Lift kits versus leveling kits, pros & cons

Lift or leveling kit? I drive my 2018 Tundra 4x4 an average of 30,000 miles a year & sometimes I'm required to drive off road down access roads. I need to maintain decent MPG due to gas stations being far between in many remote areas. I upgraded my stock rims to another OEM 20" set & stock Michelin tires. I've been going back & forth about whether I should install a leveling kit or lift kit? Me & a couple buddy's are planning on installing it ourselves.

A. Without sacrificing alot of MPG'S what's the height i should go with?

B. I'm thinking 4" on front & 3.5 in the rear but I heard you shouldn't go above 3" on a leveling kit because it's not good for all the other components.

C. With all the types of lift kits out there what type should I get if I'm trying to stay around $650 max? Some only include minimal parts while others include sets of shocks, springs, control arms etc..

D. Seeing how mine is a 4x4 how much harder is one versus the other to install?

F. How will it affect the drive/handling of the truck? I plan on replacing my tires in the next 20k miles but for now I'm running the factory tires on it.

 

I'm not sure but I don't think you can get a leveling kit more than 3. A good suspension lift will run u more than 650. Most of the leveling kits we have installed tend to squeak over time which is pretty annoying. If your willing to spend 650 I would just wait a little longer and save a few more bucks and go with a quality suspension lift.

 

You can get bilstein 6112s for about $650 especially if you are installing yourself. Or even the 5100s to save some $. The lift kit itself won’t hurt gas mileage, it the bigger and heavier tires. I’d suggest ATs. Look for some that don’t weigh as much.

 

I have a 3/1 leveling kit. I like it. Your question is which is better and that’s obviously a full lift kit. That said if I was driving my truck 30k a year for work I’d leave it stock for best ride quality and mpg’s

 

I would do what @Netmonkey did and call it a day. here is his build thread.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/netmonkeys-build-thread.11976/

 

Here you go for your money.
https://www.roughcountry.com/premium-n20-lifted-struts-23030.html
And then throw a 1 inch shackle on in the back..You will be way under 650 bucks especially if you do it yourself.

 

These are interesting. It says they are for the front but they have the top two bushings that the rear has.

 

It’s suppose to be like that.

It's utilizing the factory coil and top hat.
I also ran a spacer for 5 years and the ride was not bad at all. I only switched to these coilovers because they are an inexpensive way of removing the spacer..