Suspension Identification

Hey Guys, I am new to the forum and well, i have a question that's been nagging me. Seems like people round here know their stuff, so here goes. I recently purchased this truck...
... and have been enjoying it immensely. I am new however to lifted trucks and dont know much about lifting kits and the like. Mine I bought pre-lifted and set up.

So, here are my questions...
What lift kit do I have?
How tall of a lift is this?
Ive been using it off-road and its been doing well for me (so far, ive done all of the DBBB and multiple other local crawls with no issue and outperforming the jeeps im with), is there anything else I might want to add/do to make it better?

Here are some pics of the lifted parts. Apologies for the photos, i can get better ones if needed. Unfortunately these were taken after icing rain. Still, they should fine for identification purposes.

Thanks a ton all.
Paul.

 

looks like bracket lift with Toytec spacers and blocks.

RCX is Rough Country I believe. Probably 6" lift

 

Is that "good"? Any idea how high of a lift im talking about? I mostly want to know because im considering a skid plate and dont know if the lift will conflict with the skid plate. Im really new to this stuff, so, i apologize if what im asking is obvious to a veteran.

 

it's ok..probably ride a bit rough. coilovers are better. looks like 6" to me. Were you planning on changing it or you happy the way it is?

 

check RCI for engine skid plates

@Toytec Lifts

 

No, i was not looking to change it unless its like "omg wtf is that under your truck". I find it rides well on and off road, i would not consider it "harsh" riding. Definitely stiffer than some of the american trucks ive ridden in, but i prefer the more sporty ride it offers. I've dropped off some fairly steep drops and it responded with a soft but assuring response. I'm mostly just interested for my own knowledge and to try and figure out if skid plates are still an option on the truck. I dont want to puncture anything and the truck has no underbelly protection at all right now.

Not sure if this would help, but here is a video link of me doing a technical section on the DBBB.

 

yep. keep it if you like it. for skid plates, lots of us running RCI

 

Nothing ‘wrong’ with that lift. Nice truck.

However if you get serious into off-roading you will likely end up removing that lift and replacing it with a coilover lift.

Your truck did well in the video but it is apparent that the truck does not want to articulate.

I suggest you just do some research, watch videos on YouTube of different vehicles and suspension setups off-roading and you will begin to see the differences in suspension setups and how they perform.

Just keep in mind that having a truck lifted that high, especially with wheels with a high offset (sit inside the fender) the truck will be more prone to flop than a truck at stock hieght or only lifted a few inches. It’s just physics, or is it geometry? Idk, it’s science!

Anyways. Have fun with it man.

 

Thanks, Yea, i need to learn a lot more. When you say "coilover" i'm assuming you mean to replace the Strut with one of the appropriate length instead of using a spacer (on the stock strut?). If so, that's just a matter of choosing better longer struts correct? or does more need to change than that?



Paul

 

Welcome from Colorado! By the way....your Tundra is an American truck. Born in Texas , built by Texans!

 

It would articulate better, if you got rid the sway bars right? I dont offroad my tundra but I did with my Tacoma.

 

I can’t give you a definite answer only because I have done 0 research on 6” bracket/spacer lifts, but in theory yes that should work and improve the setup. Idk if you would need UCAs(upper control arms) for clearance or not...

fatbobsgarage.com makes a good entry level, height adjustable coilover. Made in USA and has a warranty. Tuff country makes a decent UCA for a good price. Again made in USA with a warranty.

If you have a block lift in the rear you will eventually want to change that as well if you continue to offroad. Look into shackle lifts, leaf packs, add a leaf(AAL) to see what options you have for 3”-4” of lift if you keep the truck at the height it is.

Quick search brought up these threads, seems like some solid basic info:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/best-practices-for-lifting-a-vehicle.3167/

I am definitely not the smartest guy on this forum I just did a ton of research before lifting my truck.

@Ted4311 yes, I am running no sway bar up front and gained some articulation, not sure if it would help in his situation or not.

 

Coilovers are used on front suspension, they have a coil wrapped around a shock. Here are what coilovers look like. When we say upgrade them, we mean to search for some that fit your truck, but are designed specifically for offroad capability as well as on road smoothness. These can provide a lift as well, if you order ones that specify they provide a lift from stock height. In order to accommodate the lift and prevent squat, it would be good to get matching shocks in the rear. These are just shocks, no coils. There are Both coilovers and shocks designed for better offroad capability. You just have to search. i am also no expert, this is just some knowledge ive gained from doing suspension lift research. I just got home from a long day of work, so there may be some wrong information, anyone please correct me if im wrong

 

Wow guys, thank you so much for the information.

@T-Rex266 yeah, there is a big square block between the axle and the leafs.

If I were to remove the sway bars, would that kill the on road performance? This is my daily driver and play toy. Is there such a thing as a sway bar than can be removed on a trail and returned after offroading with relative ease (maybe while airing up/down).

Thank you all for chiming in.

 

Hey man. Front Sway bar takes 2 mins to disconnect. Just remove the two bottom bolts(one on each end) zip tie the links up out of the way and put the bolts back in (or stow them in glove box).

I believe the rear sway bar does not make nearly as much of a difference in articulation just from what I have read, I haven’t bothered touching mine as of yet.

No sway:

How I had mine zip tied before removing completely:

 

Your front cross member has been cut out and replaced with with the RC bracket. It's difficult to reverse that, can be done but difficult.
Blocks on the axle promote axle wrap according to an article I read. You could get a progressive leaf pack from Deaver or Allcan and improve your ride substantially.
I don't run sway bars anymore but I'm lifted as high as you are. The ride w/o them is smoother offroad as the wheels react to terrain more "independently" and there's more body roll on road.
Lastly, just an FYI, Tundras do NOT have struts. We have coil overs and they're different.

Quoted from 1A auto page:
"Technically speaking, the reason that a coilover shock is not a strut, is because it is not an integral part of the suspension. Struts are very similar to shocks internally with oil and valves, but they are constructed differently on the exterior. You see, struts are designed to be an integral part of the suspension."

 

Thanks. Yeah, sorry, I actually know the difference between struts and shocks. All my cars (vw, Mercedes, Volvo) used struts so I am used to calling them that. Apologies for mis-stating.

Cool I will look into the leaf packs and get that done soon. Wouldn't mind doing the shocks on all corners as well at the same time. Maybe over the winter I'll see if I can get it all done. Need tires first. Going with Cooper stt pros as the stts I have currently are discontinued I believe.

BTW you guys are awesome. I learned a lot about my truck from just this one thread. I really appreciate you all.

 

STT Pros are great tires,,, IMO.