2007 Tacoma Suspension Upgrade recommendations

Looking for recommendations to upgrade my 2007 Tacoma Double cab long bed suspension to achieve a little noticeable lift and quality ride. Looking for only the best quality products. Thanks

 

Hey welcome to TW bud

and just a few questions first:
If 4wd, then you want to stay at around 2.5" of lift to prevent extreme CV angles. So exactly how much are you looking to lift it?
What is your total budget for parts and if you are paying someone to install them, include that in the budget (Usually about $400-500 to install lift on all four corners)
Do you just want vertical lift or are you looking for offroad performance? If some offroad performance, what kind?
Do you haul? If so, describe it
Do you tow? If so, describe it
Do you understand that modifying your vehicle can open a can of worms like squeaks, creaks, pops, grinding, vibrations, alignment issues, and early wear and tear on some components that may require time and/or money to solve?

 

Thanks whatstcp. I was told my shocks need replacing. It is 4x4. 2.5" is plenty. My budget is up to 2K. No haul, light towing. Mostly used for highway and some off-road. Just looking to get a great quality upgrade since they need replacing anyway. Thanks.

 

@whatstcp has a lot of knowledge on this.
He can help you out better than I can.

One thing you may consider is the possibility of vibration after the lift.
And if you want to do a bushing install for the front differential while the suspension is apart.

 

a budget of 2k and doing the work yourself will take your build a long long way in terms of performance, reliability, and aesthetics. For towing, do you find the rear end sagging with the stock leafs or do they perform okayish? And do you prefer firmer positive feedback in the steering wheel or a bit more on the softer side? Both on and off road? What would you prefer: toss and replace when worn, or rebuild by a shop (maybe even yourself?). What's more important to you, longer intervals and ease of maintenance/rebuilding, or better performance but requires more maintenance?

thanks man but I'm just good (or terrible) at helping others spend money they shouldn't lol

 

Excellent questions @whatstcp

Only thing I can add is;
If the lift also entails “leveling” the truck, and a $2k budget, I don’t think keeping the rear leafs would be in my plan. Not if I plan to use it for towing.

 

Ironman foam cell pro

 

Beat me to it!

I just did an install of their stage 2 nitro gas kit not too long ago. Foam cell would be the same process.

You can check out my build thread if you want to see some of the install.
I have been really happy with it.

EDIT: Were I to do it again I would look at the foam cell option to begin with, it was just above my budget with everything else I needed to do. I may upgrade to them in the future though!

 

Thanks @whatstcp, I think longer intervals and ease of maintenance like a standard stock suspension. Towing is fine its only a 300 pound catamaran 100 pound engine, trailer and gear, nothing heavy. toss and replace works. I'm capable of doing the work myself, but don't mind paying someone to do it as my free time is limited until I retire if I live that long. Some local Las Vegas Tacoma owners suggested Rough Country or ToyTechLifts. I want this truck to last the rest of my life however long that may be but it should. Just replaced power steering pump, water pump and timing cover leak, serpentine belt and a host of gaskets and rings. Just an honest upgrade for suspension. Nothing fancy.

 

Rough country is budget friendly but you get what you pay for and so you won't see as much benefits. Their lifts consist of mostly spacers/blocks and cheap shocks. If you're just looking for vertical lift numbers, they aren't a bad choice. Toytech is definitely catered to the Toyota and Tacoma crowd but imo they just rebrand Bilstein stuff with their logo and upsell with hype. Their customer service has also been lacking in recent times. Id recommend going with Dobinsons or ironman if you want to get a all-in-one kit. Dobinsons has fast become a preferred brand of mine when compared to OME. I'll link their kit below and let you play with the options. Their kit pricing would even allow enough left over to get you some JBA ucas and some wheelers superbumps or durobumps
https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/pro...005-to-2019-tacoma-4x4?variant=31801715785837

 

@whatstcp gives great information.
I will still throw @HeadStrong Off-Road in there an honorable mention.
Marie has been very catering to TW members.
She’s gone out of here way to try help, I haven’t seen anything negative about them.

