Looking for some advice on wheels and lift

[gatecrasher]

Hi Everyone,

Tundra: 2007 Tundra Double Cab, 4x4, Black

I signed up to this forum when I first bought my 2007 Tundra hoping to get some leads on a lift and some wheels. Early on, I remember there wasn't really any single lift that anyone would recommend and the general advice was to wait until the aftermarket market caught up.

So here I am nearly 2 years later and I've managed to talk my wife into some wheels and lift...sort of. What we agreed on was that I could get wheels and tires for now, and when I need new tires again, I will get larger tires and a lift to go with them. So here I am looking for opinions and suggestions from the experts here.

To be honest, I'm not real sure where to start. Can anyone help me answer these questions?

1. What size/dimensions of rims can I get now, that I'd be able to fit 35's on later , when I get a lift.
2. I'm thinking of 18's , is that a smart choice? I'll be doing some light off roading.
3. What's the biggest tire I can put on these rims without a lift?
4. What are my options when it comes to lifts? I really just want to be able to put 35's on the truck. The minimal lift to do that without rubbing would suit me fine. I also want something that will be dependable and serviceable, while not being overly expensive.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I've used the search function, but its like finding a needle in a haystack and with everything that's going on, I'm very stressed for time nowadays.

Regards,
/gc

[jroth21]

There are many different lift options available...do some searching on spacer lifts vs. suspension lifts and it should answer some of your questions. I can't give you too many specifics but what I do know is that I have the adjustable Bilstein 5100 shocks up front and the non-adjustable Bilstein 5100's in the rear...I run my front shocks on the highest notch and my truck sits level. I run 18" aftermarket wheels that have a +35mm offset to keep the tires tucked underneath the truck. I run a 285/75/18 tire which measures to about a 35x11.5 and the only thing I had to do was take off the factory mud flaps and adjust the inner wheel well plastic to keep from rubbing. The adjustable Bilstein shocks are a fairly inexpensive way to get a quality lift, through shockwarehouse I got all four shocks for right about $300...pretty easy to install on your own but if you don't want to its fairly inexpensive to have done. This set up in my opinion rides better than the stock suspension without the stiffness and problems that can be created by spacer lifts. I have had spacers in the past and would advise to stay away but that is just my opinion. If you want to spend a decent amount of money of course you could go with a full 6" suspension lift, a lot more money but these trucks really do look sweet with them. Try doing some searching of spacer lifts, Bilstein 5100's, wheels and tires and I think you will get a lot of your questions answered.

[gatecrasher]

Originally Posted by jroth21

There are many different lift options available...do some searching on spacer lifts vs. suspension lifts and it should answer some of your questions. I can't give you too many specifics but what I do know is that I have the adjustable Bilstein 5100 shocks up front and the non-adjustable Bilstein 5100's in the rear...I run my front shocks on the highest notch and my truck sits level. I run 18" aftermarket wheels that have a +35mm offset to keep the tires tucked underneath the truck. I run a 285/75/18 tire which measures to about a 35x11.5 and the only thing I had to do was take off the factory mud flaps and adjust the inner wheel well plastic to keep from rubbing. The adjustable Bilstein shocks are a fairly inexpensive way to get a quality lift, through shockwarehouse I got all four shocks for right about $300...pretty easy to install on your own but if you don't want to its fairly inexpensive to have done. This set up in my opinion rides better than the stock suspension without the stiffness and problems that can be created by spacer lifts. I have had spacers in the past and would advise to stay away but that is just my opinion. If you want to spend a decent amount of money of course you could go with a full 6" suspension lift, a lot more money but these trucks really do look sweet with them. Try doing some searching of spacer lifts, Bilstein 5100's, wheels and tires and I think you will get a lot of your questions answered.

Thanks for the advice! I had not even considered just replacing the shocks. Sounds like I'd get an improved ride AND the ability to run 35's. Thanks for the pointers! I'm off to do some research on this.

