Alternative to billy 5100’s?

Currently I’ve got Toytec coil overs on the front that I picked up second hand, cranked up to about 3” of lift. Unfortunately, the guy I got them from was running a heavy front bumper and winch, and I believe they have the heavier springs on them. That combined with the preload by having them cranked up makes the ride terribly harsh.

Since my ‘07 dclb is a Prerunner, I’ve decided to swap that setup out in favor of a maxtrac 4” lift spindle setup. I’ve had 5100’s before on a previous vehicle, and was pleased with the performance. I’ll be going back to the stock springs, and was curious if there’s a billy or equivalent available for those that don’t need the adjustable height feature of the 5100’s? I’m always interested in saving a buck, so thought I’d ask the community if I might be best to look at a different shock setup.

Fwiw most of my miles are on the road, with my weekend off riding consisting mostly of rough rocky dirt roads, so mostly looking for a cushy, comfortable ride rather than extreme off-road performance.

 

https://eibach.com/us/1920/E80-82-069-01-22-TOYOTA-Tacoma-pro-truck-lift-system

 

Seems like kind of a waste since I don’t want or need lift springs. I don’t see the shocks sold separately.

 

Why don't you just keep the coilovers you have and swap out the springs? If you're going to be tearing the front end apart anyways it shouldn't be a pick deal to adjust the preload and get a shop to swap the springs out.

 

I looked this evening, and found the number 508600 on the springs. I couldn’t find any info on them with a quick search, so I guess I’ll call Toytec tomorrow and see which weight springs they are. If they’re not a heavier spring, I could try just swapping in the spindles and back the preload off and see how the ride compares. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I had to pull it apart again to swap out the rest. Part of my motivation was the fact I’ve had great luck with the Bilstiens, and don’t know the mileage/condition of the ones in the coil overs.

 

Not clear what you want. No lift or lift? Trying to go back to stock height/ride?

you want new shocks up front to add a spacer lift to?

 

I like my current ride height, but the ride is far too harsh.

 

Sorry your post was a little hard to read. If you like the height and think the shocks are good, just replace the coils with some that have a lower spring rate.

 

That may be an option, depending on what Toytec tells me about the springs that are in them now. If it’s their lower rate springs, then the issue is having them cranked up 3 inches, which a different spring won’t help.

Getting the stock suspension geometry back would also be nice, and save me having to buy aftermarket UCAs

 

Yeah best bet is to find out what you have before changing anything. If they are lifting coils that are being compressed by the shocks more than normal, could be bad. But that could explain why it’s rough and be an easy fix by getting regular coils. Lifting coils + adjustable shocks above zero are not good from what I’ve read. But I’m no expert, just been reading a lot lately.

Do not take what I say as expert advice. I agree with your idea to find out what’s there and talk to people who get paid to give people educated opinions and safe advice.

 

If the issue is just the 3 inches on them instead of the spring isn't that also an easy fix? What coilovers do you have that would be non-adjustable?

 

Unless I’m missing something, cranking the coil over up to get 3 inches of lift is compressing the springs, adding preload to them. And since it’s a progressive rate spring, this would make them considerably stiffer.

 

Right but you should be able to crank them back down to soften the ride, no? I guess I'm not understanding why them being at 3 inches means they need to be replaced.

 

Not sure they will at this point, not knowing the spring rate, just depends on what I hear from Toytec. I just haven’t been able to get them to pick up the phone yet. Once the lift spindles are taking care of the lift, the coil overs may well be the right option. It would just be nice to know I have a good combination when I tear into it rather than get it all back together to discover it’s still way too stiff.

 

Well, after speaking with David at Toytech, it seems that the coilovers I have aren't going to work for me. I asked him how many threads needed to be showing below the adjustment rings to keep the proper amount of tension on the spring for a 0 inch left application, and he informed me that the particular coilovers I have will not work for a 0 lift application. 1"-3" only. So, looks like I'm back to the 5100's and stock springs.

On another note, it looks like the bushings on my UCA's aren't in the best shape, so I guess I'll be doing those while I'm in there. Anyone happen to have a set of low mile stock UCA's laying around in the garage?

 

I will be taking off the stock OR suspension from my 2019 if you wanna buy the whole kit....or if I sell the shocks/coils to someone who doesn’t want/need the UCAs I’ll have the UCAs available. Just depends how fast I can move them.

 

When are you going to be doing this? I'd definitely be interested in the UCAs if it's soon. I did a little research, and it seems like the 3rd gen front coils add about an inch of height, which wouldn't be what I'm looking for. The 4" spindles should put me almost exactly level, and I definitely don't want any bro lean at all.