My shops recommendation

Hello,
I've been considering a lift for sometime now and the options are much clearer now. I am on a budget, I drive forest roads often, I do not climb rocks, I like the look of a lift, and I pull a 20' camping trailer and use load balancers. My truck is a double cab, long bed, 2013, TRD Sport. I will ride with 265/70/17 until I need to replace then will go to 275s after I lift.

My shop recommended a 2.5" BDS spacer for the front and a 2" block in the rear. They say my Bilsteins are likely not adjustable and that the rear shocks will need to be replaced because the existing won't be long enough for the 2" block. They also told me I would not rub with 285, but I read so much about rubbing with 285s on these boards, thus the idea to go to 275s.

Cost...just over $600 to do the job with replacement Bilsteins in the back and about $540 for the same job with a competitive brand.

I've read a lot about how a lift can damage CV joints and something about the block in the back causing problems too. I was thinking of taking the front and back up to 3", not the 2.5/2.0 recommended. I've also read many posts with people not commenting on the damage. Also the differential drop option was not discussed at the shop.

What do you think? Price OK? Recommendation OK? Do you all have concerns with the possible damage or is that rare or can it be mitigated somehow? And do you recommend the differential drop based on my driving profile?

They did mention airbags as a $500 option to help with the rear, but also suggested an EZ level 990 for about $200 but that wont lift. It seems that the airbags would give lift and help with the trailer load.

Thanks for the advice.

Jason

 

Hey there Jason, first and foremost you need to determine your budget. $600 that the
shop is giving you is good, but the spacer is going limit the travel of the strut and make for a rough ride. You can easily get a 5100/OME or Eibach lift for $800-$1000. If you want to keep it at 2" you can get away with keeping your stock UCA's, but youll need new UCA's if you decide on going with the 3" route. You can do an AAL in the rear to for lift instead of the block. Blocks are one way to lift the rear, but an AAL will give you the same lift, prolong the life of your leaf packs, and not mess up the axel.
285's are iffy when it comes to rubbing. You may get the correct wheel and still rub. Odds are you'll have to do some trimming and maybe CMC with the 285's. 275 may only need a little trimming if any.
Hope I was able to give some insight.

 

Thanks Eduardo, that gives me more food for thought. While my budget is $600, I could likely convince myself to go up to $1000. I am pretty sure they were going to give me a spacer that sits on top of the strut, not preloading the spring. With this direction you've given, I'm also seeing that I'll need to invest in replacement UCAs at the height I'm talking about (over 2").
The shop told me my rear end would bounce around if I used an AAL, but if that is going to prevent damage, I may go that route.

Many seem to want to level their rig, but mine looks level as is, so I'll likely be lifting the same amount front and back.

Jason

 

You may be able to get away wit stock UCA's with up to 2.5", but you would probably confirm that with the after install alignment. An AAL would more than likely just make the rear a little stiffer, but nothing too bad. You could always upgrade to a full leaf pack later. I've seen a lot of users go the Deaver or All-Pro route when it comes to AAL.

http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/headstrong-kits-tacoma-05-6-lug.html
The link is for a bundled 5100 kit from headstrong. You can call and talk to Marie if you have any questions regarding the kit. She is really knowledgeable and might even recommend something if you inform her of what you're looking to do.

 

Thanks for the input. I went back to discuss things with Truck Toyz here in Bend, those who made the original recommendation. I wont be going back. When I asked about possible damage he said "I bet you've been reading forums" and continued to ridicule me for doing some research on my own. I didn't understand why he'd fault me for trying to be educated on something I was planning to buy. Then as I turned to ask him a final question, he said he had to talk to the customers behind me.

So, I found a another place who actually came out to look at my truck (the other place didn't). He saw what I saw with the back end being dumpy and looked at the leaf springs. He said with the little weight I had on the back (rack, soft topper, portable fridge, and some wood) I was stressing the stock springs and I could get 2-2.5" lift by putting on a new leaf pack and he recommended Old Man Emu for $800 and I could go one up on the back and add 5100s for $200 more. Once we got the back lifted we'd look to see how much we need to do in the front and he suggested 5100s there as well for $170 each with a little labor. If we needed to go up another half inch he could put a small spacer in.

While I'm going to be paying more, I'm pleased that I found a shop that only does suspension, he looked at my truck (can't believe I ever considered the other place with not looking), and he saw what I saw in the back.

Your input helped me become more educated to get to this point. Thanks!

Jason

 

sounds good. thanks!