YES on the first part of this... I would REALLY avoid bracket lifts and stick with SUSPENSION lifts.
In front, you would need to do something like was mentioned above. 5100's, fox, King, or my favorite... ADS! This will raise your front up to 3in over stock (at least it did on my Tundra).
When you get into that 3in+ range, you might want to also look into new Upper Control Arms (UCAs) to get your alignment right. ALSO... There is a small differential drop that needs to happen here. I think that what Irongrave is referring to is a BODY lift. This is where they cut and/or weld a big bracket onto your vehicle.
Take a look at this pic... See those two big bracket things in the center? That is what you dont want. This is all for a BODY lift. It still uses some puny little shocks (as you can see). Any time your lift comes with longer steering knuckles, that is a BODY lift.
This is what I would call a SPACER lift (see below). It isn't a body lift... Closer to a suspension lift (and some companies call this a suspension lift), but instead of using longer shocks to get lift AND extra travel, it uses spacers. This can be bad bc your suspension will bottom out on the SHOCK, and not on the bump stops. This is not good for your shocks and can lead to the shock breaking since it is not designed to take that kind of load. The spacers are those two things in the center with the 4 bolts and the hole in the middle (front) and the two blocks at the top (rear axle). They can also cause Axle Wrap when you really step on the gas. This is where your rear leaf springs twist into an S shape.
The best option is a SUSPENSION lift. (see below). It is just some longer shocks in front and back that will droop your control arms for more travel in front. Then, for the back, you might use extra/new leaf springs and shackles to get more height.
So it really comes down to what you are looking to achieve and how much $$ to spend.
The absolute CHEAPEST way to do this all is to get Bilstein 5100's in front (and rear IMO). If you just get a 2.5-3in lift, you can get away with stock control arms. Over 3in you need new UCA's and a slight drop of the front Diff to get good angles.
Honestly man, you need to check your information and do some more research. A lot of what you're saying is either incorrect mixing of terms, or oversimplification of opinion statements as truth. Its obvious you're trying to be helpful, but your post is more misleading and and confusing for someone who doesn't know anything about suspensions. I'd really encourage you to check your info before posting this much.
A body lift is NOT the same thing as a bracket lift. A body lift uses larger spacers between the BODY and FRAME. Body lifts are cheap, by themselves they don't do a whole lot other than lift the body which doesn't have a lot of practical applications, BY ITSELF. They can be useful for increasing clearance for larger tires, especially if you're already running a regular suspension lift.
A bracket lift, or knuckle lift uses knuckle components and/or drop brackets for the bottom control arms to relocate the components coming off of the suspension, lifting the truck. This is what you often see on "bro trucks". Not necessarily super useful for offroad use, because while the vehicle and underbody are lifted higher, the drop brackets often reduce ground clearance at the bracket itself.
ADS, while I'm sure is a great brand, is a BRAND. NOT a specific style of lift. There is no guarantee for a certain amount of lift from simply choosing a specific brand of part.
Diff drop: Totally different thing than any of the styles of lifts discussed above. It most often involves no welding. It drops the differential DOWN to help CV angles. It does not lift the vehicle, rather it helps improve geometry of driveline components that the lift installation changed.
Diff drop also has nothing to do with bracket lifts.
Spacer lift: you pretty much got this one dead on. Everything you said about a spacer lift is correct.
Suspension lift: most of what you said is right, however a suspension lift most often involves new coil springs AND shocks. different shocks by themselves don't automatically lift a vehicle, although there are certain shock offerings, like bilstien 5100's that do offer small lifts by themselves.
Your recommendations: for the front, yes. 5100's are an option. Spacers are as well. While not a high quality option, you're not going to break your truck because you installed a spacer lift. It just won't be an IMPROVED, UPGRADED suspension. It will be a lifted suspension, with arguably the same or worse performance. For the rear, you're wrong. A tacoma uses leaf springs in the rear, which requires a spacer block or different leaf packs, or added leaf springs for a lift. Changing the shock in the rear of a tacoma by itself will not lift it.
I hope this isn't offensive. Super appreciate your willingness and desire to offer helpful info. But you gotta get it right to be helpful!
