Shocks for better ride (TRD OR)

Before anyone says it, yes, I know it's a truck and will never ride great.
.
.
.
I'm wondering if there is a good option for new shocks that can improve the overall ride quality. I'm at 65K miles and probably need new shocks soon and wondering if something like 5100s would be the typical answer or if there is a better option if ride quality is the goal over lifting (without being detrimental to stock off road capability).

To be clear, I'm not asking about lifting. I may do that eventually, but for now I just want to see what, if any, improvement can be made. On the poor Colorado pavement there is often a lot of bumps and vibration and if I can cut that down some that would be great.

 

If you liked the factory OR ride, you can probably score someone's take offs for cheap after they lift their truck.

 

All depends on your budget. You can buy king shocks and those ride really nice, but they are around 3k.

I have bilstein 6112 and they ride more stiff but they absorb bumps. Not as floaty as stock. But they are pretty stiff over small bumps and imperfections in the roads.

 

No first hand experience, but from what I’ve read on here the OR suspension is softer than the Sport, and the SR5/Base suspension is softer than the OR. I could be wrong, but pretty sure that was the takeaway message from a lot of threads

 

eibachs are good and cheap

 

Well, I guess I don't really like the factory OR ride. Or maybe it's just degraded some. I don't recall what it felt like 3-4 years ago. I can say that right now it has a lot of road feedback like every little imperfection in the road is there and our roads have lots of imperfections.

 

Probably not something like Kings. I was thinking more Bilstein budget but if something like 6112s, or Eibachs would ride better than 5100s then I'd spring for a bit more.

I just don't know how "better" translates to the effect of the shocks. I'm guessing "stiff" isn't really the direction I want to go. Although I admit I'm kind of confused how "stiff" socks can absorb road bumps better.

 

5100s

 

Once you ride kings set on full soft with deavers or an upgraded leaf pack, everything else feels crappy.
Ymmv

 

best way I can describe it……stock shocks are very soft so you are floaty on the road. You brake and the truck nose dives. You turn and the truck has a lot of body roll. The 6112 are stiffer and don’t let the truck do that as much. They keep the truck more planted. Better daily driving.
the downside to that is the 6112 don’t really compress over small ruts and small gravel roads.

when you go off roading with stock struts. Again they are very bouncy and have a lot of give. So the truck gets into a bounce rhythm that is hard to stop. And since the stock suspension is so soft, it’s easy to bottom out. With the 6112, they are better and absorbing the shock and slowing the up travel and down travel of the wheel. Making it more controlled. Opposed to the stock which will make the wheel go up down, up down, up down and then stop.

 

I'm guessing that means on poor pavement they won't do much either meaning a lot of vibration. That's what I'm trying to get away from. If the stock is soft but still lots of vibration then maybe there isn't a solution. Or I'll have to pony up for Kings or similar. Crap.

 

Yep. Kings or fox shocks are much better and absorbing little stuff like that. But they are not cheap, like you said

 

By your original post all you need is 5100s. You don't need kings or fox. Wear the 5100s out and then think about the next level. Good luck.

 

I put like 6 grand into my suspension to only be like “….that’s it..” I don’t know, maybe the 34’ screwed up the suspension feel. Great off-road, meh on pavement.

 

34 foot what?

 

5100s hugely improve the ride of the stock OR. They eliminate the wallowy feel and brake dive while making the truck feel more planted and responsive. They also dull down the response to sharp impacts that the stock shocks don’t manage very well.

 

Thanks. I guess for the relatively low price these might be worth a try. Shouldn't be worse and any improvement would be great. I don't hate the stock ride, but on bad roads it gets a bit annoying.

 

You will not be disappointed.

 

Gas-oil shocks are only half the equation, springs are the other. With coilovers on the front, they are tied together, and as such, can be tuned as a package to get balance between compliance (softness) and contol (reducing sway). The better the balance is achieved, the more cost is put into them. That said, racing shocks are balanced towards control so that you don't lose steering on washboards, etc., and will have a firmer feel to them like a sports car. With the rear, to get compliance, you need to get new leaf springs that are tuned to perform for a specific load rating. The stock progressive springs will limit what can be done with respect to this.

 

Thanks. Ultimately, my plan is to do a small 1.5-2" lift and regain the rake lost by adding my topper. I don't have funds for all that right now and I need some experience with different shocks so why I was originally thinking just 5100s and no lift. Down the road, I can do the lift and try to match things better. I've been eyeing the Icon RXT (I think) leaf pack for the rear. Not sure about front.