One of the most well-liked vehicles for off-road use is the Toyota Tacoma, but let’s be honest: they have rather small tires by default. It is simple to mistake a new 44 Tacoma for a 2WD delivery truck because of the flimsy P-Metric tires that are only 30.5 inches tall when they leave the factory. The good news is that 4 Wheel Parts provides a range of raise kit options to allow your Tacoma to fit wider tires. To be completely honest, choosing a lift kit might be intimidating because there are so many options available. To find out more about the many suspension options and to decide which is ideal for your particular needs, keep reading.
The Tacoma has used independent front suspension (IFS) with coilover struts, upper and lower control arms, and leaf springs to locate the solid rear axle ever since it was first introduced in 1996. Compared to the later second generation (05-15) and third generation (16-current) Tacoma, the first version (95.5-04) has different suspension components. However, since 2005, Tacomas have used the identical front and rear suspension parts. Earlier (95.597) versions actually used the shorter rear leaf springs of the earlier (9095) pickups.
You can easily and affordably make room for bigger tires on your Tacoma by using a leveling kit. Most leveling systems add 2 inches to suspension clearance, allowing your Tacoma to accommodate 32-inch tall tires and giving it greater ground clearance and an aggressive stance.
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Leveling Kits
The simplest and most affordable way to make room for bigger tires is with leveling kits. As the name suggests, when the truck is empty, they just lift the front of the vehicle to remove the factory-installed rake. Many different manufacturers provide them in polyurethane, steel, and aluminum. Leveling kits don’t influence the ride quality of the factory OEM because they attach on top of the factory strut assembly between the strut and the frame mount.
Coilover shocks are available from manufacturers like Icon, Bilstein, Fox, and King and are made to meet the requirements of the majority of Tacoma owners right out of the box. Coilover shocks are infinitely adjustable to tailor the ride to your unique needs if you desire even better performance. To alter the ride of your Tacoma, you can adjust the coil spring rate, compression damping, rebound damping, and nitrogen charge.
Coilovers
Compared to a leveling kit, coilover shocks are much more expensive, but they offer better performance. New coil springs that can be configured with various spring rates are included with coilovers to take into account modifications like a winch or steel front bumper. High-end coilovers are also available in larger diameters, as those made by Icon Vehicle Dynamics, so that a larger shock piston may be used for more accurate valving and a higher volume of shock fluid can be used to prevent fading from heat. For even more heat dissipation, look for shocks that can be rebuilt, have bespoke valves, and have remote reservoirs.
Control arms made by Specialty Products have sealed bushings for long life and are forged for strength. When coupled with longer than standard coilover shocks, the replacement ball joint offers a greater range of motion than the factory arms for an increase in wheel travel. The replaceable ball joint is greaseable and adjustable for camber adjustment.
Upper Control Arms
For a number of reasons, aftermarket upper control arms are helpful when installing coilover shocks. They are made to replace the caster that is lost when the front of the Tacoma is lifted, improving tracking and steering feel. Some control arms, like those from Specialty Products, can even be adjusted to help with alignment once a lift is placed. For greater angularity, some, like those from Camburg, substitute a spherical uniball for a tie rod end. They provide more front wheel travel than a factory Tacoma when combined with a longer coilover.
A four to six inch suspension lift is necessary if you wish to fit 35-inch tall tires (or larger) on your Tacoma. Depending on the extras chosen, these kits are priced at a range of different levels. For greater performance, premium coilover shocks like Pro Comp’s Pro Runner versions can be fitted, or they can be used with strut towers and the factory struts to save money.
Drop Brackets
The front differential must be lowered if you wish to raise your Tacoma more than three inches so that the CV axles may move freely. If you want your Tacoma to have the most altitude (and attitude), Pro Comp, Rough Country, and Fab Tech offer lift kits that range in height from four to eight inches. New crossmembers that lower the front differential and lower control arms and extend the distance to the frame and upper control arms are included with these kits. New knuckles that are stronger and higher than standard, but accept the factory brakes, unit bearings, and axle shafts, make up that distance. Due to the additional components, these kits are not only more expensive, but also far more difficult to install. Beyond four inches, seek for packages that include new, longer sections or extensions for crucial parts like brake lines, sway bars, and bump stops.
