Lifting a Tacoma
02-03-2003, 05:30 PM
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Lifting a Tacoma
What would be the best way to lift a Tacoma about 1.5" in the front and 1" in the rear?
What would some of the drawbacks be with that small of a lift?
Thanks!
What would some of the drawbacks be with that small of a lift?
Thanks!
Last edited by Dashunde; 02-03-2003 at 05:44 PM.
02-03-2003, 05:43 PM
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what tacoma are we talking about?
It depends on what tacoma were talking about. There are a few important factors. Obviously, the year is important, as supsension systems change between different years and generations of a vehicle. Also, is it 2wd or 4? If 2wd, is it a 6-lug or 5-lug? Also, what engine do you have, and is the cab regular, extended, or double?
Tell us what truck we are starting with, then we can make some recommendations.
Tell us what truck we are starting with, then we can make some recommendations.
02-03-2003, 06:45 PM
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for that small of a lift get some OME 881 front coil springs can be found numerous places on the net, check www.ultimate-offroad.com and an add a leaf for the rear. im not sure on which one to get as there is all different kinds, i run a 2.5" procomp AAL on my truck. everyone seems to like the full length downey add a leafs.
02-03-2003, 07:57 PM
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Spacers or new coils for the front, coilovers if you have the $$$.
In the rear, you can with a mild AAL, a shackle or even a block. I would say stay away from the block, even one that small.
An inch or two is enough to set you off from the stockers, but not enough to really go up in tire size. For about the same cost, you could go up 2.5" and be able to run 32's with ease...
Since Tacoma's all have the same suspensions, other than the '95.5's, that is not really a factor.
What are you going to use it for?
Nags -
For a spacer lift you are looking at;
2" full kit Part # Taco-2" kit Uses 2" front lift spacers with Fabtech rear aal, new longer rear shocks, and the BPV bracket. Leaves the truck level. $275 + shipping ($25 east coast/$40 west coast)
But you may be able to get some of the parts like the shocks and AAL's a bit cheaper by shopping around...
In the rear, you can with a mild AAL, a shackle or even a block. I would say stay away from the block, even one that small.
An inch or two is enough to set you off from the stockers, but not enough to really go up in tire size. For about the same cost, you could go up 2.5" and be able to run 32's with ease...
Since Tacoma's all have the same suspensions, other than the '95.5's, that is not really a factor.
What are you going to use it for?
Nags -
For a spacer lift you are looking at;
2" full kit Part # Taco-2" kit Uses 2" front lift spacers with Fabtech rear aal, new longer rear shocks, and the BPV bracket. Leaves the truck level. $275 + shipping ($25 east coast/$40 west coast)
But you may be able to get some of the parts like the shocks and AAL's a bit cheaper by shopping around...
02-03-2003, 08:13 PM
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Originally posted by WATRD
Spacers or new coils for the front, coilovers if you have the $$$.
In the rear, you can with a mild AAL, a shackle or even a block. I would say stay away from the block, even one that small.
An inch or two is enough to set you off from the stockers, but not enough to really go up in tire size. For about the same cost, you could go up 2.5" and be able to run 32's with ease...
Since Tacoma's all have the same suspensions, other than the '95.5's, that is not really a factor.
What are you going to use it for?
Nags -
For a spacer lift you are looking at;
2" full kit Part # Taco-2" kit Uses 2" front lift spacers with Fabtech rear aal, new longer rear shocks, and the BPV bracket. Leaves the truck level. $275 + shipping ($25 east coast/$40 west coast)
But you may be able to get some of the parts like the shocks and AAL's a bit cheaper by shopping around...
Spacers or new coils for the front, coilovers if you have the $$$.
In the rear, you can with a mild AAL, a shackle or even a block. I would say stay away from the block, even one that small.
An inch or two is enough to set you off from the stockers, but not enough to really go up in tire size. For about the same cost, you could go up 2.5" and be able to run 32's with ease...
Since Tacoma's all have the same suspensions, other than the '95.5's, that is not really a factor.
What are you going to use it for?