/g

[mhollack]

With the bilsteins all you will get is a max 2.5" lift up front, nothing in the back, which is fine for alot of people. What doesnt come with bilsteins are things like bump stop spacers, skid plate spacers and most importantly a differential drop, if youre putting the lift on a 4wd. I suggest looking at something like Low Range Offroads website that gives you the break down of what all comes with their kits. With that particular kit, along with the Readylift and the truxxx, the ride stays the same as stock because the spacer goes on top of the strut assembly, not in it, like the toytec. Not saying the bilsteins are bad, just different and not complete if youre going to go that route, youll still need at least a differential drop with bilsteins if youre going over 2" of lift.

[gatecrasher]

Originally Posted by mhollack

With the bilsteins all you will get is a max 2.5" lift up front, nothing in the back, which is fine for alot of people. What doesnt come with bilsteins are things like bump stop spacers, skid plate spacers and most importantly a differential drop, if youre putting the lift on a 4wd. I suggest looking at something like Low Range Offroads website that gives you the break down of what all comes with their kits. With that particular kit, along with the Readylift and the truxxx, the ride stays the same as stock because the spacer goes on top of the strut assembly, not in it, like the toytec. Not saying the bilsteins are bad, just different and not complete if youre going to go that route, youll still need at least a differential drop with bilsteins if youre going over 2" of lift.

Thanks for the input! What do bump stop/skid plate spacers and the differential drop get me? And what's the advantage of the spaces going on top of the strut assembly as opposed to in it? And which solution is going to give me an improvement over the stock ride? It is a pretty smooth ride if I'm on completely flat surface, but bounces all over the place on anything else.

THanks!
/g

[mhollack]

This will explain it pretty good...2007-2010 Toyota Tundra 3" Lift / Leveling Kit | LowRangeOffRoad.com

[VX_R-V8]

Originally Posted by mhollack

With the bilsteins all you will get is a max 2.5" lift up front, nothing in the back, which is fine for alot of people. What doesnt come with bilsteins are things like bump stop spacers, skid plate spacers and most importantly a differential drop, if youre putting the lift on a 4wd. I suggest looking at something like Low Range Offroads website that gives you the break down of what all comes with their kits. With that particular kit, along with the Readylift and the truxxx, the ride stays the same as stock because the spacer goes on top of the strut assembly, not in it, like the toytec. Not saying the bilsteins are bad, just different and not complete if youre going to go that route, youll still need at least a differential drop with bilsteins if youre going over 2" of lift.

Ouch.. that struck me right in the ***** ... I have the Toytec 3" and ive been thinking about the damage it could be doing to my truck especially after this (AIRBORNE... Results not as anticipated but Tundra Seriously ROCKS!!!) - I understand that spacer lifts cause a decent amount of damage on the long run especially and now i regret installing them especially since the ride hight is decreasing from the front.. its not level any more im guessing due to the compression of the coil on continuous load...

I have been considering OME 612 coils on Bilstein 5100s.. What do you guys think of that setup? along with the 1" block on the rear, diff drops and spacer drops (already installed w/the Toytec)

[TTW]

A six inch lift would be required to run the 35" tires you are wanting to put on your truck. There are a few companies out thier now that are offering a lift for your truck. Here at TTW we lean more towards the Rough Country lift rather than the ProComp that is out there. Both lifts will suit you just fine for your truck. Also there are some other inexpensive elvel kits out there that will allow you to lift the front of your truck 3" and the rear 1". This will allow for you to run 33X12.5 tires and is considerably less than a full out lift on your truck. Feel free to call us or email us @ TTW for any questions.

[TexasCityTundra]

Originally Posted by TTW

A six inch lift would be required to run the 35" tires you are wanting to put on your truck. There are a few companies out thier now that are offering a lift for your truck. Also there are some other inexpensive elvel kits out there that will allow you to lift the front of your truck 3" and the rear 1". This will allow for you to run 33X12.5 tires and is considerably less than a full out lift on your truck. Feel free to call us or email us @ TTW for any questions.

Uhhh are you serious? I have seen hundreds of Tundras out there that run 35's with just a 3/1 lift. You don't need a 6" lift to accomplish 35's man. No need to get an expensive 6" kit if all you want is to run 35"s. Just go with MHollack on the LR 3/1 man....plenty of room for 35"s with a little modification to the truck flaps etc.

[ClevelandTundra]

In order to run 35s on the 07 and up Tundras, a 3/1 lift will suffice with MINOR modifications. It is incorrect to say that you will need a 6" suspension lift.