I tried to do a search and couldnt find a definate answer. Do i have to get the manual hub conversion for my 04 tacoma if i do a 3 inch suspension lift and then do a 1 inch diff drop? what would happen do the ADD's if i didnt change them out?

 

There are lot of people running that type of setup and most of them seem to get by. It's definitely not an ideal situation and you may encounter problems. It also depends on how much and how hard you wheel your truck. You also might be subject to vibrations at higher speeds since the CV's are angled in such a fashion. You are at the extreme limit of the stock CV boots and they will most likely fail in a much shorter time frame, even if you don't wheel it. MechaTech makes high angle CV boots for our trucks which pretty much eliminate the boot wear problems associated with that much lift.

Hope this helps.
G

 

i would still have to worry about the cv boots even if i do the diff drop?

 

3" in the front is pretty extreme, but a lot of people seem to get away with it. Most, if not all of the manufacturers of lifts systems recommend no higher than 2.5" in the front without Manual Locking Hubs. It really depends on the individual truck, the driving habits and how hard you wheel it. If you aren't going to wheel it, and are just getting the lift for looks, you're probably going to be ok. But you won't really know for sure until you get it all done, aligned and drive it for a while.

I would get the MecaTech boots if my original boots failed. I am sitting right around 1.5" of lift in the front, with a 0.5" Diff Drop and my CV's are totally fine. I am going to add another inch to the front once my SAW's arrive. I'll add another 0.5" to the diff drop and I will see how things look at that point. I'll probably be okay.

Hope this helps.
G

 

would i need to do a diff drop if i did just a 2 inch in the front? ive got good clearance now but i just need to get more than an 1/8th of a in gap from my tire to my fender. i am gonna try to use it to its fullest potential.

 

I have 3" on the front and a 1" diff drop. 3 days after putting the lift on one of my boots ripped. I replaced the axel and within 6 months the boot ripped again. I then put the Mechtech boot on and it has worked fine now for about 7 months. The other boot and CV is the stock one and it's still holding up fine. So it is all a matter of luck, but your lowing your odds the higher you go.

 

What cubuff said. Plus I would still do the diff drop, even at 2" of lift. It is a good, added insurance measure to protect against failure.

G

 

I just did a 3'' lift on my 2001 Tacoma and put 33X10.5 on and was told I would get a vibration because of the CV angles so I bought the diff. drop but haven't done it yet. I don't get any vibration at all.

Here is what the CV's look like



Now, I only got 2.75'' in the front but plan on installing those 5mm packers on each side to get closer to 3''. I will then do the diff. drop and that should help keep the CV boots from rubbing together.

 

Ben, did you do an alignment yet? If not, wait to pass final judgement on how good your CV angles look until you get the alignment done because your CV angles will be a LOT more extreme since the lower arms get pushed out by quite a bit to get the front end back to factory specs. If you've already done it, then ignore what I just said.

However, it looks like you have some positive camber going in that pic, so I'm guessing you haven't done the alignment yet.

My .02
G

 

You are correct, I have not. I plan on getting it done this week. Hmmmm, I see what you are saying about the camber and the CV angle. So when I get that done I may have the notorious CV vibration.

 

I have a 5pm alignment today. I will know then.

Mean04, I hope this info helps. I think we have the same truck, 2.7L standard cab with ADD's. I was thinking I needed manual hubs too but all the reseach I did I found it wasn't necessery to get the lift needed to fit the 33X10.5. After the alignment, 5mm trim packers and the diff drop I should know for sure how the CV angle is going to be.

 

yea, keep my posted grntaco. we do have about the exact same truck. i love it. what do you think the timeframe will be on the packers and diff drop? my email is supersportbikerider@hotmail.com or just send a private message to me on here. i wanna go with a

 

Hey Ben,

Thanks for the input. Take some pics and let us know how it turns out! It would be great if you could do post alignment/no diff drop and then post alignment w/ diff drop.

Peace!
G

 

hmm i didnt finish typing. i wanna go with a 2 and a half inch SAW in the front and then shackels in the rear.

 

I will Doc.

Mean04, I will have the alignment done today and I will do the packers and diff drop tomorrow evening. I will e-mail you.

 

thanx a bunch, im Joshua by the way. give me good news!!!!

 

also....did you take care of the rear brake lines and the BPV?

 

Don't waste your money on aligning it today if you are altering the geometry tomorrow. It makes no sense. You will need to get it realigned again tomorrow if you alter it. You should just trust eveybody who's walked this path already and install your parts before aligning the truck. You will need the diff drop to run that much lift for sure. Also keep in mind that with that type of lift every inch you go up is an inch of droop you loose. You can not gain susp. travel without getting longer stroke shocks or wider arms or ideally both. When you loose droop your truck comprimises it's original design. It was designed to work best riding a few inches into it's travel as opposed to almost at the top of it's travel so when you drive on bumpy washboards etc, you will loose dampening more so than a stock or properly modified truck. If all you do is rock crawl then consider the concept of raising it minimally (not more than 2") to fit a larger tire to gain ground clearance at the expense of loosing some ride quality. Either way don't waste money on aligning it today if you plan to change it tomorrow. With one exception, unless of course you are rich and money doesn't matter.

 

4ced...if i just go with a 2 inch lift would i need to do the diff drop?

 

Just throwing this out there, the ORS manual hub kist also gives you alot thicker axle shafts and hardened outter CV's. More to it than just a set of hubs. The entire package is stronger.