Why not a higher lift on your rear end?

Hello All,

I'm new here. I want a Tacoma but can't afford one until we pay off wife's SUV (still reminds that I want to ask everyone here how can they buy trucks plus all these upgrades, doesn't look cheap).

To my actual question, how come I don't see many (actually non on the road or this forum......yet) Tacoma owners lifting their rear end higher than their front? I've seen a few non-Tacoma trucks with rear end that's 1-2" higher, which doesn't look too bad.

Is there a big disadvantage to this, not attractive? What's your reason?

Thanks.

 

Aesthetics mostly, if it looks like that its probably over sprung, also limited shock options for tall rear lift.

 

Rake is not desirable aesthetically if you aren't regularly towing or loading the bed up. I lifted my rear 2" and my front about 2.25" with extended travel shocks front and rear. Still has an inch of rake (measuring from ground to bottom of highest point on the bottom of the fenders) but more balanced look than stock.

 

I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you asking why people don’t leave the factory rake when they lift their trucks or are you asking why people don’t increase the rake above factory when they lift their trucks?

The former is common. The latter is not.

I lifted my front and rear about 2” and the rear rides about 1” higher than the front.

 

Neither of the two. More like why not lift the rear higher than the front? Usually I see kits and people lifting the front higher than the rear or trying to level it. Like the Eibach Pro-Truck Lift Stage 1, this kits lifts the front by 2" and the rears up to 1".

So in your case, you lifted front & rear 2" (the same height) but the rear rides about 1" higher. Does that mean when Tacoma comes from factory, the rear sits 1" higher than the fronts? Maybe this is something I never knew about, so people lifting the front an inch higher makes it leveled?

 

Yes from the factory the rear is about 1” higher than front. Many people don’t like how that looks, so they “level” the truck. I’m a function over form sort of guy, so I lifted both the same.

 

Losing function of my bed is unacceptable.

You lift the rear only to maintain rake in my world.

 

Well ya, it’s a pickup truck, yes?

 

I take the leveling as a west coast desert racing thing, that then kind of influences/infects beyond the SW where it doesn't really make any sense, especially if you are using your truck as a truck. The whole social media thing furthers the madness, like it does for everything else.

In my opinion, I think 1.5 inches of rake is about perfect as far as aesthetics go, if you want your truck to be a truck. 2 inches starts to look a bit beetle-ish though for a mid-size.

 

It’s basically a preference, however, sitting level to nose high comes from desert trucks, and realistically started with the older desert trucks and stadium tucks which sat nose high and often had shock hoops that went through the hood or fenders.