Shock/Spring question from 15 TRD OR newbie

Hello TacomaWorld, I just bought a '15 TRD OffRoad and am new to the Tacoma scene and could use some help. Driving the new (to me) truck home about 400 miles I confirmed the ride quality downright dangerous. Nearly all bumps are two-hands-on-the-wheel-white-knuckle events. Truck seems to have the OE suspension and had 80k miles so I'm sure everything is due for service. After searching many threads I'm still lost and could use help with a question on shocks/springs for my suspension issues.

Some criteria:

• I have a crappy small garage with a low height opening so I need to stay at stock height or very close to it.
• I don't need a lift because it will be driving 99% of the time on the road as my DD, however the whole point of this truck is to access places in the western US mountains that require some high clearance.
• Current tires are 265/75/R16 BFG K02's and I don't plan to change right now / no future plans for anything bigger.
• I will be adding a 2nd battery kit + solar for offgrid power but that's about the only extra weight on the front end I plan to add. No plans for towing big trailers or heavy payloads, just camping gear and maybe a bed topper.
• Looking to stay on a budget but not upset if I can buy the right parts the first time.

A popular suggestion seems to be Bilstein 5100's with OME springs up front and the OME Dakar spring packs in the rear. Right now I'm leaning that way over the 4600's due to the extra shock travel for better articulation. Not sure if 6112/5160 combo is worth it for my setup? And I think other lift kits are overkill for what I'm trying to do.

Any suggestions are much appreciated. On somewhat of a time crunch - have to drive 1,000 miles to New Mexico in a month for elk hunting and gotta get this squared away. Cheers and look forward to contributing on TW after I get my basic things fixed!

Ninja Edit: Seems like Headstrong and Wheelers are popular vendors - appreciate any other suggestions where to source parts other than random Google searches.

Update 8/13/20: OEM 4600's were toast. Installed 5160's on the rear. Much better now & not unsafe to drive. Future improvement for ride quality would be getting rid of E load range tires for C range.

 

Are those tires you're running E rated? And if so, what pressure are you running in them? If I'm not mistaken the only KO2 option in that size is E rated. Some folks run them but I think it's overkill for these lightweight trucks. They are heavy and ride like shit unless you need the off road protection.

Most people complain about the stock suspension being to floaty / boat like....if you are describing it as stiff I suspect the tires are to blame. And I would only expect a stiffer ride from 5100's / OME springs and Dakars. Might not be what you are expecting at all. And you will be getting a considerable lift....Dakars are like 2.75 over stock height. So I'm not sure how that will work if you are trying to stay near stock height.

 

Yes the tires are E rated. Dealer that I bought from had aired up to 60psi which was crazy, I aired down to 35psi but felt little difference. I've had these exact tires before and would expect them to "feel" heavier than normal but not this bad. Shocks/struts don't bounce more than 1-1.5 times on rebound test but still feels like they are all toast in my opinion.

Also related to how it feels - when I hit larger bumps on the highway it feels like the truck is jumping and rear end scoots over like a foot. This is what leads me to think it's more a problem of shocks not keeping ground contact versus just a floaty or stiff feeling.

Points taken on the Dakars and 5100's though. Any better suggestions for something that is DD?

 

So just throwing this out there, the only thing that will give you truly more clearance is bigger tires, so if you think you don't have sufficient clearance for the places you want to go, this is how you achieve this. Lifts will help make room for bigger tires.. You can get some of these shocks in firmer and softer valving so you have options on ride preference. Talk to Toytec, Accutune or Headstrong or one of the other reputable suspension dealers online and they can give you advice to help you meet your ride quality goals.

 

In this case I'm not concerned about bigger tires for lift/clearance since I already have tires that don't rub and work fine. The truck as it sits now will get me where I need to go but might rattle my fillings outta my head or bounce me into a ditch - things I'd like to avoid. Just asking the community's opinions on popular setups so I don't waste money fixing it twice while I do maintenance on a new-to-me vehicle.

 

Find a low mile 3rd gen shocks take off in the BST forum. Cheap, fresh, perfect fit.

 

I hear that! Good luck. I have OME with firmer valving and Dakar medium duty leafs with two extra leafs on my backend and the rear is pretty harsh. Maybe standard pack with no add a leafs would be ok, but I don't know. So there is my personal experience. Firmer valving is nice when dropping off of ledges or boulders as there is less bounce which can sometimes lead to damage, but around town its not as pleasant. I have Kings with adjustable 'clickers' in front and that is muuch nicer, but the cost is absurd, and really for most situations way overkill.

 

Thanks I saw that was a popular option, but in this case I'm on a time-crunch and can't wait for the right deal. Only current listings are too far away or have more miles than I want to deal with. Not super concerned with price for the stock-ish level stuff (thought I'm not planning on spending $4k on this go around).

 

Appreciate the info, that is helpful. Your results are pretty much what I would expect so at least I'm on the right track. Spring-wise I'm planning to stick with lighter duty considering I don't plan to tow trailers or carry much weight (besides the planned dual battery setup). Trying to keep it simple and affordable since the truck is stock and my wish list is long haha.

