Must Read if Considering 5-Lug Bigger Tires and Fat Bobs Lift

Hey Tacoma World! I've benefited from all of your wisdom over the past few years, so I wanted to finally contribute. I hope this at least saves one person some time and frustration if you're considering bigger tires and lifting your 5-Lug Tacoma.

I was extremely excited about getting bigger tires and lifting my 2011 5-Lug. I had done the research, read every thread on Tacoma World I could find and decided to save up and buy the Fat Bob's 5 Lug Tacoma Lift kit with the longer AALs and install it. Overall, the lift is ok, but I will say the experience was not without its problems and I will never ever buy from Fat Bobs again. In this thread I will talk about my initial mods, the Fat Bobs Experience (receipt, installation, issues) and the final result with pictures. Where I can, I'll offer some advice or tips that I learned that may save you time.

Initial Mods

I started with stock steels with stock tires. First mod was painting the stock steels black. TIP: I waited until my original tires were ready to be replaced and saved some time by not masking off the old tires because I knew they were trash. When I got my new tires, I told the shop to be gentle with the rims as I had recently painted them and it worked out fine. Be careful with impact wrenches because you can easily remove paint.

BEFORE PAINT (STOCK STEEL WHEEL AND STOCK TIRE):

AFTER PAINT(PAINTED STOCK STEEL WHEEL AND STOCK TIRE):



I also did the black box mod: TIP: Instead of cutting the plastic of the wheel well, I elected to unfasten just enough of the plastic so I could pull it out of the way to access the bolts securing the black box. After removal, I used a heat gun to heat the wheel well plastic so that it was malleable. In conjunction with the heat, I used the head of a mini-sledge to push and form (not strike) the bump in the plastic (which was molded to accommodate the black box) more flush with the surrounding wheel well. I then used one of the bolts removed from the black box, drilled a hole in the plastic and used the bolt in one of the thread holes of the removed black box mount to "pin" the plastic back.
FINDING THE BLACK BOX:


Next came the KO2s: I was really going back and forth between 235s, 30s and 31s as these are the popular sizes talked about on Tacoma World (a quick search will confirm this, so I'll not duplicate here), but ultimately decided on 30x9.5xR15s. I talk about the change in ride here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/show-me-your-30-inch-tires.386058/#post-10754531
PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, NO LIFT (DRIVER SIDE):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, NO LIFT (FRONT DRIVER SIDE):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, NO LIFT (FRONT DRIVER SIDE 2):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, NO LIFT (REAR DRIVER SIDE):


The Fat Bobs Lift Experience

I bought the Toyota Tacoma 2WD 5 Lug Suspension 2.75" Lift Kit 2005-2016 with the Longer AALs (Part #: 42275-5L-AAL45-8KS-UB).

When I received the kit, it was missing the shocks and instructions for the Front Spacers. I contacted Fat Bobs and they sent the missing parts/instructions. TIP: Always inventory everything you receive to make sure you've got everything and allow plenty of time to receive any missing parts!

TIP: A few days before the install, I reviewed the instructions, determined all the bolts I would need to loosen and sprayed them down a couple times with PB Blaster penetrating fluid – I made sure I didn’t park on the driveway so that I wouldn’t stain it with the oil.

The installation says it takes approx. 3 hours - I know better than that so I allowed 4 days for the install. I laid out all my parts and read the instructions several times and watched videos where available to familiarize myself one last time before tearing my truck apart.

I followed the instructions and began disassembly on the driver side, so far so good. I inspected the struts and they appeared to be in good condition – no abnormal wear, no leaks. I followed the instructions and installed the spacer atop the strut. The instructions state to “Rotate the strut 180 degrees and re‐install strut back into the vehicle”. After reviewing this several times and looking at exploded views of a strut assembly such as this generic one:

I was convinced this meant rotate the entire assembly and reinstall. I continued reassembling the driver side and my next first apparent problem arose, the sway bar end link would not reach the sway bar. TIP: After some consideration and reviewing the instructions I was convinced that maybe I had to disassemble the other side so that I could rotate the sway bar down to reach the end link – Bingo, problem solved. The instructions didn’t say anything about this.

