$1,000 for a lift kit?

I'm trying to get my stock truck to look like in the pictures. I was told by @SellyKlater its an OME 2-2.5" front lift with an extra leaf in the back.

 

$1k is for a lift on a tight budget IMO. I read recently though that adding some leafs out of an older Dodge Durango leaf spring can add 2” or so to the rear. So you could save some money there if you snag some at a junk yard. Front OME struts with springs are under $600 iirc. Check out @HeadStrong Off-Road as well. They have great prices. But I also highly recommend checking with your local stores first. Could save a good amount by not having to pay for shipping.

 

Also, keep in mind that Black Friday is just two months away too...

 

Thinking of it as just a lift then yes that’s expensive but really it’s actually a suspension upgrade with all new coil overs and leaf springs, which is actually a good price for a solid setup. People spend like 3-4k on Fox or kings which are really good but personally not worth it for an extra 2-3k.
You can go the cheap route and just throw some spacers in but in my opinion it just makes the ride crappy. My truck has a 2.5” spacer lift on it that the previous owner put on it and it sucks. I have crazy bad axle wrap because instead of replacing the old original leaf springs with a larger pack and increasing strength, they just throw a block underneath and to me it’s a suspension downgrade. Personally I would get the OME kit, which is what I’m doing in the future

 

Damn that's bullshit! F*cking lift components do not cost nearly that much to manufacture.

 

If you really wanted to do just a lift, you could get adjustable shackles in the rear, and wait for someone to post up some used front components in the BST section.

 

I haven’t done all the research but I know you can piece together a kit cheaper using bilstein shocks and OME coils, and a cheaper set of leaf springs.

 

This is how I feel when I see a near $50k price tag for a 4Runner

 

My budget for front struts with a 3" lift is $400. My budget for two leafs is $150

 

I think that’s doable. I think add a leafs are fairly inexpensive. I think my OME add a leaf kit was like $80 or something like that. The fronts, look into the Bilstein set up! I thing you can reuse your stock springs with those!

 

I mean honestly if that’s all you have as a budget then you’re not going to get much and maybe you should rethink spending it on a lift. But it definitely can be done with some research though
Where are you located?
I have a donor truck I am going to be parting out in a couple weeks, that has solid leaf springs and bilstein shocks up front. I don’t think it’s 3” but is around 2.25”-2.5”. They aren’t perfect and the leafs have a little rust but are still strong and I wouldn’t mind letting them go for cheap. I don’t have a use for them

edit: listen to him lol, I don’t know why I wasn’t even thinking just getting an add a leaf haha. He has better info than I do

 

I had a customer in a similar scenario ask what we needed to change...I said “your budget”

 

These Bilstein 5100s I had bookmarked for years ago. I just don't think they will give me the clearance I need to run the 17" rims with 33" tires in the pictures above

https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...-lift-shocks-for-1995-2004-toyota-tacoma-4wd/

 

I'm in North County San Diego

 

I’m across the country in Florida haha

 

A grand is a lot?

I paid that much just for my front shocks... I'm in about $3k on mine so far... And I haven't even gotten my rear shocks yet, and I'm certainly not doing anything too radical like long travel or a solid axle swap.

You can get a complete 6" lift for $799 from Rough Country, but let's just call those lifts "all show, and no go". Pretty much junk.

If you want something that gives you a bit of a lift and actually improves your performance off road, you can get by with less, but about a grand will get you a well performing setup.

Probably the cheapest way to go would be a set of Bilstein 5100 shocks and an add-a-leaf in the rear. The front 5100's are height adjustable so you re-use your stock coils and set the shocks at their highest setting (essentially pre-loading the coils so it rides higher). I've run with the 5100s for many years. They are great shocks; definitely out perform stock. and for ~$200 a pair, quite affordable for off-road performance shocks.

This will net you about 2.5" of lift, and aside from a few odds and ends like a diff drop and rear brake extension, you're all in for like $500 or so.

For ~$1200, you can get the OME full 2.5" setup. All new shocks, all new springs, and various brackets you need for lowering the exhaust hanger, diff drop, etc...

Yes, you CAN get cheaper lifts, bot those amount to nothing more than glorified hockey pucks you bolt on top of your coilovers, and do literally nothing to improve performance (they even degrade performance).

 

Rough Country has some cheap kits. Are they any good?

https://www.google.com/search?q=2002+tacoma+3"+lift&client=firefox-b-1-e&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDyJ2ViJLsAhXUpJ4KHfOhBgcQ_AUoAXoECBEQAw&biw=1366&bih=626


Looks lke you can get two OME front coils for $200

https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...MI-p69pIiS7AIV3xatBh2eiQF6EAQYASABEgJlWPD_BwE

Two Bilstein 5100 shocks for $200 (any alternatives for a 3" lift, similar price range?)

https://www.suspensionconnection.co...MIqenC2YiS7AIVFRx9Ch2AIQslEAQYAiABEgJdXPD_BwE

Leaf kits for around $200 (is this adding a leaf, or replacing the whole spring? I can't find single leafs)

https://www.google.com/search?q=200...XPuZ4KHZb4DeAQ_AUoAXoECBcQAw&biw=1366&bih=626

 

You could always start your own company, then research, design, test, manufacture and market your new components, and see what the retail price ends up being.

Curious how you ended up with this budget.

 

I bought my truck for $13,000 after taxes at 70,000mi four years ago at a used, certified dealer. I don't want to put a $1,200 suspension on it if it is not adding value to the truck, won't cause the truck to go up in value, or to continue depreciating.

 

They are about what you would expect for the cheapest lift on the market.

Check out WheelersOffroad.com. But also think about how much you paid for your truck, and how much you're willing to skimp on replacement parts for it.