The 5-lug Slug: a 2nd Gen Base 5-lug Build Thread

Hey all!
Been lurking for a little while but it's about time I made a post.

Currently drive a 2011, 5 lug, Double Cab and it's been treating me great. Yeah I know, 5-lugs suck compared to any 6-lug Tacoma, but it's done everything I've needed it to so far. I don't go heavy wheelin', just weekend-warrior camping on fire roads. Please leave negative comments elsewhere.

Here's the 5-lug Slug


What's been done so far:
-Plastidip Black Grill
-Interior LEDs upgraded
-Xprite Fogs
-Alpharex Luxx-series Alphablack Headlights
-Black Box Delete
-15x8 American Racing Wheels (mine are discontinued but they're essentially the old version of their current AR172 Baja)
-29" Yokohama Geolanders
-Front Runner Cab + Bed Racks

Considering:
- Low profile front bumper
- Skid Plates
- ICON 3-leaf AAL

On the way/Yet to be installed:
- Alpharex Tail lights
- 31" Toyo AT3s
- Retrax Bed cover
- Bilstein 4600 front / 5100 Rear
- Front Coil SumoSprings + Rear SumoSprings
- Rack Accessories galore
- Powerstop brakes, front and back
- And the good ol' spacer lift...

This brings me to my question:

I originally planned on only installing the Readylift spacer up front and the AAL in the back.
After doing some research, I found Torch Off-road, which makes the "eBay" version of the Readylift spacer.

Readylift advertises its lift as a 2.75" lift. Its spacer measures 1.25" tall with the considerably better build quality. See below.


Torch Off-road somehow advertises a true 3" lift. Their spacer is actually shorter at just under 1" tall BUT they include a 0.25" spacer plate which raises the height of the spacer to just under 1.25" tall. See below.

^Torch Spacer w/o plate


^Spacer


^Spacer + Plate

When you add the plate to the Torch spacer, the two spacers are almost the same height, with the Readylift spacer a millimeter or two taller.


Finally, when you add the plate to the Readylift spacer, you end up with a spacer that is 0.25" taller than either kit would be on its own.


How come the Torch Offroad kit can advertise 3" while the Readylift kit advertises 2.75" if the spacers are essentially identical? If anything the Torch spacer is a mm shorter.

Math time: Let's assume that the Torch spacer (with plate) is 1.25" tall and the advertised lift is 3".
1.25" divided by 5 is 0.25"
3" divided by 5 is 0.6"

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this roughly translates to every 0.25" of spacer = 0.5" lift (rounding down).

If Torch Off-road can include the spacer + plate combo and advertise a true 3" lift with no issues during practical use, does anyone see any problems with adding the Torch Off-road plate to the Readylift spacer for the added 0.6" of lift? With all things considered, this is only adding an additional 0.25" to the Readylift spacer.

This would however mean that, in a perfect world, the Readylift Spacer with Torch Offroad Plate would provide roughly 3.25" of lift as opposed to 2.75". With how few options there are for our trucks, this is enticing but by no means a dealbreaker.

0.5" isn't a whole lot unless we're talking down there ....then it's HUGE.... right? RIGHT??!??
anyway...

The only I issue I can foresee is clearance with the UCA/Strut Coil. The Readylift spacer already brings them really close together and there's a chance that the Torch plate/Readylift spacer combo will cause contact between the coil and the UCA at full droop. Unless someone is selling Total Chaos UCAs 88500, the ones that have been discontinued for years now, there will be no solution to this clearance issue if it arises.

FYI:
I'm not committed to this plan and still have the option to return the Torch spacers unless someone wants to buy them off me haha. Mostly just brainstorming while other work gets done.

I'm well aware spacer kits shouldn't be stacked, but this is a plate that is intended to be installed on a spacer either way. I have access to a space where the work can be done for free so I might try installing the plates just to see if there are any clearance or binding issues. If it works I'll definitely make a follow-up post! Worst case we take them off and go with the Readylift spacer as is.

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Any insight is much appreciated. Here are some pics of the Slug!





The following photos are next to some friends, for height reference.


^compared with Lifted FJ Cruiser on 35's (before racks)


^compared with Lifted 3rd gen Taco on 34's (before racks)

Have a great day!

 

Awesome build!! How do you like the alpharex headlights? And how would you rate the install process?

 

hey man I want to ask you when we lift the front of our 5 lug Tacoma 3”inches lift, do we need new control arms and sway bars ?

 

Thanks man! Honestly, I love them! They are very bright and illuminate very far. The only downside is that the light spread itself isn't as wide as the OEMs were, so that's something to consider. They were super easy, and bolted right in.

The wiring was fairly straightforward, though I will say that, Alpharex says to use one particular fuse in the engine bay when installing the wiring harness but this fuse actually goes live every few hours, meaning your DRLs just turn on every so often.
I may be mistaken, but I think this fuse goes live to check the fuel pressure or something, and consequently activates the DRLs.
I found a workaround on Youtube, where some guy points out a better fuse. The fuse I have it connected to now is the Ignition fuse found to the left of the steering wheel behind the little compartment.