I completed reassembly of the driver side and my next problem became apparent. At full droop the Upper Control Arm was EXTREMELY (a couple thousandths of an inch) close to the bottom spring cradle of the strut assembly. It was apparent that after rotating the strut assembly 180 degrees, the back side of the strut is a little different (the metal that cradles the spring sticks out further). I convinced myself that perhaps I had done something wrong, so I disassembled the driver side again and reinstalled, again following the instructions. I ended up with the exact same result. The next problem I realized at this point was that now the brake line bracket was facing into the wheel wheel (180 degrees from where it was of course, because I rotated the entire assembly as directed). Nothing in the instructions about this condition or how to secure the brake line in this new orientation. I decided I should hit pause on the install and contact Fat Bobs Garage for advice. I emailed Fat Bobs before I went to bed and reported my findings and asked for advice on the situation.

The next day, when I hadn’t received a response to the email yet, I decided to try calling them and talking to them about the issue. I dialed the extension for the service departement and explained how I installed the strut (rotating the entire strut per the instructions), how I had extremely tight clearance and that the brake bracket was facing into the wheel well. They confirmed that I had installed the strut correctly and that this tight clearance that I was experiencing was completely normal and expected. They reported that the clearance between the Upper Control Arm and the Bottom Spring Cradle will be fine when loaded (not at full droop). They suggested that as long as I’m not planning on jumping dunes, then the condition is acceptable for normal driving. They also said that I would need to fabricate a solution for the brake bracket to secure the brake line. They suggested zip ties or WELDING a new bracket. I was a little concerned at the welding comment – welding on a gas filled shock? That is a recipe for disaster (and in fact stamped in the metal of the strut it says “DO NOT HEAT”.

In retrospect, the welding on a gas filled shock suggestion should have tipped me off as to the quality of this Fat Bobs expertise, however, armed with this new information, I felt confident that all was correct and proceeded with the install. I went to the hardware store and bought some parts (longer bolts, washers, lock washers and nuts) for the brake line bracket fabrication. I again disassembled the driver side (for the third time) and found that I could bend the bracket backward so that I could use a longer bolt to interface with and secure the brake line – not too bad. I spray painted the new parts black to give a clean look.

I completed the install and before taking the front of the truck off jack stands, I used a floor jack under the lower control arm to bring the spindle assembly out of full droop to inspect the clearance between the upper control arm and the bottom spring cradle – it was still tight, but there was more clearance than at full droop as Fat Bobs had suggested. I removed the floor jack from the lower control arm, reinstalled the tires, jacked up the front, removed the jack stands and slowly lowered the truck onto the tires. It looked good - it was definitely lifted. I sat in the truck to check it out and since I hadn’t done the back yet, felt the sensation that I was leaned way back. Pretty cool. On to the AALs.

I jacked up the rear, put the frame on jackstands and once again reviewed the instructions. I quickly realized that the instructions Fat Bobs provided were for a truck with the leaf springs above the axle. 5-Lug Tacomas have the leaf spring BELOW the axle. These instructions were worthless. I googled and ended up using the how to video for the ReadyLift version of the kit. I began disassembly and my first problem was a seized nut – the top of the shock. After fiddling with this one for a while I ended up having to cut the nut with a dremel (later found the passenger side same nut was seized too and cut that one as well). I followed all of the ReadyLift instructions verbatim and found no other issue until I noticed that one end of the longer AAL (measure from center hole to end) is longer. TIP: Not in any of the instructions was that the longer end of the AAL is supposed to go towards the back of the vehicle. TIP: Not included in the kit is a shim for between the new leaf and the leaf above – I didn’t end up buying one and installing, but this may be something to consider. I did see online that some AAL kits come with a shim. I talked to a mechanic and he said my leaf pack may just get noisier over time without the shim… We’ll see. I proceeded to install the new shocks and realized Fat Bobs had included no instructions for reinstallation and they had not included one of the nuts that were need for the install – back to google and back to the hardware store for a nut. They also included some random hard bushings with no directions that I had to figure out. Evidently, you have to remove the rubber bushings at the bottom of each shock and press in the hard bushing so that the shock will mount up properly with your vehicle. TIP: I used a socket and a vice to press the original bushing out and then press in the new bushing.I completed the installation and drove slowly to get the truck aligned per the instructions. Here’s where things get interesting.

