To lift or not to lift?

Black Bean Taco · Oct 23, 2020

TacoTuesday1 said: ↑

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.

Click to expand...

Notched to 2.5 on stock coils. My bad lol

Black Bean Taco · Oct 23, 2020

ekliptiko said: ↑

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.
Click to expand...

Used to have a Cherokee XJ and those LCOG builds are intense. Dudes on like 35s+ and 3” lifts

Accipiter13 · Oct 23, 2020

TacoTuesday1 said: ↑

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.

Click to expand...

LOL.

OP - “I only want a little lift , nothing crazy maybe an inch, I don’t need anything else.”

#overland#tacomaworld - “Nah, you are gonna want a $$icon lift, 2.5” minimum or you can’t do anything.”

ekliptiko · Oct 23, 2020

TacoTuesday1 said: ↑

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.

Click to expand...

This is insane. You should go read 81trekker's thread on fitting 35s without trimming.

There are a lot of variables to lifting, ride height, ground clearance, up travel, down travel, suspension geometry.

What you are describing about momentum compressing suspension, etc is accurate. However, those variables would only be controllable if you were to design your own suspension. (re: 81trekker's thread and JDFabrication's suspension systems) .

Thing is - most of us are working within the confines of the factory suspension geometry. Replacement Control arms including long travel don't even address the drawbacks completely.

Another major factor to lifting - center of gravity. When off road, we want vehicle stability. Rolling a vehicle is going to end everyone's trail day. The reality is lifting increases the possibility of rolling. While momentum compression might reduce ground clearance, if you're moving fast enough to be concerned about that, higher ride height is the last thing you want.

Its counter intuitive, but the Lowest ride height possible, longest travel stroke possible, largest tires possible. These are the things that improve off road performance and increase the possibility of making it through a tough trail.

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 23, 2020

808hiker said: ↑

I’d say lift it. I’m running about 2.5” of lift in the front and 3” in the back with 265/70R17s

Click to expand...

That looks badass man!

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 24, 2020

This morning i'm leaning now towards getting a 1.5" 3 leaf AAL and bumping up the front 5100's to the third notch for about 2". After looking at several pictures, this would be "minimal" but still noticable too. I want to maintain ride quality and performance without breaking the bank. I'm not interested in blocks.

Black Bean Taco · Oct 24, 2020

Tacoma13_NC[OP] said: ↑

This morning i'm leaning now towards getting a 1.5" 3 leaf AAL and bumping up the front 5100's to the third notch for about 2". After looking at several pictures, this would be "minimal" but still noticable too. I want to maintain ride quality and performance without breaking the bank. I'm not interested in blocks.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the second to highest notch? The 1.75 is my plan when money and time allow

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 24, 2020

Black Bean Taco said: ↑

Are you talking about the second to highest notch? The 1.75 is my plan when money and time allow
Click to expand...

Yes sir. After seeing 808hiker's picture with the 2.5/3 inch lift and same size wheels and tires, I really like the look of that, and for a little bit more money I can lift it in the rear too.

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 24, 2020

Just pulled the trigger on Bilstein 5100s front and back, 3 leaf AAL 1.5" for the rear, and will set the front at 1.75 on stock coils. That should give me a nice modest lift and still maintain a slight rake to almost level. I'll be getting this installed along with new TRD Pro wheels on 265/70/17 K02's. I'll take pictures of it after completion.

Accipiter13 · Oct 24, 2020

Tacoma13_NC[OP] said: ↑

Just pulled the trigger on Bilstein 5100s front and back, 3 leaf AAL 1.5" for the rear, and will set the front at 1.75 on stock coils. That should give me a nice modest lift and still maintain a slight rake to almost level. I'll be getting this installed along with new TRD Pro wheels on 265/70/17 K02's. I'll take pictures of it after completion.
Click to expand...

good luck with your lift. If you feel like the pre-load gives too harsh of a ride you can always go with a 2” lift spring from headstrong or eibach and just drop your 5100’s to 0.

