ssbogger

I'm sure there has been a topic on what lifts would allow a person to fit 35's or 315's on a tacoma before but they have since been lost in the archives and i cant find them with a search.

Well I've been out of the Toyota game for about 8 months now (sold the 4runner and bought a Subaru) but im ready to get back in it.

Im not a car person and I have decided to buy my dads tacoma. I knew alot about the different lifts for the 4runner but I dont know much about the tacomas. Is there a pretty safe way to run 35's on a 2002 tacoma or are the truck like the 4runners where 305's are probably as big as you should go.

I would be willing to do some trimming but i dont want to whack off my fenders and I would rather not rub unless at full stuff.

Before someone comments on it, I know the steering and drivetrain weren't meant to handle tires this large.

Thanks alot!
Sam

rocket

iTrader: (1)

Well heres a start www.watrd.com

Intrepid

From everything I have ever heard, running 35's with IFS is just going to wear all your front end components quicker and if you aren't careful you will be breaking CV's. That being said, I have seen people fit them with at least a 3" suspension lift, 3" body lift, properly backspaced rims, and some trimming. Of course, a larger drop bracket lift with a body lift will work better and put less stress on your CV's.

i_love_tacos

check this out. click*click this sucker has 35's (i think. thats what it said in the magazine)

Stump1883

Sam, glad to see your back in the game, hopefully your dad's Taco has the e-locker? I've seen tons of Tacomas on 35s, there seems to be more lifts made to fit 35s than any for a 3rd gen Runner. Most incorporate a sub frame front end and blocks out back, but that is prolly the safest way to do it. Witha subframe it'll keep the geometry as close to stock as possible, but the wear on the CVs will still be there just from the size and weight of 35s. Post up on TTORA, I'm sure you'll get a million responses there.

Get us some pics.

99_Runner

You could do the FabTech 6" lift. Probably one of the best lifts out there for the Tacoma. This would also help keep wear down on your CV's.

FilthyRich

my questions is, what is the difference (articulation and ground clearance) between the Fabtech lift and say the Tundra/ OME setup?? GRanted you will need a BL. I know Calrockx is about to mount some 315s and BruceTS has some as well.

I also know the Fabtech lift isn't cheap, especially compared with the Tundra setup. Just thought I would throw it out there

calrockx

yeah, i'm gonna be getting some 35s for my next tires. i've only got 2.5" suspension lift and 1.5" body lift, so that means the rest of the clearance is gonna come from trimming. there are a couple threads on here about the kind of trimming required for 35s - it can be a lot.

Intrepid

For your own sake, search before you ask. It causes rabid descent into blind rage over there any time someone posts a "I want to run __ on my taco what lift do I need to do it" thread.

justinh

i also believe that the fender well opening in the tacomas is slightly smaller than 4runners. for some reason the 3rd gen 4runners seem to be able to get away with a slightly larger tire with the same lift as a tacoma. just something i noticed between here and ttora.

WATRD

I will mention it anyway, just to get it out of the way... you are going to need a good budget for replacing steering and suspension components on a regular basis if you are going to run 35's on IFS.

Okay now that is out of the way, you have two options to get 35's under a Tacoma, lots of lift or lots of trimming. Some combination of the two is most likely. I found that with 8" of suspension lift and 35's on 15x8 wheels with 3.75 BS, the rubbing was pretty minimal and could be mostly eliminated by some significant trimming at the back of the wheel well. Any less lift and you are going to need more trimming. Any more and you will probably need less.

You are looking at a significant monetary expenditure to get to the 8" of lift point without using a cheesy 3" body lift, then there's the wheels and tires and don't forget to regear... 35's on stock gears will not be any fun at all.

ssbogger

I've been looking into the 6" trailmaster. I dont want to run a body lift, atleast not more than 2". If I got a trailmaster is there a way to get an extra 1" out of it once its on?
I know about the cv's from one of my previous trucks with 38's on it. I went to Autozone and bought their cv's with warrantys on them. Anytime one breaks you just go and get another for free. Worked out pretty good. What other front end components will be compromised?

