Educate Me - Replacing Puck/Block Lift

Hello All and Happy Friday.

I purchased my 2018 Tundra (Platinum Crewmax 4wd) back in December and have been itching to rid the truck of its spacer/block lift. It's got 3" spacers up front, and around 1.5" blocks in the rear, and is sitting on 35" x 12.5" Falken Wild Peaks. With the ARE cap it sits perfectly level (see pic below). I'm very familiar with the 1st gen Tacoma platform (best mid-size truck ever made), but quite new to the 2/2.5 Gen Tundra platform, so thought I'd get some input from the fine folks here on this forum.



My priorities are on-road ride comfort, and ability to tow/haul without excessive squatting (i.e. adding some rake). I have a built out Tacoma for offroading/hunting/ camping, so off-road capability is not really a need or concern.

I'm interested in the Eibach Pro Stage II coilovers and rear shocks. They max out at +2.5" up front. I'm assuming that I can even go down to +2.0" up front (1" lower than current) and not have tire fitment issues with my current tires?

And then for the rear, I want to remove the blocks. Can I get enough lift out of the RAS system on the stock leaf springs? Or would I simply be better off with a custom leaf pack from Alcan or Deaver?

Not really interested in an add-a-leaf, as my feeling on that is it's much more work than swapping in new leafs, for a much more temporary solution (but an add-a-leaf + RAS may still come in a lot cheaper than the custom leaf pack, so maybe I should consider this option?)

Sorry for the long-winded post/questions. Thank you in advance.

*One last thing, I have bump stop spacers, a diff drop, and all the spacers for the TRD Pro skid plate installed. Will these need to be removed if I lower the truck by 1-1.5" up front?

 

Bump

Any suggestions on best replacement for my 3/1.5" spacer lift to still fit 35's and restore some rake?

 

If you're not looking to off road and more concerned with comfort and towing, I'd go back to a stock (ish) set-up.

 

That's generally the idea, but I'd rather not buy new rims and tires, and doubt the 35s fit (without a lot of cutting that I don't want to do) on totally stock height suspension.

 

Good point. You could always look for some stock take offs for the wheels/tires. As far as how little lift you can get away with using your current set-up depends on a few factors such as offset, any trimming done, etc. and I'm not expert enough to provide a solid opinion.

 

True 35’s won’t work stock. But a lot of guys are running metrics that work out to about 34.5x11.5 on just 2” leveling kits which makes it equal to a stock trd pro. Depending on the weight of that topper and the miles on your stock leafs you may be slightly squatting though. Aftermarket (debarred alcan)leafs aren’t horribly priced if you’re staying around stock height, should be around $800 give or take if you’re willing to install yourself

 

So, first off, good for you wanting to get rid of the spacer lift. They are generally frowned up on in many circle due to the ability to have this issue with them:



Spacers put the shock in a position where they could exceed the compression travel before hitting the bump stop, and collapse the shock itself.

Aftermarket suspensions are designed to avoid that issue and allow full extension and compression. Some may use bump stop extensions to restrict up travel, but the point is, they correct the issue. Eibach Pro 2.0 kit is a nice kit. It rides very well and allows you to infinitely adjust the coilovers side to side to compensate for any lean. Ride-wise, they are very comfortable, if a bit loose feeling. Not worn-out-shock kinda loose or dangerous floppy, just what one might expect from a softer valved shock. They have a little more body roll so if you like spirited driving, they may not be for you. I had the 2.0 kit on my truck for a short while but the weight of my vehicle plus trailers made for a less responsive driving experience. A stock-is weight vehicle on 35's should be no problem for them. One other advantage to the front coil overs is that you can swap standard 16" x 3.0 coils to further fine tune your ride. They come with 650 lb/in coils but can swapped down to 600 lb/in, up to 700 lb/in, etc.

Bilstein is another popular option. 5100's are the budget king and come with their digressive valving which allows for a responsive ride and handling, including great cornering, while "softening" the blow of bigger hits and potholes. Some folks don't like the controlled ride and call it firm or stiff; it may be a bit more firm, but not stiff. After exploring several suspension options (Eibach 2.0, Eibach pro truck, Fox 2.0, Bilstein, Dobinson) I prefer the ride of a digressive piston. Most other valving schemes don't provide enough control for cornering or trailering that I prefer. 5100's are ride height adjustable and supposedly ride best at middle or middle-high settings; they are tuned to use your stock 700 lb/in coil.

Eibach's pro truck sport is similar to the 5100s in price and ride height adjustability. They also reuse the stock coil but are valved on the softer side. I have had them on my sequoia for the last two years, but I will be switching back to Bilsteins as the ride feels a little floaty for me. But it is an inexpensive option. If it were me, I'd go with the 2.0 kit over the pro truck sport - if I were looking for that valving scheme.

Bilstein also offers a heavier duty mid-priced system - the 6112/5160 combo. They are fantastic, and for the money, VERY hard to beat. Larger piston (60mm vs 46mm in 5100's, pro truck sport, or Eibach 2.0 kit), same digressive valving scheme but able to take bigger bumps while typically providing a slightly more comfortable ride than the 5100's. They also handle weight and big tires very well. They are setup to have a minimum lift of .75", but go up to ~2.5" max. They come with a softer 650 lb/in coil as well, so ride quality should improve with better handling. I put 100k on a set and loved them. The 5160 rear shock is a 5100 shock with an external reservoir. Valving should give you an identical ride to the 5100 rear shock (less expensive) until the ride gets rough, then, the 5160 handles it better due to higher shock oil volume and better heat dissipation. So you could save some coin and go with 5100 rears if you want (but I'd still recommend 5160's). Price-wise, they are on par with the Eibach 2.0 kit. @memario1214 has the kit on sale right now for a few bucks off of assembly and free shipping.