The mechanic shows me that my struts are now leaking (and need to be replaced) and about that time I receive an email response from Fat Bobs (to the email I had sent originally asking for advice on the install) that I installed the struts incorrectly! I immediately called Fat Bobs and talked to a manager about the struts and they admit that they had listened to recording of my conversation with the Fat Bobs rep (I didn’t realize I had been recorded, but I digress) and the rep told me WRONG information. They also admit that the instructions are wrong and what they meant to say in the instructions was that I was supposed to rotate the top mount of the strut (labeled suspension support in my hyperlink above) 180 degrees, not the entire strut. I explain that I had now removed and reinstalled the front spacers several times and that I am at the shop and the mechanics say that my struts are now damaged and require replacement.

After explaining all of the issues I had already run into with the kit and lack of instructions or incorrect instructions for about 45 minutes, the manager is unwilling to do anything to rectify the situation and states that they are not responsible for the incorrect installation even though it is due to Fat Bobs providing incorrect instructions. The manager recommends that if I drive my truck (on busted struts) from Virginia to Utah, his shop will install the kit, but they would not pay for my local shop to install (reinstall) the kit, nor will they reimburse for the broken struts. I am very frustrated and request to speak to the owner of the shop. The manager says the owner will call me back.

My options are painfully clear – buy new struts, go back to my garage, and repeat the process for a 4th time or have the shop do it. As I was on day 5 of the install and had to be at work in a few hours, I elected to have the shop do it. After 10 hours at the shop (this is another long story, and I ended up missing work altogether), the kit and new struts are installed. Finally, I have my kit installed for good. My total bill from the shop was $457.95 for the new struts and installation – this is in addition to the additional cost of the materials used in the unnecessary fabrication of brake line brackets.

A few days later I receive a phone call from Fat Bobs. I spend another 30-45 minutes on the phone, going through my entire experience and am offered a $50 refund. I learn at the end of the conversation, that I am speaking to another manager and not the owner. I request again to speak to the owner.

After a few weeks, I have still not heard anything from Fat Bobs, so I email the company and ask that the email be directed to the owner. I write an email that explains the above (third time I’ve had to detail this lengthy account of all the problems). Within a few days I am contacted and offered a refund for the kit. While this doesn’t fully compensate for the time and money that this kit truly cost, it was something. I can now put this experience behind me and count it as a lesson learned. I learned that you truly get what you pay for and perhaps I should have invested in the slightly more expensive ReadyLift kit. I will not be a repeat customer at Fat Bobs, that’s for sure.

The Result

Now that the truck is lifted and has the bigger tires, I like it. It is definitely a major upgrade from the stock “passenger car” stance. I will note that the ride is much different than anticipated. It seems like I feel every bump in the road now with the AAL installed as the suspension is a lot stiffer. One of the chief benefits of getting the longer AALs is a smoother ride from what I gathered, so I can’t imagine how stiff the short AALs could have been. I’ve put about 2000 miles on the new suspension now and it seems a little looser, but perhaps that could be attributed to having gotten used to the new ride.
PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, 2.75" Spacer Front & 1.5" Longer AAL Rear LIFT (DRIVER SIDE):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, 2.75" Spacer Front & 1.5" Longer AAL Rear LIFT (FRONT DRIVER SIDE):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, 2.75" Spacer Front & 1.5" Longer AAL Rear LIFT (FRONT DRIVER SIDE):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, 2.75" Spacer Front & 1.5" Longer AAL Rear LIFT (REAR DRIVER SIDE):

PAINTED WHEELS, BLACK BOX MOD, 30x9.5xR15 KO2s, 2.75" Spacer Front & 1.5" Longer AAL Rear LIFT (REAR PASSENGER SIDE):

As far as the appearance, while I do like it, I think I would have liked it better with 31s. However, from a performance perspective, I think 30s are a good compromise. For daily driving in a pretty flat area, it’s still got a little power. In the mountains, I recently found its power limitations are more apparent.


