Concerns about a lifted truck

I'm shopping for a Tundra and getting close. There's a truck with dealer installed 3"lift/rims tires that I might be able to get a deal on but I'm concerned about how it will affect the durability of components and the gas mileage. For me the whole point of getting a Tundra was durability and I wouldn't want to give that up for style points.
It'll be a daily driver with 15 mile commute. Occasional light off-road, light towing

 

Durability should not be affected.
Gas mileage will be. I lost about 2MPG with a similar setup.

 

MPG will drop with a lift as far as the rest it depends what type of components were used and if the person doing the install knew what they were doing. Personally I would buy a stock Tundra and do the lift, wheels etc. on your own. Even if they are dropping the price from what I have seen you will still end up paying much, much more for dealer installed lift, wheels, and tires.

 

Dealers tend to mark their aftermarket setups like this lift and wheels up by quite a bit. Unless you get a really good deal, it is sometimes better to buy a standard struck and then add your own lift and wheels to your taste and better price.
But, if they are willing to deal, you might be getting a good looking truck and you don't have to do anything to it.
Good luck.

 

It looks like a standard leveling/spacer kit. I can see the spacer up front. You will be fine gas mileage wise. We don't buy 6,000 lb. Tundras for gas mileage. What size are the tires? That will have more of an affect on mpg than the spacer kit.

 

If I was to buy a new tundra ever. This is what I would look for a 3" lift is nothing it wont hurt the truck. On top of that if it is a good deal then jump on it. But I would make sure it is. Do the math and see what they are charging for that lift and wheels and tires you maybe able to do it alot cheaper later. Just my 2cents

 

Price should be really good. I already have an email stating they'll give me $5500 off before the $3k from Toyota. Its just a matter of finding the right truck. He has this on the lot already. The dealership claims its $6k in upgrades but the sales guy was saying last night he might be able to zero that out. I wasnt looking for a lift but it looks sweet, I just dont want to have problems with the drivetrain or joints or something. I'm not too knowledgeable on after market stuff

 

If it’s a good deal I’d go for it. If the dealer installed it, you can hold them accountable for it.

 

Drive train with a lift up to 3" should be good, and with it being installed by the dealer it should all be covered under the warranty, as opposed to aftermarket.
If they can zero out the upgrades, it might just be a really good deal.

FYI:
MPG: I used to get about 16 and not I am at 14 average, same driving style as before, but a 3" lift and heavier tires.
Highway mileage at 70MPH consistent dropped from 19 to 17.

 

This all very helpful, thanks guys

 

To re assure you I have a 6" lift with 35s been that way for going on 3 yrs. No issues yet. Mind you I do not off road at all. But still no issues pulling my 5400# camper eather.

 

All good except- What do you mean by light off-roading? If you take it out on dirt, love it, and start to play, a spacer can help you break your shocks.

I’m with all the guys here the recommend you get a stock truck then add the lift yourself if you want: it seems like a lot to buy decent coil overs while you’re still making payments, but it likely won’t cost more than you’d pay that dealer for that spacer lift, and you won’t have to pay that financing over the life of the loan.

Edit: Plus, a good coilover loft will be more comfortable and handle better than a spacer lift.

 

True but if he gets a good deal and they zero the extra charges it’s basically buying a stock truck anyways. Win win

 

You’re right, Homie!

I just never miss a chance to give a ‘heads up’ when I see ‘spacer lift’ and ‘off-roading’ in the same post. I’ll never forget how that looked, and felt, the first time I saw that happen.

 

If you can afford it, go for it ! You gotta pay to play !

 

From the dealer page:

MOUNTAIN PKG $5995
includes:
33" toyo mt
20" custom wheels
whl credit
predator bars
level kit
remote start

Anyway they haven't officially given me a number on the lifted truck. I generally agree with idea to piece it out myself (or not at all), but if they want to comp me to get it off the lot Its a nice headstart.
Again, really appreciate the advice. I haven't had a truck in 10 years and even then it was a POS ford. This all new to me.

Oh is the pedestrian detection still an issue on the leveled trucks?

 

I wish you the best of luck in your hunt for a Tundra (you're gonna love it), but I have seen too many hack jobs from dealerships to try and move inventory. A good friend of mine bought a truck that was lifted, and it caused her tons of problems. They had actually stretched her trucks stock suspension to get the lift components to fit and it chewed up joints like crazy. Took her a bit to find the issue and then fighting them for 2 months to get it all fixed. I'd go stock and build it into what you want. Just my opinion, though. Honestly, if I could get a vehicle from the factory and bypass the idiocy of the dealerships all together, I would do it in a heart beat.

