Before & After - A leveling kit versus a lift

I try not to repost information or threads that have been discussed already, but I was unable to find anything specific to this, so I decided to share what I have learned/done in the hopes that someone else will find it beneficial.

Here is a comparison picture of my truck with a Bilstein 5100 leveling kit and 1" lift rear Eibach springs, along with a set of 1" Borne wheel spacers and 275/70R17 BFG KO2s (32's) on the left and a full Eibach Stage 2 Lift with coilovers, 2"/1" lift/level, with Eibach 1" Lift springs and 255/80R17 (33's) on the right. The suspension also includes an Eimkeith PCK and a small 1/4" Cornfed spacer on the driver rear spring to remove the Toyota lean.

My truck is a 2016 SR5P with 3rd row seating and I think that may have had something to do with the fact that I had to take significant turns out of the front coilovers just to get the truck back to level and eventually just a 0.5" rake from rear to front.

For specifics, the measurement from wheel center to wheel well in the front is 22.5" and the rear is an even 23" on both sides.

For almost a year, I had my current suspension on the BFG's but after the lift they seemed a bit small for the truck, so I decided to go with the pizza cutters and could not be happier.

It has been a journey trying to tweak my set up and it is still a work in progress, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. The more I can share about my experience, the more successful yours may be.....

Like I told my buddy today, I feel like it went from Costco Parking Lot Warrior to true Overlanding DD Warrior...

 

It feels like we’re related….

 

Without measurements of before / after each setup, its hard to visualize any difference. "Maybe" the picture on the right appears about 1/2" taller?? You changed the running boards so that made the gap between the ground and the rockers appear higher. The fender gaps are really really close to the same though. Can you confirm before / after heights?

What about ride quality between the two setups? Any difference in ride quality?

 

The before and after visuals are an optical illusion. The space looks the same but the new tires are 1" taller than the old tires, so the space seems the same, if that makes sense. I will put a picture of the new suspension with the old tires, for a better reference.


With regard to ride, the Bilstein setup was tight, handled really well but the small bumps were sharper and more direct. The Eibach set up was softer on road, but nicer off road. The BFG's were great but they started cupping and got pretty loud. The rider was stiffer, even though they were a D rated tire, and you always knew they were there. The Toyo's are more compliant, (even though they are E rated because of sidewall height) and there still is road noise, but at a different (higher) pitch and not as much drone. At slower speeds, around town, they ride much nicer and quieter with less road imperfection intrusions. My wife even noticed a difference and I did not tell her I changed anything.....FWIW.

 

I love those wheels and I incorporated some of the Heritage colors in my truck....but I did not want to impersonate with stripes......

 

Curious of the ride quality. My first lift with the eibach pro truck series shock was questionable. I literally felt every bump in the rode. I dont know if it was the shocks or the springs so i didnt really express it in my review. As the front felt great but the rear felt like a f350 unloaded.

 

Long live Barcelona red!

 

Like mentioned above, I just do not see any real difference?