Questions about lift.

I have searched and read quite a bit but can't find an answer. I am under the impression that without trimming the biggest tire I can run is 265/75/16 with or without a lift. My question is; if I do a 2-2.5" lift and run wheel spacers, will I be able to run bigger tires without modification? My thinking is that the tires will be further from the wheel well and less likely to rub. I'm trying to go as big as possible without permanent modification.
Thanks

 

i dont have a lift yet but i run 265 fine there is a guy i know that has a 2013 dcsb and he has a 3'' lift with 285/70/17 and he said that he has very little rubbing

 

I did 255s on mine with about 2.5 inches of lift in front. They are 33.3 inches according to spec. I used my stock wheel with no spacers. They rub just a little on the mud flaps but not enough to break out the dremel. If you took the mud flaps off I think they would fit without a lift. I say this because I took the mudflaps off for about 2 weeks and they never rubbed no matter how far I stuffed the tire in the wheel well. You can also get extra clrearance with Light racing UCAs.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/su...earance-driving-report-light-racing-ucas.html

 

LT265/75R16 is generally the biggest you can go without rubbing, even with a lift. However, I have LT285/75R16 with a 2.5" front lift, and the only rub I get is on the front inner molding when I am backing up and apply my brakes hard. I think the reason my rubbing is so much less than most is that I am running the TRD Bead-lock style wheel, which seems to have the perfect offset for the Tacoma. I also have adjustable UCA's which allowed me to get the front wheels perfectly centered in the wheel well.

I think the only time wheel spacers make any sense is to correct the offset on aftermarket wheels that don't match up with the stock wheel offset. However, adding wheel spacers can create other issues (safety, alignment, balance).

Unless you do a lift and you are okay with potentially doing significant trimming of fenders and wheel wells, stick with the LT265/75R16's.

 

Depends on your definition of "significant trimming". To run the 285's (with a 2.5 lift) you generally will have to remove the mudflaps and trim a small corner off the bumper cover and a little off the fender flare close to the cabmount. Nobody will ever notice it. This of course depends on finding the right wheel spacer or offset on A/M wheels. It's honestly 2 mins of work and super easy. DO IT!

 

Or what about if I switched to 235/85-16? Either way because of funds I will be using my stock wheels. I don't do much off-roading at least not hardcore stuff. Mostly just want the looks since the reg cabs look badass lifted. I will do some light trail and farm stuff though so I don't want useless junk. Still have to figure out what lift I want and how high.
Also what are everyone's thoughts on 235/85 vs 265/75 in general?

 

Theyre badically the same height and ur lossimg 1.8" in width, plus 235 are only available in 10ply so ull be picking up 12 lbs a tire over p rated.

 

Ok so if I go with 265/75 and I just want to level the truck what lift/height should I go with?

 

order billstein adjustable front shocks, set them at 1.75"

 

First, measure the distance from the center of the hubs up to the fenders. Compare the average measurement of the rears to the average of the fronts. On some vehicles the 1.75" setting on the Bilsteins will put you a tiny bit "nose high" compared to the rear, in which case you might choose the .85" setting, which will still be fine with 265/75R16. The Bilsteins are definitely the way to go.

A couple of things to consider before you level the front:

1. At the 1.75" setting you will probably still be able to get the alignment within factory specs. However, factory specs are not necessarily the ideal specs for a Taco with plus size tires and a lift. The ideal specs are camber @ 0 degrees, total toe @ 0.08, and caster above 2.5 degrees (per toyteclifts.com). These numbers can be very difficult to obtain without aftermarket UCA's, although with the setup you are considering will probably be acceptable, using factory specs but having the alignment shop getting them as close as they can to the ideal specs above. The less you lift the front, the closer you can get to the ideal specs, the more you lift the front the harder it is to get close to ideal specs.

2. After lifting to the 1.75" setting, some people experience the dreaded steering wheel vibration around 40 to 60 mph. I experienced this issue when I originally used the 1.75" setting. There is a fix, but it requires replacing the driver side front differential cv axle carrier bearing with an aftermarket bushing.

See http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing.html, and watch both of the videos. I did this to mine, and it fixed the problem. I was able to do this myself, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are somewhat of a "gear-head".

Hope this helps.