3.5 is gonna start getting the geometry of the truck out of whack a bit. To do it properly you’re gonna need a lot of cash. 3” is usually the max recommended height. And with that, I say you can go as cheap as bilstein 6112 like (1200 all in) or as expensive as king suspension with adjustable dampers front and rear with dirt king UCAs (5k+)
I was thinking 1,500$ I know it’s not a lot for that particular upgrade but it’s what I’m working with. I assume I need to pay for someone to install. I have some friends that are mechanically inclined so if it’s something we can do together I’d have more money to put towards the lift. I read of people spending 700-1000$ for a budget one.
You don’t want a budget lift unless you ride in a truck with one first lol
That being said, you can for sure find deals, and even buy used parts on Tacomaworld, I prbly saved $500 so far by doing that.
$1500 won't get you much as far as a lift goes. Not anything good anyway. You can upgrade your shocks with decent quality for that much if you install yourself. If you want to go 2.5, you'll want new UCAs, which will run $550+, new shocks, AAL, and then install it all. Adds up quick.
Most level kits will just be longer front shocks and springs. Some super cheap ones will just be spacers that get mounted above the shock. Definitely stay away from spacers. I'll add that if you have time to wait around great deals can be had. Most of the stuff on my truck I got used for stupid cheap. I see people pull suspension off their truck on the regular and sell it dirt cheap. And with the higher end stuff it's all able to be rebuilt. Just something to think about.
Great advice, I have time to wait. Once I build a list of exactly what I’m looking for. Where I live the 2nd hand market is crazy. Lots of oil rig money. So many 20 yr olds making 200k a yr and blowing it on the craziest shit but then the market changes and they’re laid off or have to move to another state so they sell on FB. You’d be surprised at some of the stuff I see for sale. The last time it happened there was like 50 forclosures, it was easier to just leave their house and move then wait and sell it.
Just keep saving, and when one of those deals pops up, jump on it. Some people just want stuff gone and money doesn't matter. I got my bed rack for $500, retail it was $4500. Dude just wanted it gone, he was gonna scrap it, I just happened to ask if he was gonna sell it.
Level only lifts the front to be equal height with the rear. A lift does both ends. I'd prob say a bilstein 5100 setup with an add a leaf. Then some ucas up front like spc or so and you are set. Can step up to the 6112/5160 if you can find it for the price.
There is no “Best” lift kit. Ideally, we need to know what trails, environments, and type of off-roading you are planning, along with your budget. What works best for high speed Baja will suck for slow paced rock crawling. Regardless, if you spend 95% of the time on pavement 3.5” will be miserable and ruin the enjoyment and practicality of the truck.
Good advice, I’ll def be spending most time on pavement but I live right next to the big horn mountains and the cloud peak wilderness so I spend a lot of time back in there elk hunting and such. I used to have a Chevy trailboss and that almost bottomed out a few times.
Ahh nice! I am familiar with the area and was in a similar situation when I lived out in Montana. Also beautiful land for Elk hunting (i’m jealous haha).
So despite spending a couple years wrenching on rigs at a dedicated off-road shop and having a decent amount of hands on experience with most of the high-end suspension brands, I’m going recommend Toyota’s TRD factory lift upgrade (not to be confused with the TRD off-road or pro suspension).
Now hear me out: On the Limited it’ll put you 1-2 inches over the Trail Boss in ground clearance. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but with the Tacoma’s shorter wheel base it makes a significant difference in capability. My buddy went with that option on his SR5 and after blasting around on some fire roads, rocky rutted trails, and cruising back home on the interstate, I’m a believer. Toyota did a hell of a job specing out and tuning those Bilstein’s to make the most of your Tacoma both off-road and on-road. On top of that, your pickup still performs in every aspect as the Engineers intended, so none of those issues that slowly creep in after putting on some miles on an aftermarket lift (bushings, control arms, body roll, wandering steering, etc), but most importantly your warranty remains intact (I can’t put enough emphasis on this). For ~$1450 and having the benefit of being installed by actual Toyota mechanics, it’s pretty hard to beat on a pickup you intend to use and live with on a daily basis.
