So this my 06 V8 sport edition. This winter I (barely) completed a xreas delete and front end lift with struts out of a 17 Tacoma TRD pro. All I did to the rear was put 5100s shocks and planned to see what my needs are. I had no expectations for this lift to perform like coil overs but all in all I’ve been pleased and it helps clear my 265/70/17s with a bit more room than stock. Mostly I loved the even level from front to back.

Since then however, I have started to carry most of my tools and things I will need on camping trips all the time. It’s really nice to just fire the truck up and drive where we want to go with minimal packing. I’ve also added the Tepui tent so I’ll get more instagram followers and people will think I’m interesting lol. My plan in the next 60 days is to add a 1/2” plywood shelf with a folding table stored, and use front runner boxes as my storage units. All of the above is quite a bit more weight than I started with and I’m ready for some stiffer springs. I live in West Michigan so the tent will come off in the winter months, but the rest of the interior storage will stay. My plan is to have helper airbags for any extra loads like towing and two additional adults, no matter what springs I choose. I did buy the V8 after all right? May as well have a towing option.

I have scoured this forum and read lots of guys who have done the Tacoma swap and gone with OME 895e instead of the 1/2 inch higher and stiffer 895. I’m torn- on the one hand I don’t want a huge rake and my front isn’t even as high as some pictures I’ve seen guys post. On the other hand, my tent is 125lbs, my calculations (I’m gonna confirm with a scale tomorrow) show me with 100-120 lbs of stuff in the back without all my camping gear, and I will be adding the plywood shelf which will be 70 ish pounds. So I feel justified to do the 895s, but could hear an argument for 895es with Helper bags inflated 7 months out of the year. Either way, I have 11.5 inches clearance from the ground to the bottom of my tow hitch and that’s just not gonna cut it. Any thoughts?

Disclaimer: I know I’m agonizing over a 1/2” but I figured I’d use the community to give me some input.

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