Here goes -

I'm a newbie to yotatech, though I've had my truck for almost three years and 50K. I've sold my sports car, and now I feel like it's the truck's turn for attention. I've read most of the newbie FAQ articles as well as browsed other threads, and I still have unanswered questions. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Starting off, I have a `97 Tacoma Xtra Cab 2.7l 4x4. Suspension wise, it's bone stock except for `02 Tundra wheels with 31x10.5 BFG All-Terrains, Rancho RS5000 front shocks and KYB rear shocks. Motor is stock except for a short ram intake and JBA cat-back exhaust.

I want to accomplish several things;

- I want it to look cooler
- I want it to have more off-road capability
- I want to maintain daily-driveability
- I want to spend less than $2K doing this

What I've understood thus far is that I can get what I want with a 2.5in suspension lift, 32's or 33's, a front diff drop, 4.56 diffs front and rear, and tube front and rear bumper (I'll be doing most of my wheelin' in the woods near where I live, and I've destroyed both my front and rear stock bumpers running over what I think are saplings but arent)
Here go the questions:
1.How necessary would be be for me to get lockers?
1a. are "lunchbox" or lock-rite's halfway decent cost-effective choices if I'm going to maintain daily driveability? Or do I really need to spend the money on ARB's? Is there something in between the two reliability and cost-wise?
2. When looking for replacement 4.56 gears i keep running into the question of whether I have a 7.5 or 8in rear - WHAT THE HECK DO I HAVE???
3. Should I worry about drivetrain wear with 33's or is it going to be the same `ol reliable truck that i've driven for this long?
4. Will 33's fit with a 2.5in lift, or should I get 32's, or hell, should I just keep the 31's I have.......... aka, are bigger tires really that necessary for what I want to do or are they just for looks?
5. As far as the front suspension goes, how big of a deal is it to get all new front springs (longer ones, obviously) or are coil spacers ok?
6. As far as the rear suspension goes, are shackles a good bet, or should I go with add-a-leafs? What difference does it make with ride-quality?
7. My speedometer is already a little bit off with the jump up from crappy road tires to 31's - How out of whack would it be with 33's and 4.56's and is there any way to fix it/recalibrate it so that it's accurate.


Some will probably ask in respose what kind of off-roading do I plan on doing -
-Nothing terribly extreme; I want to keep up with my buddies who both have Wranglers, a TJ and YJ - one with 6in lift and 33's, the other a 10in lift and 35's; some mudpits, a few hillclimbs, and I'd really like to make some trips to Rausch Creek or Paragon and do a little bit more than just the novice trails.

Thanks in advance for any input ya'll have

 

Big tires are for looks and clearance.

Lockers will take you everywhere you want to go. 2k isn't going to get you very far.

I think you can acomplish goals 1, 3, and 4 no problem. You will SOMEWHAT acomplish 2. Get the lift and tires. You will be just fine DD'ing, look cooler, and spend less than 2k.

If you want capability, get lockers and nothing else. You could squeak by with ARB's front and rear for 2k. And you'd be able to go farther than your buddies in everything except the mud pitts.

 

Thanks for the comments, AxleIke - any particular suspension lifts you'd recommened? Thus far the best looking bang for the buck I've seen is Daystar and Ruff Country -any other recommendations?

And does anyone know if my truck has a 7.5 or 8in rear?

 

8 inch rear end
http://home.4x4wire.com/erik/diffs/

as far as lifts go best to re search and see what fits your needs/budget


you might want to change your avatar... the f -word probably wont go over well with the mods.

 

Definitely the 8inch?

And fword's a no no?

 

yes it is a 8 inch.

heres from the rules i dont want to see you get banned for something you didnt know.

We do let a few words slip by that you will hear on Primetime TV, but some words such as the "F" word or fooling the censor with alternate like words will not be tolerated.

welcome to yotatech by the way.

 

Thanks for setting me straight, and thanks for the welcome - glad to be here

Anyone else have suggestions as to a decent cost-effective suspension lift, as it seems to be my best bet? It's looking like ARB lockers front and rear might be just a bit out of my budget..... Daystar vs. Toytec vs. Ruff Country?

 

Hey everyone thanks for the input - I've now successfully installed a DayStar 2.5in suspension lift with a buddy and gone with 305/70/16 BFG ATs and will soon have a DayStar 1in body lift on the way to alleviate the rubbing I have going on in the front (apparently 2.5inches wasn't quite enough to fit 33s) as well as a Lock-Rite front locker.... so far I'm quite happy as to how my truck's progressing - I'll post pics of the truck post-lift and tires soon