Suggestions on lift for new truck.

Hello everyone. I just upgraded from my beloved 2008 Silver 4WD SR5 with added Ready Lift front leveling kit/1 inch rear blocks to this 2018 SR5 TRD Off Road. I love the new truck!!! But when did the Crewmax stop having reclining back seats and all that behind seat storage? What a stupid change - I’m just glad for only having adult kids now. A recent inheritance made this the right time to upgrade. So sweet to pay with a cashiers check and drive away.

My plans for mods are to add tow mirrors, Line-x black bedliner, some kind of 3/1 or 3/2 lift, and Borla out the back rear exhaust. Any and all advice is welcome!

My truck will be used for a 20 mile, 30 minute commute 3 days a week, sometimes towing a 18 foot Glastron ski boat, and sometimes a 22 foot trailer. I also do light off roading every Summer. I want a 3/2 lift to maintain some rake for the TSS system, and for towing/looks. Due to the $2,500 rebate for the 2018, I still got TRD off road package for the wheels, skid plates, and suspension but I was willing to scrap the shocks if necessary. I initially wanted a Toytec Boss suspension lift, but to control the budget I was thinking of the Toytec/eibach system with the 2 inch rear block. It sounds like shackles are better for towing, but 1.5 inch shackles was the only option in that package. I’m assuming I could upgrade to 2 inch shackles? I have also considered the Dakar springs in the back but that only gives 1.5 inches of lift, right? And could I keep my rear bilstein shocks with the spring upgrade, or is that pointless?

Any other suggestions to get a 3/2 up to a 4/2 lift with a comfortable ride, that’s good for towing and light off roading? Ideally $1,000-1,200 max budget before install. Of course the other option is to not scrap my TRD bolsteins (current ride seems just fine) and get a lift kit like I had for the last 10 years (on non TRD but tow package shocks). If I go that route, I’m considering rough country 3.5 inch lift, tuff country 4 inch lift, or ready lift 4/2 lift. But the Toytec/Eibach kit could be same cost or lower, and suspension lifts sound so much nicer!

Also it sounds like getting an upgraded UCR, like the SPC UCR, is a good idea with almost every lift for better alignment and to not stress the CV joints, etc too much. How critical is this, despite the differential drop that most kits use? For what lifts is it most critical?

And finally, some members on here recommended a carrier bearing drop (Coachbuilder carrier bearing kit) to eliminate vibrations when starting and stopping. This sounds like a cheap addition. When is this recommended?

Thinks a lot in advance. And I am sorry for the super long post, but I just want to make these choices carefully. By the way, I have 275/70 R18 33 inch Michelins on my old truck to swap onto the new truck after it’s lifted Then can I sell my old Tundra. That’s probably the biggest tire I’ll probably ever run.

Does anyone know if any toytec discounts codes are currently available? And is there an installer anyone recommends in the Sacramento, Ca area? Thanks again.
Taro.

 

Welcome from San Jose.
Give toytec a call they offer forum discounts.
Stellarbuilt and Cali Fabrication are a couple well known shops out your way. Both are vendors to most big name suspensions. Check them out!

 

Welcome Taro.
You don't need a diff drop. Nor do you need a carrier bearing drop.
UCAs won't help with CV angles but can help with alignment sometimes. Mostly, UCAs help increase articulation and/or alignment issues. If you're staying 3" and under, not 4 wheeling hard, you don't need UCAs either.
For your budget, Toytec or OME (Old Man Emu) shocks and no, you shouldn't retain the OEM rear shocks as they will be too short if you lift the rear more than 1"

 

Hello !
Welcome from Ohio !

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome from CO. Ditto on contacting ToyTec. They will get you squared away. Sounds like the Eibachs are for you. The OME's, which I have, give you 2.5". The DAKARs the same to keep truck leveled. To maintain rake....a block or adjustable Toytec shackles can be used. If keeping oem leafs you can add a leaf.

 

Welcome, I'am also a new tundra owner with the exact same truck as you. I contacted toytec and Beag explained to me that I needed to keep the truck a little higher in the back so I don't mess up the tss. He recommended the TU307 best seller with diff drop, which was very reasonable on price. I actually told him I was willing to pay a bit more if it meant I would be getting better stuff and the next highest priced thing was way more than I thought. So that's the route I'm going.

 

Welcome! I’m running the Toytec/Eibach set up and I love it. But I’m running the 3/1 set up. I came from Kings on my last truck and although these don’t compare the same I really like them! And I highly recommend them.

 

So are diff drops not needed on a 3 inch lift? Curious as I'm about to start getting parts ordered

 

Not necessary according to @jberry813 . He's got a great point. The diff drop can help a little with CV angles but compromises the pinion angle. His question is, " would you rather replace a diff or a much less expensive axle?"

 

Bullet Proof 12"

 

Gotcha that's what I needed to hear

 

Welcome THC!!

 

Welcome from CO.

 

@Thcvet welcome from Sacramento, Ca! Give mc motorsports a call here in Sac. Awesome guy to talk to and deal with.

 

@Toytec Lifts 3/1 here as well! Can’t beat the product and service!

 

Haven’t heard anything but good about the Eibach kit, could always go with Coachbuilder +3 shackles for 1.75” of rear lift. Idk of any 2” shackles on the market.

