Soft/Supple Suspension Advice

I ran my 6112's with the stock 600 lb springs that they come with. I'd stick with the 600 lb spring, it rides great even on a bone stock truck. No need to go softer in my opinion.

I'm pretty sure a Fox 2.0 could be adjusted to ride like the Bilstein 6112 but I have no real-world experience. That said, I can't imagine the price premium just to have fine-tune height adjustments versus the Bilstein clips/perches is worth it. You're going to set this one, get an alignment, and probably not change it again. Fox is aluminum body so better against corrosion, however if you get the 6112 (and if you can get them disassembled to start with) spray them with some clear paint and they will hold up just fine. Neither options are rebuildable, I wouldn't spend the extra for the Fox 2.0 in this scenario.

If you have cash to burn and absolutely want a 2.5 shock up front, consider the non-DSC Fox, King, or Dobinsons. A good pair of 2.0 resi shocks out back would match well for stock heights or 1" or less of lift. Check sites like AccuTune, Headstrong OffRoad, and Exit OffRoad - all good vendors for this stuff.

The Fox TRD shocks could be an option but they usually draw a premium price. Better than other options on the market? Maybe for some people, in my opinion I'd go with something else unless you find a smoking deal.

 

Great advice. I did find a full set of almost new Fox TRD pros with front springs for $1,500 recently. They're sold now but deals are out there. That said, I would like the option to change heights, maybe start at 1"/0" but if I change my mind to go higher later, the option is there. I probably won't go higher as I left my 2018 SR at stock height for 3 years and never gave it a second thought. That truck rode great and got me everywhere I needed to go.

I think I'll give both Accutune and Headstrong a call to discuss the Bilstein vs Fox for my scenario and then order up whatever ends up sounding the best. I live in Tahoe where we get mass amounts of snow and they do brine and sand the roads but funny enough, I don't drive my Tacoma very much in the winter. I have an AWD Vibe (Matrix clone) with Blizzaks that is my "winter beater". The tip on clear coating the shocks is still a good idea though.

 

Tinkerer's Adventure has a new video about shocks that is pertinent to this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G12zF12UnB0

 

I'm glad I found this thread, I had a a 2016 TRD sport and I found the damping to be fine for my use. I sold that truck years back and now back in a 2022 sport and with what I assumed was the same Hitachi sport suspension - the ride on the 2022 is noticeably more stiff and nervous. Mid corner tiny bumps can can upset the truck, and all tiny bumps can be felt.

I decided on the Fox 2.0 (front will be set at stock height) and the rear 2.0 with reservoir shocks.

 

Interesting. I had about the same experience, a 2018 SR that rode nice and smooth/supple then got a 2022 SR that's firm and jittery in comparison. Both have the black Hitachis so I assumed they'd ride the same. I haven't replace the suspension yet but am leaning towards finding some low mileage SR/SR5 Hitachi take offs from a 2018, as I'd assume they'd ride the same as my old truck, or getting Bilstein 6112 and 5160 if I go aftermarket. I've read some comparisons stating the Fox can ride pretty firm.

My truck seems to have softened a bit since new but still has barely any miles, as I have a 3rd car for my daily. Maybe it'll soften up more but I doubt it at this point. I did lower tire pressure to 32 on my SL rate Wildpeaks and that helped quite a bit.

 

I just switched to dobinsons from the falcons and I will say the ride is much better if you’re looking for something that gives you plush ride you’ll want to go with a progressive valve type shock. My Falcons were digressive and they were very stiff and firm feeling. The Dobinsons are progressive valved and ride soft and plush for me

 

The stock SR Hitachi's are garbage. To me they felt like riding in a cheap car. IMO the Off-Road shocks ride very nice if you're looking for a smooth ride. They leave a little to be desired for control and are a little vague in certain situations, but if you just want to be comfortable, they're fantastic over a variety of terrain. Compared to an upgraded 2.5" shock (like some have suggested) with standard off-the-shelf valving the OR shocks are MUCH softer. I took 2 revalves for my 2.5" ADS shocks to ride similar (but better) than the OR setup as they were extremely stiff out of the box even when set to full soft on the clickers. You can make a high end suspension setup ride however you want with some tuning, but out of the box, I don't think it will be what you're after. Most aftermarket options are tuned for performance vs comfort so give Accutune a shout if you want to tune a setup for comfort. That said I absolutely love my ADS setup now with the 'softest valving ADS has ever done on a Tacoma', but it took a while to get there.