Like I say, Whatstcp has great advice.
I haven’t been on the “Lift Scene” in over 17 years.

 

Headstrong is always a great recommendation. Back in the day I used to be all about finding the absolute cheapest vendors because they all sell the exact same junk after all. However, I have learned that sometimes it's better to pay $10-20 more if the customer service is there. When stuff takes a while to ship, or you need advice on what direction to go, or stuff comes with missing hardware or damaged, you'll be a lot more glad to have good customer service and a company that stands behind their products and advocates for their customers even after they have paid. Headstrong is one of those companies

 

@whatstcp I checked the link for dobinsons and its for the short bed model. I have a 4 door long bed, that kit is over my budget. Ironman has https://ironman4x4america.com/toyota-tacoma-2005-nitro-gas-suspension-kit-stage-1/ might work not sure if will fit long bed. I talked to some more local 4x4 shops here and was suggested Bilstein 5100's all around, also Old Man Emu Sport kit light, Pro Comp and Fab Tech. Starting to lean towards a Bilstein 5100 leveling setup for about 1K installed. If I were a frf I'd probably go with Kings.

 

As long as your Tacoma has 6 lugs then it doesn't matter if you have a short bed or a long bed, all the parts are interchangeable. The reason they include short bed versus long bed is due to weight differences. The Dobinsons (and ironman) kits are both easily within your budget of $2k, unless I missed something. Ironman 4x4 is reportedly a good brand as well and initial reports make me believe that their suspension, specifically leafs, are an improved design over the OME ones.

5100s are a great budget friendly option, they are about $400 for all four corners and can provide you with a nice lift. Keep in mind that 5100s have what is called digressive valving. This means that they tend to feel stiffer on and off road when it comes small bumps and lumps. The term "stiffer" tends to have a negative connotation and draw up images of chattering teeth and crushed spines. I think a better description would be 'increased feedback'.

With 5100s you can still add a dedicated leaf pack like dobinsons, ironman, or icon rxt, or any of the many options out there. Just keep in mind that the rear 5100s can only do about an 1" to 1.5" of lift and most leaf packs do about 2-3" of lift. Bilstein offers a rear shock that can accomodate that 2-3" of lift what is known as 5125s.

OME coils and shocks are a good option, but not a fan of their leaf springs at all.

Pro comp and Fabtech are along the lines of Rough Country, good budget friendly options but in terms of quality and performance, you'd be better of going with 5100s to get the most bang for your buck.

 

A group of us on here have put on the iron man foam cell pro kits and love them. Not only the look but the form and function.

don’t know a lot about the nitro gas kit but if it’s anything like the FCP kit then it would be good.

before anyone talks bad about Ironman 4x4.... the put out quality stuff because they have been in Australia for years building their brand in some real crappy terrain to become one of the top selling companies in Australia.

some people just can’t wrap their head around the fact that the off-road world is bigger then the US and bilstien or fox or icon

**** stepping off my soapbox *****

 

I have the Ironmam nitro stage 1 and Freedom off-road UCAs and love it. Rides great on and off-road and handles almost stock in corners. I purchased the the performance option, you also get constant load if you have aftermarket bumpers and haul alot of weight

 

Like @TnShooter said, hit up Marie at @HeadStrong Off-Road and she'll get you squared away. With your $2k budget sound like you could get a decent setup as long as you're doing the work.

 

Top selling doesn't mean a lot, Rough Country is one of the top selling companies in the US

 

well if you look at the prices Of Ironman kits being “above average”, rough country isn’t a good comparison...

 

A better comparison would be Smittybilt. And what Ironman exports to the US is not representative to their full line available in Australia.

And price isn't always the best comparison point, gear exported from China to Australia to the US is going to cost more than gear exported directly from China to the US.