 

You do not need new UCAs or do anything to your sway bar.

If you make a deal with the devil and get your hands on the discontinued total chaos UCAS, they instruct you to delete the sway bar to make room for a bigger Coilover but that's an issue with the Coilover, not the spacer lift. The spacer lift is compatible with the OEM suspension components.

 

Here is a breakdown of what I've done for the Front lift.

I didn't want to reuse my old springs so I bought replacement struts from FCS.
Threw away the basic shock and kept the spring. Mounted the new spring onto the 4600s.
Readylift spacer on top of that and then an additional spacer plate.

Basically, Torch Off-road sells the same kit as Readylift, except their spacer is 1/4" shorter, and they include a 1/4" plate to make up for the difference.

I bought both spacer kits so that I could take the plate from the torch kit and add it to the slightly taller Readylift spacer.

Each 1" of spacer adds roughly 2" of lift, so the additional 1/4" plate gave me an additional 1/2" of lift compared to just using the Readylift spacer on its own.

Clearance with the UCA is very tight but does not touch whatsoever.

The tab for the brake bracket on the 4600 collided with my steering knuckles, likely because of the additional plate, but with a little percussive maintenance, you can bend it out of the way!
You can see the plate on top of the spacer in the close-up shot!

 

Nearing completion!
Racks and gear are getting outfitted little by little.

Lift installed on front and back. Wish the back could be ~1.5" taller so if anyone has any tips on how to achieve this, I'm all ears! I'm thinking of doing the Archive Garage shackle flip and shackle lift.

I heard that the AAL is kind of stiff, but can be remedied with a slight load in the bed. The bed rack and tent together weight roughly 150lbs, so this constant weight actually makes it a really smooth ride.

I'm on Toyo AT3s, 265/75/R15 which come out to roughly 30.5" (that I am guilty of calling 31s) and yes, they do still rub a bit off-roading when the suspension is flexing.

Had to replace the sway bar end links after busting the bushings, replaced with MOOG end links for our trucks.
I also upgraded the 0.9 (~13psi) bar radiator cap to a 1.3 (~19psi) bar TRD radiator cap. I was having overheating issues on long drives but this solved all of my issues.

I even got a 1500 mile road trip in with no issues whatsoever! My biggest gripe is uphills, but what can you do when you have less power than a Camry...
I'm considering doing a 3rd member swap from a T100, though I'm not sure it's even worth it for me, as I'm in no rush to get anywhere like that. If it means going 45-50 mph uphill behind the 18-wheelers, so be it. As long as I'm on the road!
Other than lifting the rear to be level with the front I plan on adding Coil Sumo springs to the front coils, and standard blue sumo springs in the leaf springs, because I found myself bottoming out often on trails going above 15mph, and Sumo Springs are the most cost-effective way to soften bottoming out.

Didn't get stuck in any mud, but it was pretty funny when I got stuck in the sand on the beach. I got myself out with MaxTrax. Worth every penny and I highly recommend the investment to anyone who likes to go off-roading on their own.
Since this trip, I've also installed the Alpharex Taillights, a lightbar, and some more rack gear.

Not gonna lie, when I've got the Water tanks, Jerry cans, storage boxes, rooftop tent, and a bed full of more gear, this thing barely gets up to speed, but as I mentioned, as long as I'm chugging along, I could care less what pace I'm going.
Ask me anything!

 

Hey Anton, the build looks awesome. I just purchased a 2014 5 lugger double cab and I've been searching for some inspiration on how to make it look more aggressive, and I keep coming back to yours. I don't currently have any use for the truck other than daily commute and the occasional haul. I've made a to-do list for this thing, starting with new tires/wheels and eventually a front spacer lift, and I was hoping to do this altogether but I need to go ahead and get new tires as the current ones are pretty worn down and I'm still not quite sure what I want to do lift wise. Got a few questions for you regarding your truck pre-lift:

What is the offset for your rims? How much lift did you get with your new tire/wheel assembly and did it rub after you did the black box mod? Any noticable differences in the comfort of the ride or mpg with the new tires?

Once you lifted it, did you find that the 29s were too small or did they fit nicely with the overall proportion of the truck?

Thanks in advance and id love to see some more pics pre-lift if you've got them.

 

This is out of my realm of knowledge so I’m gonna throw my guess at it. Perhaps what they’re calling a 3” lift kit actually results in close to 3”. For marketing purposes they call it a 3” instead of 2.9 or 3.1 or whatever it actually does. Similar to how ford calls the mustang a 5.0 but it’s actually a 4.951.

I like this terminology, better than beat the hell outta it with a BFH. Kinda like when I accidentally burn something, it’s over carmelized, not burnt.