The OE Fox setup is also nice, but 3-4x as expensive as the OR config. Sounds like you'd be happy swapping in either stock setup, but the OR is worth it to try due to the price. If it doesn't work out you can always resell it for pretty much what you got it for. My coworker upgraded her SR5 with my stock OR setup when I did my lift and it is a way nicer place to be afterwards.

Also OP, if you're running the standard tires the SR comes with, they don't ride the best either. The OR shocks + better rubbers will completely transform your truck.

 

Not if you go through us

Just sayin

 

I've had two sets of Hitachis and on my 2018 SR, the rode great, smooth and supple on the road and did well on dirt/gravel fire roads at normal speeds. My 2022 SR rides totally different, even though it should be the same. They must have changed them somewhere along the line. For tires, I'm on 265/70r17 Wildpeaks in SL load rating. I had the same exact tires on both my 2018 and 2022.

I've considered getting a set of takeoff ORs because like you say, cheap to test out. Almost new takeoffs can be found for almost nothing, maybe $200 in my area, still fully assembled with springs and all. Worth testing. One hesitation I have is that my SRs have always sat almost level front to back and the ORs appear to have more rake. I thought the springs were all the same but maybe not. I'd like a level stance but am fine with stock height.

Also four wheeling ride isn't really a concern of mine. The most I do is fire roads to camp spots or shuttle mountain bike rides. All my 4 wheel drive time is spent in the snow as I live in a ski town. For real offroading and exploring, I take a KTM.

 

I think what you're noticing are the 4wd components up front on many OR's that might make it have some rake. The trucks have the same spring rate front and rear from what I've read regardless of model (possibly excluding Pro up front - but even they have the same leaf packs), and on my coworkers there was no height change difference when she swapped in my OR setup that I remember. If there was, it wasn't much since it was 3g to 3g and it only would have lifted higher. But IIRC she only gained height once the bigger tires went on.

EDIT:
Maybe there was, it was about 8 months ago. I know she is taller now but I thought it was due to tires, might be from suspension. Either way she's about 1/2"-1" higher than she was prior to the OR suspension & tires swap all said and done.

Another buddy with a 2WD SR5 Access cab did the swap to 4x4 OR suspension and said it raised him up like an inch though. So somewhere from 0-1" can be had by this swap I guess depending on truck model. He's also very happy with the ride quality increase.

 

Maybe I'll just grab a set and see how they do. I could always put a tiny spacer up front to level it off, just 1/2" or something. That wouldn't impact the ride.

 

Edited my previous reply, but yeah it's worth testing out and it looks like you will get some lift out of it.

 

Old Man Emu nitrocharger sports with some coils and you’re all set. Cadillac like ride with a firm on-road feel.

 

8112/8100 done.

 

This is the issue. Everyone's idea of a good ride varies so much. I'd say Cadillac and firm are on the opposite ends of the spectrum? I'm not looking for a firm ride. Just supple and well dampened with decent control around corners and braking.

 

I think my concern is more with the stock valving. The shocks seem to rebound too fast. I'm OK with a firm ride, but I want controlled damping.

 

of course the issue is the stock shocks. They are garbage. And most coilovers are not much thicker in diameter so you’ll still be having a bumpy feel up front on the road.

notice the details of what I said. Cadillac ride absorption of bumps and road. Firm road feel meaning you’re not loose steering and connected and planted. I love bilsteins on my bmw m, but on the 3G it just isn’t enough. Old Man Emu has many years of reviews on this site and more importantly, with actual shops that do these types of installs. The bandwagon boys come and go but only a few are tried and true. Of course you take it for what you will.

 

Progressive vs digressive is what you need to research, https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/digressive-vs-linear-vs-progressive-pistons-shock-valving/
https://foxacademy.ridefox.com/2021/05/is-it-damping-or-dampening/

 

I got my kit on deck waiting to be put on. I'm going for stock height so keeping stock leafs. I hope this will help with my ride.

 

I've had my fox 2.0 installed now for a bit and ran them a few hundred miles so far.

The ride is exactly what I was looking for! The ride is taut and tight, but best of all the compression and rebound is spot on. Truck feels very composed mid corner when hitting any bumps.

Also noticed steering feel has improved as well, but that could be the caster setting post install alignment