What to fit in the budget

I have negotiated $3k to spend on the Tundra this December, plus I have about $500 in Amazon gift cards. This will probably be the majority of mods I do the next few years, need to save up for a crate motor for my 69 Camaro after this. My truck is mostly what you would call a "mall crawler" but it will be offroad occasionally. I drive about 24k miles a year for work so the on-road ride and longevity is important. Would like everyone's feedback on the best bang for the buck for my situation.

1. 18x9 +18 Method wheels, 295/70-18 Cooper AT3's, Bilstein 6112/5160 self installed, 1-1/2" Toytech shackles, diff drop, alignment. I believe the top setting on the 6112 will put me at about 2.75", looks like I should be able to get a proper alignment without UCA's. Probably push the wheel well forward and take off the mud flaps for clearance. Should be close to $3,500 all in with taxes, mounting/balance, etc at that point.
2. Instead of the 6112/5160 do the Toytec/Eibach 3" coil lift kit and SPC UCA's. It appears that the on road ride would not be as good but the new UCA's would make sure my alignment would be right.
3. My stock headlights are bad even with the upgraded bulbs. Like the LED retrofits but it looks like it would be about $700. Only way I can fit that in my budget would be downgrading to a Bilstein 5100 setup and no UCA's.

Not fully decided on the wheels/tires. Will be 18x9 with +18 to +25 offset in all black. Tires need to be relatively quiet with good wet traction, but I do like the look of a more aggressive tire. I helped a friend install some 5100's recently, would do the install myself.

 

Not sure about tundras but I had 5100s on my tacoma and the ride was not very good with the stock cool compressed.

 

Also you don’t really need uca with 6112’s. I’m running a 3” spacer with stock UCa’s And proper alignment. If I were you I would get the toytec/Eibach set and run stock uca. Wait till Black Friday and you will find lots of deals. I remember methods being dirt cheap at 4 wheel parts.

 

Based on what I've seen on this site there are mixed reviews about getting a proper alignment with a 3" coil lift. I drive a lot, trying to avoid chewing up new tires and then buying UCA's to fix the problem. Not sure if there is a difference in the on-road ride with the Toytec/Eibach fronts and Boss rears compared to the Bilstein 6112/5160 combo. Everyone raves about the Bilstein but the other is an easier install.

 

Not sure how they would be on a Tundra but I just installed some 5100s on my father in law's 99 Ram diesel. They made a HUGE difference. Way better ride quality. But with a 2nd gen Dodge it doesn't take much. Maybe keep an eye out for some used pro shocks. Basically 6112s and they ride really nice. Plus they work well with stock UCAs.

 

I'm in the same situation here... stuck on suspension. I see it as...

1) Level it with 5100s in the front. $200 parts but 200-400 in labor since spring compression required.
2) 6110 or Toytec Boss in front only for 2 inches to level. $800 in parts but could self install.
3) New Toytec/Eibach non-adjustable coil 3 in the front, then 1in shackles in the rear. 800ish in parts but could self install.

Ugh...

 

hah... I went though that process too. if you are going to be mostly on the street, pick #1. if you will do some offroad, pick #2. if you are going to be doing heavier offroading, pick #3. However, with #3 (3 inch lift) you will need UCA's. so tack on another $500-$800 depending on the brand.

 

How sure are you about the UCAs? When I talk to Toytec, even via phone today, they continue to state its "optional and a good offroad shop should be able to get the alignment within spec".

What really gets me stuck in the decision is just the cost between #2 and #3 is the same. I can just do the fronts but make them nice adjustable coils, or do front and rear but use non-adjustable coils. All around 800.

 

I've just installed the Bilstein 6112/5160 combo with the 6112's on the 3rd notch (1.9") and love the ride. It is firm but feels much more responsive.

 

from reading the posts on this site for over a year, a general consensus is that at 3" of lift, you should get UCA's. however, there are those that have lifted 3" and have been able to get decent alignments without the UCA's. you could always do the lift without the UCA's and see if you can get a good alignment. if not, then you could add them later.

When I had my Tacoma, I lifted it 3" and I chose to get the UCA's at the same time. I wanted it done right, done once, and done without issues. The shop I went to commented that with the UCA's, the alignment was very easy to do. I am glad that I opted for them. The truck drove smooth and straight and was a champ offroad.

as others have said here, "buy once, cry once"

 

Honestly - the 6112s at 2in (1.9) of lift are sounding pretty nice these days. Level it off, better front handling, little risk of alignment issues. I just wonder if I would be happier with the Toytec/Eibach 3in coils and shackles, but then I run that UCA risk.

I know the risk exists, since my FJ had a 3/1 lift and never got into alignment spec.

 

This will not be the last 3k you debate. There is still so much more. This is just the biggest being the wheels and suspension.

 

agreed... you shouldn't have any alignment issues at 2".

hmm... now you will have to figure out what tire size that you are going to run

 

Last post before I officially hijack the OPs thread - 285/70/18

 

OK. I haven't really looked into it, in fact I haven't looked into it on my vehicle at all, but from the looks of things my stock suspension on my TRD appears to have Bilsteins both front and rear.

So my question is:

Do stock TRDs come with Bilstein 5100s up front? If yes, can they be adjusted / extended to level out my ride for the price of labor only...no additional parts?

 

No. They are Bilsteins, but they aren't 5100s, and they aren't adjustable. I'm assuming you aren't talking TRD Pro, which does have a great stock suspension.

 

Not a Pro. Thanks for the knowledge my fine sir.

 

Looking for some feedback on the ride quality difference between the Bilstein 6112/5160 and the Toytec Boss system. I believe the Boss fronts are a smaller diameter shock than the 6112, figured it could be a downgrade in ride quality. I do like the idea of doing the Boss at 2.5" with 295/70-18's and without UCA's for now, could raise it up later to 3"+ and add UCA's and 35's. Is the 6112/5160 closer to the Radflo/Toytec ride quality, just with a more restricted height?

 

I have a big pile of parts that I need to wait two weeks to install. It's like I'm a kid again waiting for Christmas. Got the Eibach/Toytech kit with shackles, Zone UCA's, 2018 LED's along with harness. Ordered the Method Mesh 18's and Cooper AT3's also. Everyone on this forum gets the credit/blame for me spending all this money!

 

If you want to do a retrofit, I have brand new headlamps off my 17 limited with leveling motors for sale.

 

Are you sure you can fit that size with only 1.9 lift up front?

 

Sell your camaro add that to what ya have saved and buy a supercharger

 

If you end up having extra cash to throw at the truck, there are a few ideas for mods here:
http://buildprint.io/mods?template=3&p[2]=Toyota&p[3]=Tundra&photos=true&uri=true

 

what's a budget?

 

Sell the Camaro?! I need a "don't like" button!

 

Went with the factory LED's instead. Going to sell my old headlights also.