Iowa Tacomas (Idiots.Out.Wandering.Around)

New here from the QCA, picked up a 2020 TRD Sport double cab a few months ago, finally ready to start spending money on it!

Came from the world of cars, but got tired of the hassle of driving in the winter. So this is all a new experience for me!

 

Yea I used to live in Texas but Plano is a solid no

 

You are in the right place. We can definitely help you spend some money lol

 

Already going down the rabbit hole of suspension lifts, wheels and tires. Thankfully there’s a lot of information here

 

Let me get you started in the right place. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ding-long-travel-and-934-cv’s.626274/page-241
JD Fabrication can spend your money quick.

 

Avoid. Block. Lifts.

That is all

 

Buy once. Cry once.

Well worth doing it right the first time over doing it cheap then doing it again AND fixing everything you broke by doing it cheap..

 

Yea, ive seen that about both of these. I started out just looking at a small leveling kit, but might as well get a 2-3inch done correctly even if it costs...more.

 

Welcome, I'm also in the QC.

We will happily help you spend your money!

 

Leveling kits are silly. Get a full suspension

 

Thats what I'm looking at, but damn is there a lot to sift through

 

I’ve got the TRD pro fox on my truck.

mostly comes down to budget and how crazy you wanna get.

I’d just stay away from icon cuz they like to make noise (the RXT leafs are awesome tho)

 

OME
Toytec
Dobinsons
Bilstein

All offer budget friendly complete kits for around 2 - 2.5 inches of well engineered and we'll constructed lift.

 

If you don't mind waiting, I might have my rear 5100s and my 3rd gen leafs packs with Icon Add-A-Leaf up for sale in a couple months. 5100s have about 43k on them at the moment. Leaf packs were previously on a 2016 before I got them 43k miles ago and a ubolt flip. A full rear setup. All new would be like ~$400 so we can work out a deal since they got some mileage on them. Just a feeler since I don't know 100% where I'll be. Let me know and I'll let you know when the time comes. I'm sure some of these fellas could arrange some TW express to get it all back up your way.

I'm planning to go JD Fab 62 swap so I won't be needing any of this afterwards.

 

Bp-51s were my second choice

 

Thanks! Really looking at that Dobinsons kit. Figure I can just spend on the lift now correctly, and just buy tires and wheels at a later date

 

@Crikeymike Is the dobinson's expert around here

 

Lived there for 20 years then joined the service. Family on both sides still farms the land in Guthery center and a farm out side Grimes if I’m spelling those right.

 

weird this thread is pretty close to my name, don’t care just saying what a kawinkydink.

 

@Whelk88 Welcome the wonderful world of Tacomas!! Lots of overwhelming information on TW, but we can help ya out!

FWIW, on my 2nd gen (2015) I went from 3rd gen OEM Off Road take-offs and that was a big improvement in ride quality and a little bit of lift, but that's only if adding the 3rd gen OR front struts on a 2nd gen. I created that thread, surprised how quickly it took off.

Then last year I found a wicked deal on RockAuto on Bilstein 6112's. I couldn't pass it up, bought without the boss's prior approval....ehh, gotta take a risk sometimes. haha At the same time I picked up a set of used (10k miles) OME Dakar Medium leaf springs from a local (Sioux City, NW side of the state) guy that was selling his 3rd gen.

So my current setup is:

Front - 6112's, 5L/4R clip settings, stock UCA's. I'd like to do UCA's, probably SPC's or Mevotech (pretty much the same thing) since they have sealed ball joints that will keep our wonderful road salt/brine out of the ball joint unlike others that use a uniball that is very susceptible to quickly becoming dried out and damaged by our awesome crap they put on the roads in the winter when not properly maintained. Uniballs require quite a bit of regular lubrication in the winter months. For now I'm not too concerned with the UCA's as I don't put many daily miles on my truck (mostly drive my lifted beater subaru outback) and I don't do high speed offroading. I just do slower crawling type stuff when time allow...which hasn't been as often as I'd like. Aftermarket UCA's will allow full down travel to take advantage of your new strut/coilover. I have read others say UCA's also have improved ride quality, don't know personally so I can't comment there. The 6112's are an amazing sturt! They easily outperform anything in their price range and compare to many far more expensive big name coil overs. What I like about the 6112's is that they are "digressively valved". Which means the faster the piston travels, the softer it is. So for bigger bumps it will be smoother and while taking a corner you get less lean since the piston is traveling slower. Your TRD Sport is "progessively valved", which is opposite of digressive. Meaning as the piston speed increase (large bumps at high speeds) the strut has stiffer damping and is more harsh. That's why many people like to put the TRD OR suspension on their TRD Sport as the TRD OR is a digressive setup and greatly improves ride and stability. I also like the 6112's because Bilstein puts tons of R&D into their products for both performance and durability. Since they produce OEM components which prioritize longevity I believe they will last longer than many other options out there. I don't think I have ever seen a 6112 fail, but I haven't really searched too much. I have seen Fox/Icon/King start leaking somewhat regularly. Even though most of those are rebuildable, that means down time on your truck while being rebuilt. Which may or may not be an issue for you.

Rear - OME Dakar Medium leaf springs, Bilstein 5100 B110 shocks, extended brake hose and GM bump stops (pn 15712438). The rear rides much better than when I had the stock leafs and TRD OR shocks, which those shocks were a big improvement over my TRD Sport shocks. The 5100's aren't the best compatibility with the 6112's as far as damping capability. But for the price and the extended travel that I wanted, they fit the bill. There really isn't a perfectly paired rear shock for the 6112's up front. There are some that have tested other rear shocks from both Bilstein and the other big companies. The one that I have seen that is a great match is the Bilstein 8100, but those are around $2k a pair!!! The B110 5100 (16.34" collapsed/27.28" extended) is just an extended length 5100 (14.02 collapsed/22.94" extended) with the same valving/damping ability. As you can see you get 4.34" more down travel! However, there are a couple things you MUST do to use B110's. Extended rear brake hose and extended length bump stops due to the longer collapsed length and you don't want shock to be your bottoming out point. The bump stops I used were the GM ones listed above since they are progressive so it's not like your just hitting a solid poly bump stop. Plus the price is much better than using "performance" bump stops, usually $250. I can get more pictures if you're interested.

This is just a difference of the fully extended B110 on the left and the stock TRD OR shock on the right. The jack is not actually touching the axle BTW.



Here is the best picture of how I installed the bump stop. There is a thread somewhere on here with more details I think. But if you want more info or pics from me, just ask.

Here are the bump stops I used -

$34 15712438 BUMPER 7.535

https://www.amazon.com/General-Moto...al+Motors&rnid=2528832011&s=automotive&sr=1-1



I know this is a lot of info, so if you have any questions.....please ask! This is by no means a be-all end-all break down, just a guide from my experiences. I have also see REALLY good things about the Eibach suspension as well. I would personally trust that as much as Bilstein. Also if anyone is near Sioux City and want to hang out or want a hand doing something to their truck, let me know. I've got tons of tools and was a Toyota Tech before working full time as an aircraft tech in the USAF, which I'm still doing.