 

take some pics of the current setup first and we shall go from there.

 

Apologies for delay, life is crazy sometimes. Got around to posting a build thread here and photos below show current setup. Stock suspension all the way around, photos are hard to take but some have signs of leakage, others have more rusty bodies. Been doing a bit more research on which way I'm going (looking more like 6112/5160 combo as close to stock height as I can; this thread was helpful on that topic) and probably going to call Headstrong/Wheelers/Toytec to get their feedback. Appreciate any further input from the TW community.

Front driver strut here:



Rear is a little hard to see without removing wheels but all stock. Frame is pretty spotless other than the dust & dirt typical from southwestern states.



Another angle to see the leaf springs, about as good as I can do for now without removing wheels. Looks to be stock, pretty much flattened out to the overload but that seems normal from what I read on TW (also I have a 2001 Jeep XJ so no stranger to flat springs, ugh).

 

Just ordered the Bilstein 6112/5160 kit from Headstrong Offroad. Shout out to Marie who was extremely quick to respond and pleasant to work with. Honorable mention to the gentleman at Wheeler's who took my call - ultimately didn't buy from them due to parts not being available but was quite helpful answering questions.

Found some great info on the 6112's on this thread in Headstrong's subforum for anyone else looking at this option. I'm mounting on the 1st clip which should be close to factory height. Sticking with my stock leaf packs for now. Taking a ~3,500 mile trip at the start of September into the New Mexico wilderness which should give me a good sample to report back on performance.

 

I always thought the stock TRD Off-road suspension was pretty good and soft. It's the flexy frame that chatters all over the place.

I agree with the tire load rating and pressure potentially being another big culprit.

Man if you are looking for finely tuned road manners you bought the wrong truck. I have an F150 that essentially kills my Taco in every regard except for offroad. Power, MPG, comfort, cab space, etc. My balls don't feel like I was kicked in them from sitting in the seat for over an hour. You only need one hand on the wheel when hitting bumps in the road.

 

Haven’t read many posts about the frame being too “flexy” but I can see that contributing. Definitely my tires don’t help but after driving this for a week or two now I know the rear shocks are dead likely causing my rear end to be more squirrelly than it should be.

Not expecting it to ride like a Cadillac but I do expect it to not be unsafe which is what I need to repair. Never had expectations to be a finely tuned road machine. I’ve owned lots of vehicles including an F150 also sitting in my driveway and a Jeep XJ in the garage (aka it’s natural environment) so I’m no stranger to this game.

Regardless I’ve made my first choices so time will tell how that works out.

 

It's not like a fullsize truck when you ramp check it and the bed slaps the back of the cab. I'd say more of a chatter. You hit a bump and you can see the bed move quite a bit. Not like a drastic distance just more like oscillations.

It goes down the frame and gives it a squirrely characteristic if you hit it right. Never felt it on an 04 and earlier truck. Never noticed it in a 4Runner.

It would be interesting to drive a Tacoma along side a Hilux which is identical except for the back half of the frame.

 

Curious to see your outcome. I think it’s the KO2 I have making road bumps unbearable. I have the 5100s and good call on getting the 6112s. Those look much beefier.

 

Your tire pressure gauge is accurate? Sounds like it’s the tires to me.

did you bounce up and down on the truck to see if the currents shocks dampened the movement? (All four corners)

On a side note, I drive a stock Tacoma and it gets me to every hunt destination I need to get to. I haven’t been disappointed in my trucks off-road abilities yet.

 

That is some very good information, thanks. Given my situation I am very curious to see how the suspension upgrades change ride characteristics and/or confirm what everyone is saying about the KO2's being rough. Very odd since I have had KO2's before on other 4x4s and not noticed what I am experiencing. My gut tells me both my worn suspension and tires are to blame equally but won't know until I get the new parts on.

Originally I was going to go 5100's but reading more on TW steered me away for my application. 6112/5160 combo seems to be the sweet spot of performance and price for people who DD and occasionally go offroad needing a smidge more performance than 4600's or 5100's can do. I hope for my wallet's sake I'm not eating those words later!

All three tire gauges I used are accurate. Dealer originally had them aired up to like 60psi and I'm down at 36psi now. Bounce test looks good but still feels like back shocks are shot from what I feel on the road. Not my first truck like this, I've repaired all my cars for 25 years and my Dad was an ASE master for around 30 years (and he taught me what I know) so I think I've got a good grasp on what is good or bad. Definitely 100% not taking anything away from it's offroad capabilities and not opposed to just dealing with a non-Cadillac ride so I can reach the mountaintops, just trying to fix what seems dangerous on a new-to-me vehicle before I go deep into the wilderness.

 

Oh! You got this. Good luck please eat us know how this pans out

 

My advice, don’t get the 4600s, spend a lil bit more and get the 5100s. If you have a lot to blow get the 6112s.

but overall you can’t beat the 5100s with OME or headstrong coils as far as value goes. The rear shocks being toast may be an issue, but I always ride around with some weight in the bed so it’s less bouncy etc.

Good luck