Need help with OEM wheel upgrade

Keep in mind the more you lift, the higher your center of gravity. With the drop bracket lifts (4-6") you can ditch the plastic top hat spacers they use above your coil and shock assembly, in favor of extended length coilovers (not to be confused with extended travel, although they could be both). The extended length of the shocks will provide the lift to the suspension, instead of the spacers on top of the stock ride height coil and shock assembly. The drop bracket essentially lowers the position of the LCAs. Remember it's all about geometry. So the drop brackets are typically like 4 inches and support a lift of 4-6 inches.

So basically 4" drop bracket lift kit gets you a 4" lift, using some less than desirable parts.
Add up to 2" more lift with UCAs and lift coils/shocks or coilovers. Which will also articulate better than the setup they give you in the kit. Now you're just throwing money at it.

The DB lifts look great, but will make you more tippy off-road. I wouldn't go with skinny tires on a 6" lift, personally, I'd go 12.5" for stability.
Also DB lifts will require you to make cuts to your stock sub frame.

 

I actually do have sliders. It's in my signature, just not the picture. I have welded on .120 DOM sliders. I also have skid row 1/4" steel fully belly (3 piece) skid plate set.

I have an addicted off-road high clearance tube front winch bumper and a high clearance rear bumper with the fenders cut behind the rear wheel.

My problem is I run with a group of guys who have side by sides on 32s and 33s, as well as guys who have Rubicon Wranglers on 37s. I find that I'm the guy who has trouble getting up certain ledges. Not due to a lack of traction but due to my frame rails hit in the front before my tires can get up on the ledge. It's irritating. So much to the point that (and I can't believe I'm about to say this), but I've kicked around the idea of buying a Wrangler Rubicon and putting 35s or 37s on it. I've just been a Toyota guy for 20 years and I used to walk all over Wranglers back in the day with my Tacoma. Now I find myself not able to keep up with these Rubicons and it's frustrating. However when I look at the reliability of these Wranglers, it makes me want to throw up. The only one in my opinion that's halfway decent is a TJ with a 4.0L and manual transmission, which honestly I don't want to go back to a manual (my Tacoma 4x4 V6 was a manual). Rock crawling with it was a nightmare!

Oh by the way, I would agree the rock crawling is moderate compared to Moab and such out there. I go to Hidden Adventures Off-road park in Marble Falls, Tx and Barnwell near Gilmer, Tx. I can do almost everything at Hidden Adventures but Barnwell has more extreme stuff in my opinion that my set-up can't handle... YET...

 

Sounds like you need a solid axle swap! That way you can push the front axle forward for better approach angle of those ledges and better tire clearance for 37s. Bracket lift and cutting it for bigger tires may work, but it's definitely not the best or strongest way to do it. And then you're still stuck with shitty angle stock CVs and very weak 7.5" diff. Both of which will be easy to break with the v8 turning 37s on the rocks. Just my 2 cents.

Don't you dare use the "J" word around here! Lol, the only reason they're halfway worth a shit is the solid front axle. And factory lockers, sway bar disconnects and ultra low transfer case gears depending on model. And you nailed it on the reliability... Almost any toyota with half those things will be able to out wheel a jeep with the right driver.

Side note. I did try the 37s game on my 06. The truck was just sitting and I wanted to build a beater. The only size tires I had were 37s. 5100s leveled in front. Stock rear. Lots and lots of cutting. It rubs when I turn full lock because I had to run spacers. 15" wheels don't clear the brakes. I want to try stock 17" wheels and spacers. I probably wouldn't rub then. Would I recommend it or do it again? Probably not. Will I switch to 35s for better clearance and less fear of the front diff exploding? Yes probably lol. With a solid axle swap I wouldn't hesitate to run 37"+ tires. I hope to get a d60 and 42s under this rig in the very distant future.

 

I'm not the expert on bracket lifts, but if you want to gab with a few people on here running them, I can tag a few folks to get the convo started.

Long and short: AVOID THE 4.5" LIFT OPTION. They use a spacer on top of the knuckle that's sketchy as fuck. It seems more geared toward mall crawlers. The 5" lift, as I'm sure you can see there, includes a longer knuckle, and is probably why the kit is so more $$$.

Both kits (RCD sells one too, IIRC, either 5" or 6") require you to do irreversible cutting to the front/center crossmember which will leave you at a point of no return, unless you want to weld in a new center crossmember up front later. I can find pics of what one of these lifts looks like from the front so you can better grasp how they're achieving the lift, angles, etc. or maybe a person currently running can share.

With the way they manage the lift, the CV angles are waaaaay better (less steep angle) which plays in your favor, IMHO, from a wear and tear perspective. Especially if you make the mistake of running aftermarket CV axles with inferior rubber (chubber/chinese rubber) which is prone to cracking and separation within a year or two.

I can't speak to using coilovers with this kit.

Again, I can't stress enough, they may be discontinuing the kit - contact the manufacturer and ask questions. I feel like someone on here recently needed to replace something on their Tuff Country lift and found it'd been disco'd. It may only be one of the two, or maybe it's RCD that disco'd theirs, but ... Be aware, this may be an issue for replacement parts, so ask before you drop the $$$.

 

Actually, I see @Hi06silver is running the 5" lift and is also running ICONs. See this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/hi06silvers-unf-ck-my-tuff-country-lift-thread.90187/

He's one of the folks I often tag in threads about bracket lifts (hope it doesn't piss him off) because he can offer real-world input.

 

Oh then get the gas tank skid and let her eat. Solid axle is the only way you’ll keep up. I had a 1-2 mile head start leaving hells revenge on a rubicon and he caught me by the time we got to the end. In the go fast stuff he couldn’t keep up but that’s where the IFS does better.

 

Bracket lifts can crawl, but that high center of gravity is not fun unless the trucks got some good weight to keep it balanced. I think a little more front lift, archive rear shock relocation, modest tire will get him closest without the headache. I actually removed my bracket lift on the last truck and it wheeled so much better.

 

Nah man, you're good Shifty you've helped everyone plenty including myself. I try to help where I can.

As far as the difference between the 2 TC drop bracket lifts, like Shifty said stay away from the 4.5 period, especially if you're wheeling it.
My truck.had that on it when I bought it. The more I learned about it the more I felt .had to do something about it from a safety stand point. imo may be as bad as non-oem lbjs. when shit breaks it takes other shit with. I don't wheel so I have no real world experience with my current set up and articulation, rubbing etc. I did have 35's x12.5 on it when I got it without rubbing but I wasn't crawling either. From what I now know I'd personally not have opted for this style of lift but going back isn't really in the cards and I don't need to. It is more "top-heavy" with the 5" and something in the ball park of 34" tires.


Edit: wheel specs 17x8.5 -6mm 6x139.7. these are not factory wheels. I believe the minimum backspacing for both Tuff country lifts are -4.5mm per their site