1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Long Travel information.

Discussion in 'Long Travel Suspension' started by mjp2, Oct 13, 2009.

  1. Oct 13, 2009 at 8:56 AM
    #1
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    Since the topic comes up more and more often, I'm creating this thread as a central location for information and questions regarding long travel. Post questions and comments in this thread and I'll update this first post as needed. Thanks to the mods for making this a sticky! :thumbsup:


    As with all modifications, the "best" option is dependent on how you'll use your truck, the region of the country you're in, your budget, relationships with vendors, personal technical expertise, etc. What's below is generally specific to the 05+ 6-lug Tacomas.


    Generalities:
    - Any long travel that works with 4wd will work with 2wd, but the inverse is not always the case
    - Your coilovers will need to be replaced. Most LT kits are designed to work with 8" travel shocks.
    - You'll want to reinforce your stock spindles on 4wd rigs. 2wd are well served upgrading to aftermarket spindles
    - Self-installation of longer front 4wd axles in the stock CVs is possible but a major PITA. Save yourself the time and hassle and drop a couple of bucks to have a shop do it.
    - All rigs should have their alignment cam tabs reinforced. You'll flatten them after 1 decent trip offroad
    - Consider reinforcing your lower control arm frame mounts if you're gonna bash hard
    - Pre-07 trucks must reinforce the engine mounts. All trucks should
    - It's a good idea to gusset your coil buckets
    - It's a VERY good idea to double-shear your UCA mounts
    - Don't bother getting a differential drop on an 05+ Tacoma (LT or mid-travel)
    - Going front long-travel will get you pushing your truck. Expect the rear end to bounce up and come around on you if you don't be careful and/or upgrade it to something equally supple.
    - Your already-upgraded upper control arms on your mid-travel setup will not work with a long-travel kit. All kits come with required new UCAs.
    - If you're running big tires you'll want to trim and reinforce your body mounts to avoid rubbing


    Popular front long travel options:
    All Pro Offroad's kit uses 2" extended tube-style upper and lower arms on each side. Travel around 12" or so.
    Pros: Maintain 4x4 with extended front axles, does not require front fiberglass fenders, narrower track width for crawling and tight trails, comes with a heavy-duty steering upgrade
    Cons: No way of mounting a secondary shock Total Chaos's kit widens the truck 3.5" on each side and pulls 13" of usable wheel travel.
    Pros: Maintain 4x4 with extended front axles, secondary shock mount with optional shock hoop, option for heim joint UCAs, race-proven and popular kit with many installation shop options, excellent customer service
    Cons: Requires fiberglass fenders
    http://www.chaosfab.com/86000.html

    Camburg Engineering's kit also widens the truck 3.5" on each side and pulls 14" of wheel travel on 4wd and 15" of travel on 2wd rigs. Offers a full-race 2wd kit for pre-2005 Tacomas pulling 19" of travel.
    Pros: Maintain 4x4 with extended front axles, secondary shock mount with optional shock hoop, use of 1.25" uniballs to increase travel without binding, heavy gusseting around all joints, race-proven (Team Shark Attack), travel numbers, allows use of air bumps on 2wd vehicles
    Cons: Requires fiberglass fenders
    http://www.camburg.com/tacomaP05.html
    *Disclaimer: I run Camburg's kit and am a bit biased. I went with them after going a lot of research. The breakage I suffered was my own fault as I installed the lower uniball housing upside down. It's easy to do so feel free to contact me if you have questions. :eek:

    Engage Offroad has a race-proven kit that's recent been adopted by a lot of late-model Tacoma owners. Their kit for previous generation Tacoma is respected.
    Pros: Price, maintain 4x4 with extended front axles , options for race upgrades, secondary shock mount with optional shock hoop
    Cons: Requires fiberglass fenders
    http://engage-offroad.com/

    Richer Racing's kit is for pre-2005 Tacomas, widens the truck by 5" on each side, is 2wd only, and pulls 18+" of wheel travel.
    Pros: Big travel numbers, race proven, extremely strong design, allows for secondary shock and air bump
    Cons: 2wd only, requires fiberglass fenders, wide track width, no 05+ kit yet
    http://www.richerracing.com/Pages/Products/96_04_ToyotaTacoma.html


    Popular rear long travel options:
    While the front long travel kits are mostly bolt-on and can be done in a garage with basic hand tools, rear long travel requires extensive fabrication, cutting, grinding, welding, etc. All rear long travel kits will require use of fiberglass bedsides, alterations to the driveshaft, shocks, and custom shock hoops. Expect to run wheel spacers or a wider rear axle to clear big shocks outside the framerails.

