What type of lift do I have

Hey all, I recently bought a 2013 Tacoma trd sport and it was lifted 3 inches by the previous owner. I have been trying to figure out what type of lift it has, I noticed it has bilstein 4600s which I thought made it lifted but I found out that they just make the truck ride at stock height. Does anybody have any idea of what it is that makes my truck lifted?

 

We do not have crystal balls. How do you expect us to proceed?

 

I’m asking what other types of ways there are that the truck gets lifted other then the struts and shocks

 

Shocks don't lift. Springs or spacers do.

 

There are many ways to skin that cat, and few of them are ideal. You need to post pictures to get specific answers. Take one that includes the entirety of the front shock (top and bottom) and one that focuses on where the rear axle is mounted to the leaf spring.

 

this is the set up ive done on one vehicle ive used offroad that should not have ever been offroaded

 

We can't see the top of the front shock mount, but I'm betting there will be a big ole spacer in there. And you can see the block in the rear.

Some folks call that 'lifting for looks'. As in the functional parts of the suspension don't change.

 

Thanks for The reply, below I have attached a photo of the top of the front shock. so basically what you’re saying is that the blocks in the rear is what makes my truck lifted 3 inches pretty much. Also it says at about 10 in the back and 8 in the front so if I take out the rear blocks, will it set level? And is that safe to have no blocks or will I have to add something to substitute the blocks? Thanks for the help I’m new to this stuff . if I want to raise the front end by a few more inches to make it sit level with the rear instead of pulling the rear blocks could I just add in a 2 inch leveling kit in the front?

 

You have front spacers (round blocks is another way to think of them) and blocks in the rear (rectangular spacers so to speak).

If you take out the rear only you'll look like a dog dragging his butt in the grass and your headlights will shoot down planes.

I have no clue what you mean by

Other than learning what you currently have in place, what are you trying to accomplish?

 

If you take out the rears it will squat like a pooping dog. If you take out all four corners, it wont hurt anything. You will just need a set of new U-bolts to do it, and then a new alignment.


Those are some pretty big blocks. If it were me, I'd reduce the size of that lift, but that's just me. I really don't like how a 3 inch lift handles. Either replace it with new coilovers and springs (preferred), or a set of 2 inch spacers (cheap).

If you want to level it, you want your rear block to be 1 inch less than 2x your front. (On the front, that 1.5" hockey puck provides 3" lift. To level, you would want the rear lifted 2".) Again, you would need new U-Bolts, alignment, and headlight alignment. I personally despise the look of leveled trucks - its looks somewhere between broken and poser - but some people love them.

 

If I put 2 inch spacers in the front, do I need to get anything extra like an alignment?

 

Yes. Any time you change ride height, you will need an alignment.

 

I'm guessing you want to add more lift to what you already have up front?

There are a few things you should note here...
It is not possible to lift the front of these trucks more than 3" (while hoping to not have immediate problems) unless you have a drop-down bracket kit for the suspension lower control arms (LCAs) w/taller steering knuckles (which your truck does not appear to have).
Between 2" - 3" lift, the ride & handling starts to become choppier (this because of the steep angle the suspension control arms are pushed down to). Above 3" lift, you basically will have little or no suspension downtravel left, and your CV joint boots may eventually tear apart (the angle of steering tie rods isn't good for your steering rack either). Stacking leveling kits for more lift is obviously a no-no here.

Removing the lift you have is only a matter of removing the spacers on it (and replacing the rear axle U-bolts), and yes, front wheel realignment (it's also possible you might have spacers lowering your rear driveshaft carrier bearing, which (if present) would need to be removed too if you de-install the lift). Then you can decide if you want to put something of quality on there, or leave it as it is (Bilstein 5100 shocks for a good inexpensive 2" lift, or a BDS 4" or 6" lift w/Fox 2.5 shocks & drop-downs if you want something more upper-end... There are also long-travel setups available, though these might not be well-suited for someone who's still learning about suspensions & lift kits).

I suggest poke around the Suspension section here. There are some FAQ posts there, but you'll also find plenty to learn just from browsing & reading the various threads there too (and if something catches your interest, the Search bar will be your friend as well).


Welcome to TW.

 

Thanks for the help everyone, I’m probably
going to leave it how it is for a while and then mess with it later on. I appreciate the info thanks again