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Plan on adding weight, need to know what to replace

Discussion in 'Suspension' started by Joeplouff, Apr 24, 2017.

  1. Apr 24, 2017 at 11:34 AM
    #1
    Joeplouff

    Joeplouff [OP] Member

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    First Name:
    Joe
    Vehicle:
    2017 Tacoma TRD
    Future build
    I have a 2017 Taco TRD all stock. I plan on adding all the bells and whistles but want to start with the bones of the truck before I start adding all the weight and wearing out parts. My plan is to start by adding on adding 150lbs of metal to the front end, and back end. Which are both bumpers from relentless fab. Then 1/4" skids plates which will add about 75-100lbs. Lastly I would say an extra 100-300lbs of other stuff. My main question is obviously stock suspension along with all the other parts wont hold up to the weight and rough riding I plan on doing. So what kind of parts do I need to upgrade things like suspension which I want to get a 2'' of additional lift, coil over springs, possibly adding leaf springs, possibly drive train?

    Please help, I am new to all of this, and don't want to walk into an off-road store and them rip me off because of my not knowing. I am making a list of equipment and to start slowly buying all all of the stuff I need.

    TIA!
     
  2. Apr 24, 2017 at 2:28 PM
    #2
    wyant

    wyant Well-Known Member

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    Wyant
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    2016 TRD off road DCLB
    In my opinion I think the stock suspension would handle all the added weight just fine. However you are wanting to lift the truck 2" anyways... which leaves you a number of options at a number of price points. First of all have a look through these two threads: they probably have the most information in them with regards to lift setups.

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lifted-16-tacomas.392765/

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...2016-tacoma-presented-by-toytec-lifts.395798/

    For the front you can either mix and match coil springs like OME (old man emu) series 883-887, with a shock/strut (Bilstien or OME) combination or go full adjustable coil over assembly (fox, king, icon, OME, Toytec).

    I would consider going to a little bit stiffer coil spring due to the weight but I wouldn't say its necessary. Most coilovers and aftermarket shocks seem to be damped a little bit stiffer than stock. The stock springs are about 600 lb. If you order through places like Down south motorsports, Headstrong Offroad, Wheelers Off Road etc, you can have them put different rate springs on coilover assemblies, for example kings come with 600lb springs but they have a 700 lb option. Also you can get coilovers with compression clicker adjusters which you could just turn up to compensate. Also at 2" lift you may need to add aftermarket Upper Control Arms in order to align properly. These will also allow you to have more positive caster to reduce the chances of rubbing on the cab with larger tires. Also at 2" I would highly suggest doing the ECGS needle bearing replacement.

    Many options for the back as well: I would never suggest a single AAL unless you are hauling a lot of weight all the time. They ride stiff. I think an aftermarket pack is the right way to go however Icon and others make a progressive Add a leaf pack which many people like. Something like Dakars, All Pro, or maybe even Wheelers 8 leaf pack would suit your needs. In my experience the amount of lift is always a bit more than advertised for leaf springs at least until they settle. Expect the full 2.75" or more from dakars. I experienced some vib's when I had my backend lifted 2", but from what I hear most people do not.

    For Budget, I think that you cant go wrong with an OME kit, lots of people have them and have great things to say. My local dealer regularly installs these on new trucks with the Dakar leaf pack.

    For non budget, I can only recommend kings all the way around as that's the only thing I've run. However people seem to be equally happy with other brands.

