new to the truck world! needed advice!

two weeks ago i bought a 2015 Tacoma TRD off road. black, 4 door, short bed. needless to say i am beyond excited

i want to do a lift and some bigger wheels and tires soon and i need some advice on which route to take.
i traded in my 2011 WRX that was tucking tire and was about 2" off the ground so now I'm looking to go upppppppp

the idea in my head now is a 3" lift with 33" or 32" tires on 16 or 17" wheels

the truck will be a daily driver and when it comes to off roading it will realistically be minimal but if i have the urge to go i would like to perform well on easy/moderate trails

im torn between getting a complete lift kit or something like a ready lift leveling kit? id like to retain near factory driving comfort.
if i choose to get a full lift i am willing to spend decent money on it but I'm wondering if its worth it to spend the money on that or just get a good leveling kit since a large majority of my driving will be on road

i know this may not be the correct thread for wheel/tire discussion but when it comes to tire size I'm leaning more toward 32s on 17 inch wheels to avoid cutting anything to avoid rubbing
all input is much appreciated, thanks!!!!!

 

The Off Road stock tires are 31", and 32" will fit with no rub and no lift needed... get 265/75-16 tires in a brand you like... Don't lift it, or you will not be happy if 32" is the biggest tire you plan on having and specially if you are not going rock crawling! Lifting a truck will only bring on issues... Just enjoy the fine machine for awhile before dicking with it too much. It is a big investment, and Toyota has done a pretty good job making the Off Road TRD pretty solid off the showroom floor!

 

^^I would go with this if your just doing easy-moderate trails. If you want to leve the front though I'd suggest Bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks. Set the clip on the first setting which is .85" and it will level the front and maintain an almost factory suspension feel. I have mine set a 2.5" with Eibach coils and a 2" AAL with Light Racing UCA's and 285/75/16 BFG A/T's and I haven't had any problems on or off-road. However, off-road it is a little rough but it performs well. However, if you plan on doing more wheeling later on then I'd recommend going with King, Icon, or Fox coilovers and new leafpacks, they'll perform much better off-road. I wish I had done that instead of the lift I got, but I didn't have the money for high end parts like those and I was anxious to lift it, lol. There are plenty of threads on here about these lifts and what not, just search them or look through peoples build threads to see what they're running and what they do with them.

 

Welcome to TW!

If your set on going up and changing tires do both at the same time. 255/85/16's will fit with minimal tuning. Check out the 255/85/16" owners thread for more info.

I would not lift it for your uses. Leveling kits are silly IMHO. Trucks are supposed to have rake for a reason (hauling).

I'd also avoid 17" wheels. Tires seem to be harder to find and more expensive. There is nothing wrong with 16" wheels. I actually changed my 17" to 16" so I could have more sidewall (better offroad).

x2..

 

But aren't 85's bigger?

Seriously though, if I'm not able to redo my lift and tuck 35's by time my current tires need changing then I'll probably go with 255/85's due to our discussion yesterday. I appreciate the knowledge.

 

.85 leaves a bit of rake, and with bigger tires the truck will look more aggressive.
If you're going to wheel go bigger and do it right.
If you're going to haul or tow, prob leave it stock.

I'm guessing your into looks and don't mind the negatives that sometimes come with it if you were drive a WRX dropped so low it was tucked.

 

Yep, but paired with SR5 steelies the offset is such there is no cab mount chop required or any other major modification. All I had to do was remove my front mudflaps. Sure I rub frame, but at almost 34" who cares about a little rub on the frame. Heck I rubbed the same spot with stock tires.

Some people will say it looks funny because the tires are within the fenders, but that is the point of fenders IMO and I don't have to hack them off or make my truck look like poop by removing them and having holes there. I'm also legal where tires sticking out is not in my state or the ones around me.

 

Yeah, that first part was suppose to say 285 not 85 as a joke. But I am thinking of goin with those since they are nearly a 34" tire. I don't mind that mine stick out like 1/2" but it also doesn't bother me if they stay within the fender, that is the point of a fender.

 

Awesome!!! Say I wanted to get after market 16" wheels and throw some 265/75r16 on there would you recommend I use the same specs as factory wheels (width,offset)?
Also I do plan in towing a two place motorcycle trailer in the near future!

 

If you don't plan on doing any lifting then factory spec wheels will be fine otherwise I'd recommend something with 4.5" back spacing. Not sure on the offset though

 

Hi

I have a new 2015 Tacoma PreRunner SR5 V6. I recently modded it up plasti dip matte black/gloss rims and matte black the grille.

My question whats better a lift or a leveling kit? If so, I would like to keep stock 16in" rims right now, I think it looks nice.

I am looking into making the truck a bit tougher looking. I'm not planning to go off-roading, just for style. I want it to be decent gas milage or at the same on the city and highway. Also, I do plan to take it the beach too, so I would like to handle sand the beach and I don't want to get stuck in the sand dunes.

What do you recommend?

Should I also get wheel spacers...?

Thank you. I'm new to the truck world and still learning about Tacomas

Selina