Time for Suspension Lift and Tires - Here's the plan

Hey guys, sorry for the long post. I want to get all this info in one post to avoid shotgun blasting questions all over the place regarding this topic. So I have saved up and am ready to pull the trigger on suspension and tires so I can install over Christmastime when I have some time off and weather is good (in Texas). I have been here on the forum for about a year and have tried to pick up on a lot, but want to run the plan by y’all to make sure I’m not missing anything important and am not making any big mistakes.

The basics – 2004 DC 4.7 4WD. This is my daily driver. I want to lift it, get a beefier stance, slightly bigger tires. The truck currently has a hefty rake, so I’ll level it out a little bit, but leave some rake. I want to maintain the smoothish stock ride on the road. I’m not looking for a caddy, but it needs to be reasonably comfortable for every day use on the road. I’ll probably take this truck off road a few times a year. Maybe do MERUS sometime in the future and fire roads in Colorado and NM. It’s main job is to and fro on Texas roads wet and dry.

So here is the plan:

6112s up front. I’m going for a softer spring like the 650 lb if I can. I think I’m gonna go 6/8 setting, but have thought about 7/5 just to keep the geometry a little closer to original. I have no added armor planned on the front end.

5160s in the back. I’m planning on getting the regular duty ATS leaves and either try to make a bastard pack with the leftovers I pull out of the current set or get a wheeler’s AAL. I don’t plan to add a camper or any other significant weight to the back end.

OEM LBJs. While I’m in there, might as well. Mine have 140k on them. Still look, feel, sound solid. But I don’t want to be that guy.

Diff Drop. I want to do a 1” diff drop to try to avoid having to fiddle with the CV boots and that whole thing. But I haven’t seen many here on the forum do this. Is there a reason why?

Extended Sway bar links

I’ve gone back and forth on tire sizes from 265/70/17 up to 285/70/17. But I think the 275/70/17s are the sweet spot. I don’t want to have to do spacers, and I’d like to avoid bad rubbing if I can. Based on my limited towing and off roading, I don’t see much of a need for C or E tires and they’ll just add weight and stiffness. The only reasonable 275/70/17 tire I can find that isn’t a C or E is the Toyo Open Country R/T Trail, which comes in an XL (between SL and C). It’s a newer tire, but impressively only weighs 43 lbs, which is a pro for me. That tire is my current plan, but I’ll probably change my mind a million more times. Input welcome here.

I’m trying to hold off on the UCAs for now. I know I may end up having to do them but I’m gonna give it a shot without them first.

Comments welcome. Any recommendations on vendors y'all like are welcome too. I know there will be differing opinions on a lot of this and I’m open to it all. Main thing though, is making sure I’m not making any fatal errors or omissions here. Thank you all for the knowledge. I know way more about this truck than I did a year ago thanks to this forum and can’t wait to get these mods done.

 

Do you have nerf bars or side steps? Going that high up front with that size tire is going to be a big step up into the truck, do you have long legs or side steps?
I personally got the Eibach front adjustable shocks and used stock springs, the ICON AAL and a drop shackle. I am just slightly over stock ride height up front, and actually lower than stock in the rear for a much more "level" look but without being higher in the air. With my combo i dont have as much squat in the rear as i did with stock either so i am practically perfectly level when i tow. This was what i wanted, but YMMV.
I am running a 275-55-20 tire up front and dont have any rubbing issues, still have mud flaps, and enjoy the ride.

You are going up almost 2" more than i did up front, so yes a diff drop down and longer sway bar end links become more of a necessity. You are right on the verge of needing upper A-arms, basically with the height you are planning you will be on the verge of the alignment being able to correct the caster. Seems around 2.5" is the limit for the alignment to control caster. If you go higher you cant get the caster where you want, which is when and where the upper A-arms come into play. You are dancing right on 2.5-3" of lift with your plans so having the A-arms isnt a bad idea.

 

Bad News - I do have short legs. Good news - I currently have nerf bars, so hopefully that shouldn’t be an issue. I had a square body Chevy with a 4” lift and managed it back then, but my bones were 20 years younger…

According to bilstein, the 7/5 is 1.6” of lift and the 8/6 is 2” of lift with my setup. I’ve seen the comment around here that 1.5” is a pretty easy to execute lift without too much hassle, but when you get up to 2.5” +, things get more complicated. That’s why I’m tempted to stick with the 7/5 setting.

 

The only thing I'd add is new OEM CV boots or Porsche boots w/ new clamps.

after it's all said and done, get your alignment near these numbers

-0.3 camber
2.8 caster
0.10 to 0.15 total toe

if you can't get the caster there you'll need the UCA's.

otherwise

 

Waste of money.

 

Hmm - good to know.

 

Ok - yeah I was thinking maybe while I was under there, go ahead and replace them. That seems like the kind of thing I'll be kicking myself for not doing the week after I do everything else.

