Best practices for lifting a vehicle

New to trucks, and def a noob when it comes to what it takes to customize, so hoping someone can help me here.

Looking to lift my 20 15 crewmax limited. Don't want to go crazy big so guy at shop recommended 4 inches in front and 2 and back to level it out.

Questions:

-Type of lift kit would you recommend? Is there a toyota brand lift kit or all aftermarket?

-Does anyone else like the the titled look of the truck and would you lift but still keep the tilt intact? Any cons to leaving it like that?

-Does lifting at this height cause any handling issues?

Thanks in advance folks.
Jeff

 

Thanks so much for the help. Would it be possible for you to link a couple of the items you are talking about for my reference/education?

 

Thanks for that. So the place I go here in Austin recommended this lift kit, any experience or thoughts on these? Are they comparable to the ones you posted?

Fabtech sst kit 4"

 

Interesting, the tech at the shop quoted me 799.00 installed. What am I missing here?

 

I guess he didn't think I needed them unless I lifted above 4". I'm not what you would call a serious off roader, bought it for work to tow and have seen some off roading since I got it and like doing it. Want to make sure I'm getting all the right stuff but safety and reliability come first.

 

So that's no ideal?

Appreciate your time and the help here brother.

 

i personally wouldn't put 4" worth of spacers under a nice truck that you're clearly proud of but to each their own. csuviper has you on a better plan than your local shop. not to mention everything he recommended will retain the nice ride instead of just making it big and stiff... that's what she said lol.

 

I vote for calling the ToyTec gurus: 866-254-0076

 

She did say that.


Agreed on all, appreciate the feedback. Not sure why my dealer is trying to sell me on a cheaper system. Maybe doesn't know any better?

 

From what I understand, there are 2 main front suspension lifts available for Tundras, drop bracket-type lifts and control arm push-down lifts.

The bracket lifts require major modification and are best left to an experienced shop. They use brackets to relocate the front suspension components downward, thereby lifting the front of the truck upwards. They have the advantage of retaining stock geometry angles and greater lift of anywhere from 3" to 6" usually. But they're expensive, permanent (since they usually require some cutting and re-welding) don't really improve suspension performance, and don't really provide much more ground clearance even with bigger tires (front diff and brackets are placed further downwards).

The control arm lifts can usually be separated into 2 sub-categories - spacer lifts and strut/coilover lifts. A control arm lift achieves lift by using a longer strut/coilover assembly, which pushes down on the control arm assembly, thereby pushing the front of the truck upwards. These lifts are limited by the available travel, especially down travel, and geometric suspension angles. Too much lift and you sacrifice down travel. You also place the ball joints, especially the uppers, at a greater angle, and if you have 4wd, you place the front CV axles and their boots at a greater angle. Operating at increased angles can prematurely wear the components. 3" is usually considered the maximum safe limit before you use up available down travel and cause excessive premature wear on CVs, ball joints, etc., and have alignment problems (which longer upper control arms may be able to fix).

A spacer lift uses a metal or polyurethane disc that looks like a hockey puck. It can be placed in between the top part of the coil spring and top plate or on top of the top plate (think the latter is sometimes called a shim). By adding a spacer, the strut/coilover assembly becomes correspondingly longer. The longer the length, the more it pushes down on the control arm assembly. By pushing down on the control arm assembly, the front of the truck is pushed upwards. Spacer lifts are usually the most economical, but offer no added suspension performance since the stock coils and shocks are used. Some say the "in-between" spacer tends to preload or prematurely wear the coil springs' tensile strength, causing them to prematurely sag a bit over time. Others claim they offer a slightly harsher ride due to the preload effect. And still others claim that using top shims that are too thick can cause the upper ball joint to hit the coil spring during droop.

Longer aftermarket coilovers, like the TRD Pro, Old Man Emu or Bilstein 6112, for instance, achieve lift the same way a spacer does, but they have the benefit of claimed performance. The claim is from the use of bigger diameter shocks. The bigger the shock, the longer it takes for its internal oil to heat up and the better damping it provides (not to be confused with dampening - shocks "damp," they don't "dampen"). When a shock's internal oil heats up, the shock's ability to damp the coil spring's oscillations decreases or "fades." There are also adjustable shocks that use a spanner wrench to increase or decrease ride height, such as the King and Fox coilovers. Another benefit is that you can get fully assembled coilovers that are ready to be bolted on without having to disassemble the stock struts/coilovers. Of course, the bigger the shock diameter, the more expensive it is.

As for the tilt, that's called "rake." Positive rake has the rear angled upward, while negative rake has the front angled upward. Most trucks come with positive rake so that the truck sits level with a load in the back.

Hope this helps.

 

King coilovers, Total Chaos UCA's, Total Chaos rear shackle. #done

 

Forgot to talk about the rear. You can use a whole new leaf pack (more expensive), an add-a-leaf, shackles or lift blocks. Since the rear is a solid axle, it's much easier. Better, aftermarket shocks also help.

 

Thank you sir!

 

Honestly, go with the 3in lift option. What is your budget in terms of the front lift?

Don't get spacers. They are cheap and shitty. It's as simple as that. Your ride will stiffin up and your balljoints will be crying.

Spindle lifts are great but they increase your track width and might lead into rubbing issues on your body mount if you plan to run big beefy tires. They also re use your stock shocks..good for looks but they wont be that great off road. None the less, a good option.

You could go with Blistien 5100's and set them on the middle setting (1.75in of lift) and add (2) Coachbuilder strut shims on each side to give you a total front lift of 2.75in of lift (.50 lift from each shim). This is the most budget friendly lift that will increase performance and add durability compared to a spacer lift.

Coilovers are your next option. Costs about $500-1800 depending what shocks you go with. I have a friend that has a set of Fox 2.0 Coilovers that are brand new and is selling for $500 (normally 800). Those provide 2in of lift. Coilovers are the best option to go with but you will be spending some money on them. They will ride the best (super smooth) and you can rebuild these shocks ($50) compared to having to buy new shocks everytime you need to replace them. This is the option i went. I got King 2.5 with resis/adjusters. THE softest setup i've had and well worth the money.

Stay under 3in of lift to avoid buying new uca's.

 

Spacers and blocks are always an option. The majority will say they are crap but when it comes down to it, they don't give reasons they just say it's crap. The majority of those that do go that route never have problems and would do it all over again. The best way is all the ones mentioned above. But with that come a heftier price tag so it all depends on the use of the truck and the budget.

 

The problem with a Spacer lift is when it is all top-spacer providing 2.5+ inches of lift. Since the spacer moves the entire coil/shock assembly down, the suspension is able to droop much further than it was meant to which causes some excess wear and tear on ball-joints, CVs, etc. When the suspension is compressed the shock will end up bottoming out, or being the final stop in up travel in stead of the bumpstops. This can lead to the shocks breaking while used off-road.

 

yep..and that's how I busted my stock TRD front shock....now saving for some KINGs..