2WD AC V8 Lift Advice

Hello everyone, I'm relatively new to the site and I'm looking for some advice on lifting my truck.

I'm taking over ownership of my dad's 1st gen Tundra. Specs are as follows:
2001 Limited 2WD AC w/ 4.7L V8
Roughly 122K miles
Driven in Southern California

My goal is to find the right suspension modifications to get me approximately 2" of overall lift without having to upgrade UCAs and other recommended parts. I plan on purchasing Bilstein 5100s with OME springs for the front, and 5100s for the rear with some type of AAL. From the wealth of knowledge of the threads I've read up on, I understand that OME 2883 springs up front will get my cab type near level; OME 2884 will provide more lift up front but will require lift in the rear to eliminate squat.

My main question is this: Will Bilstein 5100s paired with OME 2884 springs and an AAL for the rear get me to my desired 2" overall lift without having to upgrade other parts?

More context: LBJs have been replaced with OEM parts. I plan on using my truck as a daily driver. I mainly drive on the highway to commute to work, and I plan on hauling surfboards in the bed. I also plan on using the truck for some basic camping and driving on fire service type roads in the future.

I haven't seen much information regarding lifts for my cab and engine combination. Any suggestions will help, thanks!

 

You can re-use your factory springs with the 5100s and get 2" of lift also.

 

Look for a Body Lift kit (8 taller body + hardware). The Big plus for a body lift are 2 things. Thing 1 is no changes to suspension or its geometry. Thing 2 is the Center of Gravity is affected about 1/3 less because the heavier parts (eng/trans/frame/suspension) stay exactly where they are Height wise - only the Body is lifted.

 

well well

 

So, you advocate for keeping the 24 year old suspension and putting a body lift on? Yeah...Fake it until you break it.

 

Pretty sure he’s saying keep the suspension stock, replace if worn out, but stock. Then for lift, body lift achieves his ask.

 

Thanks for the responses thus far.

More context: I intend on swapping out the stock suspension with 5100s for the front and rear with new OME springs for the front suspension. My main ask is if I go with the OME 2884 springs up front, will adding an AAL in the rear get me back to level/slight rake (and overall lift of approximately 2")? I haven't read up much on anyone with my cab type and engine using the 5100s with OME 2884s.

Two main reasons why I want to lift my truck:
1. Aesthetics
2. Slightly better ride quality than stock

I don't want to go the spacer route.

 

Have you read this yet?
https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

