3inch vs 4inch lift

Looking to lift my 3rd gen manual tacoma. Have done enough research on what style of lift I plan on going with just can't decide between the 3inch and the 4 inch lift. So if poeple could post some pics with lift sizes and tires and greatly appreciate it. Any other advice as well would be appreciated. **Pic of my truck stock 2 days after picking up from dealership.

 

There is a huge difference between a “3” lift” and a “4” lift”. They achieve the same goal, but in a completely different way. A “3” lift” is a pair of spacers, a pair of shocks, or a pair of coilovers. A “4” lift” is a drop bracket lift. They are a totally different beast.

I suggest you do some more research. Here is a good place to start.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-tacoma-lift-guide.509171/

 

Appreciate the quick reply!

 

Like mentioned, two very different methods of lifting.
Both have pros and cons.


3" lift (shocks/spacers):

Pros:
Better front axle (differential/crossmember) clearance.
No need to cut into a frame crossmember.
Easier installation.

Cons:
Decreased life expectancy of CV joints, steering rack, ball joints (most people limit lift height to 2" because of this).
Worse ride quality & handling (much of it because of decreased downtravel).



4" lift (drop bracket):

Pros:
Better maintains the stock front suspension geometry/angles (little to no impact on component longevity/ride quality).
Replacement knuckles are usually much beefier than OEM.

Cons:
Requires cutting crossmember (4WD only).
Less support for things like skidplates & braces (have to make your own if the lift mfgr doesn't have something to your liking).
Most require 17" minimum wheel size (BDS claims 18", but 17s are still reported to fit).



What is your intended use for your truck?
Forest/mining/fire/powerline roads? (overlanding?)
Blasting through the desert?
Mud bogging?
Rock crawling?
Mall crawling? (looks?)
Other?

 

Thanks for the info. The truck is going to be used to get me to and from work in northern ontario in winters when roads are rough as well as going offroading etc, on my time off. I'm looking at going witht the 3.5inch Rough Country with M1 Struts/M1 Shocks. Also plan on going with 285/75/16 tires. And adding the "carrier bearing drop kit" that RC sells . Any thoughts on this set up? Also is it possible increased life expectancy of CV joints, steering rack, ball joints with the 3.5 RC lift? This is the lift I plan on going with.

 

No.
The higher you lift (without drop brackets), the more stress these components will see because of the angle everything winds up at after you lift it (what brand lift/shocks you use is irrelevant). Toyota engineered the suspension where the CV axles and steering tie rods are close to level (horizontal). When you lift it, everything changes. The only ways around this are to correct the angle by lowering the lower control arm mounting points and axle housing via a drop bracket, or by simply keeping it to a maximum lift height of 2".


For your stated intended use I don't think you would need any more than 2" lift (these trucks are pretty dang capable even stock). A good set of all-terrain (or winter, where appropriate) tires combined with good 2" or so lift shocks (such as Fox, King, Icon). should do quite well for you. Rough Country's Vertex shocks also have had some decent reviews on here, but I don't know much about their tuneability/rebuildability compared to Fox, King, etc.

 

Thanks again for sharing some of your knowledge with me. I think ive made up my mind and will go with 2inch level in front and 1 inch level in back with 285 70 r17 and use stock rims for now. Should I get some spacers or should I be good for rubbing etc?

 

HELLO! I've ran both. I don't know if it's a 2-in lift or a 3-in lift I guess the second gen tacomas are an inch lower than the third gens. I guess parts are interchangeable on both front ends... which is confusing... any but. without going into the why and why-nots I'll put a few photos of my old man emu kit first with 255 85 16 then later 285 75 16 and my rough country 4-in kit with 295 75 16.

the 255s rubbed slightly with the factory wheels and 2" wheel spacers. with 1.25" spacers they barely rub. did a cab Mount chop. 285s rubbed even with 4-in lift. 295s obviously rub worse... but I have to flex it pretty hard to get it to rub bad. I'm running a mixed bag of suspension parts probably at a 5 in lift. I'm on my third suspension setup. they've all worked great. be prepared to get 13 to 15 mpg

 

When I decided to redo the entire suspension setup, I went with 2-2.1" lift in the rear from new leaf packs and 2.5-3" in the front from the coilovers. With settling over time and the extra weight that will be eventually added up front I'm hoping the front will end up around 2.5" to have a bit of rake in the rear to allow for loading the bed up (in the picture there's a slightl incline so the front looks higher and rear lower than they actually are currently). This amount of lift has been great for helping clearance of stuff offroad and thus far I haven't had any issues with normal use (even the needle bearing hasn't reared it's head yet). I think more lift would't be useful or worth the complexities it'd involve, and offroad you still have to think about clearance for wheel uptravel and turning the front wheels which most lifts won't solve on their own.

 

3.5" Rough Country kit on mine with 20x12 -51 Vision Razors..was installed by highly recommended body shopnear me....he's repaired every damaged/ wrecked vehicle possible from Porshes to Corvettes to trucks...he told me that there should be no problems with bearings,boots etc.with this lift as long as I dont do any extreme off roading....He said it should last the lifetime of the truck.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

 

Interesting…

 

Ooof

 

YO, my man you possess a level of acousticism that belong with us degenerates on Discord. Come hang out on the TW discord lmao

 

I suggest you revise the lift height to max of 2.5 but 2" is ideal max, be ready to include driveshaft carrier drop and or angled shims for the leafs then a high potential for a front diff clamshell bushing to replace the needle bearing. Do you have access to a shop yhst can reliably handle the alignments especially if you end up going to a larger size tire?

 

Thanks I appreciate it! I do not have a discord though... and I'm not on the line very often...

 

I suspect it is actually closer to 2.5” than 3.5” on a 3rd gen. There is only about 3” of down travel from the factory and that limits how much you can change the ride height of the IFS to about 3”. Also I think some manufacturers of kits that fit both 2nd and 3rd gen label them with how much they lift 2nd gens, not 3rd gens.

The only way to be sure is to measure it.

CAVEAT: you can get above the 3” limit by about 1” with mid-travel shocks or top hat spacers.

 

You can absolutely still hit 3" with a mid travel set up. I intentionally set mine to 3" to help account for spring settle and a bumper install that I was banking on it resting in the 2" range. With the new leafs pushed the rear up my front has to be right at 2" now. With the previous leafs it was easily at 2.5 still

 

Well update I went with the 2inch level in the front and 1inch level in the back. As well as 285 70 tires on 17 inch after market rims and could not be happy with the stance she has now. Thanks everyone!

 

You sure have a beautiful truck. Did you use the 3.5 vertex lift? Did you use blocks or leaf packs in the rear. Do you have a slight vibration around 50 mph? Is the front and rear level? Sorry for the many questions.