Official 5-lug Suspension Setup Thread

Mine are 235. You won't regret it. Feels like I'm driving an actual truck

 

Took the Tacoma to my favorite fishing spot. It rode smooth for the most part with the new lift, despite the bumpy and uneven dirt trail

 

You had to unplug the ABS sensors for the install, so go back and check the connectors. See if any pins are bent or broken, and check the cable for any damage. The ABS light wouldn't necessarily come on because some systems will allow one sensor malfunction. Also, your parts store could possibly connect to the ABS ECU and tell you which sensor is malfunctioning. (The ABS ECU also controls traction and stability control.)

 

It gives it a more desirable feel, for sure!

 

I'm going to try the pics one more time.

 

Houston, we have lift-off

 

Anybody know what these are? they came with the rear shocks.

 

Quick question for some one with the fat bob lift, just received my lift and ordered the longer aal, it measures 31" if you follow the arch of the spring. Is this the longer aal?

 

I meant to check this while we were out camping but I forgot. I'll check soon.

 

Some more better photos. The first photo is compared to 215/70/15 tires no lift. Still wish it was taller though, but much better than stock height. Now I need some 30/9.5/15.

 

My personal benchmark is Scott572011's Tacoma, who built his out using 245/75r16's. See below photo for his ride-height.

He hasn't been active for some time - having done his build-out in 2011.. but with the exception of the BFGoodrich's (noisy road-tire) it's where mine will be with 16's, when my present tires wear out. I presently have 225/75R16's on mine, which brings it very close in size to 235/75R15, which you are presently using.



Here is a size comparator for 235/75R15 vs (my ideal) 245/75R16 to bring mine at or close to Scott572011's Tacoma stance..



Now, you are probably thinking, what's the big deal - 15vs16"? The difference on the face of it may seem subtle.. but the below image will show the difference between the stock 215/70R15 (P-rated, Passenger car) vs *my* ideal of 245/75R16LT .. in terms of making up that ride height, post-spacer and AAL lift that we have in common. Up-sizing rims is the next logical step, when best bang for the buck is factored in. Even if you get new 16" steelies with the correct back-spacing (cheapest buy-in) .. it'll get you your desired ride-height.



What i'm suggesting is keep an eye out on your local Craigslist for a set of rims - 16x7 is ideal.. and get a set of 245/255's on her, stat.. if you were in snow-country, i'd suggest leaving the stock 15x6's for snows like i am.. but unless you are in the mountainous section of NC, that's probably not necessary.

Your limiting factor at this point isn't the rubber - it's the rim size/width.

Screen shots grabbed from http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-comparison/

 

245/75R16 is what went with. They give 2" more lift than the factory size. I am running them on 16x8 rims with +10 offset and have no rubbing issues (black boxes removed). If you have too much positive offset these tires will rub the frame and sway bar. I love the new setup.

 

My aftermarket rims came off of a Jeep Liberty .. RTX's with an offset of +40mm. Very close to the OEM offset of +45mm. The bore size was 73.2 which was larger than necessary for our Tacoma's. I might have to do the black-box delete, but when the tech put the rims/tires on, he indicated i had loads of room to put larger tires on if i so desired as far as hard-point contact goes.. I imagine a 1/4" spacer would cure any issues with that, if a problem came up with contact with the frame/swaybar.

At the moment, i'm fine with the ride height of my Tacoma .. i have had hip replacements that weren't quite the success that they should have been post-op, so having to climb up into a truck isn't all that advantageous for me. If i do go larger, i'll have to consider step-sliders as an assist in my case - additional cost involved, obviously, and fuel economy will accordingly suffer, along with possible gearing issues related to acceleration.. get too much larger, and you have to start considering a final drive re-gear, from what i've been reading.

As it is now, with the larger rims/tires from stock, and with the spacer/AAL and Bilstein's upgrade.. it's a world of difference from OEM setup. Visually, the 16's rims don't look so badly out of proportion to the wheel arches of the 5-lug slug, as do the stock rims, IMHO anyway.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your hips. I hope there is a chance of them getting better. If you don't need the extra height and are satisfied with the look, I would leave it. I think it looks good.

