolts, Rear end U-Bolts. Some things like shock bolts are not as important as long as they are good and tight. Spring, rear end and UCA's are things you want to be in spec.

 

Thanks for all your help. I just made the purchase and after further research I decided to go with Wheelers, it's too bad Headstrong doesn't have a phone number listed.
Anyways, below are the parts I got, I didn't include any new bump stops, diff drop, or shims, but i'll order those later if I need them, as well as a spacer if the trim packer doesn't cut it.

Already Purchased
- Wheeler's OME Kit
--- OME 2886 Coils and 90000 Sport front shocks with 95PF5 trim packer
--- OME EL096R Heavy Duty Dakar Leaf Spring Set and 60091 Sport rear shocks
--- Wheeler's bushings and Wheeler's U-bolts
--- OME FK29 driveline bearing drop kit
- Wheeler's Strut Assembly Service
- JBA STD High Caster Upper A-arms
- 4 TRD Wheels 16"x8" - 6x139 - 0 Offset - Matte Black
- 1 Spare Wheel (same specs)
- 5 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 285/75R16 E 126/123R Tires
- ARB 2016 Tacoma Front Summit Bar
- Smittybilt X20 W/P Synthetic 10K Winch

I'll be installing everything throughout the next few weeks before my move to Colorado. Everything listed above cost 6K plus about 400 for labor for the bumper install.
I should probably go grab some lube for the suspension so I can apply it during install yes? or a grease gun?

 

Nice! Congrats man. Never hurts to have a grease gun with a quality tube of Lucas red or a quality grease from Napa or something. For your spring bushings and UCA's I would get a tube of Super Lube. You can also use it to lube the pins and what not on your brakes when you change them.

$9 Super Lube-21030 Synthetic Multi-Purpose Grease, 3 Oz.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XBH9HI/ref=sxts_kp_bs_lp_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=m3eME&pf_rd_r=RHEEZJGEWSJX980W3H5Q&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B000XBH9HI&pd_rd_w=Oh9TV&pf_rd_i=super+lube&pd_rd_r=7837ab3f-dfc1-486b-8aa2-fd0409f0babe&ie=UTF8&qid=1539379865&sr=1&th=1

Let me know if you need any help when you start installing. I can shoot you my # and facetime with you if you get stuck or need some assistance. @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc is a good company and is primarily who I deal with. I think the bumper is a fairly strait forward install if you want to try and tackle it yourself.

Also I recommend you install a master shut off or kill switch coming from the hot on the battery on that winch. It is good and cheap insurance. If you have never seen one hang up or come to life it will crank until it pulls that cable back into itself and fold that bumper up and tear your frame mounts. Can't say it has ever happened to me but it is cheap insurance in case it ever does. Plus it can keep you from burning your truck down if something goes wrong on the solenoid or winch. Mine lives in the off position unless I need it.

$38 Blue Sea Systems 9003E e-Series Battery Switch, On/Off, Red

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MMC914/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Oh wow I never thought about the winch going rogue, that seems like it could actually be a common problem for older winches if they get the wrong internals wet. I will probably get that. Is there a good place to mount it near the radiator or should I put it near the battery?

I have seen others recommend that super lube, I'll definitely grab a tube or can of super lube! I was thinking about installing the bumper myself but I don't trust myself to do the cutting (maybe when I do the snorkel - eventually...) and I don't have the equipment for lifting it to mount the monster, that and the shop that is installing it gave me a sweet deal on the winch! I've watched probably a hundred videos on swapping out the suspension so I think it'll be a breeze as I've almost memorized the process already haha, but if I get hung up i'll just shoot you a message on here, I'm going to give myself plenty of time to do the upgrade so I won't need an instant response.

 

Sounds like a plan. I mounted my kill switch on the inside of the fender between the battery and fuse block. My solenoid is mounted on the passenger side in the engine bay so I have to pop the hood to hook the controller up anyway. It really does not matter though. Whatever works for you.

 

Larger larger tires aren’t better in the snow, narrow tires are better in the snow

 

Here is my winch setup under the hood. Just to give you options.

 

Damn that looks cleeeaaaan! My entire winch configuration will be built into the bumper, so I'll probably try to find a place in there to mount it, if not i'll bolt it up near the battery.
ALSO, I will be installing new UCAs and after taking a peak it looks like there's just a couple wires/brackets that need to be moved to get the throughbolt out on both sides... some install videos show people pulling out the air intake and battery and a bunch of other stuff but it seems unnecessary... any tips on the UCA throughbolts?

I would assume larger tires are better for staying above the snow (more surface area, less pressure, less compaction) to prevent bottoming out in deeper snow... but I guess on roads you'd want the tires to dig down (less surface area, more pressure, more compaction) to the pavement easier to maintain traction. As an engineer that's just how my mind sees it, but I'm probably wrong haha

 

It might be different on the 3rd gen but on the 2nd gen all you need to do is bend the inner fender a little and you can get the bolt out. Most reinstall the bolt backwards because it is easier and as long as you use some threat locker not a big deal. Does not hurt to take a glace at it on occasion though, to make sure nothing is backing out.

 

Okey dokey, I guess I'll find out when I start pulling things apart. Hopefully bending the fender will do the trick!

 

It will, it seems like it won't but after you get to 100ish curse words it seems to just happen.