 

Stronger longer spring, less preload. Give yourself as much usable travel as you can. My ac uses the whole shock with 650lb springs.

 

So, would 700 be crazy if I have no added weight up front? Seems like that'd be stiffer than 650.

 

No, wouldnt be as stout as 3/4" of preload. (1.5" at the wheels) when i get man tires i'll heavily consider a spacer lift to keep my travel (no armor weight, yet).

 

I did a diff drop when i added my 6112's. The reason you don't hear much about people using them is because they arguably don't have much affect being its not wise to push these trucks past 3" unless you're doing a drop bracket lift which is entirely different.
Also, keep in mind the perceived lift values are just estimates. I shot for 2" and got nearly 3" in my previous truck making UCA's a requirement so i wasn't chewing through cv's.

 

Diff drops do not provide much of a benefit since you're only lowering the front two mounts of the differential and not the whole differential. The rear mount sits on top of a cross member so you cannot lower it without major frame modifications. All you're really doing is tilting the front of the diff slightly and gaining less than half of a degree of additional articulation - definitely not enough to make a difference at all. Here is some math and an illustration. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cv-angles.230749/#post-5432474

Lift may cause you to go through CV boots quicker if you're at 3" as the fins are touching and rubbing more frequently. This is where the high-angle boots are necessary. Diff drops don't prevent you from going through the CV boots themselves.

@memario1214 with Hotshot Offroad might be able to get you some parts like shocks and UCAs.

 

I got a diff drop if you want to clean it up you can have for free. Might need to find a pair of washers and nuts for it, but should be an easy ace hardware trip. That way you’re not investing in anything but maybe ~$5.

100% and do the UCA’s while you’re in there. Up front expense but saves you the extra alignment down the road. I also have a solid alignment guy in Grand Prairie

 

trust this guy. He daily's 305's


LOL

 

I want 35's, but im chilling right now. Could have ordered long travel already, but I went on a couple side quests lol.

 

Interesting - yeah everyone quotes the lift heights like they are dead on and I’m kinda wondering how close it’s really gonna be to what bilstein says. It seems like the estimates are usually low and the lift guys get is higher than expected. Guess I may need to be ready for UCAs in case

 

I thought it dropped the whole thing, but this makes way more sense. I’m gonna trust y’all that I should just skip the diff drop then. That’s a lot of math I once understood, but now…..

 

I’ll let you know on the diff drop. But for sure I’ll need your alignment guy! I’m up in Allen, but for sure would drive to Grand Prairie if I knew I could trust him to get it all dialed in. Yeah I’ve seen your truck - if he can align it, he can definitely align what I’m shooting for!

 

I would max myself out at 650 if you have no intent on adding any front weight… just my 2¢.

 

For y’all who have the 6112s - this may be a dumb question, but do you have to remove the shock from the spring to change the circlip location? Just thinking about adjusting ride height after install if I need to.

Also, I haven’t looked back at UCA stuff in a while, but are SPC/eibach and Camburg still the consensus for good quality options? I remember reading that from the so you just bought sticky thread.

 

If you want the least amount of maintenance, stick with JBA or Eibach/SPC uppers. Both use a sealed (or at least booted, non-uni*/delta) UBJ.

To help whittle that down… If you’re not going above 2.5” and/or don’t need a shitload of adjustability, stick with JBA, don’t waste the extra money.

 

Not a dumb question... just a question!
Yes, the little retainer clip that fits into the grooves machined into the shock body and adjusts the desired height on the spring perch has all the load of the spring (along with the weight of the truck) on it. To alter the height you have to pull the shock and spring, compress the spring so you can release the top plate, adjust the perch height, then reassemble.

 

This. JBA is the budget option with proven reliability. SPC’s were the go to back in 2017 when they were around $500. If you’re considering spending 700+ I’d spend a little more for a uniball arm.

 

I am a total noob, but the tire sizes posted in the OP <<I’ve gone back and forth on tire sizes from 265/70/17 up to 285/70/17>> are less than 33". Stock tires are 33" by my Stanley tape measure. Why all the mods to accommodate these tires?

 

This thread is for 2000-2006 Tundras, who are closer to 29.5"~30.6" stock.

I would look in the Wheels & Tires sub-forum for a thread with information related to a 2021. https://www.tundras.com/threads/official-tundra-wheel-and-tire-setups-pics-and-info.95/page-106

 

I did say I was a noob. I should have mentioned my eye sight isn’t all that great.

 

Sorry - been gone all weekend. I’ll look into the JBAs. They sound just right for my application. And more affordable than the alternatives. Thanks!

 

It’s bs the 6112s don’t come with lift springs.

 

you think that's bad? it's even more bs that 5100's use the spring your vehicle is spec'd with. It means that anyone that goes mid-high with their lift is almost certainly getting their fillings chattered loose from all the preload resulting in a shit ride.