Question about shocks and leaf springs

Hey guys. Bear with me here. I'm kind of new with suspensions here.

So I bought my truck with a 3" Toytec lift on it 2.5 years ago and haven't changed the shocks or anything. Alaska roads are rough, so was driving to Virginia. So I'm thinking since my leaf springs are going basically inside out, it may be time to get new shocks and leafs.

My question - main question - is do i need to get a certain size shock to compensate for my lift?

I see a lot of dudes running Bilstein 5100s, what other shocks out there are equivalent? And what about leafs? I see a lot of OME. Any other good brands?

Thanks guys

 

I'm not familiar with Toytec's lift at all, but I can say there's a reason why you see, read, and hear a lot about Bilstein 5100's or OME; they just flat out work and are a great bang for your buck.

If there was anything equivalent, you'd read a lot about them but there aren't any.

It's when you get up to mid-travel and long travel that the whole game changes, and you're easily spending more than double on coil over's alone vs an entire lift kit from Billy or OME.

 

The 5100's can be adjusted to give lift that might match what you currently have, but you probably know that. Give Wheelers a call, they're very helpful and knowledgeable - and give a discount to Tacomaworld members.

 

That's pretty awesome man thanks!

 

^^^ This. That's what I did.

 

Wheeler's is pretty knowledgeable, but since you state you have a ToyTec lift, you might start by calling ToyTec and asking what shocks are most appropriate. I can't recall if ToyTec lifts use Bilstein or another re-branded shock (BOSS?).

Either the 5120 or 5160 (sorry, my memory is slipping) series Bilstein shocks are available in a bunch of different lengths that might be a better option than just a 5100. Again, I'd start with a call to ToyTec.

 

Coming back to this; if I were you and that was my truck, I'd completely overhaul the suspension (which is what I did 3 months ago when I bought my truck 5 months ago).

I'd get new lower ball joints, front coil overs, rear shocks, leaf springs, shackles, bushings, u bolts, extended bump stops, BPV relocation bracket kit, and if necessary, extended rear brake line.

You're taking care of both maintenance, and improving the ride dramatically.

I'd also throw in new upper ball joints, LCA and UCA bushings, and tie rod ends but from this list so far I've only done the LCA bushings.

 

Kiwkvette is right on the money. I’ve done just that plus JBA upper control arms. The ride and performance is incredible, and it’s not that difficult just takes time.

 

Yeah, those leaf springs are totally shot. The add-a-leaf isn't doing anything anymore, lol

I'm going to jump on the "get the full OME kit" bandwagon. For ~$1200, you'll get an entirely new suspension: springs, shocks, leaf bushings, etc. Add to that, as others said, upper/lower balljoints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, steering rack bushings. You truck will ride like new, better than new, really. For control arm bushings, you can go with the stock style rubber ones (whitelines) or polyurethane ones. The poly bushings give a little firmer of a ride, but your steering is more precise, too.

I would HOPE that since you already have a 3" lift, you should already have an extended rear brake line and BPV extension, but if not, definitely add those to the list. By the way, don't spend $50 on a BPV kit, just get some 1" flat bar from home depot and drill some holes in it: $5, lol...

 

Don't make me feel bad for spending ~$25 on my BPV relocation kit

 

A little late for that, don't you think??

 

Was too caught up with the "WILL 35s FIT, DO I NEED TO LIFT BRO" and "MY TRANSMISSION SUCKS, TOYOTA SAYS ITS NORMAL" (3rd gen section)

 

Has anyone upgraded to an Icon stage 1 lift?

 

I have Toytec adjustable coilovers and they came with height adjustable Bilsteins. Works great for the 2" of lift I have on there. I purchased them from realtruck.com. Customer service was super helpful with install as well. I haven't had any issues with them. I mildly off-road so they work for my purpose. Ride pretty nice as well.

 

I went progressive (Fox 2.5) vs digressive (Icon).

Read up and figure out what suits your needs.

 

What do you mean? Do you mean upgraded to the stage 1 from a toytec?

The stage 1 is really just a new set of coilovers from the front and new shocks (no lift) for the rear. If your leafs are anything like the OP's, I'd skip the stage 1 in favor of an entirely new set of leafs. Even the stage 2 only has a partial leaf pack.

Maybe something like Deaver J59 leafs with the stage 1 kit, then adjust the coilovers to match the rear. Keep in mind there are other things you'll need like rear brake line extension and a diff drop kit if you end up over 2" lift.

 

A brief summary of my research into rear leaf springs, in order of increasing off-road performance / load capability.

1. Add-a-leaf (increases load capability; off-road performance increase? Possibly some lift.)
2. Old Man Emu (OME) Dakars (lift + better ride; aimed more at overlanding(?))
3. OME Dakar + D43XL (extra leaf) -- more cargo / weight capacity in the bed; no increased lift over just OME Dakars
4. All-Pro Offroad (bought by or merged with Trail-Gear) rear leafs, esp. the Expedition springs (or Expos): very good offroad capability; very good flex. Max load limited to about 6-650lbs. Can't really go above that.
5. Alcan Customer springs -- the shizzy dizzy of rear leaf springs: Alcan will custom manufacture a rear leaf spring pack for your specific application (weight / flex / off-roadability).

I have seen mentioned General Spring (generalspringkc.com) and Deaver (or Deavers?). Neither seem as popular as those I list above. Deavers probably somewhere in-between All-Pro and Alcan, but I don't know.

In my case, for my build, I opted for the OME Dakars + D43XL + All-Pro Offroad 5" rear shackle (modeled after the Box Rocket build) as I found I am regularly carrying between 6-900lbs every damn day. If the Dakars + OME AAL aren't enough for my load, I plan on adding Firestone RideRite (sp?) air bags with the Daystar cradles.

Hope this helps.

 

Sorry, I should have been more specific in what I was talking about. Icon considers their "stage 1" coil overs and rear shocks. I had a 00 4runner with the toytech ultimate lift kit and really enjoyed it. I have a mutual friend who is willing to sell me his "stage 1" setup (see below). I already have a 3-inch lift on this ride from rancho that is 10+ years old. It includes an additional leaf spring and diff drop. Feedback would be awesome!

http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop...ota-tacoma-0-3-suspension-system-stage-1.html

 

There are a lot of people running the Deavers, actually. As far as quality, I'd put them above All-Pro, and just below Alcans if only because they aren't a fully custom setup. Good stuff.

I say this, of course, not having run them myself, but from the research I've done, they're at the top of my list.

Add-a-leafs do give you lift, but IMO shouldn't be used to "help" old sagging leafs. If your leafs are old, get new ones.

Another option you didn't mention are shackles. If all you want is an inch or so of rea lift, you can use a longer shackle, too. I have a 1" lift shackle on my stock springs, and when coupled with the 1.5" from the Deavers I plan to get, that should get me the 2.5" I want. At this point that's still just a theory...