Fox 2.0 lift question, please help!

Hi guys and gals, I’m new here so take it easy on me, but I would appreciate some advice on what to do in my particular situation. So right now I have a 2.5” spacer, 1.5” aal lift, bilstein 5100 (for 0-1.5” lift in the rear) and stock (besides the spacer) upfront, on my 2004 Tacoma Trd off-road (192,000 miles on it) . I have it in the shop currently for other things getting some maintenance done and I want to change the suspension up. The aal makes the truck ride really rough, and it’s about time change the fronts anyway..
I’d really like to go with Fox 2.0 coil overs in the front for a more plush ride (0-2”lift), and either keep my bilsteins or go all fox. My issue is, I don’t want to go down in lift height (I’d like to be at ~3” and level). The fox coil overs say 0-2”, but I assume it’s best not to max them out so am I going to be sitting at a ~1” lift? If that’s the case would it be best to keep the spacer? And if so would I need new ucas? Maybe get a new spacer?
and for the rear.. the shocks I have are for 0-1.5” and I’m going back to stock leaf pack. So I was thinking about adding a block in the rear, and also getting fox shocks in the rear but can only find 0-1” in the fox 2.0 shocks.
Does anyone have any suggestions/experience on the best/most efficient way to achieve a 3” lift, plush ride, and have my truck sitting level in my particular situation?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

I would say aim for 2.5" max front lift. This way you don't need a diff drop (less clearance). Then caster correcting upper arms like Total Chaos/Camburg/Ect (maybe something with enclosed ball joint if you don't want to lube Uni ball all the time.

Fox is definitely a good choice on shocks. I run 2.5" Icon on my 4runner and wife's Taco truck up front. Feels good on and off road. I will say the Icon 2.0 for rear of Taco are too firm on semi graded roads. The chatter beats you up. The Toytec rear shocks on my 4runner are good and have held up well over the years. I would have put them on wife's truck but they were for more lift than we wanted.

My 4runner is 2.5" lift up front and its perfect for what that vehicle is for me. No CV bind, no diff clearance issues (Ive hit and broke one in my LT truck, not fun). Rear is 3" soft spring Ome. I know a little different than Tacoma, but front suspension is basically the same.

Hope some of that helps.

 

I appreciate the reply!
So I’ve been having the lift on for ~10 years now, and my mechanic said the ucas are fine. So if I keep the 2.5” of lift do you think the ucas are necessary? What are the benefits of having new ucas?

 

2" is ideal.

Any higher than that and you are just giving up droop, not to mention creating severe angles with your CV axles.

You drive an IFS truck, keep it minimal.

 

If it's been good and you are happy then definitely save the money.

Typically the aftermarket upper arms are stronger (bushings and Uni ball) but also offer more caster correction when lifted. This helps the steering feel and gives your alignment cams more room for adjustment in the lower arms.

Caster has a huge influence in handling on and off road, especially at higher speeds. Again, don't spend money if you don't need too. You can add these later if you want. Quality shocks will make a huge impact overall. Consider Accutune, they re-valve Fox and King shocks per customer requests. Give them a call/email.

 

Okay so let’s say I decide to do the ucas later on.. would it be an issue and/or would it effect ride comfort if I left the spacer in upfront? The spacer has compressed a little over the years, so it’s prob ~2 inches and if I get ~1” out of the fox coil overs from what I’ve read on other threads on here.

 

Spacers are terrible for your truck, and even worse for your ride quality. Ditch them and lift your truck with longer coil springs (the proper way). Toytech has a nice selection of longer than stock coil springs to peruse on their website. There's Fox 2.5's that will give you your desired 2.5" of lift (just gonna cost some serious coin).

 

Can I ask why spacers are terrible? what do they do to cause poor ride quality?

I was looking at the fox 2.5s and was thinking about them. Do you know how the ride quality compares to the 2.0?

 

Spacers are for aesthetics, and if that's your thing then cool but you are preloading your shocks thus losing droop. This loss in droop affects how your vehicle rides as you will lose that full range of motion utilized by your shock as your suspension cycles (even on road).

For most, Fox 2.0 and 2.5 will feel the same. Unless you wheel plenty, you shouldn't notice the "fading" in performance from a 2.0 as 2.5's will run cooler and longer during longer sessions.

The huge benefit to 2.5s is that they are adjustable by the user, serviceable (rebuild), and can be custom tuned.

As I recommended before, stick to 2" or less.

 

I'm guessing that the 0-2" spec from FOX is based on 2" being the max lift height suggested on these Tacomas by many. I don't see any reason why setting them to 2" would be a problem. Those 5100's are fine for the rear with your stock springs, although with that mileage it might be time to consider some new packs.

Back in the day I bought some Camburg 2.5's (Sway a Way) for my 02, expecting them to greatly improve the ride compared to my OME springs and shocks. Boy was I disappointed. I set the Camburgs to about 2.5-2.75" lift (probably too much), same as the OME, and they rode extremely harsh. I ultimately put the OME back on. I was told that harshness at low speed was somewhat normal for an IFP shock and that they were meant for high speed, big hit type of off-road driving. I have no experience with the FOX 2.0 coilovers, but point is, the shiny expensive coilovers don't always equal "plush ride"....anything has to be better than your stock stuff at 200k miles though.

 

I'm looking at replacing my rear shocks only. I currently have eibach on and one is starting to leak. They say they can handle 0-1.5 inch lift. I have found some fox 2.0 without resi locally for a good deal so I am thinking about getting them. According to fox it says 0-1 inch lift. I have icon 3 leaf aal on the rear which did about an inch and a half. I do wheel, and flex my suspension as far as it will go. Regularly on three wheels. Will I be over working the fox and should be buying something else instead?

 

Might not get the exact answer for your truck outta the 1st gen forum... But If you wheel, and you're flexin out all the time, it's probably time to consider a shock relocation to get some more shock travel, but I don't know what the options are for your model year.

 

Thank you. I was just searching for a thread talking about the fox 2.0s.

 

Most trucks, including stock, have shocks that limit full down travel. Using those FOX shocks will be no different. If you were getting airborne often then it could be a problem, but just slow articulation to max extension shouldn't be an issue.