What is the highest quality lift kit for '14 tacoma?

Just bought a 14 Tacoma 4x4 and deciding between a 4" and 6" suspension lift. What's the highest quality lift on the market that won't cause me any issues down the road? What else should I do with the lift? I hear re-gearing is recommended. I want the truck to be good off road but stable on the highway.


Thanks!

 

Are you set on a 4, or 6" lift?

Is it a 2wd?

I only ask because if its 2WD you can get 4" of lift without doing a DB lift.

Drop bracket lifts, IMO, are kind of pointless unless all youre going for is looking tall, and never wanting to go offroad. but they are known for having issues

Drop bracket lifts are much more involved than a normal suspension lift, with many more components that are likely to fail.

But to answer your question- the highest quality are going to be companies like Icon and King for shocks and such..I have Old Man Emu (ARB) and have had it for 5 years now and its still bulletproof

 

You should only need to regear if you get very large tires.

 

Get your big boy checkbook out.

Presuming you actually intend to use the truck, not just park in industrial areas and take sepia photos.

Work with a good vendor for your solution. Marie at Headstrong Offroad has a good rep here.

 

Put 'er up on lift blocks and go real slow over the speed bumps at the mall. 300 Dolla make you holla.

 

Its 4x4, i'm hesitant on 6" unless I won't have any issues. I hear the higher the lift, the higher the risk for parts breaking. If I can get a 6 that I wouldn't sacrifice dependability, then I wouldn't mind spending the extra money

 

What in the world are you planning on doing with a 6" lift? Anything over 3" involves extra considerations due to shaft angles, diff drops and whatnot.

 

^ This. If you actually plan to use it for functional off-road purposes, you really shouldn't go much over 3" unless you want to take a second out on your house for the extra stuff you'll need to replace/modify. An Icon Stage 3 kit is going to run you a bit under $3k, not including installation.

 

It sounds like you maybe should look into a high quality 3" lift. They are much more suitable for off-roading needs unless your plan for a 6" lift would be by way of solid axle. The. You're talking 10k for a good set up. 6" on a Tacoma is mainly for the "bro" look

 

This is 4" with 33-12.50s ... Love it and isn't over the top... And dependable (have a vibration issue right now at 60mph that I can't pin point yet but once I do it will be 110%)

 

In order to hopefully contribute something to this thread other than my smart-ass comment above, I will share with you my own saga.

tl;dr: The road to getting your ride like you want it is long and twisty... and you can't come in here like 'hey bros tell me what to buy' because everyone's truck is different and you're gonna get recommendations based solely on our own experience... which is both good and bad. So do your own research and get exactly what you want.

When I decided I wanted a Taco, I did the same thing. I came in here, signed up, and lurked for 6 months. I read all the threads. I sponge'd information so hard.

I got in touch with the vendors from these forums that had really good reviews from long-time members.

They helped me a ton, because they had the most incentive to do so: I'd buy from them if they helped me understand what I needed to buy.

I asked myself what I wanted to do with the truck.

I lied to myself about what I wanted to do with the truck.

I finally figured out what I wanted to do with the truck.

Then I realized what I wanted:

A mid-travel setup with no spacers, blocks or body lift.

I wanted plate bumpers... and I wanted them to be steel.

I wanted a winch.

I wanted a pack rack.

I wanted to drive into the North-Georgia mountains for a week and shit in the woods... but not climb on any super crazy steep inclines; but I also didn't want stumps to wreck my under carriage.

Skids!

After this revelation, I went to Wheeler's website and filled up my cart with an OME complete kit, 887 coils (double cab!), Total Chaos UCA's ... man I was pumped.

I went to All-Pro's website and ordered some bumpers, because they had free shipping and I had access to a loading dock at the time.

I got it all in, shot the skids with powdercoat, and the bumpers with line-x.

I installed it all in my barn. I torqued it all to spec. I was like 'Fuck yes.'

and I rolled 'er out of the bar and drove it up to the

AND MY GOD DAMN TRUCK DIDN'T SIT LEVEL AND WAS WOBBLY AS FUCK WHAT THE HELL MY LIFE IS OVER.

I took it up to get the tires and rims put on it... and to get the 'custom' alignment done.

It drove straight, and the steering was great.

It bottomed out over speedbumps and was god damn scary around corners.

The 887 coils were not stiff enough for the 130lb front bumper. (and warn m8000 winch)

So I sold them, and got some Icon extended travel, adjustable shocks with monster 720lb springs.

Re-installed, pulled my truck up onto the slab and adjusted the front shocks up just a bit, to get that level look.

I also shaved the cab mount, and cleared everything so I wouldn't rub.

Took it to be re-aligned, and bam. This motherfucker drives like a tank! Even in the rain! Fuck yeah!

Then I tried to use my winch and MURDERED the battery... because I'm an idiot.

Time for a HO Alternator and Northstar AGM battery! Big 3 cable upgrade!

Fuck yes.