I have an 07 TRD access cab taco, and take it exploring/Wheeling every few weekends!
Although it's my DD during the week, on the weekends I find myself looking for bigger, stepper, more technical trails to take it on (the snowball is rolling)!

I'm in the market for some 33's (with my stock rims) and a suspension lift. After doing a lot of reading and looking at pics of peoples rigs I'm leaning toward a 3" lift up front and 2" lift in the back (to level the truck). It looks like people are really pleased with Revtech and Donahoe so I was going to go with one of those two. As I said the snow ball is rolling so somewhere down the line I know I'll be replacing front/back bumpers get a wench, sliders, front locker, etc.

Having said all that, I'm trying now to learn about what kind of stress I'll be putting on my truck with a 3" lift:

What parts of my truck will this strain and am I going to need to get other after market parts to reduce additional stress I'll be putting on my truck?

Will I need aftermarket parts to fit 33's, even with a 3" lift?

And finally does a 2.5" lift significantly reduce stress and where on parts?

Just want to know what I'm doing to my truck before investing the $$$.

 

Have you considered the OLD MAN EMU suspension for your truck? The price point is between the REVTEK SPACERS and DR coilovers.

You will get 2.5-3 inches of lift for the front and 2.75 inches in the rear with the complete leaf spring packs.

Great on road ride and added offroad capability.

There are different spring rates to accomodate for bumpers and or winch combinations.

The suspension is made to work with in factory specs, and will not stress factory components.

To clear a true 33" tire you may need to trim some plastic in the inner fender.

Wheel width and backspacing will play an important part in the tire fitment.

Feel free to email me at info@trdparts4u.com with any questions or pricing quotes for the OME suspension.


Jacque

 

You may want to re-gear also if you want your stock power back.

 

Check out www.toyotanation.com - there are a lot of threads on lifting 05+ Tacomas. A number of people seem to end up with drivetrain vibration issues. YotaTech is great but tends to be more focused on 4runners and older trucks.

 

I'll second Jacque's vote for OME. I like mine alot.

You might need to do more research though. A few things I saw in your post that could be problematic.

- Donahoes are great, but if you want 3", you'll have to crank them way up and out of their "natural" position. They are best suited for 2-2.5" of lift.

- 33" tires with stock rims will result in a bit more rubbing than if you go with an aftermarket rim with different backspacing (or get a wheel spacer). Not awful, but it depends on your tolerance.

- 3" will stress your CV's with the higher angles to some degree. As you reduce the lift, you reduce the stress. In terms of how bad it really is, there's not alot of long term CV wear reports available for the new tacomas. But I haven't read about any chronic problems with CV's on the lifted 05+ yet.

- The OME setup does not give you 3" either (it might start that way, but won't remain). They should settle in at 2-2.5" of lift over time, but a top plate spacer can make up the difference if you're goal is a true 3".

Good luck in your research.

 

Thanks for the info Jacket, by the way SWEET truck...like the mods look of the soft top! How has the suspension lift treated you off roading? ANy vibrations/rattles on road?

Just have a few follow up Q's from your post:

Between the donahoe/Revtech/OME what made you go with OME?

I'm looking at the 285/75/16's also, did you have to do any cutting with the 3"-2.5" OME?

Also what are the disadvantages to wheel spacers, is it worth it to get a new wheels?

Thanks again!

 

No complaints about the OME setup. Very good for my needs. The only thing that rattles is my freakin hi-lift - still trying to fix that one....

To your questions:

1. Why OME? - quality versus price. Hoes are pretty damn expensive. OME has a long track record of success in the field, and builds great stuff. I got a great suspension upgrade, and had hundreds of dollars left over for other things.

2. Yes - I've cut the inner fender plastic on the front side.

3. Another arguable issue. Fundamentally the spacers change the wheel geometry, and can put stress on the studs. But alot of folks use them, and I don't see an abundance of problems being reported. Your best bet is to find a wheel with the right backspacing so that no spacers are necessary, and rubbing is minimal (and not on your suspension components or your brake caliper). Somewhere between 4-4.5" seems to be the sweet spot for 16x8 wheels and the 05+ Tacomas (my Chamber's are 4.5").

 

Nice, I like that the OME's are affordable...especially since my pockets don't run that deep

Is Chamber same as backspacing? And how do you know how can I find out how much backspacing I need and a wheel has?

Thanks again for the info. doesn't seem to be a lot of fellow Tacoma drivers in here.

 

If your looking into a front bumper then I recommend the OME setup. I would go that route prior to CO's, as you can save a ton of $$ if you dont need the CO's. I also wouldn't go much higher than 2" or so up front. There is no reason at all to go higher. You do not gain any extra tire clearance from stock all the way thru 3". The point in the lift is a better ride height, and depending on how you get it a different spring rate, dampening capability. If you want to run 285's you will trim even in you lift 3".

One thing about going to high is you loose all your droop, which is not what you want. This is why I went with the spacer route. I have two spacer and only the spring spacer caused me to loose droop. The top plate spacer add the amount of droop you lift by, but its realized in compression...

There are spacers and adapter plates, I dont reccommend using spacer, but I will be running adapter plates soon. You can get them from marlin.com or trail-gear.com, adapter plates bolt to the hub and the wheel to the plate, this will effectively take 1.5" of backspacing away.. creating clearance at the control arms.


There are lots of ways to lift your 07, just depends on exactly what you want to do...

IMO OME 886's and either rear dakars or deavers will be your best bet.



Personally I am very happy with my 1.75" spacer setup and rear airbags. My TRD OR springs have the correct rate for me. The setup

 

AH64ID I hear ya in terms of saving $$$.
Performance wise is there a difference between using a spring spacer to pre-load the spring and going the OME rout and getting a longer spring? Both are pushing the a arm down the same way.

 

No you will loose the same amount of droop. The one thing I like about a top plate spacer is you gain the amount of droop that you lift the truck, so you have the same amount of relative droop. The OME spring will probably have an easier time compressing all the way vs a spring spacer any larger than 1".