Suspension Upgrade Advice (2019 SR5 4x4)

Good morning TW,

Situation/Background:
Looking for some advice regarding a suspension upgrade for my new 2019 SR5 4x4. After doing some research on the forum I have gathered that Fox, KING, and ADS are quality options.

I have a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on the truck with a lifetime power-train warranty. In your opinion, what are my best option for avoiding any warranty issues?

- have the dealer install a TRD pro suspension? Would this allow me to keep my warranty for the suspension components?

Any advice would be appreciated. I mostly purchased the 100,000 mile bumper to bumper to cover electronic failures but it would be nice if it also covered any suspension components just in case.

Questions:
1. What suspension did you go with and why?
2. Did you have a dealer install your suspension?
3. Have you made a warranty claim where the dealer/manufacture blamed a non-suspension related issue to the installation of an aftermarket suspension?
4. Any other suspension advice?

I appreciate any feedback!

Thanks in advance,
Grant

 

Bump. Just looking for some advice. I've read a lot about personal suspension upgrades but none about dealer installed/warrantied upgrades. Any insight appreciated!

-Grant

 

Once you modify the suspension you have no warranty as you gave them the evidence to deny your claim. Of course they have to prove the modification was the cause but it’ll be a pissing contest to get your claim paid. I would keep the front lift to 2.5 or less and 1.5 or less on the rear.

 

I heard bags doesn't void warranty.... but that's what I heard....

 

@Ronzio

Thanks for the reply! Have you ever heard of a dealer installing a TRD PRO suspension? What kit would you recommend? Leaning toward a Fox or ADS shocks.

Thanks,
Grant

 

@whatstcp

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I'm starting to realize that I'm going to take an inevitable risk when upgrading the suspension. It needs to be done though!

Could you give me a breakdown of your setup and how you like it so far? I've heard great things about the Kings.

Thanks,
Grant

 

Some dealerships sell em brand new with lift kits and larger tires. The dealership I bought mine from has one on their show room floor with a Yakima rack, a rtt, and a basic rough country spaced lift kit with 285/70/17 ko2’s mounted. Granted they’ve also tacked in nearly 9k to the purchase price but it doesn’t void the warranty.

if you’re new to lifts and, like me, care about warranties, have it done by a reputable company that knows what they’re doing. The work they do won’t have any problems to even question whether warranty is void or not. Want some reading info? Go to bds website and read about the team of lawyers they have on their side that will fight for you if a dealer tries to void the warranty due to a drop bracket lift.

 

@newdles

Thanks for the insight!

-Grant

 

You should go talk to the dealership you want to work with and see what they have to say about it.

We have multiple dealers around town and a couple of them are pretty mod friendly. One even had a lifted highlander the other day. If that’s like your dealership, they are less likely to give you grief about it.

 

@whatstcp

Great questions. I honestly just want something that rides nice Mon-Fri with the occasional weekend warrior trip on the trails. Not sure if I need something with a remote reserve as I won't be pushing it that hard. The internal shocks should suit me just fine. I know Fox, Kings, and ADS all offer an internal variant. Can you tell me what difference the superbumps make? Were they worth it?

Thanks,
Grant

 

The suspension you have is fine.

 

Even if I want a better overall ride?

 

No. If you don’t care for the factory ride you should upgrade. Look at the Bilstein 6112. For the price point it would be hard to beat. There are a lot of reviews out there but I love mine. And it’s adjustable if you don’t want much lift to start with. I set mine in the middle to start with and got just over 1.25” in the front. Now I’m considering slightly larger tires, so I can move it up another .75” without having to buy new suspension.

 

Well the dealer will install a pro suspension if you buy it and install it through them but your gonna pay. I’m not a fan of Fox I have them on my tundra and to me they are too stiff. On my Tacoma I’m running bilstein 8100’s up front set at 2 inches of lift have a 1/4 spacer on top to achieve 2.5 inches of lift the bilstein’s are a two stage shock so I’m limited on lift but to keep the second stage from kicking in prematurely I use a spacer. On the rear...stock springs with a 1.5 AAL toyotec 3 degree shims and bilstein 5160’s shocks. The front is perfect in my opinion my rear is a little stiffer than I would like but for the cost I can’t complain. Also have a 1 inch diff drop in the front to keep drive angles as close to stock. The truck has 43k miles and never had any issues. No vibrations and no squeaks. I use this truck as my daily driver and I can hammer over speed bumps and crowns in the road and the suspension never unloads.

 

@whatstcp is right about the budget. That’s probably the first thing you need to consider. Given you bought an SR5 I’m assuming you have some pretty good spending restraint and do your homework.

Upper control arms is another reason I stayed lower to start. I will need them if I want to go up more and do it correctly.

 

@whatstcp

Thanks for the info on the bump stops! I'll definitely have to look into those.

As for the suspension I would like to get something were I don't have to replace the UCA if possible. I was looking at the 2.5 Fox, Kings, and ADS that don't require a new UCA. I should definitely read more into the caster, and alignment before I upgrade. I'll most likely have the alignment done at a shop. As for the suspension install, If the dealer can't do it or if the price is ridiculous than I'll do it with a buddy who is a certified master mechanic. He has a lift and all the tools required for the job.

I need to do more research on the maintenance of the shocks I listed above. How often they have to be rebuilt, etc... I know my factory shocks are recommended to be replaced at 50k. I'm looking to stay in the 3k ballpark range for the total suspension.

Thanks!
Grant

 

I'll definitely have to look into these. Thanks! Already love this forum, ya'll are great.

 

Just wait. It’s a love hate relationship around here.

For $3k I would definitely recommend UCAs(upper control arms) be part of your plan. It’s just going to make the alignment and drivability after the lift so much better(less twitchy). I would also recommend spending that budget on quality components and doing the installation yourself with a friend. There is plenty of info on here to get you through it. It wasn’t my first rodeo but I did mine in my garage alone in about 8 hours front and rear. Spending 1/3 of your budget on an install isn’t a good option in my opinion. And there’s so much more satisfaction when you do it yourself.

 

I did a lot of research on this forum before buying the truck. Figured I would save some money on the initial purchase to put towards suspension, wheels, and tires. A lot of the mods we do to these trucks negate the higher tier factory upgrades anyway. I've seen forum posts about upgrading theTRD PRO suspension and all I could think was "why didn't you just buy an Offroad?" To each his own though!

I'm in your same boat. I want to do a minor lift/leve (2 inch range) so I don't have to replace the UCA's.

Thanks for all your input!

 

Thanks for the advice! I'm starting to lean more and more towards installing it with a buddy. It will only cost me a 24 pack of bud heavy

I honestly need to do more research on the aftermarket UCA's and the benefits. I can't speak knowledgeably about them right now. I guess that's why I have you guys though!