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Do You Like Your ToyTech 3" Lift ? Need advice Please (FJ3-FRCC)

9K views 50 replies 21 participants last post by  izzyssm 
#1 ·
Im getting ready to lift my FJ, and the number of lift kits availible for them is overwhelming.

I was looking at the ToyTech nonadjustable 3" lift. FJ3-FRCC
(I dont want to go the route of coilovers for now at least)

I was wondering if any of you guys had any problems with them, and if you love them tell me why!

Any information would help!

I plan on using my FJ primarily for driving on the road I live in West VIrginia and our roads are terrible, rough and really curvy. As far as off-road goes, ill mostly be trailriding, No giant rocks mostly mud, medium sized rocks, and water crossing.

So im Looking for something that handles good on-road and gives me the flexibility i need for off-road use.

Parts I already have..

305/75/17 Wrangler MTR
Warn 9.5 ti

Items being purchased...

Fabs Four Winch bumper
(still making up my mind on this)

When I ask the guys from Totech they told me...

The FJ3-FRCC kit is definitely the best lift for $$$ hands down. The TOP1-T comes with the lift. I would recommend 885 coils to support the additional weight you will have in front. Longer rear shocks will give you more flex off road and prevent the stock rear shocks from fully extending.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know please!!!

btw I am selling my 2008 16" Wheels and tires (5)
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...els-tires-sensors-1-week-old.html#post1002709
 
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#2 ·
I love mine. No problems at all. I have about 6,000 miles on mine and I have done fire roads, sand dunes, and dry wash beds with some large rocks and I have had no problems what so ever. Even after taking it on some real rough spots got back on the highway with no problem.

The 885's are a medium duty spring so I think they will do fine as far as the winch and bumper combo.

-Dan-
 
#3 ·
I have that exact kit with the 885's Rides as smooth as stock and sits level. I was worried that the rear may sag with a load, but it held up pretty well on my last trip. I'm pretty happy with the setup.
 
#5 ·
I have that kit w/light fronts and OME shocks. I rides great and corners flatter now. I tow a Coleman trailer and have the rear loaded at times. The ToyTec rear springs do well. The front lift has it at the edge of adjustment for alignment though.

Also since I sit tall in the seat I now can't see directly out the rear view mirror due to the front end sitting level now. And the front axle shafts are at a bit more of an angle than I like. If I were to do it over I think I might do it w/o the front spacer.

I do think you'll be happy with the ToyTec lift.
 
#6 ·
I have that kit w/light fronts and OME shocks. I rides great and corners flatter now. I tow a Coleman trailer and have the rear loaded at times. The ToyTec rear springs do well. The front lift has it at the edge of adjustment for alignment though.

Also since I sit tall in the seat I now can't see directly out the rear view mirror due to the front end sitting level now. And the front axle shafts are at a bit more of an angle than I like. If I were to do it over I think I might do it w/o the front spacer.

I do think you'll be happy with the ToyTec lift.
Did you use the Front Diff Drop Kit?

Part Number
TAC-DR-05​
Front Diff Drop Kit # 2
Option #2​
Description:
  • This kit allows you to drop the front differential 1”. reducing the angles on your c.v. axles and boots which can help prolong the life of these components! Our diff drop pucks are machined from high quality 6061 t-6 aluminum, come with grade 8 mounting hardware, and install directions.
  • Fits all '05 Toyota Tacomas And '03-'05 4Runners
    Also fits 2007 FJ Cruiser
  • No shipping and handling if purchased with one of our kits.
THanks for the information I never thought about that..
 
#7 ·
Off topic a little but what part of WV are you in and are you having a shop install the lift? If so care to share where? I'm looking for s place to have mine installed too and am not far from WV. Thanks!
 
#10 ·
Off topic a little but what part of WV are you in and are you having a shop install the lift? If so care to share where? I'm looking for s place to have mine installed too and am not far from WV. Thanks!
I live close to Charleston, But I plan on doing the lift myself..
It seems pretty straight forward.

But If i were to pay someone, it would be..

Mountaineer 4x4

(304) 562-9683
Tanner Street
Hurricane, WV 25526

ask for Brian

They quoted me $500 dollars for installation...

