Best all around suspension 0"-1"

Been asking about rear suspension on here recently, and noticed my front suspension is wearing down too. Especially the passenger side coil is sagging a little bit, so I might as well replace the whole shabang. I am not really looking for a lift. I might be down for an inch, but really I'm okay just staying stock. Whats the best all around suspension with the most bang for its buck that rides good.

 

I'm looking at rock auto...definitely seems to be the cheapest way to get a new suspension...anyone have any experience with it?

 

Bilstein 5100s. You can get them from a vendor here (downsouthmotorsports) for under $300 for all 4 shocks with a tw member discount. The fronts are adjustable, so you can get that inch to level out the front.

The stuff from rockauto will certainly be adequate, and your options are pretty limited if you don’t want a lift, as far as springs. There are a lot more option if you want a bit of a lift, tho.

I ran the 5100s for 6 or so years and really liked them. Still have them on the rear, actually. They ride like a truck, so don’t expect a Boaty McBoatface type ride, but hey handle better than stock, and even the trd shocks, too.

 

2nd vote for 5100's. Had mine for 4000 miles rides great, sits level. Looks good.

 

If you need new coils too... I'd recommend OME 880's with either OME Nitrocharger shocks or the 5100's mentioned above set to 0". For the rear I had General Springs leaf springs that were stock height, and they were fine... probably similar to what you found on Rockauto as well.

 

5125s are better suited for the rear if you’re not going to lift the rear. +1 for the 5100s up front though

 

The Bilstein 4600 HD are the same as the 5100's without a lift. It's what comes on the stock TRD. They ride hard but they're work horses. $95 on Amazon.

 

I didn't want much of a lift and wanted to stay close to stock so I went with - Rancho quicklift in front and rancho adjustable shocks in the rear -

And the General KC Springs (heavy duty in the rear for a double cab) -https://www.generalspringkc.com/ since my rear springs were sagged. I tow a boat so I like the adjustability of the ranchos to soften or stiffen them up. However, I've had to replace the rear ranchos since he adjusters rusted into place (though they have a lifetime warranty). I bought them through rockauto and buy 3 deal and get 1 free from rancho.

I am 99% street and 1% fire/logging roads.

 

I am the same deal, I do some towing and off roading is basically driving the pasture to check cattle, or some dirt roads. How do these things adjust? If I was going to tow, how much does it take to stiffen them?

 

When I replaced all the suspension on my 2004 RC 2.7 4X4 I went with OME 880's up front, OME Nitrochargers all the way around and Deaver J-59 leafs in the rear. I also installed greasable shackles which I found out later added an inch to the height. I wanted to stay as close to stock as possible and ended up with more lift than I wanted. Not a problem though. No vibrations, no CV boot leaks and since I carry about 400lbs in the bed all winter long I don't have the "jacked up" look most of the year.

The 880's add about 1" to 1.5" to the front which is fine. The Deavers were supposed to add 1-1.5" as well but with the shackles I ended up with probably at least 2" in the rear. Once again, no problem since I load up the back in the winter with sandbags. In the summer, yes I have a slight "stinkbug" look but it's still not a problem. I go on vacation every summer and load about 700lbs into the bed so the extra lift works out for that as well. It just sits level with that much weight back there.

I like my set up. It works for me. The front end is a little stiff but the rear end is quite nice. I got all my parts from "Wheeler's Off Road". Their service was fantastic. I also paid the extra $80 to have them assemble the front struts. All in all I spent just a little over $2000 on my suspension and for a daily driver I'm happy.

Yes there are "far" better suspension systems out there and they cost 3X the price. Maybe some day but for now the one I have is one of those where you "set it and forget it". It's just what I wanted for a daily driver where the weather sucks and interstates turn into the "Baja 1000" once winter sets in. It's nice for off-roading on the weekends as well.

The one "problem" I noticed with the Deaver springs is that they started rusting almost immediately. It happened right away. The black paint disappeared and they turned reddish brown. Not a problem so far but I'll be keeping an eye on them. They work great but turning orange-brown within a couple of weeks has me wondering how long they will last.

They sat for a couple of months before I installed them and the paint on them was still "gummy" when I put them on. Depending on the composition of them it may never be a problem except from an asthetic point of view. Surface rust doesn't hurt many metals and I don't care what they look like.

I would think that they would apply better corrosion protection. Mine may have been a fluke since there is another poster on this forum that bought the same springs and has not had the same problem. The last time he posted that is.

One last comment. I decided at the beginning of last winter to apply Fluid Film to the Deavers. I figured it couldn't hurt since they were rusting. This may sound really weird but it made them squeak big time. The squeak went away but a few months ago when I re-applied Fluid Film I obviously got some on the Deavers and they have been squeaking and creeking ever since. It's going away but it is rather weird where you apply a lubricant like FF and it makes your springs creak and squeak.

 

Little red knob has 9 positions. http://rancho-suspension.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-do-you-adjust-rancho-shocks-and.html?m=1

For my double cab setting 3 provides a soft ride and for towing I move up to 6 on the rears. I can't tell a difference between single settings...position 1 feels like shocks worn out, 3 is soft, 6 is stiff and 9 is punishment. All the adjustment does is put more pressure on a valve changing the dampening effect.

I wouldn't rate as best, but gives me a little flexibility when I need it and the price when they run the sale was good along with 5 percent off from rock auto coupon.