• Virtually every lift kit you see online is going to be geared towards DOUBLE CAB 4WD, its specific weight and geometry. DC 4WD (/Seqoia) is the heaviest of all 1st Gen trucks. If you have an AC or RC truck, and/or you are 2WD instead of 4WD, be forewarned, you'll get more lift than advertised on pre-packaged lifts! This is a painfully pre-purchase warning for any V6 and 2WD folks driving AC/RC trucks out there!
• Extras... At 1.5" of lift or higher, you'll want extended swaybar links, Suspension Maxx sells, to avoid travel limitations. As you approach 2.5" of lift with 1GT trucks, you're closing in on thresholds of OEM travel and should consider extras to compensate. Examples: You'll want new upper control arms (UCA) to more easily hit alignment numbers. At 3" and beyond, you may need to snug up your OEM CV boots or get ORS extended boots or similar to avoid grease-sling or ripping, and probably add bumpstops, etc. There are a lot of considerations - think about it, or ask questions in the forum if you need a sanity check!
• 1st Gen diff drops are a joke, unless ½° of angle is significant to you? Save your hard earned money.
• When buying new upper control arms, There are a few types, know what you're getting, read more here to help you decide.
• For rear lifting, try to avoid using blocks (esp. if towing, axle wrap is bad mmmkay), consider an AAL (add-a-leaf) kit to get an extra 0.75" - 2.0" lift instead (*if* you don't need your overload leaf!), or many members have found a new ATS "HD" leaf pack was a very wallet-friendly way to get a solid, no-brainer 1.5" - 2" lift, part# 90-221HD for 4WD, 90-287HD for 2WD and it includes an overload leaf. WARNING: The Icon 51100 add-a-leaf kit ONLY gives 1st Gen Tundras between 0.5" - 0.75" of lift IRL! The Wheeler's offroad kit is a better option for 1.5" (ish) of lift. NOTE: You should look into buying an LSPV relocation bracket unless you want a lesser braking experience after lifting.
• One OEM suspension upgrade Toyota offered for the 1GT was Bilstein, others got KYB. For "leveling" a truck and lifting up to 3" or more while keeping factory-ish ride, many people therefore opt for Bilstein. The Bilstein 5100s are a very popular choice because you can adjust the spring cup to different heights using circlips/notches to get more or less lift *if*using non-lifted springs. You could also get a bit deeper into the Bilstein line for more money, and go with the 5160 or 6110 line.
• If you choose the popular option of Bilstein 5100, you have two spring options: Stick with stock springs and adjust circlip notches up, or go with a lifted spring at bottom notch. Lifted springs may provide better ride, and some vendors will pre-assemble your strut w/springs for an upcharge, making it a bolt-in affair. Regardless what you choose, there are limitations! Like, to re-use factory springs, there are limits on which 5100 notch you can use (see chart here for OEM spring notch guidance). If you go with aftermarket lift springs, like from ARB/OME/Old Man Emu, Dobinsons, or Eibach, Bilstein says to stay at the 5100's bottom notch/circlip to avoid problems/damage. For a true-to-OEM-stock-replacement strut without lifting, the Bilstein 4600 is your way to go. Note: You can also use the Bilstein 4600 with aftermarket lifted springs, maybe save a buck!
• To pick the right lifted spring for Bilstein 5100s, some guidance. With OME (Old Man Emu, not 'OEM') springs, it can daunting which spring to pick, between the 2883, 2884, 2885, 2886, 2887. We have tons of user experiences and know what you can expect better than any vendor:
  • For AC/RC with 2WD, both V6 and V8, you'll get near-level with OME 2883. Don't do 2884 unless you plan a rear lift.
  • For AC/RC with 4WD, go 2883 for a sport rake, 2884 to get level, don't go with 2885 unless you plan a rear lift
  • For nearly all DC applications, you'll get a bit of rake with the 2884, level with 2885, and if you plan a rear 1-2" lift, 2887 is probably your choice.
  • With any suggestion given here, your lift may take a bit to settle at final height.
  • If you're AC/RC be forewarned: Nearly all who doubted the above were left squatted out back, thinking 2884 or 2885 was right for their AC/RC 2WD truck. It'd just not the case, and a lot of vendors don't know/bother to inform their customers, so heed the above.

 

Yeah, this is the main thread I've read. Just looking for some advice from the community to see if anyone has feedback on the 5100 and OME 2884 combo for my cab type and engine combo. I'm hoping that by going that route for my desired lift, there won't be any squat in the rear after adding an AAL.

 

Haha...This IS advice from the community. It was compiled by some very knowledgable members on this forum. I'm going to highlight one more time:

• To pick the right lifted spring for Bilstein 5100s, some guidance. With OME (Old Man Emu, not 'OEM') springs, it can daunting which spring to pick, between the 2883, 2884, 2885, 2886, 2887. We have tons of user experiences and know what you can expect better than any vendor:
  • For AC/RC with 2WD, both V6 and V8, you'll get near-level with OME 2883. Don't do 2884 unless you plan a rear lift.
  • For AC/RC with 4WD, go 2883 for a sport rake, 2884 to get level, don't go with 2885 unless you plan a rear lift
  • For nearly all DC applications, you'll get a bit of rake with the 2884, level with 2885, and if you plan a rear 1-2" lift, 2887 is probably your choice.
  • With any suggestion given here, your lift may take a bit to settle at final height.
  • If you're AC/RC be forewarned: Nearly all who doubted the above were left squatted out back, thinking 2884 or 2885 was right for their AC/RC 2WD truck. It'd just not the case, and a lot of vendors don't know/bother to inform their customers, so heed the above.

I can only speak to the 5100s and 2884s on my AC V8 4WD, on the bottom circlip of the 5100s. It was near level on install with a bit of squat, but has settled into level over time.

 

For sure, this thread has been really helpful. I just wanted to see how much of a rear lift I'd need since the thread doesn't specify exactly. Thanks for your input, I hope it's the same for my 2WD.

 

You’ll find out by taking current measurements, then use the numbers in that thread to see where you would be after. And that thread gives you an idea of best ways to lift the rear depending on your outcome.

The one thing I don’t think it tells you is you can actually be about an inch lower in the rear and still look fairly level. I’m actually sitting 3/4” lower in the rear and looking from the side I basically look level.