I'm running a 31" tire now and have removed the black boxes. But what I did find is, with that much offset, I rubbed on the frame and sway bar. I ended up changing to a rim with only +10 offset. That took care of the rubbing, and I like the way it moved the tires out too. I could have gone with spacers, but I wanted new rims, lol. I don't have the Bilsteins, but I do agree with the better ride post lift.

But with all of that, there is a downside. Since I am towing heavy for camping trips, a re-gear is a must. I just set up an appointment today for this. And while I am at it, I am adding an Eaton Detroit TrueTrac. It's supposed to be a true little gem.

 

After the new rims...

 

The hips are just a fact of life, related to my own experience, relative to the Tacoma .. i'm 5 years out now, on them being done so they are as good as they are going to get.


I would like some more height - if only to see over roof-lines a bit more on the daily commuting Death-Race 2000 - but that perhaps won't come until i wear the tires out on mine in 40-50k km.. i can never leave well enough alone, it seems, and those crazy ideas are ever changing in my head.. last week it was 245's.. this week it's something slightly different again..

Eventual end-result will probably end up looking like a poor-man's Overland, I'm thinking.. i'm looking into sourcing 30mm spacers, and replacing the rubber, when they are done (or not, we'll see), for something along the lines of 235/85R16's .. real tall 10-ply tires. Of course, fender-flares would tie in nicely with the bumpers, and the kicked-out rubber. A never-ending, evolving project in the quest for my perfect wee-beastie.

..and of course that all might lead to the need for a re-gear also... so keep us informed on that Truetrac!

 

Hey Guys,

Finally going to order the fatbob lift . Just wanted to ask some questions about it.

Did you guys end up using the rear shocks that came with the fatbob lift or did you buy different ones?
Such as the bilstein 4100's - rear?
Also are the bilstein 5100's for our front?
Some of the posts ive seen said that the front sits higher than the back after the lift...your guys pictures dont look like it but was wondering if its because you added something different?

Last one, how long did it take to ship after purchasing it?

Thanks in advanced for the info.

 

I ordered mine on a Wednesday. It shipped the same day and was delivered the following Tuesday (Utah to SC). I am using the shocks that came with the lift and have been satisfied with them so far. But I have nothing to compare them to except the worn out, factory shocks that I replaced. My fronts are original.

The height is going to be a function of the springs, not the shocks. The idea of replacing the shocks is that they're longer than OEM (and beefier). The ones that say they are sitting lower may have really worn out leafs, or possibly got the wrong AAL with their kit. The kit isn't packaged together, and mistakes do happen. If you have some worry about it, you can always verify the number on the leafs with FB after you get it.

Our drive is on a hill, and I still haven't gotten it on level ground to measure it. I never remember to take a measuring tape with me anywhere. That last pic is actually downhill to the rear. But when I see it out somewhere level, it looks good. I guess I maybe a little reluctant to measure, because if it comes up a little short in the rear, it will really bug me.

Also, reassembled leafs are going to settle a little over time, longer if it's never loaded. So that's something to take into consideration, also. I've had mine loaded heavy, and it still looks fine afterwards. Time will tell.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your lift!

 

4600's are front, 5100's are rear. 5100's won't fit the fronts of our 5-lugs. Mine turned out ever so slightly low from level with my ARB bumper installed.

 

Don't know how or why this happened but the bottom bolt came off or maybe snapped off from Fat Bobs lift kit.. I don't do any rough driving, when I saw this over the weekend it made me think that the guys at the wheel shop forgot the lock tite or didn't double check their work. No notable damage besides the passenger shock getting some scratches ..

Fixed now but curious, has anyone else had a similar issue?

Also, can someone explain why the driver side shock is mounted behind the rear axle vs the passenger side shock mounted before the rear axle?