 

Hey shem! Appreciate the kind words!

To answer your questions:

1. My rims are 15 x 8 ET -19 which I'm almost certain is a -19mm offset.

2. Going up 2" in diameter offers 1" of lift. I never had the block box to begin with (the previous owner deleted it), so I don't have a reference for how it would be if you still have it.

Our 5-lugs come from the factory with P215/70 R15 tires, which are 27" Diameter tires, 8.5" Wide.

I bought my truck with Yokohama Geolandars tires already installed. These were 265/70/R15, 29.5" in Diameter tires, 10.5" Wide. I would rub with these tires but only going up steep driveways and certain fire roads. Here are some photos of the truck about a year ago. Literally just larger tires, no lift or anything, but no black box!


After installing the lift, I upgraded to Toyo AT3s because the 29s did look a bit small, 265/75/R15, 30.5" in Diameter, also 10.5" Wide. These do not rub 99% of the time but CAN rub if the wheels are at full lock and at full articulation. I noticed the rear also rub occasionally, but only when I'm fully loaded with weight and articulating the suspension.

Lifting on these trucks means making compromises. When you lift it, the smaller stock tires look small and you immediately want to go bigger. When you go bigger, you lose mileage and power. Your engine works harder to rotate larger and heavier tires, combined with a 4-cyl engine, and imperfect gearing means your mileage goes down AND it takes longer to get up to speed, which is why everyone (myself included) calls them sluggish. Personally, I do not mind too much, but full disclosure: It. Is. Sloooowwww. I think I get 13-16 mpg but it's highly dependent on what I've got on the rack (wind resistance go brrrrr)

Comfort wise I think it's great though! Bilstein shocks are tried and true and offer a better-than-OEM ride in most cases but do not expect them to perform like Dual Triple-Bypass Reservoir Race Shocks. They are an OEM replacement/upgrade. It's not a massive difference, but noticeable.

Hope this helps!

 

What a beautiful machine. Keep it up!

 

Hey awesome truck! So in summary, would you recommend the Torch Off Road leveling kit?

Specifically this one?

https://torchoffroad.com/products/2...97523&pr_ref_pid=7580884828403&pr_seq=uniform

 

5 lugs don't get enough love. This is a really cool setup so far. OP do you have any new updates on the build? How about regearing on the backend to help with the loss of power to the ground?

 

Thank man! I think Torch's kit is great but I like the welds on the readylift spacer more personally. I picked up the torch spacer just for the 1/4" plate to put on top of the Readylift spacer. It's hard to explain but the Torch SPACER is 1/4" shorter than the readylift spacer which is why Torch gives you the 1/4" PLATE to make up for the difference. The readylift spacer is 1/4" taller than the torch spacer without the plate, so I combined the readylift spacer and torch 1/4" plate. While I haven't had an issue with this, I'm sure this voids both of their warranties so I would stick with the readylift spacer for the easy route. Haven't tried torch's add a lead either but I'm sure it's fine.

 

Thanks so much! It ain't much but it's honest work!

No big updates really. I've installed some lights on my racks along with an AUXBEAM but that's nothing special. I did do a shackle flip on the rear suspension though!

The AAL did lift the rear, but not quite enough. Because of my racks and gear, it sort of negates the lift offered by the AAL. After installing the ARCHIVE Garage Tacoma Shackle Flip Kit, I gained 2" of lift in the rear which really leveled the truck nicely.

 

Nice!

 

@Anton_FRO how difficult was it to install the shackle flip kit? Did you have to modify anything? I have been looking at solutions to lift the rear of my 5 lug and so far I have found not many options. Yours is exactly what I was looking for!

 

Hey Alex! It was a pretty big job but very doable in like 1/2 a day with the right tools and a buddy to help. It's actually not a bad install by my standards, but drilling the frame is required on 5-lugs, can't use the original rivet holes. It took us 8 hours total, but 6 hours of that were spent drilling out the rivets and taking breaks.
2005 - 2023 Archive Garage Premium Shackle Flip Lift Kit

 

Update on the Slug!

Bilstein 5125 rear shocks and extended brake lines installed! Finally achieved 2" more droop with the shackle flip and these shocks.

Regular height sitting under it's own weight - 35-degree shackle angle approx

Used a Jack to lift the Driver side until full droop in the rear: Perfect 0-degree full droop shackle angle

Helps level out and support the new rack and awning setup!

 

Hey Anton! Awesome build. I recently got myself a ‘15 DC 5lugger and was wondering if you got any updates on your build since 2023. Quick question, when you added your ready lift kit with the front spacers and rear AAL, was it leveled without your gear on the bed? Thinking of doing that to mine with Fatbob’s kit but the kit only adds a 1.5” inch lift in the rear. I wonder if the ready lift version adds more.

Im thinking Ill do the lift first before getting new wheels and tires.