6 inch fabtech lift kit

anyone have any pros and cons to the 6 inch fabtech lift kit? Thinking about putting it on my 2017 Tacoma off road

 

Don't do it. You have so much to live for.

 

If for no other reason at all, do it to piss some people off on this forum

 

That's a drop bracket lift where you permanently cut out the frame to install, yet don't actually gain any ground clearance at the axle line, right?

 

But it LOOKS so cool! Who cares about those details.

 

end of the day its your truck and if you have a look and goal in mind do what ever you want to do (cause after all it is your truck)

however... problem with 6" lifts and some 3-4" lifts is they are whats called "drop bracket" lift kits. Its basically you cut the support member for the front diff and lower it. You then put in taller spindles to accommodate the new height. So what you basically just did was irreversibly modified your truck, and just screwed any warranty claim for front diff, front drive shaft, and the frame.

If you want to go this route there are a few companies out there, BDS is pretty big and they also have a lifetime warranty to go with it. If you plan to do some offroading (back trails, beach, or even hardcore rock crawling stuff) I suggest just going a normal suspension lift, put in some new front coilovers, possibly some Light Racing Upper control arms to help with alignment numbers, and then either a new leaf pack in the rear or a good add a leaf.
If you were planning to drop several grand on a drop bracket lift and want to keep a "badass look" just go long travel. Again end of the day its your rig. Check out some of the suspension threads since there is a few threads about every kind of setup

 

I had this exact set up on my 2011 Trd sport LB with 35” tires. Pro’s Looked great. Surprisingly didn’t beat you up riding in it. Con’s totally need gears big time and the rear AAL started to squeak after a while and annoyed the crap out of me. Quality suspension for sure but if you’re not going to do gears then I’d pass.

 

If you are going to do it fabtech is an awesome company. The other one to look at would be Bds. Like others have said. You have to cut the crossmember on the truck to install it. That is the number one reason I didn’t do it.

 

Yeah suppose you are right there. Assumed he didn't have a welder

 

Some people care way too much about other people’s trucks/money

 

As a drop bracket user, I do find it comical that people refer to the addition of coilovers alone as a "real lift". What you've effectively done is limit your amount of available down travel or droop by changing your static ride height. Without UCAs and extended travel coils you actually only really gain ground clearance and potentially a much less comfortable ride.

The argument will continue to carry on regardless of anyone's input...good or bad.

Personally, for what I do, the drop bracket 6" BDS lift is perfect and I wanted/needed/like clearing 35" rubber that's 12.5" wide as the flotation aspects are what I'm after. Sure it looks cool too, but I also have factory geometry and all of the down travel of a stock truck as my static ride height is nearly the same as it came from the factory.

Go big or go home...or is that go bro or go home? Hell I don't know anymore...too much overlanding and apparently that's the only way to get respect around here.

 

^^^ this ^^^^^

I don’t respect “overlanding”. The term is ridiculous, and mostly used to sell tents, rotopaks, and cookware. I say, put a damn 6” inch lift in if you like it, and don’t if you don’t. Be an individual. The arguments about the lift affecting ride or increasing or decreasing performance are irrelevant, if the lift is your goal. Like, imagine showing up at a low-rider meet, and then you start yapping at everyone that they voided the warranty on their scrape, and that the ride was ruined when they bagged it out.

Modified cars and trucks are supposed to be, on some level, an expression of the individual.

 

Thanks for providing actual user experience! A lot of people on here just repeat what other people say without any real experience with the subject.

To provide the other experience. I have the setup MCDavis described above: Icon Extended Travel Coilovers and JBA UCA’s to accommodate travel. I also added a 1 inch toytec body lift. I fit 35’s with a ton of cutting. It rides good, but stiff, and I still have a few inches of down travel.

It sounds like a lot of folks with drop brackets like them. I also like my set up and recommend it to anyone willing to deal with the carnage of cutting. The truck looks big to me with around 4 inches of lift (because of the addition of the body lift) and the 35s. Though if you like the 6 inch look, my set up doesn’t look that tall. Is mine more stable/better offroad than a drop bracket? A lot of folks would say so, I don’t personally know. I’ve never driven a truck with a 6 inch lift. I think in most situations driving smart plays a larger role than 3 vs 6 inches of lift.

 

EVERY. THREAD. I. LOOK. AT.

 

You’re only going half as high as these guys:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwf6lb9YLM4

 

Well said, thanks for sharing.

 

I don't like that scaffolding look under the truck personally. Then god forbid you smoke a rock or tall curb on that bracket.

But yeah show value its cool

 

Crack is whack! ​

 

Exactly. Just save those sections and it can be welded back together. Everyone says it’s irreversible but it’s only irreversible if you didn’t keep those sections. Also, you use a DB for a 6” lift for sure, but you also are able to run 35”-38” tires. That itself makes up for the ground clearance and you end up having the same ground clearance but better looks than a 3-4” lift. I already have my New Gears installed and will be going with a 6” BDS Suspension System eventually myself. I will also be keeping those sections in case I ever want to go back. If you are in to rock crawling, that is the only reason I would not do this. However, there are many Taco owners that have 6” Suspension Systems and still do Off-Roading. Good Luck!! I can’t wait to see your pics

 

100% Agree. Well said!!