An add-a-leaf is a simple, affordable solution to increase the lift of your factory springs by a small amount. An add-a-leaf will typically increase the spring rate as well, making the ride stiffer. To install, it is necessary to remove the rear axle, disassemble the leaf pack, and use a longer center pin, which is frequently included with the add-a-leaf.
Rear Suspension
The Tacoma’s rear suspension is a lot simpler than its front suspension. Leaf springs support the weight and support the solid back axle. Using a lift block, add-a-leaf, or replacement lift spring will raise the rear suspension. To provide lift, lift blocks install between the leaf spring and axle, and they also call for larger, longer u-bolts. A leaf with more arch and a greater spring rate is added to the pack using an add-a-leaf, which necessitates the removal and disassembly of the leaf spring back. Both of these alternatives are reasonably priced, and if a higher lift height is requested, they can even be combined. Full replacement leaf packs, like those sold by Old Man Emu, provide additional height in addition to a smoother ride thanks to the use of diamond-cut leaf springs and Telfon sliders. To match the higher ride height, remember to get longer shocks if you lift the rear more than one or two inches.
Replacement leaf springs cost more than utilizing a lift block or an add-a-leaf, but they also have more benefits, such as better ride quality and weight bearing capacity. Old Man Emu springs feature a two-stage construction for comfort with military covers on the eyes. The vehicle mostly rides on the primary stage when it is empty, with the secondary stage adding extra support when a heavy load is added.
You will need to adjust the cab mount if you are using tires that are taller than 33 inches or wheels with an extremely shallow backspacing to ensure sufficient clearance. The cutting is simple, but to preserve the mount’s strength and integrity, you must box it back in. If you are not comfortable with welding, it is advisable to leave this task to the professionals at 4 Wheel Parts who frequently carry out cab mount chops.
Cab Mount Chop
On a 2nd or 3rd generation Tacoma, tire clearance at the body mount located under the cab at the back of the wheel well becomes the limiting issue rather than lift height when running tires taller than 33 inches. In order to avoid tire rubbing when the suspension is compressed and the tire is spun, it is usual to need to trim the plastic fender liner and the pinch seam at this area, even with 33s. Larger tires necessitate trimming and boxing in the cab mount to prevent friction. Another important consideration is proper backspacing. A fair compromise is 4.5 inches of backspacing; any more backspacing might result in the tire rubbing the upper control arm, and any less backspacing would result in the tire rubbing the fender when spun.
Factory Tire Size on Tacoma
Factory is a relative term. It depends on the model you purchase and how your truck is delivered from the dealer. Depending on the model and trim package, we see everything from a 245/75/16 to a 265/70/17.
With pre-facelift 2nd gens, depending on whether you had a limited trim package or not, you have three options for tire size: 245/75/16, 265/70/16, and 265/65/17. With an additional 265/60/18 size offered from the factory, post facelifts offer the same size. Many of these same options are available with the 3rd Gen Tacoma right off the lot, and occasionally a dealership will mount 275s or 285s on a vehicle. It does happen occasionally, though.
Due to their reduced size, the 2WD vehicles came with somewhat smaller tires. The 4.0L XRunner came in a somewhat larger size, 255/45/18, but the 2.7L 2WD only came in one size, 215/70/15.
Why Bigger Tires?
Why is everyone going as huge as possible since bigger tires would reduce both your gas mileage and your power?
Bigger tires not only look amazing and give your vehicle a more aggressive posture, but they also provide you more ground clearance and typically have a better/wider footprint, which improves your truck’s off-road performance.
The frame and body of the car are lifted when a suspension lift is installed. With a body lift, the body is the only item that is being lifted. Whether they are applied to your body or your frame, both types of lifts are intended to increase your ground clearance. What about your axles, though? The answer is to use larger tires.
