To lift or not to lift?

3rd gen lift all the way, why spend the extra money on the 5100's? "I don't need much lift"

 

I got a lift partially because I like the look, and partially because it's a helluva lot easier to drive defensively when you can see over most other vehicles. Your observation about altering finely-tuned onboard systems is spot on. If you do your homework, you'll be able to preemptively address the most common issues so you can minimize stress later on down the line. Be warned that the corrective measures you'll likely need end up costing as much as the lift components, so your budget should be twice what you think it'll need to be. Here's a primer on possible issues you may encounter, and methods to correct them:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/stuff-that-breaks-after-installing-a-lift.667252/

 

Measure front to rear to determine how much rake you have and set accordingly. Or like many have mentioned find a set of 3rd gen front take offs and put them on and you should be pretty darn close to level and you can leave the rear alone.

 

I run the 5100's on the first notch (.85") and it now sits almost level. I should take exact measurements, but from eyeballing it looks level. Ride quality is still better than my worn out OEM shocks they replaced. I have all stock rear suspension and stock front coils.

 

Nice! I'm going to do what you did at the minimum. I'd like to maybe raise it a couple inches however. I can't decide.

 

i used to lift everything i owned..(4x4's)..(i lowered a Porsche) i thought it LOOKED good. actually being good was always up for debate.

now? nah..i hunt and fish with my trucks. i get into some nasty bits, and i have yet to get in over my head. sometimes i will have some tire-fender contact, but it is brief and uneventful. bone stock gets me there and back all the time. i'll put my money elsewhere. i watched a guy lift a kayak into his very lifted truck, then move his big ass ice-chest into the back. the extra effort to move his loads that much higher, SUCKED. rooftopping his kayak would have been a fall hazard

but no doubt..it does look good. i'll get a third gen soon, and the debate will start all over again in my head, but in the end i doubt i'll ever lift it.

 

I also run 265/75/16's so I think there is a good tire to fender opening ratio sitting on the stock height. I'd go with a small lift if I went with a bigger tire but I don't need a bigger tire so I won't be lifting this truck.

Just a heads up the photo in my signature is an old photo so don't think that's how it looks currently.

 

I can totally understand that. I'm 42 years old, so my priorities often fall elsewhere. I like to customize, but I also don't go crazy with it either. I'm probably going to stick with 5100's with them set at .85 and call it a day.

 

Yea that's how mine sits currently. A definite rake appearance, although not bad looking at all. I prefer the more leveled look like the Gen 3's myself.

 

yea. i get it too.

on the flip-side. i am casually looking for a 3rd gen to buy used. i dont even look at the modified ones. i'll only buy a bone stock one. if i want to do something to it, i'll take it from there. (just me, tho)

 

I ended up procrastinating my lift decision until I was out of my 20’s and realized that all of the off-road and trail shenanigans I’ve been on in the last 10 years were done with a stock height truck and mild AT’s or Michelin’s.

I’d venture a guess that 90% of lifted trucks don’t need to be lifted to accomplish what the owner needs.

Now, “want” is a different issue. No sense in arguing with the heart.

I think that a lot of folks trying to update the looks of their second gens just need a new set of wheels. The 2nd gen wheels are very, very, dated And really didn’t age well. A new set of wheels (even third gen takeoffs) does far more to help the look than a lift.

 

truth!!

i hunt this one spot outside of Tuscon. in order to get to cell service i have to wheel up this jeep trail. it's not too bad. very steep and rutted in some parts. a few hairpin turns..makes it off limits to all the trucks at deer camp but mine. i once followed a bunch of heavily modded Jeeps up that trail. just to talk to my wife. i get up there and they walked up to say hi. one guy states, "did you just follow us with All-Season Michelins?" what a GREAT tire!!! Great GREAT tire.

 

I think you nailed it. It's a want vs need battle and maybe somewhere in between. My truck is fine the way it is, but I WANT to change up the function and appearance some. That's one reason why i'm leaning towards just 5100s because why pay the extra money for all of the proper lift essentials if I don't really need it, other than for looks.

 

I might suggest that if you want the 0.85” setting on the 5100’s that you go for a set of 3rd gen coilovers. You’ll net 1” with a much better on-road ride. You can probably get a set for very cheap.

 

I'm running a 2" Eibach Pro lift(set on 1st clip), with alcan springs in the rear. 265/70/17 KO2's. See profile pic.

 

I'll keep that in mind, although I like the adjustability of the 5100s. You said the 3rd Gen coilovers would be a better ride, but I keep reading how those who got the 5100s say the ride quality and performance is improved over stock. I'm confused.

