IFS LIft, have some questions

[some_dude]

Hi.

I'm planning on lifting an IFS truck (2nd ten Tacoma).  Around here we mostly run trails and the little bit of crawling that's available is really mellow, so there's no real need to perform SAS surgery to my truck.  Most of my problems are ground clearance (high centering) and approach/departure angles.  I'm debating between two plans right now (both plans include high clearance front and rear bumpers).

Plan A - Lift the front end using a Fox CO and Total Chaos UCA.  This will give me around 3" lift, 1" more travel and room to stuff 33" tires with a bit of modification to the stock fenders.  The Rear would be new shocks and a set of bolt in Deaver springs for 1.5" lift and better flex.

Plan B - Lift the front end using a Total Chaos +2 long travel kit.  This will also give me around 3" lift, produce 3" more travel and will spread my track width 2".  The rear would be the same setup as above.

I talked to the desert guys and they told me they didn't feel that a long travel kit would be justified on a trail rig... that without the speed I wouldn't compress the suspension enough to make use of it.

I'd like an option (or three) from the other point of view.  I figure the extra travel would give me extra articulation, which would come in handy when negotiating rocks and dry river beds.

I'm not really looking for anything bigger than 3" lift... the terrain around here doesn't justify more and I want to keep my centre of gravity low.

[4RunnerChevy]

You should try and introduce yourself to the board first.  I hate to steer anyone in this direction, but did you post up on YotaTech forum  ?  Lots of IFS people there !

to 

[some_dude]

I felt (maybe mistakenly) that YotaTech was more about 4Runners and FJs, but I will take a closer look.

Mostly I'm trying to avoid the bro-truck community and figured asking on the Marlin forum would avoid them.

[4RunnerChevy]

I felt (maybe mistakenly) that YotaTech was more about 4Runners and FJs, but I will take a closer look.

Mostly I'm trying to avoid the bro-truck community and figured asking on the Marlin forum would avoid them.

Haha bro-truck cummunity, I like that. 

[some_dude]

Haha bro-truck cummunity, I like that.  

I started off on TacomaWorld.  Lots of good dudes, but a fair number of bros that don't off road.  Their desert section was really helpful, but they're only one point of view and I'm looking for others before I decide how I should spend my money.  My old truck was a 1st gen Toyota 4x4 with a carbureted 20R, solid front axle, bigger springs and bobbed flat bed.  Learning about IFS has been a bit of a headache... the crawling guys SAS and the desert guys long travel... trying to figure out what a dude who does a bit of everything and needs a jack of all trades (master of none) truck should go for.

[Rocksurfer]

From their point of view the long travel would not benefit a rockcrawler in a taco? Last time I looked a Taco has coils, not torsion bars. IFS will compress to the bumpstops, if you're wanting more travel compression or extension IFS or not the forces that are applied will make it travel.

[some_dude]

Cool.  I found someone who's using an AllPro long travel kit and he seems to be getting some decent articulation out of it.

On the loading ramp the All-Pro LT kit almost got the same point as the 81 with Marlin's 4" leaf kit. This is pretty impressive! Once everything breaks in I believe this will flex out a little more!

[Cheesemaker]

I'd go with a All-Pro kit.  Do you have the E-locker in the rear?  If you do, then you'd be good to go. 

[some_dude]

I have a locker in rear.

Seeing those pics has pretty much sold me on getting the an AllPro long travel kit.

[Rocksurfer]

With a proper setup even a torsion bar can get some decent travel, granted these are Frankenstein setups they got good travel...