    DMZ Fabrication 62" complete spring-under conversion kit. Race-proven and designed specifically for the 05+ Tacoma.
    http://dmzfab.com/products.html

    Giant Motorsports 64" complete spring-under conversion kit. Race-proven and seen primarily on Ford Rangers.
    http://giantmotorsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=51
    *Disclaimer: The Giant kit is my personal choice due to the shackle design and travel numbers. I'm running it with 18" travel, 3" 4-tube bypass Fox shocks with excellent results.
    EDIT 4/15/2010: Giant offers a bolt-on version of their kit for the 05+ Tacomas as well as a bolt-in bed cage for shock mounting.

    Engage Offroad cantilever kit. Shocks are mounted horizontally and maintains full use of the bed.
    http://www.framtidgames.com/main.html

    All-Pro Baja Leafs. Requires custom hangers, shackles, fabrication, etc. These springs have recently been introduced at a strong price point and have been tested with excellent reviews. There are always more options but that should be enough to get the discussion started. :)
     
  2. Oct 13, 2009 at 8:59 AM
    #2
    martie

    martie mjp2 is living vicariously through me.

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2009
    Member:
    #13575
    Messages:
    4,101
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    smartie pants
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Ford Explorer Sport
  3. Oct 13, 2009 at 9:00 AM
    #3
    JDMcQ

    JDMcQ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2008
    Member:
    #10561
    Messages:
    39,046
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    John
    The Mushroom Capital of the World
    Good stuff Mike!
     
  4. Oct 13, 2009 at 9:09 AM
    #4
    Rollinn

    Rollinn Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2009
    Member:
    #19274
    Messages:
    258
    Gender:
    Male
    Vegas
    Vehicle:
    06 Prerunner sport
    Icon 2.5 c/o,TC uca, bhlm mod, nav, etc etc
    Didn't you say that this thread is for 05+ tacomas? Richer Racing doesn't have a kit for 05+ do they, please correct me if I'm wrong.. :confused:
     
  5. Oct 13, 2009 at 9:20 AM
    #5
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    No reason to quote the whole first post. Eats up too much screen real estate and duplicates incorrect information after updates are made.

    You're correct -- they only have a kit for the pre-05 Tacomas. My mistake. I updated the link and will update the information shortly.
     
  6. Oct 13, 2009 at 9:22 AM
    #6
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    Fixed.
     
  7. Oct 13, 2009 at 9:28 AM
    #7
    Rollinn

    Rollinn Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2009
    Member:
    #19274
    Messages:
    258
    Gender:
    Male
    Vegas
    Vehicle:
    06 Prerunner sport
    Icon 2.5 c/o,TC uca, bhlm mod, nav, etc etc
    I edited my previous post.. Thx for the update :D
     
  8. Oct 13, 2009 at 9:30 AM
    #8
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    My pleasure. I'm glad the people around here keep me honest. :D
     
  9. Oct 13, 2009 at 1:40 PM
    #9
    Kenny650

    Kenny650 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2009
    Member:
    #15944
    Messages:
    818
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks for the info Mike!
     
  10. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:30 PM
    #10
    leg killa

    leg killa Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2009
    Member:
    #22752
    Messages:
    236
    Gender:
    Male
    AMERICA
    Vehicle:
    06 SBDB SR5 4x4
    TRD Hood/ Color matched grill/ De badged/ BHLM/ Viper remote start/ Pioneer AVIC Z-130BT/ BFG MT KM2/ MT Classic II/ OME Lift/ LR UCAs/ Pop and Lock
    good info..one question..is having LT dumb if its a DD?
     
  11. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:35 PM
    #11
    blackhawke88

    blackhawke88 wo ai ni bao bei ^_^

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Member:
    #12478
    Messages:
    16,639
    Gender:
    Male
    SGV, CA
    Vehicle:
    07 TRD Offroad
    Good stuff!
    if it is im screwed!
     