Nags -
For a spacer lift you are looking at;
2" full kit Part # Taco-2" kit Uses 2" front lift spacers with Fabtech rear aal, new longer rear shocks, and the BPV bracket. Leaves the truck level. $275 + shipping ($25 east coast/$40 west coast)
But you may be able to get some of the parts like the shocks and AAL's a bit cheaper by shopping around...
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02-04-2003, 02:51 AM
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I'm not really going to "use" it for anything, and I dont plan on any tire size changes.
On my level garage floor, measured from the floor through the center cap up to the bottom of the TRD fender flair...
The stock front end is 35.5" and the rear is 36.75" so the truck sits a bit nose-low. I dont like its current "stance".
On my level garage floor, measured from the floor through the center cap up to the bottom of the TRD fender flair...
The stock front end is 35.5" and the rear is 36.75" so the truck sits a bit nose-low. I dont like its current "stance".
02-04-2003, 06:42 PM
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Originally posted by Dashunde
I'm not really going to "use" it for anything, and I dont plan on any tire size changes.
On my level garage floor, measured from the floor through the center cap up to the bottom of the TRD fender flair...
The stock front end is 35.5" and the rear is 36.75" so the truck sits a bit nose-low. I dont like its current "stance".
I'm not really going to "use" it for anything, and I dont plan on any tire size changes.
On my level garage floor, measured from the floor through the center cap up to the bottom of the TRD fender flair...
The stock front end is 35.5" and the rear is 36.75" so the truck sits a bit nose-low. I dont like its current "stance".
02-04-2003, 09:03 PM
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I didn't like the sagging front end look on mine either. If you go with add-a-leafs in the rear, it will also prevent your truck from sagging too much in the back with a heavy load. Keep in mind with add-a-leafs, changing shocks is a must to keep shocks from over stretching or bottoming out, but also consider getting stronger shocks. I say this because I got a Fab-tech lift and the add-a-leafs came with "Fab-Tech" shocks. I found out later from a friend that owns an off-road shop that the shocks are really just monroe's with the fab-tech name on them. I have rancho's, and they suit me fine, though most people here will recommend bilstein's, atleast that as been my impression here. Just remember, some comes that make lift kits for trucks, may sell you shocks as well, but they might not be worth getting in a package deal. You might want to consider buying shocks separately from a company that specializes in shocks only.
02-05-2003, 02:10 PM
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Thanks for the info guys... I'm probably going to put a Cornfed spacer in the front for now. I'll wait until the original tires are slick and then I might go with coil-overs and a 2-3" lift all the way around...
02-05-2003, 09:39 PM
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Yep, it's almost not worth going for a lift smaller than 3" since that extra inch is not that much more. Plus, it's the same amount of work.
If you have never done a spacer lift before, it seems pretty daunting. But after the first one, you will never pay someone to do it again... Rather than have a shop take advantage of you, I would suggest you hook up with one of us who have done a few of them and cut your costs down to the traditonal "beer and pizza"
Gene, AKA "Dread" who you see around these parts has got it down to a science now and I watched him take his front suspension apart, upgrade it and put it all back together, by himself in the driveway of the shop where I was working on my rig All this took him just a couple hours
If you have never done a spacer lift before, it seems pretty daunting. But after the first one, you will never pay someone to do it again... Rather than have a shop take advantage of you, I would suggest you hook up with one of us who have done a few of them and cut your costs down to the traditonal "beer and pizza"
Gene, AKA "Dread" who you see around these parts has got it down to a science now and I watched him take his front suspension apart, upgrade it and put it all back together, by himself in the driveway of the shop where I was working on my rig
All this took him just a couple hours
02-05-2003, 09:44 PM
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Originally posted by WATRD
Yep, it's almost not worth going for a lift smaller than 3" since that extra inch is not that much more. Plus, it's the same amount of work.
If you have never done a spacer lift before, it seems pretty daunting. But after the first one, you will never pay someone to do it again... Rather than have a shop take advantage of you, I would suggest you hook up with one of us who have done a few of them and cut your costs down to the traditonal "beer and pizza"
Gene, AKA "Dread" who you see around these parts has got it down to a science now and I watched him take his front suspension apart, upgrade it and put it all back together, by himself in the driveway of the shop where I was working on my rig All this took him just a couple hours
Yep, it's almost not worth going for a lift smaller than 3" since that extra inch is not that much more. Plus, it's the same amount of work.