I hope this write-up helps you make an informed decision if you’re considering a lift!

 

Wow I was going to do fat bob's but then I got a ready lift spacer from a fellow tacoma world user. I did buy my aal from fatbobs but it's from I think deavers. Only issues that arise for me and the shop was in the back the center pins didn't really have heads to torque on so the shop used other bolts. Also on the front rotating 180 was alittle hard but I did it by bolting the top in and twisting the lower. I did the front and a shop did the back. I love how it rides now and with trd bilsteins in the rear its smooth over rough roads.


Also I have 235/75/r15 bfg at's and I still have all my power

 

Damn that sounds like an absolute shit show that no customer should ever have to go through. Sorry you had to go through that, but at the end, I am glad that it worked out (sort of). Truck looks fantastic! Any plans on the wheels? Or keeping the stock steelies

 

Atskune - glad to hear you're liking your lift! Good tip on the rotating the bottom after bolting in the top. Were the Readylift instructions pretty clear?

 

There's a video on YouTube for it. There is two was of removing the coils (from the too via uca or bottom with the lowe control arm.) Do the top so you don't mess with your alignment as much.

 

Hey SleazyPetey - thanks for reading the post and checking out the truck. Yeah it was definitely not the best experience, but in the end, I did learn a lot. I went back and forth on wheels for a good while (months), reading Tacoma World and scrolling through all the pictures I could find. From what I could gather from the forums, I've come to conclusion that the stock steels are wide enough to be appropriate for the 30s that I decided on, but if I went up to 31s, I would get new wheels. I think for now I'll stick with the stockers until these tires wear out and then I might revisit. By then though, I might be ready for the next truck

 

Right on, that's right I do remember watching that video. I wish I had paid more attention to it for the front spacers than the Fat Bobs instructions. I just pulled it up and at the 3min 10sec mark, it clearly states rotate the TOP of the Strut.

 

Glad you got the spacers on! Its lookin good bro!

 

Thanks for your write-up. I was going to get 235's, but decided instead to go with 30's after seeing the image of yours with no lift.

 

Good deal, thanks for reading! Glad it was helpful. Your truck's looking good with the 30s. Did you notice any change in ride?

 

Yeah I did notice a difference. It sits higher, which is great. The tread on the tires is a little louder, and the ride isn't quite as smooth as it used to be. Though these aren't really things I would complain about. I would just say it feels more like transitioning from a car to a truck.

Since this post I plasti-dipped the wheels and emblems black.

 

Yeah I would agree about the ride. Nice job on the blacked-out wheels and emblems - it looks great.
The black wheels is a huge transformation this truck - it's fairly economical and makes the stock steels slick. I'm digging the blacked out emblems - I ended up debadging the sides, but I'm considering doing the back ones.

 

Good job sticking with it, looks good. I've got 15k on the same kit on my '12 reg cab. It loosens up a bit but it's no Cadillac on or off-road. It does make towing a trailer and hauling loads a lot more stable with the heavier rear springs. Actually rides great with about 500lbs in the bed. I'm glad I went with the 31" tires though.

 

Are you guys with 30's and no lift rubbing? I have 31's and no lift and rub like crazy. Not from turning but from bottoming out. Didn't notice it until I hit a big bump on the freeway once, then noticed it on every single bump when I was off roading.

 

I wasn't rubbing without the lift on 30s...

 

Did you remove your black box?

 

Yup, it was actually bottoming out front and back, not from turning, thats why i didnt really notice it until I went offroading.. Installed Fat Bob's and that did the trick.

 

Ah ok out of curiosity are you running stock Steelies or aftermarket rims?

 

You had any uneven tread on your tires from the OEM rims?