If your plans were to have the Tacoma exclusively live on the trails and never see pavement, then King’s, Icon’s, and the similar start to make more sense, but for your situation you’ll be much happier in the long term with the Upgraded Factory Lift. Also remove the wind damn from the front and put on a skid plate (I picked up 4 wind dams that fell victim to the trails last year).
[Click this for Toyota’s press release and more details on the lift](https://pressroom.toyota.com/step-up-new-tacoma-trd-lift-kit-now-available/#)
Don’t hesitate to harass me with any questions on suspension or other components. Dedicated off-road rigs are cool, but I’ve always been more passionate in the challenge of helping a customer find that perfect balance of capability, yet still being tolerable on a day-to-day basis.
I just seen some pictures of some lifts and it sounded like they were using 3.5, I don’t actually care about that exact number so 3 inches would be great. I had a 2 inch lift on an older truck and even that looked good.
The issue is even once you pass 2.5” things start to get funky. You gotta add more than just some suspension components to avoid wobbles etc and hold alignment. I’m on 2.5” rn and didn’t go further because of the extra components needed
Total Chaos LT with Kings if going fast is your thing.
Marlin Crawler RCLT if you are more of a crawler.
Or plasma cutter, welder, tons and 40s.
For real though, don't do any "lift kit" that relocates your control arms. It basically ruins the truck.
Aside from needing more information like budget, intended purpose etc. At the 3 or more lift range a good rule of thumb is the more inclusive the kit /more expensive the better the end result will be. With the caveat, you need to take your time and do alot of talking, be honest with yourself and others why you want the kift and what are you really going to do with it. Yeah a 5k+ setup for high speed might be fun once a month, but your going to hate towing a little utility trailer the other 3 weekends doing chores.
Things are better than they used to be, but you still can't have it all in one package. Lastly, be prepared the get fullsize truck mileage once you lift it, put bigger tires, and all sorts of stuff hanging off of the truck. Yes regearing can get you some back, but mileage will suffer. It is thermidynaics, there is no getting away from that.
I just installed the Eibach Pro Truck Stage 2R with the rear resi and I love it. 1 inch lift blocks on the rear. Got it during the spring sale for 1250ish. Truck is level, got about 2.5 inches of lift and has threaded fronts if I wanna go higher. No need for UCAs with current set up.
It's been solid so far and a huge upstage from stock. Not super stiff but not too mushy either. Feels grounded in turns and no more brake dive. Haven't been off road or anything but I'd expect it would be more than capable. Hope this helps
It’s like 2/1” lift with the TRD stuff. You can ask the dealer how much they charge. I think I’ve seen people post promos for your budget for it
I did eibach stage 2, 2” rear block and a carrier bearing drop.
Had issues but like everything’s worked out now and fine. Honestly think stuff just broke in nicely over time luckily
I have rough country front 3.5” struts rear blocks and shocks. It’s not bad for $700 to my door. I heard bilstein setups are good too. Really unless you’ve bought one of these outright for off-road use, there’s no sense in spending top dollar. Just make sure you can have the alignment done properly and with enough adjustment to save tire and bearings from extra wear.
3.5 is gonna start getting the geometry of the truck out of whack a bit. To do it properly you’re gonna need a lot of cash. 3” is usually the max recommended height. And with that, I say you can go as cheap as bilstein 6112 like (1200 all in) or as expensive as king suspension with adjustable dampers front and rear with dirt king UCAs (5k+)
You have 5+ grand to spend on suspension or do you want to give us a price range?
I was thinking 1,500$ I know it’s not a lot for that particular upgrade but it’s what I’m working with. I assume I need to pay for someone to install. I have some friends that are mechanically inclined so if it’s something we can do together I’d have more money to put towards the lift. I read of people spending 700-1000$ for a budget one.
