[jessevic]

Hey there!
I finally came to my senses and sold my car and bought a truck. Its a 03 Tacoma (4x4 V6) I got for real cheap off my stepdad.

Now, can anyone point me to a good suspension guide/review, or have any suggestions? I am looking to run a pair of 33" 12.50 BFG's ASAP, and I was wondering what a good suspension lift would be? I dont want anything massive, I just want it to look clean, and work good in the toolies. Or does anyone have any suspension kits they had problems with and I should avoid?


...and sorry, I am a noob to 4x4ing so far, but is there any advantage other than price for a body lift over suspension?

Thankfull noobie,
Jesse

 

[jessevic]

Hey, its me again...

Sorry to be such a noob to truck suspension, but does a lift kit keep in the rear leafs? do they have coils and struts? I know car suspension, but nothing about trucks. heh. sorry to be "that guy" but the more i read about tacos the more questions i have.

Thanks,
Jesse

 

[dougtrd]

It all depends on how much money you want to spend!!!! Most say to run 33s you will need at least 4" prolly closer to 6" of lift not to rub...however, look at my sig and youll see I am getting away with 3"...dont know why or how...but on the front you can go "cheap" and run spacers(cornfed, toytec,revtek) up to 3" (on top of the coil) and in the back you can run add-a-leaf and/or longer shackles and longer shocks...ideally, a new set of adjustable coilovers(Donahoe, Camburg, Kings, SAWS) up front will give the best ride and versatility and in the back a new custom leaf pack(deaver or alcan) will work the best, but again $$$$$$, and then you have to ask exactly what you will be doin with your truck...that will affect your decision and wallet quite a bit too...
Personally, I would do A TON of research before you spend the $$ and decide what you really want to do...I find myself with spacers and AAL wishing I had saved and bought Donahoe Coilovers and a custom leaf pack!
And then there is always the Body Lift option...

just my .02

 

[synovus]

Now, can anyone point me to a good suspension guide/review, or have any suggestions? I am looking to run a pair of 33" 12.50 BFG's ASAP, and I was wondering what a good suspension lift would be? I dont want anything massive, I just want it to look clean, and work good in the toolies. Or does anyone have any suspension kits they had problems with and I should avoid? ...and sorry, I am a noob to 4x4ing so far, but is there any advantage other than price for a body lift over suspension?

http://www.customtacos.com/tech/index.php?page=index_v2&id=137&c=10

Unless your truck is a motorcycle, you might want to consider getting two pairs of tires.

 

[atwinda]

There is a review around, no idea what the link is though.

For 33s you will need a 3" suspension lift and at least a 1" Body lift.

Most people lean towards the Donahoes, but Camburg and Kings are all top notch coilovers (for the front). They are a bit expensive however. Saws are ones to stay away from, due to an issue with the adjustment collar seazing to the strut. Allpro (bilstein ebaic combo) fit somewhere in the middle. Cheaper front lifts are OME, and the Fabtech basic lift. Even cheaper would be a spacer lift- but a replacement coilover is obviously a better route if you care about ride.

For the rear, you have a few different options. To level the truck 2.5" of lift is what you're looking for. I personally like to keep the stock stance, with the rear a little higher than the front (3" in this case). You're options are a complete new leaf pack: Deaver or Alcan. OME and I believe Allpro also sell a replacement pack. Besides new packs, you can rebuild your exsisting pack with a second stock pack (see my site for a write up) or you can use a Add-a-leaf/shackle combo.

Body lifts only lift the body off the frame, and are great in small amounts to clear tires. Larger body lifts will put more stress on your body mounts (cab side) and cause cracks to develop... which could lead to the entire cab coming off the frame. Suspension lifts are really the way to go. They push the frame up from the axles. On the 03's the front CV boots tend to fail quickly with anything over 3" of coilover lift.

Read A LOT www.nowwgasa.net www.mor4wd.com www.customtacos.com are a start.

 

[jessevic]

thanks for the replys...
http://www.customtacos.com/tech/index.php?page=index_v2&id=137&c=10

that guy pretty much was what I was looking for. So lets say I want to go with a 4 inch lift in the front and back. Am I right to think that I should idealy be going with a coilover kit in the front, and a new leaf spring kit in the back? Is there anything else I should look into? I read about a transfer case drop, or new CV boots? Im not made out of money, but I would rather do it once properly, then twice the wrong way.

