Lift kits that won't cause issues?

What is a good all in one lift kit that won't cause issues? Is it better to just leave it at stock height or is there a kit out there that doesn't pre maturely wear parts quickly? I see some reviews where people get kits and the ass end sits lower than the front and they end up having to piece together all kinds of stuff to make it work and pretty soon they spend way more than anticipated. Is there an all in one kit that has everything i need that won't be of any hassle? Or should i just leave it at factory height? I drive a 2017 Tacoma TRD Sport

 

If you want to keep your warranty (mostly) intact, go 3" lift or smaller. Most lift kits, if not all lift kits, come with everything you need.

 

Old Man Emu. Pick your kit based off of vehicle load. Done.

 

None, they will all cause issues in some way or another.

 

If you're on the fence and like your truck the way it is, no need to lift.

 

Keep it stock, they all have issues eventually. Anyone that tells you different is lying. Save your money. Buy your mom and old lady a nice gift and keep your warranty and peace of mind. Everyone is happy

 

Get blocks/spacers if you want minimal issues. It goes better with your warranty, super easy install, and meant for the pavement princess that never sees off-road. And your cheapest option too. A 3” kit from Toyota installed runs you about $800-$1000.
The reason people sag in the rear is because they don’t maintain rake. They’ll level it. You have to raise the rear 1” higher than the front to avoid this. Doing anything to your vehicle and altering it from factory is going to affect it in some way at some point. There’s no beating around the bush.

 

He's right. You have to remember they will look for any reason not to pay for repairs under warranty service. If they can blame it, remotely, on some modification you made, they will.

I have the mindset of, I'm going to drive the truck the way I want it to look and I will deal with any consequences that come with it down the line. If I have 1000-1200 for some modifications then I better be ready to fork out $$ if something I did messes something else up 10k miles down the road.

But from my experience, I put a 2" spacer in the front of my 2016 Quicksand and a 1" block in the rear. It had 41k on it when I traded it and I never had one issue.

 

Thats what Toyota does unfortunately but they also have the burden to prove that your modification was the direct cause of the failure. Also, my dealer told me if a ASE certified shop installed your modification, it should be covered under warranty..to a point. But get blocks if you’re STRICTLY going for looks and nothing else.

 

I like my kings

 

If you just want a little bump then I’d recommend what I have. The Bilstein 5100’s up front set to the first setting gave me just under an inch of lift in the front, and then some 1/2” spacers in the rear helped maintain a slight forward rake. I personally do not like a level front/rear ride height because the body lines were intended for a slight forward rake, and if it is level then the body lines actually have a rearward rake and it causes an optical illusion of the car having a rear rake. The setup I have is subtle but noticeable difference compared to stock when parked side by side, and for my needs it works perfectly. If you go much more lift than this you run the risk of needing aftermarket UCA to have proper caster/camber.

Here’s a pic on pretty level ground:

This was super easy to install. If you have a jack and jack stands I would say do it yourself. There are videos on YouTube showing how, do the method where you drop the lower control arm, easy peazy. No complications with alignment afterwards, had no issues getting back to factory spec.

I can’t say if the Bilstein 5100 will last as long as the factory Bilstein strut, but it rides better, and 25k miles later is still going strong.

 

Effective and affordable solution.

 

I love my fox setup. If you are going to go with a 3" lift there are several other considerations to be made to make sure the truck drives well:
1) you need aftermarket UCAs to maintain alignment, otherwise the truck will wander around the road and jump to one side or the other over bumps. These will run you anywhere between 500 and 1200 depending on how nice of UCAs you want
2) need to replace the needle bearing on driver's side of front diff with ECGS clamshell bushing, otherwise you will likely get steering wheel vibrations/shimmies - 80 bucks for parts, 300 for the tools for install or less if you borrow
3) need to get the carrier bearing sitting at the proper height or the driveshaft will vibrate at certain speeds which you feel through the floor, pedals, and bottom of the seat - this should be cheap, a decent driveshaft shop can diagnose and fix this in under an hour, you just have to drive the truck up to 60 mph to test and then come back and put more shims in
4) also need to lengthen the driveshaft a little. This is the most often-overlooked necessary modification for running a 3" lift, but it can cause serious driveshaft damage if you over-extend it. I also had my driveshaft rotationally balanced at the same time and my trusted driveshaft shop found that it was actually delivered with a poor balance to begin with. Had mine checked out first with 8K miles on the truck, entire service ran me 180 bucks

 

Exact same setup as me.

I have 1” in front, 1” in the rear to maintain that rake. Small lift, but actually does give it a better look compared to stock!

 

Yea, I forget the website but it’s the one recommended on here where your first purchase you get 20% off, and I think the struts were like $120 or something really cheap. The 1/2” spacers were like $30 also. I’ll see if I can find my purchase orders in my email ...

Edit: so it was jet.com, and the first time purchase had 5% off and SHOP15 gave another 15% for 20% total discount on first purchase. Each strut was $80 shipped. Unfortunately it seems that website is down, and I have no clue if they are even still in business. I know Headstrong Off-road is another good place to order from as well.

 

I went with an RCD 4.5 inch drop bracket lift with 720 miles on my truck. IMO it has been a great lift. The drop bracket allows everything to stay symmetrical to stock. 67256 miles later and zero issues with anything. Knock on wood! I do hate the block in the back but once again haven't had any issues with it.

 

go with Fox's

 

@Ninja636Rider

If you're dead set on lifting then stay under 2 inches and do the ECGS bushing as a preventive measure.

What I did last year, just under 2 inches front and back, maintains factory rake with parts less than $800.




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