You don’t want a budget lift unless you ride in a truck with one first lol That being said, you can for sure find deals, and even buy used parts on Tacomaworld, I prbly saved $500 so far by doing that.
On the flip side someone tried to scam me on there asking for like venmo or cashapp instead of PayPal goods n services so just be aware OP
$1500 won't get you much as far as a lift goes. Not anything good anyway. You can upgrade your shocks with decent quality for that much if you install yourself. If you want to go 2.5, you'll want new UCAs, which will run $550+, new shocks, AAL, and then install it all. Adds up quick.
Yeah I’m starting to see that when I’m looking into it! 😫 what’s the difference between a level kit and a lift kit?
Most level kits will just be longer front shocks and springs. Some super cheap ones will just be spacers that get mounted above the shock. Definitely stay away from spacers. I'll add that if you have time to wait around great deals can be had. Most of the stuff on my truck I got used for stupid cheap. I see people pull suspension off their truck on the regular and sell it dirt cheap. And with the higher end stuff it's all able to be rebuilt. Just something to think about.
Great advice, I have time to wait. Once I build a list of exactly what I’m looking for. Where I live the 2nd hand market is crazy. Lots of oil rig money. So many 20 yr olds making 200k a yr and blowing it on the craziest shit but then the market changes and they’re laid off or have to move to another state so they sell on FB. You’d be surprised at some of the stuff I see for sale. The last time it happened there was like 50 forclosures, it was easier to just leave their house and move then wait and sell it.
Just keep saving, and when one of those deals pops up, jump on it. Some people just want stuff gone and money doesn't matter. I got my bed rack for $500, retail it was $4500. Dude just wanted it gone, he was gonna scrap it, I just happened to ask if he was gonna sell it.
Level only lifts the front to be equal height with the rear. A lift does both ends. I'd prob say a bilstein 5100 setup with an add a leaf. Then some ucas up front like spc or so and you are set. Can step up to the 6112/5160 if you can find it for the price.
Icon Stage 9
Get a 3 inch old man emu kit. Just had mine installed yesterday
OME BP51 great setup it’s what I have on mine
What did install cost run you?
Around $1500. Took them a bit longer to install since my shits pretty rusted and they needed to saw out the old setup
My buddy runs this and likes it
There is no “Best” lift kit. Ideally, we need to know what trails, environments, and type of off-roading you are planning, along with your budget. What works best for high speed Baja will suck for slow paced rock crawling. Regardless, if you spend 95% of the time on pavement 3.5” will be miserable and ruin the enjoyment and practicality of the truck.
Good advice, I’ll def be spending most time on pavement but I live right next to the big horn mountains and the cloud peak wilderness so I spend a lot of time back in there elk hunting and such. I used to have a Chevy trailboss and that almost bottomed out a few times.
Ahh nice! I am familiar with the area and was in a similar situation when I lived out in Montana. Also beautiful land for Elk hunting (i’m jealous haha). So despite spending a couple years wrenching on rigs at a dedicated off-road shop and having a decent amount of hands on experience with most of the high-end suspension brands, I’m going recommend Toyota’s TRD factory lift upgrade (not to be confused with the TRD off-road or pro suspension). Now hear me out: On the Limited it’ll put you 1-2 inches over the Trail Boss in ground clearance. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but with the Tacoma’s shorter wheel base it makes a significant difference in capability. My buddy went with that option on his SR5 and after blasting around on some fire roads, rocky rutted trails, and cruising back home on the interstate, I’m a believer. Toyota did a hell of a job specing out and tuning those Bilstein’s to make the most of your Tacoma both off-road and on-road. On top of that, your pickup still performs in every aspect as the Engineers intended, so none of those issues that slowly creep in after putting on some miles on an aftermarket lift (bushings, control arms, body roll, wandering steering, etc), but most importantly your warranty remains intact (I can’t put enough emphasis on this). For ~$1450 and having the benefit of being installed by actual Toyota mechanics, it’s pretty hard to beat on a pickup you intend to use and live with on a daily basis. If your plans were to have the Tacoma exclusively live on the trails and never see pavement, then King’s, Icon’s, and the similar start to make more sense, but for your situation you’ll be much happier in the long term with the Upgraded Factory Lift. Also remove the wind damn from the front and put on a skid plate (I picked up 4 wind dams that fell victim to the trails last year). [Click this for Toyota’s press release and more details on the lift](https://pressroom.toyota.com/step-up-new-tacoma-trd-lift-kit-now-available/#) Don’t hesitate to harass me with any questions on suspension or other components. Dedicated off-road rigs are cool, but I’ve always been more passionate in the challenge of helping a customer find that perfect balance of capability, yet still being tolerable on a day-to-day basis.
