Tacoma Long Travel Kit: Cost, Parts, and Who Needs It

A Tacoma long travel kit replaces the factory front control arms with longer ones that push each wheel outward. This widens the track and rebuilds the front end around wheel travel. A fully long travel setup reaches 12 inches or more of front travel, and it is the biggest cost jump of any Tacoma suspension upgrade. It makes sense for prerunner and high-speed desert builds, while most trail and overland trucks are better served by quality coilovers and upper control arms.

What Is a Tacoma Long Travel Kit?

Lift is ride height. Travel is how far the wheel can move up and down. A spacer raises the truck without adding travel. Coilovers improve damping, but they still work within the factory control arm length.

A long travel kit changes the arms themselves. Extended upper and lower control arms move each front wheel outward, widening the track and making room for a longer coilover. A +3.5 inch kit adds 3.5 inches per side, so the front end ends up about 7 inches wider overall.

What a Long Travel Build Includes

The arms are only part of the job. A complete Tacoma long travel suspension build includes:

• Extended upper and lower control arms

• Extended CV axles on 4WD trucks

• Extended brake lines, limit straps, and tie rod extensions

• Purpose-built 2.5 inch coilovers, plus bypass shocks on some builds

• Long travel bump stops

• Fiberglass fenders or trimmed factory fenders

• An alignment after the install

Long travel coilovers are not interchangeable with standard ones. The 2.5 inch long travel coilovers we carry from Locked Offroad are built for a specific kit and vehicle. They come in options for Total Chaos, Camburg, Dirt King, JD Fabrications, BTF, Marlin Crawler, and Wicked Creations kits on 2005 to 2023 Tacomas. We also carry Locked Offroad 2.5 inch triple bypass shocks with 8 inches of travel and Perry Parts front bump stops made for long travel setups. You can find them in our Tacoma coilovers and shocks collection.

Long Travel vs. Mid Travel vs. Coilovers

“Tacoma desert suspension” can mean three different builds. The right one depends on speed, terrain, and how wide you want the truck.

Coilovers and Upper Control Arms

This is where most Tacoma builds should start. Coilovers with 2.5 inch bodies and reservoirs give more consistent damping under load. Front lift is adjustable, commonly 2 to 3 inches, and about 3 inches is the practical ceiling for a bolt-on build. At 2.5 inches or more of front lift, you need aftermarket upper control arms to bring the alignment back into spec.

If you are shopping for Tacoma Fox coilovers, we stock Fox 2.0 Performance Series coilovers for 2005 to 2023 trucks. We also stock Fox 2.5 Factory Series coilovers with DSC adjustable reservoirs for 2005 and newer. We carry 2.5 inch coilovers from King, ADS, and Radflo too, including Radflo options for 2024 and newer Tacomas. Compare them in our complete Tacoma suspension kits.

On a factory-width build, Solo Motorsports stock length offset lower control arms move the lower ball joint 1 inch forward for more tire clearance and add 2 to 3 degrees of caster. Our gusseted spindles for 2nd and 3rd gen Tacomas help prevent the bent spindles that stock parts are prone to when wheeled hard.

Mid Travel

Mid travel keeps the factory width but moves the rear shocks outboard or above the frame so you can run longer shocks. That gets you roughly 12 to 14 inches of rear travel. It requires shock relocation hardware, bump stops, and sometimes bed or framework. It suits whoop sections where a factory-length shock runs out of stroke and overheats. We carry Archive Garage mid-travel packages for 2005 to 2023 in Tacoma.

What Does a Tacoma Long Travel Kit Cost?

Long travel is the largest jump in cost of any Tacoma suspension path, by a wide margin. The arm kit is only the starting point. Your total also includes:

• Two long travel coilovers (the Locked Offroad 2.5 inch units start at $769.99 each)

• Bypass shocks if your build uses them ($850 each for the Locked Offroad triple bypass)

• Long travel bump stops ($160 per pair for the Perry Parts units)

• Extended CV axles, brake lines, and fenders

• A matching rear setup, such as a mid-travel package

• A multi-day install plus alignment

For comparison, a Fox 2.5 Stage 5 kit with front coilovers and rear shocks for 2005 to 2023 Tacomas is $3,899. A long travel build costs well above that once the supporting parts are added. The best way to get a real number is to send us your truck details for a full parts list and total.

Do You Need Long Travel on Your Tacoma?

Long travel is worth considering if you drive fast through open desert, sand, or whoops and regularly run out of the travel you have. It also fits if you are building a prerunner where travel is the main goal. You need to be fine with a wider truck and fender work.

It is probably not the right fit if your Tacoma is an overland or camping rig that carries weight and sees tight technical trails, where the extra width works against you. The same goes for a daily driver with occasional trail weekends. For those trucks, a matched coilover and spring package with upper control arms almost always improves ride quality, most noticeably with weight on board, and it costs far less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my current coilovers with a long travel kit?

Usually not. Long travel kits use purpose-built 2.5 inch coilovers, and the ones we carry are built for a specific kit and vehicle.

Do I need new CV axles for a long travel Tacoma?

On a 4WD truck, yes. Widening the front end means the factory axles are too short, so extended CV axles are part of the build.

How long does a long travel install take?

Mid and long travel installs are multi-day jobs, followed by an alignment. A bolt-on coilover kit with control arms usually takes a full day plus alignment.

Can I put long travel on a 2024 or newer Tacoma?

The long travel coilovers and bump stops we list today fit earlier Tacoma generations, not the 4th gen. For 4th gen Tacomas, we carry Radflo coilovers along with Camburg and Icon upper control arms, and we can talk through the options for your truck.

Plan Your Tacoma Long Travel Build With Us

Tell us your Tacoma’s year and generation, what is already installed, and how you drive. We will match the kit, control arms, and hardware to your build. We ship nationwide and also handle installs in-house. Affirm financing is available with terms up to 12 months, subject to approval. Our Best Price Guarantee matches a lower price from a reputable retailer on the same item.

Call us at (919) 903-4555 to get your build started.