Suspension Decisions

I've never tried out 5100's, but I love my 6112/5160 setup, at stock height... although they did raise up the front around 0.25-0.5 inches. The digressive valving makes for a firmer than stock ride on smooth roads, but then they come into their own on rougher roads, plus they have excellent rebound dampening on those rougher roads, zero pogo effect. I ordered mine already assembled via Headstrong. Considering the price they're a 10/10!

 

nice. and you had HS set the 6112s to the first notch and still gained a slight bit of lift ?

 

Correct, passenger side at notch 0, driver at 1 as per bilstein/headstrong recommendations to counteract taco lean.

Keep in a mind I have a 4-cly manual, so the front end is probably a little lighter than the V6 versions, hence the bit of lift as compared with the stock setup.

 

I just replaced the front with 5100s. cheap and love the ride. Kept at 1.1 to still let it ride smooth. 1.1 leveled it out almost perfect (slightly raked) but barley. 1.1 is second notch fyi

 

Bilsteins or OME for the everyday dude imo. Kings,Fox,Icon come with extra performance and features but at the cost of increased maintenance cycles.

 

5100s are ok but the stock springs really aren't that great. For $1,000 do 6112/5160 with either an inch up front if you like the level look or no lift in front if you like the rake. The ride quality improvement is massive. Later if you want a little bit better ride and some lift add a new leaf pack and move the front up a clip or two.

 

Correct. For $1000 that should be about the best combo you can get IMO. I bought OME (wish I got the Billy’s when I did it) and got the medium springs when I should have got the heavy for my bumper. After a year the sag was noticeable. I switched out my fronts for adjustable ADS shocks with 700# springs. Happy as can be now.

Just for kicks take a look at the Bilstein 8112’s. A little spendy, but nice. Those were the other choice for me, but I race my truck over some pretty bumpy rocky stuff at times so reservoirs were a must

 

Why not skinnies like 255 in a 32” or 33”? Just curious

 

Don’t forget ADS...they are way better than Icons and especially Fox because of the higher grade finish and components.

The Bilstein 8112’s are something to look into with the new technology they introduced

 

I really just want a fatter tire to basically have more surface area to grip the terrain that I would e taking it on but I also dont know how much a difference there is between a skinny tire and a fatter tire besides it having more surface area to grip

 

Ok, just know that skinnier tires perform just as well if not better in some situations without killing your power and mpg due to the weight difference

 

So the width of the tire really doesnt matter in some cases? Because I dont want to like kill my mpg but I am willing to let let it go down some due to the modifications I will be putting on my truck

 

This is a good read on the pros/cons of skinny tires...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-skinny-on-skinny-tires.529656/

 

Cool thank you I will make sure to check this out before the actual purchase of my up and coming set of tires

 

But if I am wanting a more stable ride on and off the road which tire would be better skinny or a fatter tire because I dont want to have stability be an issue

 

So if you had to choose, would you go with skinny tires or wider tires say if you were on stock suspension but about to have a suspension upgrade, but keep in mind I dont want to have to buy new tires once I upgrade my suspension just because they look too small?

 

IMHO, whatever you get that fits your truck NOW at stock height is going to look small on a 3" lift... I'd either wait and do it all at the same time OR I'd prioritize suspension first (adjustable) then when you replaced your tires you could adjust your setup to account for additional tire diameter

 

Thats what I was planning on doing but I amm not completely sure if I will be getting the suspension kit during the holiday, but also What suspension kit would you recommend to a starter in off road builds, but keep in mind I already do quite a bit of off roading at the moment on stock tires and suspension

 

Read it many times in the past

 

I'm no expert - there are many experts on here who can give you that info. I'm still on stock OR suspension myself at 37k miles and the shocks are starting to demonstrate signs of wear. At this point I'm likely to either go bilstein 6112/5160 + AAL setup OR Fox Pro takeoffs for my needs, which is 90% pavement, the rest being occasional trails, lots of gravel and dirt forest / fire roads. I don't rock crawl but need something that doesn't pogo-stick my family around every time we hit a rut getting to a remote camping spot