  12. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:36 PM
    #12
    jdkeller

    jdkeller How many words can be fit in this s

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2008
    Member:
    #11040
    Messages:
    12,926
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jonathan
    Inland Empire, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2008 Tacoma Prerunner TRD Offroad
    Dome light LED, 6000k HID Headlights and fogs, Grillcraft black mesh, rear 5100's, Total Chaos UCA's, 285/75/16 BFG KM2's, Spidertrax spacers, Blacked out emblems, cb,kenwood tm270 ham radio, All Pro 3" leaf pack, Fox 2.0 coilovers, Revenge Fab Sliders, u bolt flip kit, Pioneer avh4200, bed bar with light and antenna, Wet Okoles, Weathertech Mats, Wet Okole Armrests, Rear KR Fab bumper, bed mat, N-Fab spare tire carrier with full size spare on 16" TRD rim, Bedlinered flares and grille. Camburg Spindles, All Pro front fenders.
    Very nice. Thanks
     
  13. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:43 PM
    #13
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    Lots of folks do it. If you bash your truck from time to time you'll be amazed by how well it performs offroad.

    For on-road handling, if you're running full LT front and rear, consider fabricating a custom rear sway bar to keep the lean to a minimum on turns. I've got no sway bars on my truck and, while I can make it lean to the point that it'll make the passenger uncomfortable, it's really predictable and stays planted on the road. Just don't try pulling any lateral G's on the skidpad. ;)
     
  14. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:48 PM
    #14
    blackhawke88

    blackhawke88 wo ai ni bao bei ^_^

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Member:
    #12478
    Messages:
    16,639
    Gender:
    Male
    SGV, CA
    Vehicle:
    07 TRD Offroad
    ^ haha yea im still getting used to turning with only front LT, its pretty scary!
     
  15. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:49 PM
    #15
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    Just wait until that rear has even more travel than your front! It's trippy! :D
     
  16. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:49 PM
    #16
    martie

    martie mjp2 is living vicariously through me.

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2009
    Member:
    #13575
    Messages:
    4,101
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    smartie pants
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Ford Explorer Sport
    And by "passenger", he means me. It's sketchy.
     
    Gunshot-6A and m603holden like this.
  17. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:50 PM
    #17
    amaes

    amaes Cuz Stock Sucks

    Joined:
    May 26, 2009
    Member:
    #17658
    Messages:
    8,322
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Alex
    Phoenix, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2011 FJ Built
    ICON Stage 6, RCI Skids, Blacked out
    Mjp2 why don't you run a cantilever setup on your rig? I've been wondering this for a while.
     
  18. Oct 13, 2009 at 2:55 PM
    #18
    blackhawke88

    blackhawke88 wo ai ni bao bei ^_^

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Member:
    #12478
    Messages:
    16,639
    Gender:
    Male
    SGV, CA
    Vehicle:
    07 TRD Offroad
    cantilever setups are a little weaker and heavier than losing your bed for a fully build cage.
     
  19. Oct 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM
    #19
    mjp2

    mjp2 [OP] Living vicariously through myself Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    Member:
    #924
    Messages:
    21,857
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Milton Juevo Portimous II
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    '06 TRD Access Cab, v6, 6-speed
    Scaffolding and a painted grill
    I lose my bed no matter what due to the fuel cell and spare tire storage. The standard vertical shock orientation is easier to tune as there are less components that factor in. The cantilever system has all the standard parts (leaf springs, bumpstops, shocks) but adds the pivots and geometry to transfer the vertical axle movement to a horizontal plane.

    I'm a believer in "simple is better." Since I'm already losing the bed with the fuel cell, I saw no reason to add complexity to the rear suspension setup. Of course, it would have allowed me to run the rear without wheel spacers since I'd have no shock clearance issues, so that was a compromise.

    The other thing is that this truck will kind of always be under construction. If at some point I decide to go with a linked rear instead of running leaf springs the current shock hoops will still be usable.
     
  20. Oct 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM
    #20
    EL TACOROJO

    EL TACOROJO SNAPPIN NECKS AND CASHIN CHECKS.

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2009
    Member:
    #18220
    Messages:
    9,927
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    BURRY
    south mills NORCAK
    Vehicle:
    03 dblcab prerunner sr5 v6
    smoked taillights,smoked front turnsignals,smoked 3rd brake light,black badges,black roof rack,removed mud flaps,debadged, camburg 2.5 coilovers,camburg uca's, cobra 25 cb, 4ft firestick ant, dust light/bed lights , 4 hellas on the front
    awesome post . even though i dont own a 05+ YET doesn't hurt reseachin ahead of time
     

Products Discussed in

To Top