Looking for advice on a lift/suspension. Did a lot of reading and there is really a science behind all this. Looking for advice from you fine folks. I have a 1998 SR5 4x4 with a rear diff lock. I'm familiar with working on cars but picking a suspension setup is new to me. I plan on using my truck for a daily driver (mostly freeway), I might be doing lite offroading maybe 2-6 times a year. Looking to have a solid and reliable setup. What do you guys recommend? I would like to have 255/80/16 tires.

-5100 Bilsteins?
-OME springs?
- Is a 2-inch lift needed for the above tires?
- Does the rear need to be lower, higher, same?
- Is there anything else I should be replacing?

Thank you!

Not trying to be a punk but there are literally a 1000 threads on this but I myself have asked many of the same questions so no hate here...

Most would tell you the rear should be higher, or it should be level at least but that is personal preference. You don't want to load up the vehicle and have it sagging in the back.

If you get in there and see boots busted on parts such as ball joints and tie rod ends its a good time to do that and if you have old CV axles, the boots are going to bust in a short amount of time with a lift so you may as well replace or reboot those.

Everyone recommends that if you don't know how many miles are on your lower ball joints you should absolutely change those and do so with OEM ball joints. These come with the castle nut and cotter pin but not the 4 bolts that attach them to the spindle/knuckle. Some replace, some don't but make sure you get the ones that came on your vehicle as they changed in '01.
LBJ Flanged Bolts: 90080-10066 (Need 4/side)

This thread has a lot of good information:
OEM Part Numbers for 3rd Gen 4Runner: Tie Rods, Ball Joints, and Wheel Bearings

This one has all your torque specs:
Torque Specs.

This one has all you could ever dream about as far as lifts...and there are more:
3rd Gen 4Runner Lift Information and FAQ's

Hope that all helps some.

Bilstien 5100s with OME 906s in the back and 880s in the back would be ideal for a small lift without sacrificing comfort or reliability