overwhelmed with lifting

Forgive me for my ignorance, I have been doing a ton of reading on the forums, and have found a ton of information. I am still torn between the various options for lifting my truck but I am a bit overwhelmed at all of the options. I have heard a ton of people recommend Toytec but on the website I cannot seem to narrow down to what exactly I would need/cost to do a 3/1 lift with their products. I also have been leaning heavily towards just doing Bilstein shocks instead. Here lies my confusion:
Can a 3/1 lift not be performed with only Bilstein 5100’s or 6112’s?
If I do Bilsteins, is it necessary to replace UCAS?, use shackles, shims, etc?
As I am new to trucks entirely, when is it necessary to replace UCA’s, use shims and shackles? (These 3 items are where I get a bit overwhelmed on when I would need them versus not needing them)
I do not intend on doing a ton of off-roading, I will most likely stick with tires no wider than 285, still torn between 18” and 20”. I will be towing a boat a short distance at most. My ultimate goal is to not compromise my truck’s longevity, reliability. I have no desire to use spacers. ANY input or knowledge will be very helpful in helping me make a decision.

 

The only thing I have knowledge on is that you'll have a more comfortable ride on 18" wheels vs 20" wheels. I am similarly hesitant when it comes to the wide array of lift options. My personal plan/recommendation comes from reading on this forum a ton: call toytec. If you tell them what your planned usage of the truck is, your goals, and any must haves/have nots they should be able to give you some options. From there you can refine your personal research to specific products and set ups along with hunting for deals.

Just my 2 cents, and it's probably only worth about half of that!

 

Bilstein 6112 and 5100 can raise the front up to about 2.5” I think for the top setting. Technically they cannot be used for 3/1 as there is nothing for the rear unless you buy it separately. I have 6112s on the middle setting (1.9”) and didn’t need new UCAs. I’ve seen others say they have them on the top setting with stock UCAs.

You can use shackles for the rear and there are a lot of options for different lift height. There are some that are around 1”. You could get a lift block too.

I think the best value for the $ is 6112s and shackles. Rides a little better than stock. It’s not as bouncy to me.

 

I 2nd this. David will shoot you straight and answer any of your questions. Hell he told me where to buy some parts cheaper than he can even get them. Good guy and Coachbuilder parts are top notch

 

Good advice and spot on from what I have read and ended up doing this exactly.

Ended up doing the following on a 2014 SR5:

Front:
Bilstein 6112 at 1.9" setting
One Coachbuilder shim per side (add 0.5"), so total 2.4" front lift

Rear:
Toytek Boss rear shocks
1.5" shackles

18x9 rims with +25 offset
Tires: 295/70R18

Upper Control Arm (UCA): stock (caster is maxed out at 2.0).