If you have never done a spacer lift before, it seems pretty daunting. But after the first one, you will never pay someone to do it again... Rather than have a shop take advantage of you, I would suggest you hook up with one of us who have done a few of them and cut your costs down to the traditonal "beer and pizza"
Gene, AKA "Dread" who you see around these parts has got it down to a science now and I watched him take his front suspension apart, upgrade it and put it all back together, by himself in the driveway of the shop where I was working on my rig
All this took him just a couple hours
02-05-2003, 10:09 PM
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hahhah Well, you will get no sympathy from me there... try loading anything with nine full inches of lift plus bigger tires 
heheh ...and I am making preparations this weekend to make one more step up But back to the business at hand...
To achieve 3", your options are pretty much the same as when you go 2". From about $750 for coilovers, AAL's and new rear shocks down to a used spacer lift from somebody else, a used AAL and used rear shocks for ~$100 or so.
In the middle, Cornfed shows the following prices;
2.5" size Part # 2S-Taco-2.5" $145 + shipping/handling
3" size Part # 2S-Taco-3" $150 + shipping/handling
You can pick up a 2.5" AAL for $50 or so and rear shocks are about $75 each for good ones or $40 each for cheapo's.
Cornfed also shows a complete kit, but I hear the shocks are nothing to write home about.
3" full kit Part # Taco-3" kit Use Procomp EXP-13120 rear aal, new longer rear shocks, and the BPV bracket. Leaves truck level.
One final thing to remember is that it's not a bad idea to drop your front diff an inch if your are going up to 2.5 or 3" of front lift. The kit for that is about $30 if you even have to buy it. Some places include it with the spacers. Dropping your diff does wonders for CV angles and keeps them much healthier. I recommend the drop for 2.5" and STRONGLY recommend it for the full 3".
If you shop around you can often find both Revtek and Cornfed kits used from folks who are "trading up". I sold my Revtek to a guy for $50 when I got tired of using the pucks as paperweights
heheh ...and I am making preparations this weekend to make one more step up But back to the business at hand...To achieve 3", your options are pretty much the same as when you go 2". From about $750 for coilovers, AAL's and new rear shocks down to a used spacer lift from somebody else, a used AAL and used rear shocks for ~$100 or so.
In the middle, Cornfed shows the following prices;
2.5" size Part # 2S-Taco-2.5" $145 + shipping/handling
3" size Part # 2S-Taco-3" $150 + shipping/handling
You can pick up a 2.5" AAL for $50 or so and rear shocks are about $75 each for good ones or $40 each for cheapo's.
Cornfed also shows a complete kit, but I hear the shocks are nothing to write home about.
3" full kit Part # Taco-3" kit Use Procomp EXP-13120 rear aal, new longer rear shocks, and the BPV bracket. Leaves truck level.
One final thing to remember is that it's not a bad idea to drop your front diff an inch if your are going up to 2.5 or 3" of front lift. The kit for that is about $30 if you even have to buy it. Some places include it with the spacers. Dropping your diff does wonders for CV angles and keeps them much healthier. I recommend the drop for 2.5" and STRONGLY recommend it for the full 3".
If you shop around you can often find both Revtek and Cornfed kits used from folks who are "trading up". I sold my Revtek to a guy for $50 when I got tired of using the pucks as paperweights
02-06-2003, 03:09 PM
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I got to thinkin'
Does anyone have a used set of 1" or 1.5" Cornfed front spacers that would fit an '03 TRD Taco?
If so, I'd be interested in buying them.
If so, I'd be interested in buying them.
02-06-2003, 03:17 PM
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Re: I got to thinkin'
Originally posted by Dashunde
Does anyone have a used set of 1" or 1.5" Cornfed front spacers that would fit an '03 TRD Taco?
If so, I'd be interested in buying them.
Does anyone have a used set of 1" or 1.5" Cornfed front spacers that would fit an '03 TRD Taco?
If so, I'd be interested in buying them.