 

Imo, lifting production ifs trucks is for aesthetics. It does look cool and makes the truck look more 'off road'

Many real off road truck builders will tell you that low ride height and high down travel is superior.

Dont 'lift' it for ride height. Get extended travel shocks and stomp that pedal.

 

“Improved” is a bit subjective. Think of it this way: the number of people who put on 5100 is large, and the condition of their trucks vary. Some put springs and shocks, some just shocks, some old springs and new shocks, etc. These anecdotal examples have a lot of wiggle room, and that doesn’t even get into personal tolerances and what constitutes a “good ride.”

Someone who puts 5100’s on a truck with 200k miles and old springs will probably feel an improvement over stock.

Someone who puts 5100’s On a new truck probably feels a firmer more harsh ride, etc.

My suggestion for 3rd gen coilovers is that they are tuned for a “factory” Ride on a VERY similar (despite what the 3rd gen guys say) truck with similar weight, etc.

You are more likely to have a factory ride with the factory tuned coilovers Than just adding 5100’s to your stock ride - particularly given that when you Add preload to the 5100’s they WILL get stiffer and more harsh.

 

Lift it.

 

OP, if the truck slides down a rock and hits the ground fast, that ride height gets reduced even further because momentum will compress the spring and slam it down hard. If your rear bumper is low, now it's even lower, and will smack the tow bracket and break it.

The better places in life are usually harder to get to. Less people there. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Want an amazing view? You probably need a lifted truck, not a stock Honda Civic.
Don't want the amazing view? Want to go to the crowded local mall parking lot to get out and walk to Panda Express (I wonder if they have anything better than a plate of half chow-mein half fried-rice double orange chicken)
well then stock ride height is fine.

Even most people with trucks don't go to those places with amazing views. Out of fear (their words, not mine)
You can also tell by the presence of useless nerf bars

If your ride height is the same as a commercial Tacoma on the street passing by with Terminix logos on it, then yours probably is not ideally suited for the mountain.
If you have over 100k miles, over 10 years old on your Tacoma, and the stock wannabe blue and yellow painted "Bilstein" pencil-thin shocks, then yours are probably worn out and due for replacement (hint: they are)
so why would you spend $300ish on 4600's when you can get the same performance from a 5100 for a few bucks more, that has adjustable notches up front and is compatible with higher springs whereas 4600 is not
with 5100, you can put whatever spring in front, and $90ish AAL in rear for 1.5-2"

for front, you can pick something like OME 883X, 884X, and so on.
Just look at the chart of their respective spring heights and take measurements.
It's probably not until past those (more height) that you actually begin to need adjustable UCA's.

That's the difference. You have starter lifts (for example OME 883X front, 5100 shocks, AAL rear or something like that) that are affordable
and then the crazy shit
$1k Icon RXT rear leaf pack for many inches height
taller front spring
better shocks
now it goes from hundreds to thousands
depends on you, what you want, and your budget

I have 31's but want 33's. Might need to change gearing though because I hear stock 2nd gen gearing sucks. 3rd gen T4R could have 4.88 gears stock.
Obviously with mods, mpg may suffer.
Toyota may have designed the stock height simply to advertise the truck as getting certain MPG when it sits low and raked.

More and more auto makers now are realizing people will pay for mods regardless, so to get that money instead of lose the business, they design the vehicle to be compatible with those mods later on, or can be ordered with it from factory.
examples: new EV hummer, new Ford Bronco

the better the shock, the wider/thicker it is and more performance it has
original shocks usually bounce the rear up and sideways in a turn whenever you hit a road crack at low speed

in the US, getting rear-ended or hit in a parking lot happens to most people yearly. A higher clearance steel rear bumper can protect against that.
And a steel front bumper. As well as deer strikes.
That would need a higher heavier springrate front spring to avoid looking dumb.
and compatible shocks.
The answer is to lift

Bilstein's notched to 2.5?
Or 2.5 springs with Bilstein's at 0
because there is a difference

There are people over 30 who lift their truck
and considering a rear AAL is about $90, that's kind of hard to procrastinate about.

USFS roads are probably flat with a handful of dirt sprinkled on them.
If that's adventure for you, great.
Most people here did not drop thousands on a famous truck for that.

I just did a mountain pass where people looked at me crazy for going with stock ride height
and considering I ended up fucking up the bottom of the truck and getting stuck on a rock, they were right.
For how cheap and easy a lift is, I wish I would've done it.
Lifts are cheap and easy on cars and trucks. The difference is on trucks there's actually a reason for it. It's just ugly on cars, hence why people tend to lower them from higher ride heights and not the other way around.