Rough Country 2 in Leveling Kit

hello all,

I have a 2016 TRD OR and I am trying to decide if I should put bilstein 5100's on the front or a rough country strut spacer? I know most people here on the forum would prefer the bilsteins over a strut spacer, but I wanted to see if there would be a dramatic difference between the two. My truck already has bilsteins on it, so I am kind of leaning towards the spacer just because of the price and the ease of installation. Could someone please give me some feedback who has used spacers before?? Does it dramatically hinder the ride quality? Also, will this void my warranty through Toyota? Sorry if this has been posted some where else, I saw some similar threads, but nothing about the rough country spacer. Thank you and hopefully this thread gets some attention from others who are looking to do the same thing

 

Please do not put $300 hockey pucks on your $35k truck. Do it right the first time, save up.

 

i will tell you i like mine. i have a 2013 and installed the rough country 3" spacer in the front and 2" block in the rear. i responded to a post similar to this last week and was basically called a liar so excuse me for being hesitant. i installed this lift and larger wheels and tires and can truthfully tell you imo it rides and drives better than when stock idk maybe the bigger tires help with the ride.

 

Wouldn't the bilsteins be essentially the same thing? The shock would be compressed because the clip for the ride height adjustability would compress the could more? Isn't this just like the spacer? Unless the 5100's are actually a longer strut than the factory ones

 

longer strut. there's a recent post in the 2nd gen section, dude hit a pot hole and his spacer lift busted the shock, your gonna here from both political sides here in regards to spacers, do as you please.

 

I'm glad to hear it is working out for you! I am only interested in leveling the truck, so wouldn't think a 2 inch spacer in the front would change the ride quality very much, but I could be wrong

 

Have you had experience with 5100's? My main concern is that I won't be able to install the 5100s by myself due to needing to compress the strut and most shops will charge $200-$300 to do it. What about longevity of the 5100's?

 

No offense but your priorities are a bit out of whack. Honestly the best lift option is going to be a coilover type lift. If you don't want to spend that money and are looking just to level than 5100's are your best option, $200-300 is a bit much, most local mechanics will only charge you $80-150 to compress the strut and spring, take it home and bolt up. Are you really willing to risk potential ride quality, safety, durability, etc. on your $35k truck to save a few hundred dollars? Then maybe you should reconsider if now is the time to lift your truck. Again your truck your money, but my opinion is do it right the first time if that means saving a few more dollars then do so.

 

Most guys say the tire shop compressed their stuff for $50-60.

A little cheaper than $300......... maybe you're thinking of install cost, not the 5 minute chore of changing a coil.

 

You have a very solid argument, and I am not disagreeing with you. I just wanted to see if there would be a huge difference between the two, or if it would be essentially the same. If that was the case I would probably do the cheaper option, but if it is in fact, much better ride quality with the 5100's then I will probably wait and do the 5100's. I am just trying to do some research before making my decision. I know it's a $35000 truck! I paid for it! But on a serious note, thank you for you input. It is very helpful. I am not very experienced when it comes to truck lifts, that is why I am on this forum trying to learn

 

Trust me you'll like the 5100's better and you'll be happy you went that route later. No prob dude, just hate seeing guys spend so much money on a truck, then throw crappy lifts on it to stuff big tires under there. But some will call me an idiot for that too and ramble on about their amazing spacer lift. Consensus though is spacers are not the way to go nor are blocks, if your on a budget, 5100's and an AAL in the back, easy install and lots of threads here on how to do it. Good Luck!

 

OP, if you want to run spacers, then go ahead. There's nothing wrong with them, as long as you stay within reasonable size. I've run small (1.5", and 2") spacers in the past and have had no major issues with them. Likewise, I've had Radflo coilovers, and Bilstein 5100's. Bilstein 5100's are going to ride STIFFER than your factory Off-Road Bilsteins. If you want to stay as close to your factory ride as possible, then go with the spacers. Install is easy, but make sure you get an alignment afterwards. I'm thinking of just going with a small ToyTec spacer for now. Maybe down the road (50k miles +) I will go with a full suspension upgrade. At that point down the road, having spent a couple hundred bucks on a spacer lift will be nothing. Plus you could make a few bucks selling then when you upgrade also. Also seems a waste to get rid of the oem stuff when the OR rides so good from the factory

 

Could you post a link to the toytec spacers? I was on their website yesterday and could not find any spacers. I would like to get a set of smaller spacers, but 2 inch is the smallest I've seen. Thank you!

 

I would tend to agree with others, don't do a spacer lift. If you want to lift your truck you should do it right the first time. The Toytec BOSS kit being the best option and cost, it comes fully assembled and ready to put on. No dealing with a shop compressing your spring and possibly rotating the bottom eyelet where the shock connects to the LCA, just pull your coils out and put the BOSS kit in.

Here is a 1/2 to 3/4 spacer kit link
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/TOP1-T--Front-Top-Plate-Spacer-Kit-_p_333.html

and a link to the BOSS fronts only
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/BOSS-Coilovers-for-2016-Tacoma_p_1479.html

 

FYI the spacer lift posted above requires strut to be disassembled and new studs pressed in. 2" spacers do not require disassembly

 

Billies ftw!

 

Just ordered the rough country 2" leveling kit for my 2015 4x4 sport dclb. Just over 10000 miles on truck. Hoping to have decent/safe setup until I get another 40-50K miles on tires. Then will do 265/75/17's, 5100's and AAL. Drive offroad, but no real challenging terrain.Anyone with experience to share about this scenario?

 

Let us know what you think of the kit!

 

Am curious to know if you get a true 2inches of lift. Before and after measurement would be awesome. Looking forward to your review!

 

So, the leveling kit is installed. Front ride height is now at 2.2 and rear is neg. 1.7. Leveled truck nicely.
I had a bit of a challenge getting the tapers to release on my steering links. Would have gotten a tool for this if all online instructions did not say to tap the knuckles to get them to pop loose. I did a bit more than a few taps having to flip the castle nut to tap one out. The other side refused resulting in a damaged castle nut from trying to tap it out and damaged threads. All together now and alignment complete. Adjusted headlights down about two inches from my original marks. This kit should hold me until I get the whole setup done when tires wear out.
Thanks to everyone for contributing your experiences.