Thanks,
Jesse

P.S. Props to the owner of this ride, its the exact look I am going for with mine.
http://www.tacomaterritory.com/memberrigs/profile.php?id=342&offset=3&&go=25&

 

[SurfingDrunk]

Read A LOT www.nowwgasa.net www.mor4wd.com www.customtacos.com are a start.

two under construction links and one already posted. brilliant.

 

[Wgasa84]

two under construction links and one already posted. brilliant.

though if you read... Nowwgasa.net and mor4wd are still up and functional.

underconstruction? yes. dead. no. Still tons of info.

 

[SurfingDrunk]

though if you read... Nowwgasa.net and mor4wd are still up and functional.

underconstruction? yes. dead. no. Still tons of info.

i don't know about you, but when i tried to access your site it looked ead to me...the start page- "NOWWGASA.NET IS CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH AN UPGRADE

THE SITE WILL STAY UP, BUT THERE MAY BE BROKEN LINKS AND DEAD IMAGES.

THANK YOU, WE WILL HAVE IT BACK TO NORMAL ASAP! "
and
mor4wd is so jacked up the page doesn't fully load so you cant scroll down and read the "information".

thanks for the tons of fun, mary.

 

[synovus]

i don't know about you, but when i tried to access your site it looked ead to me...the start page- "NOWWGASA.NET IS CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH AN UPGRADE...THE SITE WILL STAY UP, BUT THERE MAY BE BROKEN LINKS AND DEAD IMAGES...THANK YOU, WE WILL HAVE IT BACK TO NORMAL ASAP! "

and mor4wd is so jacked up the page doesn't fully load so you cant scroll down and read the "information". thanks for the tons of fun, mary.

Click on one of the two images, Einstein.

 

[jessevic]

Maybe lets argue less and help me more! Just jokin, I think I have a good grasp what Im going to do...
1in body lift with bumper fix,
3in coilover in front
3in new leaf/add leaf in the rear

The question now is..if I do a 3in leaf lift, and a 3in front coilover, do I have to get matching struts? Can I buy any rear struts, and any front coil overs? I think what I really want is a kit rather then mix/match. Anyone have any positive feedback on their own lift? I am lookin around 4 inches.

 

[SurfingDrunk]

Click on one of the two images, Einstein.

sorry honcho, no image came up. my fault.
how ya been? i see you are quite the information man lately- thats cool! you've been spitting out some great info and facts and links. have a good weekend.
*edited for drunken tocoism

 

[synovus]

The question now is..if I do a 3in leaf lift, and a 3in front coilover, do I have to get matching struts? Can I buy any rear struts, and any front coil overs? I think what I really want is a kit rather then mix/match. Anyone have any positive feedback on their own lift? I am lookin around 4 inches.

If you go with adjustable coilovers up front, you won't be able to have matching shocks all the way around. You'll have your coilovers up front and shocks and leaf springs in the rear. You can buy any rear shocks that will work with the amount of travel you have back there after new leafs and/or AAL. Of course, some shocks are better than others. Spend some more time reading through the suspension folder on here, and learn what's available and what others' experiences are with various brands/models to decide which ones are best for you.

As far as coilover/leaf pack kits there's a couple that I know of... Donahoe has a kit with a Deaver leaf-pack, OME has a full kit (though theirs are not "adjustable" coilovers, and most likely wont give you a full 3" after normal break-in), and All-Pro has a kit with Alcan rear springs (I think they're Alcan anyway, I may be wrong on that). Again, read read read. Learn what you can to make an informed decision.

Donahoe's kit

OME's kit

All-Pro's kit

 

[synovus]

sorry honcho, no image came up. my fault.
how ya been? i see you are quite the information man lately- thats cool! you've been spitting out some great info and facts and links. have a good weekend.
*edited for drunken tocoism

Likely excuse...

 

[rojodiablo]

Saws are ones to stay away from, due to an issue with the adjustment collar seazing to the strut. Allpro (bilstein ebaic combo) fit somewhere in the middle.
This is not an everyday occurance; and it should be noted that these shocks require MORE cleaning and service than the stock shock assy. It's not surprising once you find out how much stuff can collect on the coilovers, especially once we get our grimy hands on them. I guess folks just think the shocks are invincible.