They did the lift on my dads Rubicon... (please no comments)... and his f250

The do great work just a little on the expensive side
 
#8 ·
I have this lift as well. The quote from Toytec is spot on, in my opinion. I used the 885s and sprung for the new rear shocks as well (an additional cost of something like $60). Ride as been good, with little to no sag. Handling feels about the same, as well. I highly recommend this lift.
 
#14 ·
I have this lift as well. The quote from Toytec is spot on, in my opinion. I used the 885s and sprung for the new rear shocks as well (an additional cost of something like $60). Ride as been good, with little to no sag. Handling feels about the same, as well. I highly recommend this lift.
Thanks, if the shocks are only $60 then its well worth it, i thought they were like $200..
 
#9 ·
I also bought the N140's struts and the N71's for the rear and they have been great no noise from them at all.

I didn't have to modify anything, but I am running 285's. I believe you will need to do a body mount chop to run 305's.

The customer service a Toytec is great. They are all very helpful from the sales staff to the tech guys. :bigthumb::bigthumb:for these guys.
 
#15 ·
I also bought the N140's struts and the N71's for the rear and they have been great no noise from them at all.

I didn't have to modify anything, but I am running 285's. I believe you will need to do a body mount chop to run 305's.

The customer service a Toytec is great. They are all very helpful from the sales staff to the tech guys. :bigthumb::bigthumb:for these guys.
N140s, N71s ?

How much are they? and How much of a difference do they make?

For around here I need a Fast Acting shock (Shocks are more Important than Springs) esp on washboarded backcountry roads..
 
#18 · (Edited)
I love mine... This is my 2nd toytec lift. 1st one was on my 02 taco Land vehicle Vehicle Car Tire Automotive tire


This is an older pic. I have since painted the wings and changed tires. I stuck with the procomp shocks on Doug's suggestion.... I like them. My father-in-law has a stock FJ and it took him 2 months:lol: to figure out I had a lift....:lol:.... He never could tell the ride difference:rocker:
 
#19 ·
(They quoted me $500 dollars for installation...[/QUOTE]) :thinkerg:

Do the lift yourself, did mine over the weekend, took about 2-1/2 hours, very simple, even had time for a few :cheers:.


Rides great, looks good .. i went OME all around, not toytec. running 285's also with no rubbing at all, it sits proud now. 886's in front, 895's in rear and not as much body roll...


:cheers:
 
#20 ·
I have 884s/895s with the stock Bilsteins. They work great together.
I got more than 3" in the front. I was worried about CV joints before adding the bumper/winch. Sits nice now.
 
#22 ·
Thanks for everyones input, it has really helped me in making my decision.

I will be putting the lift on myself, doesnt seem to be a major task.

And ill Probably Go with the Nitrogen rear shocks ($99) instead of the cheaper ones ($69)

As for the dif drop, i think ill wait till i put the winch bumper on and see how the axles look.

Thanks to all who have given their opinion, and hopefully ill order my lift on Monday!!

Ill post pics as soon as possible!

THanks Guys!!
 
#23 ·
I bought my lift from ToyTec but got the FJ3-FRC which uses the OME springs in front and rear instead of ToyTec stock spring ride setup. I also did not buy the shocks and struts this time but chose to use my oem shocks and struts...just replacing coil overs, mounting plate spacers, new studs, and rear springs.

I got Medium for both front and rear...almost went Heavy up front for a new bumper later.....but figured I would take a chance. We shall see...

I love the ride...rides better...tracks better in corners...love everything about it. I went medium in rear instead of stock because I tow sometimes and if I build a storage bin with drawers for back it will be heavy.....so on good sized bumps on road it might jar a little but with load in back it is smooth as ice.

You wont be disappointed.
 
#24 ·
THanks for all your help Guys I final got my lift in and put it on, so far I really like it.

I kind of wish I would have just done a spacer kit after driving it. The front is really stiff and I am now concerned that it will adversely affect the offroad performance.

The way the springs work is they give lift by not being able to compress...

So when you have the lift spring and the stock spring on the strut off the truck they are the same height...

I went with the OME medium duty springs 885 because I plan on getting a winch bumper. After I installed the lift and let the car off the jack it only dropped maybe a half an inch.