 

Thanks everyone. Well even though true suspension lifts sound amazing, I went the more cheap route and ordered the 3.5 inch Rough Country lift that people who use it really seem to like. 3.5 front lift, 2.5 rear lift. Rear N3 shocks to replace the stock shocks, comes with RC UCRs for better alignment. Comes with a differential drop, so I hope my pinion doesn't go out. Something to do with "rack and pinion" I presume. I'm so not a gear head, can you tell? I fix dogs and cats, not trucks. But I research well online, and gain from all of your knowledge. Some people mentioned the vibrations when starting/stopping with this kit, so my plan is to have the fabrication shop I'm using figure out a carrier bearing drop spacer - but I'll call them to see if they suggest that I order the Coachbuilder or toytec kit for this.

I was considering Eibach/Toytec with rear shackles, but already ordered my Borla out the back dual exhaust, and didn't want exhaust problems that dropping the leaf springs with the shackle could cause. Like I said, my 2008 has Ready Lift leveling kit up front (metal spacer over or under the shocks, forget which), and 1 inch block in the back to maintain some rake. With the light off roading I do, the ride has been fine (seemed similar to stock), towing has been great, and I have had zero problems with that simple lift for 10 years. So this time more advanced and yet still simple seemed like the best solution for me. Plus, even though this is my personal inheritance money, I am also trying to pay off our 288K mortgage (there won't be much left, but no $2,300 payment per month ever again - thanks Mom), and I don't want too many complaints from the wife. Plus I already ordered the exhaust, and rear TRD sway bar for better handling, and next week will get Line-X bedliner, and have towing mirrors installed.

I'll definitely share pictures when it's all done. And thanks DCSleeper for the recommendation on Stellar Built in Sac - I had already found their amazing reviews online, have talked to Dimitri (he's great), and he's installing the lift on Tuesday. Does anyone know if the sway bar needs to be installed before or after the Borla out the back dual muffler system? I was hoping to have Dimitri install that too, but the muffler system will be installed later. Tundra Dude showed a video of installing his sway bar, and the toyota directions clearly said the recommended order of installs is trailer hitch, then TRD dual side exhaust (I'm doing Borla out the back), then the sway bar. My plan is to wait on the sway bar install b/c maybe it won't even fit with the dual exhaust running through that area. And it's coming from Amazon Prime, so I can return it hassle free if necessary. Does anyone have the Borla dual out the back exhaust and the rear TRD sway bar.

Thanks again everyone. Hey, so does anyone know when the crewmax lost the reclining back seats and behind seat space for storage? I'm assuming for safety reasons, b/c why the hell else. I guess the folding up seats allows for putting in boxes or cargo, but still. The older back seat design was so much better, and the current under seat storage is a joke. Are the reclining rear seats still in the limited and other more expensive trim levels? Also my 2008 SR5 had dual climate control up front. I still love truck, but these are stupid changes for a truck that got substantially more expensive.
Taro.

 

Welcome Taro, You'll enjoy this site. Its full of great tips, and people.

 

This is what I'm using for my carrier bearing drop. Had to buy 2 packs as I stacked 3 to each side. Less than $10 at Menards.

 

With Rought country 3.5 " I was dropping carrier bearing by the inch and I dont have any vibrations

 

Hi.. i'm knew to this trucking business I have a 2017 Sr 2wd with 255/70/18s and would like to go with 305/50/20s. I installed Firestone air springs in the back that I need to keep at least 5lbs of air and this have cause almost two inch lift in the back.. Based on the tire guide on this site this new size tires would require some shaving which I don't want to do. What is everything I would need to do for a four inch lift? I tow a 7500 tt. I don't want to brake the bank but don't want to compromise safety neither.

 

Here’s my truck after the install. I love it. Ride is great. Perfect amount of lift, with some rake still. TSS system working fine so far.

 

For the carrier bearing drop I used the Unistruts Yoda1 showed in 1/2 inch size. Got at Home Depot. We stacked 3 for a 0.75 inch drop. Zero vibrations detected and I still need to get it aligned.

 

You ask a question about the pinion angle, that is the angle in which the front drive shaft meets your front diff. By dropping your front diff down a little, it changes that angle, probably not enough to worry about. Same thing on the rear drive shaft, that's why you did a carrier bearing drop, to get the correct angle back. Hope I explained that to where you understand what I'm saying. Truck looks good btw.

 

That looks great! Which kit did you go with again?

 

Thanks easleycrawler. Makes sense. The kit is the rough country 3.5 inch bolt on kit. I love it with having no serious off-roading plans. Supposed to be a 3.5 front lift and 2.5 rear lift. Comes with strut spacer and new UCRs in the front, and a steel block and new shocks in the back. Only a small amount of rake remaining. I would have been fine with more, but I love it. The ride is like stock off road package if not better. Here’s a picture of my mod today!

 

Looks like that kit comes with a diff drop. Are you installing the lift or having it done at a shop?

 

I had it installed at a shop.

 

That looks awesome! I have essentially the same truck in a 2019 vintage and waiting for my RC 3.5 bolt on kit to arrive. I would like to keep my stock TRD 18" rims. Are you planning to put bigger shoes on yours and if so, what are you going to use? After all the money spend on the new truck, exhaust, running boards, lift, new tires, etc, etc, I can't bear the thoughts of another $1500 on new wheels! Maybe later. LOL