The distance between the ground and the lowest point of the trucklikely the axle or control armsessentially increases with larger tires. This is beneficial if you engage in a lot of off-road driving because the bigger tires will enable you to avoid running into barriers by allowing you to pass them.
More traction is another advantage of a bigger tire. This one is fairly self-explanatory, but airing down will make a difference. By improving flotation when your tires are inflated to a lower PSI (20 PSI rather than 40 PSI, for example), you can increase traction. Even additional traction is obtained by adding a larger tire to the mix and lowering the PSI.
Are 33s the Perfect Size?
Many of us will wish to keep our trucks suitable for daily driving. This means that switching to 35s from the factory tires could be a bit of a drastic shift, but switching to a 33 tire might be ideal. 285s are an excellent size because they are visibly larger than stock and, depending on the lift you’re using, require little to no cutting.
Let’s discuss power. Depending on your gear ratio, you can experience a slight power reduction while switching to a larger tire size. The good news is that the power loss is barely perceptible because 33s are only somewhat larger than factory tires. It would be a different situation if you were intending to leap to a 35-inch tire. You should think about re-gearing at the 33 stage regardless of whether you have a 33 tire or a 35 tire.
It totally depends on what you do with your Tacoma. If you go off-road frequently, you should definitely switch gears straight away. It’s not unheard of to drive 33s without re-gearing if you choose to cruise dirt roads and tackle simple to moderate trails; but, this will wear down your drivetrain, chassis, and third member’s factory gears over time.
Tires and Regearing?
From standard tires to 285/70R17, there is barely any power loss. We are considering a re-gear because it is visible on the interstate, especially going up hills at higher altitudes.
The final gear on both the 6spd and 5spd versions of the second-generation Tacoma with the 4.0L engine has a stock ratio of 3:73. The gear ratio increases to 4:10 for four-cylinder engines, and the basic trans has the same final gear as v6 cars. The standard gear ratio for the 2.7L 5spd and v6 automatic in third-generation Tacos is 3:909. The stock ratio for a 2.7L automatic and 3.5L six-speed transmission is 4:30.
Re-gearing enables you to move larger tires without burdening the engine further. The stock ratio for our second generation is 3:73, so a re-gear isn’t a bad idea even with 33s. If you have the 4.0L to go with 33s, the ideal gearing ratio would be 4:10 or 4:56. The vehicle would feel as though it were running on stock tires at 4:10s, and you would get about 200 extra RPMs at 70 mph. There should be a significant 300 RPM increase at 70 mph when using 4:56 gears.
Even though the premise is the similar, the third generation Tacomas would be slightly different, and a lot of it depends on tire size. If your truck didn’t already have them, you would choose 4:30s for 33s rather than 4:10s. If it does have 4:30s out of the box, you should probably choose 4:56s for a stock tire feel or 4:88s for a little bit higher RPM.
s and Lift Kits
While it’s not impossible, you will undoubtedly need to cut or trim something in order to fit 33s without a raise. Depending on whether you clear the control arms or not, you ought to be capable of lifting 2-3 pounds.
Although suspension lifts technically do not clear tires for off-road use, they can nonetheless be useful. Your body’s static ride height is altered when you lift your truck. For instance, while driving every day, you might not rub, but when driving off-road and stuffing that tire into your wheel well, you almost certainly will. This rubbing would be significantly harsher both on and off the road without a lift.
In response to the infamous query, no raise is necessary to accommodate 33-inch tires on a factory Tacoma; other modifications may be necessary, such as fender liner pushback, CMC (cab mount chop), rocker panel cap trimming, fender trimming, body trimming, etc. Having said that, you can still bolt the wheel and tire to your hub; you may simply need to perform some trimming. Something needs to give since even when you grow taller, the inner fender’s size remains constant.
In order to determine exactly what needs to be trimmed, we will place 33 tires on a stock, third-generation Tacoma without the use of a lift. Snail Trail 44 will shortly donate that truck.
Realize that it’s crucial that the tires under your Tacoma don’t rub, regardless of the size you choose. If they continue to rub and you don’t fix the problem, eventually you’re going to destroy something or rip something off.