SO therefore the suspension travel has been greatly diminished...

I have no complaints about the rear, the ToyTech rear springs are awesome!! the only bad part about the rear is that I had to cut the rear shock off because I stripped the square part on top...

To Sum it up I love the stance and the way it handles on the road, however if I could do it over I would have just got spacers for the front. I think this would give you the offroad performance, and flex that you really need.
 
#27 ·
Looks great man! You did the right thing.
The ride will improve. Esp with bumper/winch.

I ended up going the same route, but went with the softer 884 fronts. But then again, I'm not going to put a big heavy bumper/winch up there. Your bumper weight will get your articulation where it needs to be.

I'm mounting a Lucrum bumper mount/winch which will add weight, hopefully not too much for the 884's.

Certainly looks good!
 
#28 ·
My Toytec lift has been good to me. I have the heavies up font with the All Pro Bumpers front and rear, M8000 winch and diff drop. I have driven it to Arizona and back to Colorado four times and wheeled it in both area and no problems as of yet. Though I might eventually go with a set of Fox's up front after this deployment.
 
#30 ·
THanks for the compliments !!

I love the stance and the way it looks!!

I talked to the guys at All Pro today when I ordered my spacers (Stock wheels + 33x12.50s = UCA rub....) They said that the adjustables would be what I needed and to Stay away from spacers because "they are bad" ?

I had a 2" spacer lift on my Land Rover and LOVED IT!
Rode like factory and gave you the ground clearance you needed.

Im gonna wait to see how it rides after I break the springs in a bit and Hopefully after I pay off my wheels, tires, lift, powdercoat, and spacers... Ill order the winch bumper and see how she turns out.

Ill put some pics up this weekend if I get the wheels mounted, Im so Excited!
 
#45 ·
Some spacers are bad. "stay away from spacers because they are bad" Is sort of a generic statement; yea we will sell you our most expensive setup if you can afford it too....
We sell more spacer lifts to Toyota dealers who install them on new vehicles and cover everything under warranty than any other lift's we sell, I would think if there was an issue we would have heard of one failure in the 8000 spacer lifts we have sold by now!
The design and placement of a lift spacer determines if they could be bad or not. Classifing them all the same is a lack of understanding Toyota suspension and the differences in the spacer lift design's out there.
A spacer lift may not be the best option if you are off road every weekend with a heavy winch and bumper but I can tell you we have not had anyone ever complain about our spacer lifts for the FJ.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Well I guess my input is a little late but for prosperity sake and for the archives I will list my experience.

Almost a year ago I went with the OME struts and medium OME springs which includes a 1/2 spacer in order to achieve a full three inches. In the rear I had the Toytec longer coils with N71s to achieve the longer rear travel.

The overall ride is great and smooth but I still felt the nose dive but it was slightly better than the stock stuff. I also felt that the suspension flexed better but with greater flex came a lot of rub. The front would bottom out fast at high speed desert driving. The rear would flex great but would easily make contact with the wheel wells to the point where the tires have torn the rear wheel well insulation. I could have installed longer bump stops but then I would lose the flex. The rubbing I attributed to the extra weight from the Budbuilts, All pro armor, Sliders, fridge and ARB roof rack.


Just recently I had the opportunity to jump on the heavies OME's which gives you a full 3 inch without a spacer. The ride is much better for the weight but I can tell under mild bumps that the front comes down faster instead of absorbing the bumps. Since I am still running the rear TT springs then I can tell the difference in the bump absorption from front to back.

I wheel with a few other FJs who have heavies all the way around and I have been checking their lines and flex. If you do not plan on adding a lot of weight and just want to wheel then I truly think that the mediums will give you better flex and a better ride than the heavies. If you plan to add a lot of weight to your FJ then go heavies.

I don't regret that I went with the Heavies at the possibility of losing a little better flex because I know that I am only going to add more weight in the near future. I just wished that I would have known then what I know now. With my current and future mods I would have just went straight with the heavies and get it over with. I think my next mod will be to exchange my rear springs for heavies at the loss of again greater flex.

Okay Fjabbu Chigoe and Homedad.... Flame away!

Cheers,
 
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