Upgrading to TRD PRO Suspension kit?

Those are on the list right now, with the kid less than a week away though it's on the back burner until this summer at least.

 

When I bought the Baja kit aftermarket from Toyota of Morristown it came with:

- a rear brake line extender to account for the rear 5160's additional droop
- shorter front bumpstops to get the geometry straight up front
- mounting hardware for the rear 5160's remote res to mount into existing holes in the Tacoma frame. Don't have to use hose clamps, nice clean mount

I figure an aftermarket kit for the Pro will come with the same accessories.

 

Sorry if I had a hand in the escalation, but I get tired of people denigrating the Baja/Pro suspension when they really know nothing about it. There's actually people that still think it's glorified Bilstein 5100's.

It's a good kit IMO, and I'm one of the few that actually drove it extensively.

I see people say Icon Stage I is a better deal, no it isn't.

Stage I doesn't have remote res rear shocks, and extended length shocks is additional $$$. The comparable Icon system is Stage II at $2200. Icon Stage I is about $1800 with remote res rears and extended length front shocks.

The extended length Icon front shocks get you about .5 inch extra droop over stock, the Baja/Pro front shocks gets you 1.5 inches extra droop over stock.

If you can get a Pro kit aftermarket do so. It's a good kit.

 

True. I have not drove a Tacoma with Icon, Fox, King, OME suspensions.

But, I think it's also true that there is only so much tweaking that can be done to a suspension system. Nitrogen is the same in all shocks, oil is the same in all shocks. King, Fox, Icon, they don't have nitrogen from Mars or special shock oil.

It's all about the valving in the shocks, the spring combo. Toyota and Bilstein tested the Baja/Pro extensively to get it right, and I think they got it right. As I've said over and over I'm one of the few that drove the Baja suspension extensively and IMO it's dynamite.

 

We will mention that the 6112 shock, while almost identical to the Pro suspension - has different valving and spring rates that are even more "performance" orientated. As TacoDelPlaya mentioned, the TRD Pro system has to comply to Toyota standards, while Bilstein aftermarket version can be a little more aggressive. The pro system rides great, we expect that all of you will think the 6112 is even better.

 

What appealed to me when I bought the Baja kit aftermarket was I was sure I wouldn't have the crazy VSC issues that so many people had after lifting.

The horror stories about lifting and reoccuring VSC issues despite zero point calibration turned me off of big lifts.

I figured the Baja kit with extended wheel travel was the way to go for offroading and not have any issues with VSC going crazy. Strong shocks front and rear, extended droop front and rear, nice setup.

Btw, I saw this about correcting VSC craziness after lifting -
It's a Tundra, but the same VSC system. Another good thing about having the 2005 Tundra is no nannies. I don't miss them at all.

 

Incorrect.

Nitrogen is variable from setup to setup. Racers run anywhere from 250-300PSI in their stuff. King recommends 180 by default and SAW recommends 200 by default. However, one size does not fit all. The nitro pressure does affect the valving and the stiffness of the shock. Not to mention every shock body is different. One 2.0 may hold 396ml and another may hold 320ml. The shock body length from manufacturer to manufacturer is different as well.

Its not all about valving and spring combo. As some may be led to believe. I have spent a lot of time valving and pressure tuning shocks and air bumps and contrary to popular belief, you cannot make a one size fits all setup. Every variable matters.

 

The 5160's offer about a half an inch extra travel over stock shocks... thats it, Longer brake lines are not necessary. Hell my OME N182 shocks have another inch of travel over the 5160's....

A different bump stop does not effect geometry what so ever, simply changes the feel of the suspension at full compression.

FYI in either case your droop is limited by your stock UCA ball joint binding. The 5100's / 6112 / pro and baja shocks will all droop further than the stock UCA allows, dont believe me, jack a front corner up at full droop, and undo the two lower ball joint bolts... the lca will continue to droop and the hub will stay at the same spot.. This goes the same for the "standard length" coil overs which have right around the same travel if not more than the bilstine offerings above.

Im done with this thread.... people do your research, and good luck.

ND4 OUT.

 

You are right on every account. I also agree, there is a lot of misinformation on this thread which is why I am attempting to clean it up. Either way, a handful of people here are cluttering this thread with a lot of misinformation, which is not good for the people attempting to educate themselves.

 

So basically, when I thought a guy on craigslist was crazy for wanting $800 for a Pro Suspension, I was actually dumb and it was a steal.

 

Appreciated. Did NOT see this coming.

 

lol

 

LOL

 

L
O
L

 

Here are the actual numbers and info direct from the Toyota team that developed the original Baja suspension:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/car...tacoma-trd-tx-baja-series-test-drive-7455307/

The rear suspension package increases wheel travel from 8.5 inches to 10 inches—mostly in rebound (droop) travel. And to allow for the increase, the rear brake lines have been lengthened slightly with a bracket.

The Baja Series receives a 1.75-inch lift upfront thanks to TRD springs wrapped around Bilstein shocks. The shocks are based on Bilstein's high-end 9100 Series dampers and use a 60-mm piston (compared with 32 mm for the stock Tacoma 4x4). The new front suspension increases wheel travel from 8 inches to 9.25 inches. It turns out the limiting factor for more suspension movement is the upper ball joint, and finding a better one would have cost too much time and money, according to the team. "We built this system so it could grow with the customer," Zwillinger says. So an owner could, for example, buy a pair of aftermarket upper A-arms that allow even more front-wheel travel, and then have the Bilsteins modified to match. The front bump stops are slightly shorter to allow for the increase in jounce (compression) travel.

So 1.25" more wheel travel front, 1.5" more wheel travel rear.

 

Actually, nd4 was WRONG on the majority of his points regarding the Baja/Pro suspension kit.

BTW, when I said "Nitrogen is the same in all shocks, oil is the same in all shocks. King, Fox, Icon, they don't have nitrogen from Mars or special shock oil." What I was trying to get at is they don't have any special kind of nitrogen or shock oil, they just manipulate it differently as you correctly pointed out.

 

Childish bickering aside, I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I'm currently trying to get a suspension upgrade for my patrol Tacoma. The outside regulatory agency that controls such things heavily frowns upon aftermarket parts which makes Icon/King/Fox difficult to get approved. A factory kit, however, installed and warrantied by the dealer, just might fly through their red tape. Now to get three quotes from stealerships...

 

i lied im back, again you are wrong, dont believe everything you read on the internet thats off some random review....


The specs from Bilstein

Stock shocks = 8.96in of travel
5160 tacoma rear shocks = 9.39 of travel

Total extra droop over stock = .43in

The simple fact is you cant have a shock that has much bigger than a 14in collapsed length with the stock leaf packs found on the 6 lug tacomas.... which is the same leaf pack found on the pro. Otherwise you will bottom the shock before hitting bump.

The front yup sounds about right. you gain some more droop, and like i have stated may times before your droop is limited by the upper ball join on the UCA..... Math and experience does not lie...

 

No, but thanks for asking. Your concern is touching. No doubt a set would be nice, I'd like to have the additional wheel travel and stronger shocks. 10.5 inches of ground clearance with 265/75/16's on the Gen I Tundra could be enhanced, but it's OK for now.

And thanks again for your concern.

 

I can totally understand the naysayers because there is so much out there that is better.
With Toyota being so quick to anally rape us and void warranties so quickly (whether legal or not, they do it), that leaves us with very little options for a suspension set up.
No one in this thread can deny there is so much better out there for less but we've all either heard or witnessed horror stories of Toyota customer service first hand. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota starts voiding warranties for a Jack in the Box antenna ball.