 

Full agreement with buying your Tundra stock and then doing your research for the best, proven, reliable and personal preference aftermarket parts you can afford. Great thing about Toyota is the fit and finish. Always important to have that communication and relationship with the shop doing the actual install.
Good Luck

 

That’s too much money for this IMO. 18” wheels are better for off-road and towing imo. And you can get a bitchin coulover set up for less than this.

 

Just make sure the dealer agrees to warranty their work. I have a 6" & 35" tires. All done by the dealer upon my request. I WAY overpaid but it was so the dealer would continue to warranty the power train & other work. Dealer employee's are also whores (move around to other dealers) so make sure the people making the agreements have been around for more then 5 years. That's a lifetime in auto dealership world... . I had all my conversations with the GM (20+ years), Salesman (4.5 years) & Service manager (9 years). The service manager still made sure I understand that if anyone in the dealer questions anything that I come directly to him. He made it clear that they do not make money on warranty work so dealers will commonly look for reasons to void if possible. I did the same thing with my Benz. So far, so good.

Oh, and the dealer did my pedestrian detection after the lift. I had issues with the front passenger seat heater not working and the Cruise control. They re-calibrated it & I've had 0 issues since.

Good luck.

 

So dealer got back and said best they could do on the dealer installed stuff was at cost, so that's a no for me. They gave me a couple options on stock options with same dealer discount. Appreciate the info, it put me in a better bargaining position and gave me some ideas on how to build up in the future

 

Price out those components aftermarket and don't forget a credit for the OEM tires and wheels. You can buy take off step rails around here for $200 or less. I am sure it is a spacer lift and everything might be worth $2k net. My concern is alignment and diff drop. 3" is on cusp of needing UCAs which I can guarantee they did not do.

 

Just be ready for the normal Toyota push back when you do lift. They try to blame lifts and tires for everything. When I got my pro the steering wheel was misaligned a couple degrees to the right. I brought this to one persons attention. I went in for my 5000 mile service and said I want to get this fixed. The guy that I originally mentioned it to was not there and of course the other guys try to blame it on my coachbuilder Pro lift and my tires. I had a laugh. this was brought up upon delivery of the truck a month before I lifted it.

Then I was switching out some bulbs to LED‘s I noticed that the screw on the third brake light was stripped. I brought that their attention as well and they tried to blame it on me for swapping out the LEDs. After a lot of fighting they finally looked at it and noticed that somehow the screw on the right side was too short. Again Toyotas never at fault in their minds.

I won’t even get into the fights we had about the buyback on my 2018. Sensor issue for 12,000 miles, I finally lifted it and then they try to blame the lift.

 

Looks like they just put spacers on for a 3” lift and i bet that charge is $3k. And you can get a full toytec 3” lift WITH control arms (you’ll need them to make the ride better) for much less than that and it will ride a lot better than just spacers from readylift (what most Toyota dealers use).

I average 17-18 in town and 20+ driving up to Denver. 3/1 toytec w/ 33” bfg’s. I’ll go to 35’s when these are done. But (pics ornot didn’t happen right )

 

I'm not a fan of dealer-installed lifts, they mark it up way over what you and a few friends or trusted shop would buy and install the components for. Most dealers don't actually install all of the aftermarket stuff themselves anyway. A lot of the dealers down here just take them to 4WP of El Cajon...



Edit:

Oof, I just read this post. $6000 for some 33" tires, cheap cast aluminum wheels, and a couple of spacer pucks/blocks? You can just throw some 265/70R18 or 275/70R18 tires on stock wheels and safely bounce off of the bumpstops for a while until you know what you really want to do with the truck you buy.

 

You get a lot of bed bounce on 25 around Castle Rock?

 

OP, I say pass and do the work you want after. I’m not a fan of spacer lifts. And, those wheels are ugly.

 

Buy stock and then add.

Lifts do add wear to the suspension components and brakes...just a fact. Ball joints, bushings, tie rods, steering racks, etc.

 

You hand calculated that? And how the hell are you getting that good MPG. I have 2' lift and rolling 33's and get 16.8 on a good day.

OP spacer lifts right like shit, compressed springs never ride great . It's good you are passing on it. See if you can get a good deal on 19 Pro. Already factory lifted and no dealer bull shit about you lifting a truck and voiding the warranty.

 

Already passed on it. I mentioned it a few posts back, but I'm learning alot from the feed back so far. I just kinda got dazzled by the numbers. Glad I came in for advice