I wont be wheeling the truck too much and deffinatly not hard enough to need sliders or any kind of armor.
Could i deal with the 6-7" without major rubbing on the road? It would probably just be at full lock right?

I'll have about 3k to spend on it. I'm hoping to get the lift off ebay or somewhere for around 1k and I can do tires and wheels for about another 1K. This will leave me some money to regear.

What about the differentials in the tacomas? Are they strong enough to handle 35's or do some people buy stonger rear ends?

Is the trailmaster lift permenant or could there be some used ones out there?

WATRD

Yes, you can stack coilovers on the TM for up to an extra 3". Look at the history section of my site.

The steering rack is the part that fails most commonly, but ball joints are also potential victims. Also, power steering pumps, bushings and bearings.

With 6-7" you are going to have major rubbing under even the slightest compression unless you trim the crap out of the wheel wells. That means even during street use. 6" is a better match for a 33" tire on the Tacoma.

The diffs are fine, except for the required regear I mentioned above.

The Trailmaster install requires that you cut out a crossmember and replace it with a new one. The lift is permanent in that you are not likely going back to stock after you install, but not "permanent" in that many of us cut them off and sell them during the SAS process. Used ones are out there, but inspect them well.

Also, look into the failing TM second strut issue, the TM inversion as well as the reinforcement that needs to be done to beef up the TM if you are going to use it.

But, that leads me to a question... Why? Why do you want to do this? Fitting 35's is a lot of cash and work, not to mention that you are significantly reducing the reliability factor of the truck, all for a truck that you say you are not even going to wheel. Just wondering...

ssbogger

Thanks for all the info and help WATRD.



The answer to this is pretty simple for me. I have always like riding high. As I mentioned before i had 38s on a previous truck and loved it. It was a little high and a little impractical but I didnt care about that when i was driving it.

I really just love the look of bigger tires. I could stick with 33's and save alot of time and money but I know for sure I would want bigger tires after a few months. I was in the process of moving to 35's on the 4runner before i sold it.
I guess I have always been the type of person to want something that not many people have. Where i live there are quite a few tacomas running 33's and I want something different and bigger.
It's all personal preferance and I dont want to be stuck in a year wanting a bigger lift and 35's when i could have done what i wanted the first time.

Again thanks for all the help!
--Sam

WATRD

You are welcome.

That's cool. It's your truck and your money, I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into. 35's on a Tacoma is not a simple, "bolt-on" exercise.

Silver_Truck

I think 3k could get you a lower end SAS (no lockers, junkyard parts etc.) and you'll be able to run 35s...check robs site WATRD.COM he has 35s with sa and check on ttora they'll have a ton of info along with some bs tho

93toy

Man, come down to Asheville and you can check mine out! 8 inches of lift (6 inch Trailmaster, 2 in RB body) on 35's.







Really, if you want PM me we can hook up sometime and you can check it out. I built the truck you're describing!

I'm gonna take some more pictures tomorrow to give you some perspective. A buddy of mine built my twin (another white 97 x-cab) but it's got 5 inches of lift on 33's. He works with me so I'll get some shots tomorrow and post them up tomorrow night for a side by side comparison.

ssbogger

I've thought about that but im not sure I have the tools, experience, or time to really do that. Especially for my needs Im not sure it would be the best way to do it. I would probably be more than that if I paid someone to work with me on it too.
I will look into it though. thanks.


93toy:
You're truck is pretty much what im trying to accomplish. I really like the way it looks. Are you regeared?
If I have a trip planned to Asheville anytime soon I will get in touch or if you are coming to Boone or Hickory anytime soon send me a pm.

93toy

Regeared to 4:88 with a 2.7 4 cylinder. LCE header, cat back exhaust, elbow mod, etc.

Pulls great around the mountains with the 4:88's. At 65 MPH I'm revving about 2500 rpm. Lately I'm getting 22 MPG so I'm happy!