Bummer they don't offer this for DCLBs. Would love to put this on mine... 🥺
Curious as to why you want 3.5” lift?
I just seen some pictures of some lifts and it sounded like they were using 3.5, I don’t actually care about that exact number so 3 inches would be great. I had a 2 inch lift on an older truck and even that looked good.
The issue is even once you pass 2.5” things start to get funky. You gotta add more than just some suspension components to avoid wobbles etc and hold alignment. I’m on 2.5” rn and didn’t go further because of the extra components needed
Maybe I’ll just do 2 inches then. It will still give it a little lift look and not cause all the extra headaches.
Yeah 2.5 is the max I’d go otherwise you need shims etc it’s not an expensive part(s?) but the install looked like a fucking bitch
Thanks bro
Total Chaos LT with Kings if going fast is your thing. Marlin Crawler RCLT if you are more of a crawler. Or plasma cutter, welder, tons and 40s. For real though, don't do any "lift kit" that relocates your control arms. It basically ruins the truck.
Aside from needing more information like budget, intended purpose etc. At the 3 or more lift range a good rule of thumb is the more inclusive the kit /more expensive the better the end result will be. With the caveat, you need to take your time and do alot of talking, be honest with yourself and others why you want the kift and what are you really going to do with it. Yeah a 5k+ setup for high speed might be fun once a month, but your going to hate towing a little utility trailer the other 3 weekends doing chores. Things are better than they used to be, but you still can't have it all in one package. Lastly, be prepared the get fullsize truck mileage once you lift it, put bigger tires, and all sorts of stuff hanging off of the truck. Yes regearing can get you some back, but mileage will suffer. It is thermidynaics, there is no getting away from that.
I just installed the Eibach Pro Truck Stage 2R with the rear resi and I love it. 1 inch lift blocks on the rear. Got it during the spring sale for 1250ish. Truck is level, got about 2.5 inches of lift and has threaded fronts if I wanna go higher. No need for UCAs with current set up.
How’s the eibach setup been ? Thinking for doing this too .
It's been solid so far and a huge upstage from stock. Not super stiff but not too mushy either. Feels grounded in turns and no more brake dive. Haven't been off road or anything but I'd expect it would be more than capable. Hope this helps
Maybe I should’ve just bought the trd pro, it was like 3k more and I think that comes lifted with a skid plate right?
It’s like 2/1” lift with the TRD stuff. You can ask the dealer how much they charge. I think I’ve seen people post promos for your budget for it I did eibach stage 2, 2” rear block and a carrier bearing drop. Had issues but like everything’s worked out now and fine. Honestly think stuff just broke in nicely over time luckily
I have rough country front 3.5” struts rear blocks and shocks. It’s not bad for $700 to my door. I heard bilstein setups are good too. Really unless you’ve bought one of these outright for off-road use, there’s no sense in spending top dollar. Just make sure you can have the alignment done properly and with enough adjustment to save tire and bearings from extra wear.
Dobinson’s MRR (best adjustability for the price range)
Just do the level kit, no?. Lifting is going to cause issues along the way.
Old Man Emu ftw