My Newbie Suspension Modification Plan...What do you Think?

So I'm the proud new owner of a used '05 Tacoma DC TRD Sport and have been scouring over this forum for about a month trying to figure out what I should start dumping my money into with respect to modifications. After a lot of reading on the rear TSB issue, Bilstein shocks and seemingly everything else I've decided to address the suspension first. My goal here is to improve the stock setup making the truck look better (with a minimal lift and bigger tires), ride better on/off road and actually be able to carry something moderately heavy in the back without bottoming out all the time. With that said here's what I plan on doing...

Front:
- Bilstein 5100's with the stock coils set at 1.75" of lift

Rear:
- Dakar OME springs with the third leaf removed to provide ~2" of lift
- Bushing set for OME spring set
- OME N182 NitroCharger shock set
- OME FK29 driveline carrier bearing drop kit
- U-Bolt set for OME leaf springs

I'll be keeping the stock 17" sport wheels but this thing needs new tires anyways so I plan on putting on a set of 265/70/17 BFG All Terrain KO's (unless I can go bigger?).

I'm planning on doing all the work myself so for about $850 (excluding the tires) I should have a much better setup from everything I'm reading. My question before I pull the trigger and order all this stuff is am I missing something or is there something in this list that I don't really need? The one thing that jumps out at me is the carrier bearing drop kit...is it still necessary if I'm taking out a leaf from the Dakar springs and am really only raising the back somewhere between 2-2.25"? It's not the cost I'm worried about (~$12) but I just want to make sure I'm not going to mess anything up by having it on there.

All comments are welcome so if you think there are better choices out there with respect to components I'm all ears.

 

You can fit 285s on that lift I do believe.. Everything else sounds fine... but why not just go with a 3" instead of 1.75"

 

You mentioned wanting to haul heavy loads. Dakars are flexy for articulation while wheeling. If you pull a leaf out, I think they'd be real flexy and not so good for hauling. Just a plain old AAL will give you 1.5" or 2" of lift and improve your hauling capability. It will save you about $400 dollars too.

I wouldn't drop the carrier bearing until you need it. Try without it first.

Everything else sounds great. Welcome to TW.

 

I had looked at an AAL but wasn't really sure it was going to solve my TSB issues...maybe I should reconsider it. I chose the Dakar's because I had read that they should increase my load capacity while also improving the ride but now I'm a little confused. My intention here is not to lift the truck (I'd keep it at stock height if I could) but rather to fix the TSB problem with the rear leaf springs and hopefully improve the ride/handling characteristics along with way by replacing the front shocks with the Bilsteins. I suppose my real question here is what's the best way to fix the rear TSB on a Tacoma that is no longer under warranty in such a way that it will perform as good if not better than if I was able to get the TSB?

If the consensus is that an AAL meets that criteria then maybe I should head in that direction instead replacing the springs entirely...comments?

 

i'm not really sure what the rear tsb is....i don't have a tsb since i have a reg cab....maybe someone can tell you...but i have heard the ride with bilsteins on the stock springs is kinda stiff since the spring will be compressed if you set them to 1.75"....it may be fine...i have no experience with them but people say you can feel every crack in the road and such...i dunno how bad it is....i kinda been looking at options as well....i think i may look at the toytec coilovers....they are adjustable and in your case you could get the toytec ultimate lift...would cost a little more but i'm starting to think it would be worth it....i may go with just the coilovers for the front and set them at 1.75"...then later if needed i can aal...i've just read on here that if you go with a 2.5" or 3" lift you can run into alignment problems and cv boot wear and also you will have to buy a uca and stuff....i don't really wanna go that far into it...i just want the front end higher to kindof level the truck out...but i don't want to run into any problems with alignment or the way the truck rides on the highway

 

The dakars will increase your load capacity even with a leaf pulled. I have a set with the leaf pulled and they ride great and still can handle a load. I had about a 1000lbs of paper in my bed the other day and they sagged a little bit but still rode fine. But they are going to lift you a good amount, I dont know if you are going to be able to level it out with just 5100's. With a leaf out mine sits at about 2.5" of lift and i have coilovers so i just adjusted to level it, and if i decide to throw the leaf back in i can adjust to level again. As for the carrier bearing drop kit, i bought it but never put it in because i experienced no vibes, but it varies truck to truck so i would get it and try it without and see how it is. I would also get the Toyota bushings for the leafs, i went with the ones from wheelers and they squeak sometimes and i hear the Toyota ones don't.

 

Also when you put them in you will need to keep an eye on your brake lines and be sure they are not pulling to much at full droop. If they get tight you can bend the bracket that holds them a little and gain a few more inches but if it is still tight you will need to get longer brake lines.

 

Perhaps I'm confusing the dakars load capability with the Alcans and Deavers which are both definitely more flexy than stock for the purposes of wheeling. If you'd like to keep stockrear height may I suggest looking into air bags, timbren bump stops, or helper springs?

Damn it's hard to type from my phone!

 

Ya the alcans, deavers, and all pro leafs are typically built for flex rather than carrying capacity. But i think both the alcans and the deavers can be custom ordered giving you whatever you want, but they are pretty expensive.

 

Thanks for all the responses guys. After reading your comments and several more hours of research I think I've decided on the Ultimate Lift from ToyTec. I think in the end I would have preferred to use OME components but I really don't want to go over 2" of lift and won't be doing any serious offroading any time soon. I like the idea of being able to adjust the front to anything I want in between 0 - 3" of lift and it sounds like the AAL should only raise the back somewhere between 1.5 - 2" which should be perfect.

Will the address any potential TSB issues I might have? I'm still not sure but I'm going to give it a shot and if it doesn't then I'll shell out the ~$400 for a set of Dakar springs for the back.

Thanks again for all the help.