    Do you have something in mind already? also, look at whats available from these two:

    http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/store/c111/Tacoma_16__Front_Suspension.html
     
    RetiredRedneck likes this.
  3. Mar 28, 2021 at 4:47 PM
    #3
    RetiredRedneck

    RetiredRedneck Well-Known Member

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    Bruce
    Port Moody, BC
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    Toyota Roof Rails/Rack Toyota front Skid Plate BAKflip Hard Tonneau Cover iBoard Running Boards AVS Hood bug/rock deflector AVS Window Rain Gutters Amazon Centre Console Tray Larsen 2m/70cm antenna QYT VHF/UHF Mobile Radio Auxting LED Reverse Lights Taco Garage DMM with RAM bits-n-pieces Toyota OEM Bed Mat Interior LED Light upgrade - SuperBrightLEDS.com Pop-n-Lock OG Fabrication Centre Console Molle Panels Decals and badges removed CaliRaisedLED Amber Fogs, Ditch Lights and bumper Light Bar MESO Switch Panels AirOnBoard Switches Home Brew Auxiliary Electrics Panel
    Ya gotta love TW! :bananadance:

    It is simply amazing how many Google searches lead directly here....and how many questions have long since been answered!

    Wyant, thank ya for your post...you've answered MY question too....four years before it was asked...my new Body Armor (Armour) bumpers will do just fine, apparently....

    Cheers :cheers: from The Great White North :canada:

    And yes, it WAS below freezing and white here today, hail rather than snow, but really?!!? It is freakin' April already.....:pray:
     
    Mully likes this.
  4. Apr 8, 2021 at 11:12 AM
    #4
    tacomahunt

    tacomahunt Member

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    Hey Wyant, I bought a 2019 OR DCSB at the start of Covid last year and I'm about to finally get some RCI Sliders (130lbs?) diamondback HD aluminum tonneau cover (100lbs roughly) and RCI full skid package (120lbs steel)....Would you recommend a suspension upgrade to replace the stock? I initially thought, 'no', since I'm not adding a bumper up front or in the rear but I was curious how much, if any, SAG...could occur by adding the roughly 350 lbs. Eventually I'd like to add a Roof top tent to the Diamondback cover but that's in the future...my guess is I would absolutely need a suspension upgrade at that point.
    Thanks to you and anyone else for your time!
     
    FreshPots likes this.
  5. Apr 8, 2021 at 11:39 AM
    #5
    FreshPots

    FreshPots "Spared no expense"

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    Dylan
    Cuyahoga Falls, OH
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    2015 Tacoma TRD Off Road "Lars"
    Never enough
    I'm not the OP and I'm running a 2nd gen but I do have a similar setup to your. Full RCI skids/sliders/bedrack with RTT. I ended up upgrading to a full OME suspension from Wheelers. I would highly recommend getting heavier duty springs, front and rear due to the weight added by armor and potential future upgrades. It would be terrible to beef up the suspension slightly only to realize you need something more heavy duty because you decided to add another 300lbs of stuff a few months down the road. Only thing I have that you don't is an ARB front bumper ~100lbs.
    Here's what I ended up going with. Fantastic for a budget option and gave me about 2.5 inches of lift. If I could change anything it would be getting a different set of rear heavy duty leaf springs and that's ONLY because the Dakars get squeaky when they're dirty and it drives me nuts. It's always fine after I lube em up and fine until the next time I go offroading. I'd get some Deaver heavy duty springs or something similar instead. Hope this helps! Good luck and enjoy upgrading your truck!

    COMPLETE OLD MAN EMU SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR 2005-2015 TACOMA

    SKU: WOR-306704

    Assembly
    Assembled
    Front Coils
    2886
    Shocks
    90000
    Spring
    EL096R
    Dakar heavy duty leaf springs

    SPC ADJUSTABLE UPPER CONTROL ARM SET FOR 2005+ TOYOTA TACOMA (25470)

    SKU: SPC-25470
     
  6. Apr 8, 2021 at 1:33 PM
    #6
    clenkeit

    clenkeit Well-Known Member

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    Colin
    Lakewood, CA
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    I would very much disagree with this. With all that extra weight you will lose suspension travel, lose ground clearance, you'll ride on bump stops more often and the shocks won't be able to work as well as they would otherwise.