G-shock! · Oct 24, 2020

I’m rolling 275/70/17 K02s on stock 17” sport wheels (+6 offset?) and stock TRD Sport suspension. No rub anywhere except a tiny tiny touch on the UCAs at full lock. Like others have said, too many variable to consider with lift type, wheel width and wheel offset as well as tire manufacturing variances. To address the UCA rub, I have a set of 2020 3rd gen suspension TRD OR with 1/4” spacer and 1/2” block sitting in the garage. Looking to get a full 1” of lift in the front and a 1/2” lift in rear without compromising ride quality, need for a dif. Drop, and hoping I don’t get any vibes from the drivetrain. Do you know what offset your TRD Pro wheels will be?

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 24, 2020

G-shock! said: ↑

I’m rolling 275/70/17 K02s on stock 17” sport wheels (+6 offset?) and stock TRD Sport suspension. No rub anywhere except a tiny tiny touch on the UCAs at full lock. Like others have said, too many variable to consider with lift type, wheel width and wheel offset as well as tire manufacturing variances. To address the UCA rub, I have a set of 2020 3rd gen suspension TRD OR with 1/4” spacer and 1/2” block sitting in the garage. Looking to get a full 1” of lift in the front and a 1/2” lift in rear without compromising ride quality, need for a dif. Drop, and hoping I don’t get any vibes from the drivetrain. Do you know what offset your TRD Pro wheels will be?
Click to expand...

The OEM Pro wheels are 4mm offset.

TRD-ED · Oct 24, 2020

Tacoma13_NC[OP] said: ↑

Thanks! I'm leaning towards 5100s at about 1.5" lift setting and staying with 265/70/17 tires. I want to level out the ride a little bit and stay with performance too.
Click to expand...

I ran 285/70/17's for years on my 2012 DCSB with a spacer and block lift. 2" front 1" rear. Absolutely no rubbing. I think it depends on the wheel offset.

TRD-ED · Oct 24, 2020

Tacoma13_NC[OP] said: ↑

Just pulled the trigger on Bilstein 5100s front and back, 3 leaf AAL 1.5" for the rear, and will set the front at 1.75 on stock coils. That should give me a nice modest lift and still maintain a slight rake to almost level. I'll be getting this installed along with new TRD Pro wheels on 265/70/17 K02's. I'll take pictures of it after completion.
Click to expand...

Those 285/70/17's I was running were KO2's. Be careful. E rated tires. Harsh ride and bad milage .

TacoTuesday1 · Oct 24, 2020

Accipiter13 said: ↑

good luck with your lift. If you feel like the pre-load gives too harsh of a ride you can always go with a 2” lift spring from headstrong or eibach and just drop your 5100’s to 0.
Click to expand...

there is also 2" lift spring OME 883x

another common mod is spacer at left front strut (1/4"?) such as Toytec to correct "taco lean" supposedly caused by worn body mount bushings

there should be (or was) a recall for rear leafsprings to replace the rear pack with a new TSB one that may sit a bit higher, and AAL sellers sometimes claim they have AAL either designed to fit non-TSB pack or TSB pack, depending on what you have

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 24, 2020

TacoTuesday1 said: ↑

there is also 2" lift spring OME 883x

another common mod is spacer at left front strut (1/4"?) such as Toytec to correct "taco lean" supposedly caused by worn body mount bushings

there should be (or was) a recall for rear leafsprings to replace the rear pack with a new TSB one that may sit a bit higher, and AAL sellers sometimes claim they have AAL either designed to fit non-TSB pack or TSB pack, depending on what you have
Click to expand...

I'm thinking I need to get one of those spacers. I noticed the lean a little bit today at the grocery store.

tacotruck2005 · Oct 24, 2020

JUST LIFT IT. Just do it right. Slap some Old Man EMUs lift kit on there for the best affordable lift out there and slap on some new UCA and now you can put big at tires on there. That's really all you need in life haha.

