Does a lift equals a tougher ride?

I have a question. I’m thinking about lifting my 2020 Tacoma sport. I’m also thinking of changing the suspension to soften the ride in the sport.

With All things being equal ( same shock absorbers), does a lifted truck necessarily ride a bit firmer/rougher?

my goal really is to soften the ride at this point. If the lift will compromise that then I will not do it.

thanks

 

If you cheap out on the lift, it will ride poorly. If you buy nice stuff, it will ride like a caddy.

Edit: didn’t see the part about the same shocks. Shocks are most of what makes the ride soft and plush. If you want an improvement you simply have to buy better shocks.

 

I’m thinking about the Bilstein 5160/6112 set up, but also considering Something better, perhaps Kings.

what do you recommend?

 

I have the 6112/5160 combo on the truck for a couple years. It’s digressively valved which means a firm, sport ride on the road. If corners super flat and doesn’t dive when braking.

Off road, the faster you go and the bigger the potholes the smoother it gets. That’s the digressive aspect. However on road or at lower speed off road you feel all the bumps. I don’t mind because I like the firm feel.

When these wear out, I’m going full retard Kings. They are progressively valved which means a floaty plush ride on road which gets firmer as the terrain gets tougher.

This kind of shock will have a ride with more roll and dive but you will be insulated from the road and have a plush plush ride.

If you have the budget I would go full king coil overs in the front set for a 2” lift and new leaf springs in the rear with king reservoir shocks for a 2” lift.

 

So would you say that your new set up is a firmer ride than the off road stock suspension?

 

Look at Fox or King for progressively valved shocks. I think Old Man Emu is too but don't quote me on that because it might only be the BP-51s that are progressive. It'll feel soft over smaller bumps and ride comfortably.

 

Bump

 

I think you come from the Offroad suspension which is even softer than the sport.
I think this set up might be softer than the stock sport

 

X2

 

I have 6112/5160, 15 TRD pro suspension. Have had it two years now. On road exactly the same stiffness as factory sport suspension. Off road performs much better than sport suspension. So, not any softer than stock sport 90% of the time, for me.

 

My 2017 TRD Sport 4x4 is my first truck and I thought the ride was pretty stiff when I first started driving it, to the point where I thought “uh oh, what have I done”? After a few months with it I actually felt the opposite...”damn, kind of soft”! I went with a full ADS suspension set up purchased through @HeadStrong Off-Road. Pricey? You could say that. Worth it? To me, hell yeah!! I got the adjustable clickers so I could mess with the ride a little bit if needed, well worth it to me.

In the end how your truck will ride is a completely subjective thing. Not sure what area you’re from but I would suggest you find your local area thread and connect with some of the people on it so you can compare in person. Everyone will have something a little different...you may even get to ride in a couple to compare setups. A big bonus for doing this is in the end when you do buy your setup you can usually convince them to help you install it with some food and beer....or just beer! That’s what I did and I made some really good friends along the way.

Marie at @HeadStrong Off-Road is awesome by the way....she’ll set you up right. I’m sure they’re are others, based on reviews on this forum, but you can’t go wrong with them. Good luck!

 

I have 5160/6112 on my 2nd Gen sport, as others have said they are firm in daily driving. To get to plush you will want to go higher $$ and get adjustable shocks. Marie at HS is a great resource.

 

It’s like floating on a cloud with my kings.

 

Any rebuildable aftermarket shocks can be valved however tf you want. You have a sport, which by design are firmer to have better on road handling. Even if you just swapped to the off-road suspension you’d notice an improvement. If you do go balls deep and get Kings, then buy them from accutune. They’ll ask you questions about your truck and what you plan on using it for and build you a custom valving. And, you can send the shocks back for a free revalve anytime you want. Well worth it.

 

Wow. I totally gathered these where softer than the sport stock ones. Good thing you mentioned they are almost the same.
I do like the sport on road handling. But as soon as so over any little imperfection on the road my spine feels it.

I just want to diferente the ride a bit. Not necessarily looking for a bouncy ride. I won’t do much off-roading at all.

 

do you have factory tires? Tires make a big difference.

 

so did the stock sport shocks get softer in a few months? Or your perception changed?

 

Yes. I just bought the truck 7 days ago. Everything is stock. You think tires make more of a difference than the suspension in the stiffness/roughness? I got them at 30PSI

 

everything matters when you're talking about suspension. it's all working all the time. your tires are a huge part of the equation. tire choice and correct pressure is the key to my whole truck mod plan, for example.

the big choices for you with tires is what load range to choose. E range are a different animal to the tires you have, which are probably SL rated, or possibly C rated, and are softer, but need higher pressure to perform right n tarmac. E tires are very firm and can deal with lower pressures (higher as well although that doesn't apply to Tacomas), but your tire size factors in to how they do. you'll need to figure exactly what you want and where you want it to choose tires well. for some it's simple, for others there's more to all this than simply changing your pressure.

 

OP note that whatever people buy for their truck they are going to be biased towards

I have driven my friends truck on 6112/5160s. If you are looking for a cushier ride, they are definitely not the answer. He upgraded to 8100s because the ride was rough on road and off. They are good shocks for what they are but not what you are looking for.