I'm so frustrated with my new Fox 2.5s.

You guys have the same issue so any help you receive will likely help him.

A big part is managing expectations, you may think you want something that can't be done with your truck. It might be a simple fix of cutting out the fender liner and smashing back the pinch weld, cycling the suspension with the shocks out and the tires on will tell you everywhere that tire could possibly go, some pieces are easier to get out the way than others. Understanding where you rub and what is actually rubbing may change your level of care of the issue, I only rub the tread of the tire when my tire is stuffed and turned all the way, it doesn't touch in a scenario where my wheel will be rotating fast and could cause lots of damage and the part of the tire that is making contact isn't going to cause catastrophic damage.

Another commonly suggested fix is adjustable UCAs as they give you the ability to move the wheel farther forward in the wheel well, again not a silver bullet, it may just change where the problem occurs. Every truck will be different based on components, weight, use, skill of the person performing your alignment.

Some of the people here don't have rubbing because they never drive their truck over any bumps and have yet to turn their wheel to full lock. Others have less aggressive tires, super swampers will be louder when they rub than a P-rated highway tire. And some people are just liars, trying to look cool on the internet.

 

3” will be hard to get. The longer spring you install the less preload adjustment you will have. If you put the shocks at the max adjustment and then run a spacer either your control arm will max out or the knuckle will hit the shock at full droop when turning, not to mention the cv getting close to if not completely maxing it out. If you add too much preload the springs will go into coil bind before the shock runs out of travel which puts all the stress on the shock mount and not the bump stop. I’ve took the shocks apart completely measured full compression and what accutune lists on the site for max adjustment they are dead on. If you aren’t bottoming the shocks out it won’t matter as much and probably won’t damage anything if just on the street. But I bottom my truck out every time I go out so that won’t work for me. I would love to get my rig around 3” I would for sure beat my skids and sliders up a lot less.

 

You need a 3.0” inner diameter spring. That is a 2.5 inner diameter spring. 3.0 ID spring is for a 2.5 shock

 

First off love the name

Second what front bumper is that ?

 

OP, you need higher rated coils. 600's aren't the right solution, especially with all the added weight you're running and plan on running.

Essentially in my research over the years, and paying close attention to these forums:

600's, stock truck
650's, steel bumper, possibly winch (with synthetic)
700's, bumper, winch, skids, armor.

Problem is there is no real cut and dried answer. What feels good to one person may be too harsh or soft for the next. One benefit of being part of this forum, is there are a shit ton of guys who would probably be more than willing to take you for a spin in their rig so you could see how a possible certain set up feels.

I've seen some off road shops (and even the one that sold me my kings) say 650 "is plenty" for a bumper and winch, and told me I'd probably regret going 700's. But I knew better and went 700's. That only came from experience (as on my gen1 I had experience with the stocker 550's, then 600's, then 800's, and ultimately 700's). Reading on the forum, or listening to a tech at a shop will only get you "in the neighborhood"....possibly.

Back in the day with the Gen1, I went with Downey suspension (it was a thing at the time) and 600lb coils (as I recall). Felt great on the road, until I hit the first big bump and was into the bump stops hard. Downey's only other option at that time was Tundra 800 springs. So I had to replace the springs at my cost. It sounded way overkill, but was actually not a bad set up at all for the type of driving I was doing.

I'm currently running 700's myself with a C4 LoPro and a winch w/ synthetic line. And it rides beautifully. But I've also got compression adjusters, so I can back off a bit for pavement driving, and dial it up for faster work off road.

If you're looking at bumper, skids, armor, spare battery, etc., you really gotta be thinking 700's. You will sag the shit out of 600's with all that weight, and will quickly run into max adjustment on the collar trying to get the lift you want.

 

Iirc, 3rd gens pretty much come factory with 700lb coils.

So, on my ADS, I went 700lbs, but I also have steel skids and bumper, sliders and winch

 

Oh really? Where did you hear this info? Thats actually really interesting.

 

The third gen is super heavy in the front compared to the 2nd gen. I saw the info here on tw.

 

Some good info here:

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

So, 3rd gen coils are 700's, but there's a lot more that goes into it besides spring rate.

 

Ah thank you. Understanding basic suspension dynamics is definitely key with this, but it's good to know that the ride quality/stiffness wont change much from factory if i stick with a 700lb spring and keep the shocks soft for street driving.

 

This has been a very helpful thread.

 

Just to recap my situation. Here is a quick three minute video of my truck showing in detail my challenges. I think the solution is a 700 pound 14” spring. Is it the perfect solution? No. Certainly not according to Fox. However it’s my only option I believe at this point without having to pull the entire suspension system out. Any and all feedback would be extremely appreciated. Thanks.

https://youtu.be/_Yumc6wscSg

 

I like spicy food others may not
This thread is exhausting!!! Question is will people ever be happy? I am

 

All that really matters is that your truck is good to go. Screw the rest of us. Your post is probably the most helpful of everyone’s on this thread. Congrats.

 

Make sure you get a spring compressor from auto zone

 

The Pro Fox 2.5's are 12.25" 650lb/in

Length is as important as rate since the confluence of both will determine your ride height.

 

Maybe it's my eyes or the camera angle but it looks to me like you could fix that rubbing/clearance with a different alignment.

 

This. Looks quite a bit of excessive caster to me.

 

+3.5 set at Toyota after I had the shocks installed. You would prefer the wheels further back? If they were further back they would not even be able to spin without hitting in the back of the wheel well. I swear I’m going to lie awake all night wondering how some of you people put 35” tires on your Tacoma‘s.

 

I'm gonna hurt your feelings. Give me a minute and I'll take some pics for ya where my 35s sit.