What lift do I need for my daily rough ride?

This^^^^

 

The issue with ADS was slight rotation and the triple bypass hitting the springs, I believe. I have piggy backs, they have never rotated and the ride is great. I'd go with Joon's recommendations, solid. I picked up some APEX sliders from Allpro for ~700 free shipping a while ago, so you might be able to save there. Installing yourself is pretty easy, but you'll need an alignment, ~100.

 

I also have ADS piggybacks. Never had any issues with them rotating. Then again, I am more of a finesse driver - I don't mash the skinny pedal and see how fast I can take stuff these days. That breaks parts. I have a lot of other hobbies to spend money on these days. So, what I am saying is that I don't run my truck as hard as a lot of the guys you will hear talking about shock failures.

 

I can only comment on my BDS kit on this tundra and the procomp kit on my last tundra. The BDS is far superior and rides like a dream, I would go that route if you want a taller lift!

 

I looked up those lifts...but man, remember I know nothing about this stuff. There's so many different kinds of lifts. I went to toytech and searched for my truck in the lifts tab and there are 15 different choices. Some with shocks some without and some that are coilovers and I don't even know what's what. Is there anyway I could get you to send me a link to a specific toytech kit? So I know which type of lift you're recommending?
Thanks for all the help!

 

What do you do for a living? Are they hiring, sounds like fun?

 

It is! But I'm under a total non disclosure right now. Even had to x all my social media accounts temporarily. I can answer you in 8-10 months. Sorry man!

 

I'm another OME fanboy! Had 3 of them and here in the near future number 4 will be going on.

Forgot to add, talk with the guys at Toytec.

 

Remember, I’m not saying these are the best lifts out there... just what I think fits your budget. Depending on how much you want to spend, I would rank them in this order.

OME
Toytec Boss
Bilstein 6112/5100 combo
Toytec Boss Radflo

You can get these in a complete system. Front coilovers, rear extended shocks, and rear shackles. The Bilsteins I’m not sure if they sell a complete system. Just talk to the guys at Toytec and they’ll guide you in the right direction depending on your budget and needs.

If you can up your budget some, I would look into Kings, Fox, ADS, and ICON. These will be far superior but the price will reflect it also.

 

For the amount of time you’re going to spend, and the distance you cover, it’ll be important to be comfortable. If the terrain you’re covering has a lot of small rocks and washboard, you should consider digressive shocks like Icon or Bilstien. If there’s a lot of big hits and washouts to catch you by surprise, you probably want a progressive shock like all the other manufacturers.

I wrote some explanations about the differences on here someplace. I’ll find a link... read up on that and like Joon said, call Toytec and one or two other good shops and ask their thoughts. I’m partial to SDHQ and Toytec myself for their customer service and how they seem to be most interested in getting you the right setup instead of just making money off you.

 

I wouldn't go with anything less than 6112's. If you can swing it get some full on 2.5 in coilovers.

 

Why would you rate the Toytec Boss kit above 6112 or even the Radflows?

 

Oh I wasn’t. I was ordering them more on price, cheapest to most expensive.

 

True lift for clearance comes from tire size. If the tires dont get bigger the clearance will remain the same. That might help you get a starting point and go from there. So if you want to get 35" tires for better clearance then a 3/1 lift with some minor trimming to stop tire rub will put you inside your budget.

 

Gotcha

 

Like Tracker said, actual lift comes from larger diameter tires. A suspension lift helps clear better tires. A really good suspension will provide a modest lift but quality damping and stability, both on and off-road.

i don't know what kind of trails you'll be running, but if they include off-camber situations and steep ascents and descents, you don't want too much lift. You want a quality suspension that'll give your truck better stability and not raise the center of gravity too much. Otherwise, you risk endovers or flipping on your side, like what you see with big-lifted monster trucks at every Monster Jam. Of course, that's part of the entertainment for the crowd. But if you look at off-road racing trucks, they're not jacked-up sky high. They're actually not lifted that much, if at all, but they're able to fit large 35" to 37" tires. Unlike our trucks, though, they use fiberglass fenders and are purposely built with enough inner fender clearance to clear bigger tires. They also rely on quality suspension to maintain a stable ride.

king shocks, Fox shocks, Icons, ADS, OME (Old Man Emu), etc. offer good quality shocks, with larger diameter shock bodies and quality internal shock components. If you see one designated as 2.5" , that's not necessarily the amount of lift, but is most likely the diameter of the shock body, which is larger than stock. Generally speaking, a wider shock body offers greater volume, which takes longer to heat up. Heat causes shock fade, which adversely affects its damping ability.