There are lots of other options: Fox 2.0, Icon, Fox 2.5, King, etc, but you are going to spend more money for what sounds like is an un-needed return. You should be able to clear those 35's on a 2" of lift; the rubbing is usually caused by wheel offset and happens at the front and rear of the fenders, not the top, meaning you would need 6+" of lift move the tire out of the wheel well enough to clear what you can't clear with a 2" lift.

Now you get to dive down the rabbit hole...

 

Thank you very much for all this info. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I definitely dislike spacer lifts but this truck was priced so well and checked every other box I needed, so I sprung for it (pun intended), knowing a proper suspension would be on the short list of things to take care of.

Definitely sounds like the Eibach Stage II is my best bet for my use case.

Do you have any recommendations for the rear leaf situation? Alcans? Add-a-leaf? RAS?

 

There are lots of options for listed applications, but it mostly depends on your budget. Cheapest and easiest way is blocks or a set of extended shackles. Blocks are horrible, IMO, shackles are better, but not without their issues.

Add a leaf is great if you carry constant loads. Camper shells aren't all that heavy, but if you had drawers, tools, etc, an add a leaf would be great. But mostly empty, the lift you get from an add a leaf usually comes at the expense of ride comfort. There is an in-between option though; Deaver, Icon, and Wheelers make a 3 leaf add a leaf that leaves the main spring and overload, but replaces the other two leaves with a 3 leaf pack. It gives you some additional lift (some from the spring arch, some from the taller leaf stack) while retaining good ride comfort in all but completely empty vehicles. But don't expect more than 1.5" from it, which might be exactly what you are looking for. I went this option but my truck is too heavy for them to be what I needed (my mistake). But pricing is very reasonable ($300ish plus shipping; maybe @memario1214 can get you sorted out on those) as long as you are ok putting in the labor or paying somebody to install them.

The best option is a new leaf pack. Alcan and Deaver would be at the top of the list - and price point. Deaver has some off the shelf options, Alcan can build you a set to your specs with your weight specified. They are spendy (expect $1500 shipped or thereabouts) and are a month or three out on production. So it may not be worth the price of entry if you don't tow or off road often.

There are several off the shelf leaf spring from the likes of Icon, Ironman, Deaver, Dobinson, Old man Emu, etc. that would meet your needs; though most of them are 2-3" of lift.

RAS or Airbags are great for towing, but not necessarily for adding lift height. Both will increase spring height, but you would be adding spring rate throughout the entire range to get that lift (add a leaf will do the same, but the spring arch itself can add lift with less spring rate, if that makes sense).

 

Excellent. Thank you so much. I think I'll replace my blocks with something like the Icon 3 Leaf add-a-leaf solution.

I have Alcans on my Tacoma and they're incredible, but I just don't think they're needed for what I plan to do with my Tundra. Thanks again for all the info!

 

See that's what I'm trying to really nail down. I think I'd like at least an 1" or so of rake. I hauled about 500# of weights (bought a dumbbell set), and the truck had a fairly noticable squat (not surprising considering it sits level unladen).

So I'm thinking some combination of Add-a-leaf and RAS in the rear may give me the hauling/towing capabilities without breaking the bank or riding like crap. Don't really intend to haul or tow real heavy, but am planning for a pontoon boat and project car down the road, that I would tow around. And this truck will remain my daily driver for the foreseeable future, so ride comfort is a high priority.

In conclusion, Im thinking I'll do the following:
Front Shocks: Eibach Pro Stage II Coilovers
Rear Shocks: Eibach Pro Stage II Shocks
Rear Leafs: 3-Leaf Add-a-leaf* + RAS
*Might only use 2 of the 3 leafs initially.

I hear you @memario1214 are the guy to talk to for suspension component purchases. Do you happen to sell the Eibach Pro Stage II kit, and or any add-a-leaf kits?

 

I just installed Eibach pro truck 2.0r on my '14 crewmax and got 295-70r18 Kumhos. I also added the icon 3 leaf pack (found locally for like $100). Tires rubbed my lower fender liners pretty good. Previous owner had a spacer puck up front and lemme tell you: that was a royal pain to remove. I had to weld the pressed in stud to keep it from turning, and one of my coil springs was snapped. And the rear was left alone so it was lower than the front with and without topper. Topper pic is wheni first got mine, no topper is a couple days ago when I got tires.

I thought the add a leaf wasn't any more difficult than a whole leaf pack, (I, too fully built a 1st gen tacoma) but it was a little different lining up and restacking leafs under the truck, on top of the axle.

 

Awesome. Thank you for sharing, sounds like I'll do almost the exact same setup. What a deal finding the AAL for $100. I really hope my front pucks come out easier than yours.

 

Awesome thank you sir. Just put the finishing touches on the Tacoma, so I'll be saving to spring for the Tundra stuff in a couple months and I'll be sure to reach out to you

 

@memario1214 is the man! I called up and chatted for a few then ordered my Eibachs from him, they came super fast and well packaged. Definitely got the look I was going for. Now, when I add a bumper, I might have to reassess the height.