Cincinnati Area Thread (Tri-State, Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana)

I don't think you can go wrong either way. Not that that helps your decision...

 

I’ve got a message out to a vendor from the huge thread. Gonna pick his brain if he responds. I read a few guys complaining about the rears being too stiff but the adjustable clickers are said to take care of that.

 

If I were setting up a truck for offroad use, I'd get ADS. Or ORI.


I plan to use mine mostly on the road and some light trails/offroading. So, OME it is.

 

My truck is on the road about 90% of the time. I’m just tired of feeling beat up driving to and from work. I don’t take the highway often and the roads are absolute crap. The 5100s and 885s are too stiff on bumpy roads under about 45 mph and that’s where I spend the most of my drive time. The rear of the truck also feels like it’s out of control over bigger bumps on the highway.

I’m looking for a suspension that is super comfortable on the road and can handle being taken off road. The truck is going to see a lot more off road use when I buy a second vehicle.

 

Well, I'm not sure anyone really makes a suspension set up for "Shit Midwest roads that are in disrepair, but the speed limit is still 55mph or 70mph". LOL.

 

I'd still go with 6112/5160 for this. Or ride in some truck with different set ups. Going all in on ADS/Fox is way overkill (says a guy who went way overkill).

I have ridden in a truck running this set up on some decent trails and it preformed beautifully.

A big factor in on road compliance is going to be your choice in tires

 

I don’t think I can justify upgrading to another set of Bilsteins...

And I swapped from C rated BFG KO2s to Standard Load Nitto Ridge Grapplers a few months ago. That helped with ride quality on the highway but it hasn’t helped much at lower speeds. Hence my desire for a suspension tuned better to handle “washboard” and shitty Midwest roads.

And I’ve ridden in @EdinCincinnati ‘s truck and it was so much smoother than mine in the 35-45 mph range. I’m convinced the 5100s are too stiff for comfort on the road and the top plate spacers don’t help...

 

No worries, not trying to be argumetitve.

I was just super impressed with my brother's truck on the Billy's, almost jealous vs my ADS. Especially given what he paid vs me.

If you're set on amazing suspension, get some rides on different set ups if you can. I'm not totally thrilled with my ADS on road, but that is 99.8% down to my tires.

When time comes to rebuild, I'll probably change the valving a bit. That said, after this weekend they finally feel broken in and ride better on my drive home. I now have about 15,000 miles on them.

 

All good man. I’m actually a big fan of Bilstein shocks and if I were lifting my truck for the first time, I’d likely be all over the 6112/5160 setup. Because, if I recall, even the 5100s rode great when they first went on. I think age and wear has caused some of the roughness I’m feeling now.

That and the truck will finally be paid off in a few months and I’m going to keep it for a long time. I figure why not upgrade to something nice (even if it is overkill) and enjoy the ride while the truck is still my daily driver. Then later on, when I buy a second vehicle and the truck gets to play more of the off road/weekend warrior role rather than the daily driver, it’s ready to rock and roll.

I mean, I also don’t need new wheels but after 5+ years of looking at the TRD sport wheels and seeing how horribly they’ve held up over time, it’ll be nice to put a new set on there.

 

Adjustments to my 6112’s are impossible. The shock is too big to fit a McPherson or any type of spring compressor between the shock and spring. Finding a shop around here that can squeeze a 600lb spring hasn’t went so well either.

 

+1 for a fox setup from accutune.

Fox packs the most tech into their shocks at the best price, no contest.

The other top tier progressively valved brands really only have relatively minor differences in features/quality IMO, I know ADS runs an unconventional rebound shim stack, but thats still relatively minor...

Accutune is one of the only vendors that will still do custom tuned builds for customers without crazy additional fees.




That said... I run Icon(F)/Kings(R) and Load D tires, so you know I don't give many Fs about my on road compliance.
I have custom valved my shocks tho.

 

That's really strange, as my 1st gen Tacoma rode SO well with Bilstein 5100's and Eibach 700 lb springs. (It was WAY over-sprung, as I had a 2.7l I4 and no armor.) My tires were BFG AT/KO E rated? I think. 10 ply sidewalls inflated to 65psi.

Interesting that you are having that many issues. I'm guessing the valving just doesn't suit your taste. It may be worth a call to Bilstein to express your issues and see if they have something better suited while also contacting other manufacturers with those concerns and requests and they may be able to adjust the valving to suit your needs.

 

I simply wish they wouldnt look like shit after one winter.


Seems like you spend all this cash on sexy, high performance coilovers and shocks then after one winter they look like Billy Bobs rusted out C-10 with Rancho shocks...lol.

 

Just bag em. Theyll look brand new always.

 

Thats the neoprene bag right?


I've always wondered how well those worked. Do they not hold moisture and salt in?

 

Correct. I noticed nothing at all inside after removing them after one winter. I removed them last time I adjusted them only because it turns out I dont care about them very much and since they are not "real" adjustable coilovers that can be adjusted on the truck, no sense in saving the threads.

 

The more I read about ADS, the more I feel that, despite the similar price point, going that route would be a bit too much overkill.

ADS seems to have really good reviews but for what I’m looking to get out of my next suspension, I think a custom tuned set of Fox 2.5s up front and 2.0s in the rear would be my best bet. I’m also thinking I won’t really need the remote reservoirs but the price difference isn’t that much so overkill or not, I may end up with them anyway.

I also really like the idea of the DSC adjusters on the rear shocks for the few times a year I load down the bed or am towing. Especially if I’m going to have the shocks tuned for the “street” with comfort in mind. I don’t want the rear to be too soft when I do have a trailer hooked up or I load the bed down with hundreds of pounds of junk.

Yeah, I honestly think the 5100s actually ride better than the stock TRD Sport suspension. At least they did when new. My biggest gripe with the Bilstein valving is how firm/stiff they feel on severely bumpy roads or over harsh bumps from 20-35 mph. Even with more forgiving tires, I have to be careful over speed bumps or railroad tracks or I’m gonna get the crap beat out of me.

And in reality, this is a truck we’re talking about and a 10+ year old truck at that. I’m just trying to figure out the best balance between on road comfort and off-road performance. I’ll likely never take this truck rock crawling, but if I want to take it down a dirt trail or through the woods to a new fishing spot, I want to know I’m not gonna break anything or rattle things out of place. And right now, with the 5100 suspension I have, a hard hit at decent speed is almost scary the way the rear of the truck reacts.

I wouldn’t even say I spent a lot of cash on “sexy” shocks but I’ll post a picture of my 5100s when they come off... let’s just say that four winters have not been kind to them. The OME 885 coils look pretty damn good but the shocks look like shit.

 

They are a whole lot sexier than stock! Lol

 

Has anyone locally had their frame replaced by Toyota?

I caught a glimpse of the rear part of my frame today while I was walking to the truck and it’s got a lot more rust on it than I remember... I’m thinking I may do a more thorough inspection and see if I need to take it into Toyota.

Could be a cheaper way to get my new suspension installed if I’m patient. Lol.

 

I did on my 01.

If you have any parts they will install them instead of stock.