    I had 3rd gen OR suspension on my DCLB and it was great until I added a front skid, mid skid and sliders. I lost almost an inch of height in the front by adding that weight. I could feel how heavy the front end felt (i.e. shocks having a hard time handling the extra weight) and I could tell I was hitting the bump stops more often. I upgraded to 2nd gen OEM Bilstein Pro suspension and it made a world of difference.

    To the OP... there are tons of options but I'd recommend a setup that allows for height adjustment and various spring rate options. It's hard to get it dead on right the first time around and then if you add/change parts you may need to adjust again.
     
    FreshPots likes this.
  7. Apr 9, 2021 at 10:42 AM
    #7
    tacomahunt

    tacomahunt Member

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    I'm not the OP but I commented and have since re-thought my end-game plan. I'm on stock 2019 OR DCSB suspension and the stock 16 inch wheels...I'd really like to add a diamondback cover (about 100 lbs), Sliders (130)
    and do a +1 on the tires to 265/75r16 falken wildpeaks...considered E rating but these are apparently much heavier...so not sure if I'll do E or SL...added protection of E would be strictly peace of mind.
    Would Stock Suspension handle these 3 upgrades well?

    This is my daily driver, although I don't put many miles/year (less than 7k... as work and trails are quite close to me here in MAINE).

    *Initially I was going to add 33's and a full skid but after doing some research on the trails I plan on running it won't be necessary.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2021
  8. Apr 9, 2021 at 11:28 AM
    #8
    clenkeit

    clenkeit Well-Known Member

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    I'd do tires first, then start adding those extra parts you mentioned and just see how it goes. It really does seem everyones results tend to vary from truck to truck. You'll lose a little height from that weight but luckily it's more middle/rear weight opposed to front. Either way, it won't be massive. So, you can add those parts, test it out and then figure out if you want to address it and if so, how.
     
  9. Apr 11, 2021 at 8:36 PM
    #9
    Amanhowzit taco

    Amanhowzit taco Well-Known Member

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    Hawaii
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    265/75/16 tires only everything else stock.
    Depends how you want to do it, I decided to add the weight first and do shocks later. I have full aluminum skids and steel sliders from RCI,a Uptop bravo roof rack, roof top tent and a locally made plastic bed cover.
    All totaling about 400 pounds. I’m just adding the roof top tent today and from driving the truck before install I am already hitting my bump stops a lot on bumps.. I’m kinda testing the stock shocks out.. I have 50,000 miles and I think I’m ready for.. Ubolt flip kit, all
    New bump stops, ECGS bearing, heavy duty leaf pack, 700 lb coils, 2.5 coil overs from king or ome not sure and maybe extended brake lines and oil catch can? I think that’s it... serious rabbit hole lol. I have 265s so after that bigger tires? Go 255s for a while then after that do cab mount relocation and then get 35s ? Lol oh yeah I’ll
    Most def need UCAs for all this too
     
  10. Apr 29, 2021 at 3:47 PM
    #10
    wyant

    wyant Well-Known Member

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    Sorry for the late reply. As of late I've been scouring the Kubota Tractor Forums...

    To me it sounds like you are going all out on armor which leads me to believe you will be offroading your truck a fair amount? In that case I would absolutely upgrade the suspension, at least eventually. Mostly to gain tire size for clearance and increases in travel. The armor you are talking about sounds pretty well evenly distributed though so i dont think you will see very much sag with the truck empty daily driving. Just imagine you have two of your 175 lb friends in the cab and thats basically what you are talking about. However when you get the truck fully loaded for camping gear the extra 350 lbs does start to make a difference. I also think it makes a big difference when you have weight out on the ends such as bumpers due to the leverage. If you are going to have 250lbs + in the bed all the time then i would definitely look into a stiffer rear leaf pack. You can always experiment as you go (add as you go).

    Now if your woman packs for camping like mine then you should probably just trade the truck in for an F-350!
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2021
    TacoMacs likes this.

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