What you need to know about lifting a 2016 Tacoma - Presented by Toytec Lifts

I am new to this and my brain is smoking from reading so much. I have a 16 double cab TRD offroad. I have not bought a lift yet but awhile back I bought some Tuff Country UCA's I got for a really good price at the time just so I would have them when I get a lift. They are the cheaper ones with the regular ball joint in them. Other than they are a lot more beefy than my stock ones they kind of look the same. Did I waste my money? Will they still help with alignment?

 

I bought a 4x4 because I ride in beach sand a few times a year and for extra traction at boat ramps. I live in Florida. I plan to put camper top on for keeping luggage dry on trips and for mountain bike security for when I ride after work. The only trails my truck may ever see is a gravel road to a cabin in the mountains.

I know the camper will sag my rear end. I used an aal on my last truck (tundra) to compensate. I know if I do the same I will need to lift the front 2 inches to level the truck.

I will be spending a lot on the camper and need an economical lift option. I don't think I really need a fancy lift for how I use my truck. I'm debating either an over the strut spacer or a puck. Which is a better ride for an already too stuff 2018 off road suspension and safer? Thoughts? Are these really that bad for someone in my situation?

 

Check out the firestone ride rite airbags. They sound like they'd fit your needs perfectly. Then you won't need to touch the front

 

When dealing with my last truck the local 4x4 shop recommended against airbags for constant load requirements like a camper. I like the look of a small lift too. My tundra had a 4inch tuff country lift that ended up causing me a lot of problems, but this tacoma seems like a car in comparison and could use a little help.

 

I have similar.

$1,294 880-06-418 Rear Coilover Shock Absorbers Fits Toyota Tacoma

880-06-418 and 985-26-118.

Did Dakar pack in rear too.

No diff drop. Don't do it.

Yes to the carrier bearing spacer.

I bought ext. brake lines but haven't installed them as the stock lines were plenty long.

I have needle bearing vibe. Do the ECGS bearing replacement while you do the lift.

 

Did they say why that's a bad idea? A lot of members on here run airbags and really like them.

 

They said constant pressure means more wear and tear and they will wear out and start leaking within a few years and need replacing.

 

@inesshell runs these and has constant pressure in them I believe. I'll let him chime in with his experience.

Unless you plan on doing a proper lift up front to match the rear (i.e. not a spacer) then these would definitely be the better option.

Otherwise OME dakars would be great for your rear, but then would need something up front to match. It's pretty easy to go down the rabbit hole.

 

From reading through all these threads over the past month, it seems that a spacer lift isn't a problem unless you plan to do serious off roading. Is this not true? They seem to be very popular. Would I like a $1200-$3500 lift? Sure! Do I need one? It seems that many don't think so.

 

Many? Many want to do things on the cheap, which is ok its their money but just adding length to a coil over is not the best way to make your truck as close to the factory specs. If all you are concerned with is leveling your vehicle then I think spacers are acceptable but if you want to use them to lift, make room for future upgrades or larger tire then they may create problems later on. If the spacer cause wear issues you are back to replacing the coil overs and other wear items anyway! Just my two cents, I personally like doing upgrades the correct way and not spend money to fix the problems that weren't done the right way the first time. Yes it does cost more up front!

 

I'm not argueing that's it's great or better than more expensive kits. Quite the opposite. It will make the truck less capable off road. I know that. But for someone who has no plans of going any larger than maybe one tire size (which works with no lift, right?) and no plans for serious off roading other than soft sand, do you really think it's cost effective to spend more on another system for 2 inches in the front? If we are talking about premature wear on ball joints, driveline, etc then that is another story. If there are any issues with these please set me straight.

 

Pre-mature wear on the shock itself with a top spacer. Harsher ride on spring compressing spacer and quicker wear on the coil itself. If you are not going off road and want a little lift for slightly larger tires, consider new coil springs(without new shocks) that will lift the front end about an a inch maybe 1.5inches.

 

Randy is correct, i run a proper lift in the back in addition to airbags.

all pro leafs are what im sitting on, have had the airbags for 5 years and wheeled the piss out of them. You have to air them down when you wheel to get the full articulation but for long drives i leave about 3-5 psi in them. When i have a loaded bed with tent and fridge i give them a few pumps to counter the weight. They are nice and i believe help take off strain on the leads under load.

 

I was like you who didn't want to spend a lot in terms of lifting my 4x4 DCSB OR MT6 to fit 265/70/17 - 17x9-12mm set up. I don't do any wheeling except in some sand at the beach so it took me awhile to decide what to do. I loved the stock ride on mines and wanted something close in comfort. I went with the ToyTec Boss 2.0 ( Diff drop-Sway bar relocate- rear shocks ) with MotoFab 2" blocks in the rear and have not looked back because of the great ride it kept. I thought of going with the Pucks but after careful research they were no longer an option for me. I saved for a few months and got what I consider the best that works for Me. $.02

 

You are making it harder for me to choose Bilstein or OME. I ama bout to pull the trigger on the 6112/5162 kit...... How do you like the OME? looks like to do some serious off-roading

 

i run the ome due to it handling the heavy weight up front, if you expect to be carrying alot of weight it will be a better fit. I had icons before and it did not fare well even after it was cranked beyond its limits. I run the extended bilstein b110s in the back because its the one that will give me the full droop from the leafs without relocated and 12"

 

Just pulled the trigger on an ICON Stage 3 kit. This is going to be the first truck I've ever lifted. I have a chubby over it. I can't wait to get it installed and then put some bigger wheels / tires on it cause I'm gonna rock crawl all of the speed bumps down at the mall and pull major chicks.

But first, I've gotta get my front bumper fixed because some grundle licker crashed into my whip while it was parked at my dumb job and then took off! I'd post some pics of the damage but apparently, it requires a high school diploma to figure out how to do so on this forum. hahaha

 

Show the damage!!

 

Testing one two.

 

Sad day. Only 5,000 miles.