Tacoma13_NC · Oct 24, 2020

tacotruck2005 said: ↑

JUST LIFT IT. Just do it right. Slap some Old Man EMUs lift kit on there for the best affordable lift out there and slap on some new UCA and now you can put big at tires on there. That's really all you need in life haha.
Click to expand...

Well I decided to lift it, but a mild 1.5 - 2 inch lift.

tacotruck2005 · Oct 24, 2020

Tacoma13_NC[OP] said: ↑

Well I decided to lift it, but a mild 1.5 - 2 inch lift.
Click to expand...

Nice. Don't need new UCA then unless you want to they still provide a lot of benefits. I think the best set up is around a 3 inch lift with 33 tires on and no spacers.

SmokeyTacoAZ · Oct 24, 2020

I have a 3rd gen (TRD off road 4x4) on 265/75/16s, but here's my take on the question.

I'm really on the fence on lifting too. If I ever do it it won't be till my truck is no longer my daily driver which is about 5 years out. Most times I think my truck already looks aggressive with this size tire. Only when I'm standing right next to it or in photos does it look "too stock". I couldnt care less about the latter and don't care about posting photos here or on instagram. And if anything I feel like there's no net benefit to me, even off-road, to lifting a tacoma. It would look cooler lifted and on 285s, but enough to warrant all the expense, time, and extra upkeep? I have a few friends that take their toyota to remote locations and make use of it that still regret going through with a lift and big tires. Most places the extra inch or two and 285s aren't going to make or break you.

Then I always think about the other ways I could spend the money and get more bang for the buck. The happiness you get from buying a lift will fade at some point, but will the added performance off-road allow you to do more with the truck to offset that fade over time? For me the answer is no for now, but when it's not my DD and it's purely a toy it may change

Log in or Sign up

Welcome to Tacoma World!

To lift or not to lift?

#41
Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#42
Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#43
Accipiter13 Well-Known Member

#44
ekliptiko Well-Known Member

#45
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#46
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#47
Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#48
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#49
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#50
Accipiter13 Well-Known Member

#51
G-shock! Well-Known Member

#52
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#53
TRD-ED Well-Known Member

#54
TRD-ED Well-Known Member

#55
TacoTuesday1 Well-Known Member

#56
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#57
tacotruck2005 Goodolboys 4x4 section

#58
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#59
tacotruck2005 Goodolboys 4x4 section

#60
SmokeyTacoAZ Well-Known Member

Products Discussed in

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Welcome to Tacoma World!

To lift or not to lift?

#41 Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#42 Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#43 Accipiter13 Well-Known Member

#44 ekliptiko Well-Known Member

#45 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#46 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#47 Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#48 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#49 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#50 Accipiter13 Well-Known Member

#51 G-shock! Well-Known Member

#52 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#53 TRD-ED Well-Known Member

#54 TRD-ED Well-Known Member

#55 TacoTuesday1 Well-Known Member

#56 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#57 tacotruck2005 Goodolboys 4x4 section

#58 Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#59 tacotruck2005 Goodolboys 4x4 section

#60 SmokeyTacoAZ Well-Known Member

Products Discussed in Entire Site Forum: 2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)

#41
Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#42
Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#43
Accipiter13 Well-Known Member

#44
ekliptiko Well-Known Member

#45
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#46
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#47
Black Bean Taco Well-Known Member

#48
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#49
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#50
Accipiter13 Well-Known Member

#51
G-shock! Well-Known Member

#52
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#53
TRD-ED Well-Known Member

#54
TRD-ED Well-Known Member

#55
TacoTuesday1 Well-Known Member

#56
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#57
tacotruck2005 Goodolboys 4x4 section

#58
Tacoma13_NC [OP] Well-Known Member

#59
tacotruck2005 Goodolboys 4x4 section

#60
SmokeyTacoAZ Well-Known Member

Products Discussed in