Our up/down travel on the Bilstein 5100 kit 2.8 front with Icon Add a Leaf 2 rearit has cleared everything fairly well after mounting, operating, and flexing it. Following tire installation, there were NO general on-road rubbings on the fender liners or fender well. That included the curb drop test as well as full-lock reverse. The tires cleared the pavement fully.
Driving off-road is a little bit of a different situation. Even driving on a bumpy dirt road wasn’t too difficult, although when the tires were jammed into the wheel wells, they did rub a little. It wouldn’t take much cutting at all to completely clear 33s since they hardly ever rub on the inside of the fender close to the pinch weld.
Trimming
The only place where the Tacoma rubs after using the 33s daily for a few days is on the control arms. 1.25 hub-centric wheel spacers are going to be a quick and affordable solution. It appears like there is plenty of space between the tire and both the front bumper and the rear of the fender.
The lack of tire contact with the body during routine driving actually quite astonished us. The tire appears to have plenty of space between it and the front bumper and fender.
Even after driving the Taco off-road, there is barely any rubbing. At full flex, it does somewhat brush against the inner fender’s backside.
Clearing the Upper Control Arms
The SPC upper control arms are the only visible area we have rubbed thus far (UCAs). They scarcely make contact while traveling straight and it is barely visible. Turning while driving at parking lot speeds is quite obvious and somewhat unpleasant. There is a tiny vibration experienced when turning when traveling at highway speeds, but it is not particularly uncomfortable.
To pull the tire away from the hub, one solution would be to install some wheel spacers. Hub-centric wheel spacers are fully safe for both on- and off-road use as long as everything is torqued to specification. You only need the most popular size, 1.25, to completely clear the upper control arm.
Purchasing a set of wheels with a more aggressive offset is an alternative choice. Offset effectively moves the outside edge of the tire away from the hub, much like wheel spacers do.
Wheel Offset or Spacers
Both spacers and offset wheels have advantages and disadvantages. Offset wheels are theoretically equivalent to wheel spacers in terms of their negative effects on wheel bearings and other things. After all is said and done, the tire’s outer edge is being pulled away from the hub.
This does not imply that you should avoid purchasing 33s. If everything is fitted properly, your truck will be good with smaller wheel spacers and a lower offset. Since there is little room for error with hub-centric wheels and wheel spacers, this is particularly true.
On the other hand, rubbing problems on the body will result from running too much offset (negative). This is because the geometry of the wheel in relation to the body has changed. The body mount, front bumper, fender liner, and mudflap are just a few of the body parts that could be impacted.
Of the two possibilities, wheels will undoubtedly be more expensive. Hub-centric spacers, however, aren’t exactly inexpensive either. A pair of two often costs over $100.
Factory Wheel Size Offset
We brush against the control arm because of how much positive offset we have. Different sizes of stock Tacoma wheels correspond to various offsets.
While the TRD Beadlock range only has a +10 offset, TRD Offroad and TRD Sports typically have +30 offsets. The range of TRD Pro wheels has a +4. Additionally, the majority of SR5 and Limited wheels have an offset of +30, with the occasional +25.
You might not even require spacers or aftermarket wheels, depending on the Tacoma’s current set of wheels.
Terrain Type
Your choice of tires will have a significant impact on how well your truck handles both on and off the road. A set of 33 mud terrains may end up rubbing where your 33 all terrains did not. Due to the larger, more aggressive tread, mud terrains tend to be a little bit larger in size.
The transition to 33 mud terrains will undoubtedly be more obvious because 33s also tend to weigh more. Although you won’t always need to change gears, on-road driving might not be as comfortable as with a set of all terrains.
Can 285 Fit in the Spare Location?
You made the decision to go up a size, and are now curious as to how to fit a 33 tire in the spare tire holder. Our 285/70/17 all-terrain tires, which are inflated to 10 psi, hardly fit in the stock spot. Although it could fit and drive, the space was constricted. You would probably need to make some adjustments to the spare location if you wanted to get a size larger. Purchasing a swingout or a bed tire carrier is an alternative.