The above brands also offer quality coilovers (coil spring and shock combo) for Tundras, some of which offer adjustable ride height with the use of a special spanner wrench, while others offer one with a fixed lift of about 2" to 2.5" or so.

Once you pick out a suspension, you'll need to focus on tires. Since you'll be doing a considerable amount of off-roading, you might want to consider mud terrains. They're not that great on the street, especially on wet pavement, and they don't have as long a tread life, but they provide much better traction than all-terrains when off-road. The trick is finding the right size - bigger than stock, but still able to fit. Be aware that the bigger and heavier you go with a tire/wheel combo, the more prone to greater wear and tear on wheel bearings, CV axles, steering rack, tie rod ends, wheel studs, etc. My guess is that keeping the size at 35" or less should be fine. Massive 40" tires, for example, make it more prone to breaking stuff.

Another consideration is wheels. Bigger 20" wheels may be better for cornering on the street with lower profile tires, but smaller 17" wheels allow for tires with more sidewall. More sidewall offers more protection for the wheels and allows you to deflate the tire pressure more for better off-road traction. You might be fine off-road with your stock 18" TRD wheels, although 17" wheels would be preferable off-road for more sidewall tire.

That brings me to something else you should consider, which is an onboard air system. With onboard air, you can re-inflate tires back up when you get back on the road. Different kinds are offered for vehicles.

Others have suggested plating underneath to protect the oil pan, transfer case, transmission, rear differential and gas tank. I think that's a good idea, but I don't know who offers all of that for Tundras. Bud-built, maybe? Most offer skid plates for the front, though. Otherwise, your best bet would be to go with a custom fabricator. Aluminum would be good, to keep weight down, but is probably more expensive to fabricate then mild steel.

Another option to consider is to add a selectable locker for the rear differential. I think ARB makes one for the Tundra. An ARB air locker requires some kind of onboard air.

Hope this helps. Be sure to tell us and post pictures of whatever setups you go with!

 

I wouldn't over think it too much. If it's just dirt roads I would get the best suspension and tires you can afford. Armor is important but based off of what you said probably not too necessary from the start. Get a good 2.5 in coilover and matching 2.5 in rear shock. That will help with damping and fade resistance. keep the lift to only 2 in and you shouldn't need UCA's

Pair that with some 295/70-18 Cooper ST Maxx on your stock wheels and you're good to go for a while.

That should get you right to your budget and all be value added purchases.

IIRC there is an ADS package for sale in the classified section. Here is another example

http://stores.mcmfablv.com/ads-07-toyota-tundra-front-coilovers/

http://stores.mcmfablv.com/ads-shocks-07-tundra-rear-2-5-piggy-back-shock/

 

Not when you’re talking about getting high centered, which is the biggest concern for our long wheelbase trucks. A 3/1 lift will net you about 2 more inches of height in the middle. But I do agree OP should get some 35’s if he can swing it.

 

Everyone has been awesome. Thanks so much for all the information. What I got the best deal on was fox2.0 in frnt and back with 3" skyjacker lift, uca and 35" Toyo MT's. The work is being done this weekend and I will post pics. The guy doing the work said the coilover was the same price as the skyjacker 3" lift Unless someone can say it's definitely not a good idea to install the lift, I'm just going with that. The guy at the shop said the ride would be more comfortable with the lift

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Our trucks are heavy, I would get Fox 2.5 shocks for the front. You will be happy in the long run.

 

Got a 3" lift and 295/70/18s. Skid plate needed to be trimmed is all. Fox shocks. Rides great! Added some steps as well. Love it!