Tacoma Sport Options

Good find.

 

@Steelhead Bum
@mic_sierra
@steveo27; Yeah, Bilsteins. Steel piston rod is thin, I give you that. They do not leak.

I get that TacoTuesday1 hates the shocks, but I'd like a better reason for for replacement. Something like they are usually worn out by XX,000 a max mileage /or years old. Without a citation I can follow from peer review commentary or Toyota replacement schedule, I'm inclined to keep them on the truck.

 

Slap you some 4600's on there and your good to go, if you're not off roading heavily or racing. They have a larger diameter body than the pencil thin Stock Bilstein.

 

@CrippledOldMan FWIW I haven't had any p/u truck for 19 years. So I'm a complete newb, and the "Slap you some 4600's on there" goes right over my head.

What is the full designation for 4600's and what do they do over the OEM Bilsteins which appear to still be functional? Are the Bilsteins over 82,000 a max mileage /or years old? Are these 4600's the only choice, or just the best due to OEM manufacture or another quality test?

 

Welcome, most people get 5100 from Bilsteins so in the future if they want to level or lift they can. Check out https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/headstrong-off-road.193/.
Email Mary she can tell/ help you out.

 

Yeah, you couldn't know but I'll tell you that I have a 2016 Stingray Corvette, and she is the demanding mistress. She gets the true lovin' and this p/u while it will be cared for, will not be overly modified. The Corvette is getting $$$$'s worth of parts this month and she doesn't want to share. Don't blame here, she's a 178MPH machine before these new parts arrived. And I love her dearly!

If I were to be told that for the truck shocks there was a max mileage /or years old that determined shock replacement schedule, it would be done. But I would need to choose from a list of good but nominal replacement parts.

 

Did we go into 'Crickets!" mode and everyone run off, when I mentioned that I didn't want to mod the truck, but to keep it in good repair?!?

Gee guys, can't I just like my truck and enjoy the community without throwing {Corvette} loads of money at it? I know @TacoTuesday1 hates the shocks and the sway, but we all have our own way to be. That should not preclude me asking for legit info on signs of wear-n-tear and lifespan.

Sorry if I annoyed anyone by not being a big mod man.

 

No just doing things almost to put dog to bed next. Back to shocks if you think or know you need shocks and you don't want to mode. go with what ever you decide is the best for you. I got the 5100 set to level front my preferance.
Headstrong has 4600 and 5100 in stock and you can get some great info here too.

 

You do whatever you want, I'm just stating facts. It's your truck, and your spine.
It's perfectly possible the roads in your location are nicer than where I've been.
Where I've been, roads have been known to be shitty.

I've had used stock shocks. New 4600's. New 5100's. They were all trash.
After switching to 6112/5160 and Icon RXT (I don't have Archive HH), the truck is only beginning to feel normal.
For some reason, passenger cars ride better in comparison, even with more basic suspension.

Yes, price varies. If you get into custom valved Fox, they're great, and expensive. Which is why I want them but don't have them.
But if you look at the cost of parts and labor, something like 6112/5160 is not THAT much more expensive than 5100.
Obviously it's your truck and your money, the decision what to do is yours.

By this age and miles, the stock shocks are likely worn. They're pencil-thin to begin with, have a reputation for poor performance, and if you take them off the truck to compress by hand they'll probably feel weak.

You can also find local forum members with different suspensions and ask for a ride in their truck, to compare what the different setups feel like.

better shocks, at least 6112/5160 is not gonna make it handle on rails; it's still a BoF lifted pickup truck with leaf springs. But for one, it'll feel better going in a straight line, which is how it drives most of the time
There's a reason they put them on the TRD Pro, and even now, are still upgrading the spec from that level (later year TRD Pro Toyotas switched to Fox)

if you wanna speed around corners, keep the sway. It still won't corner like a street car.
Or, if you want the suspension to articulate off road, and soak up bumps while driving better because the suspension acts independently, then remove it
With a sway bar, if the left tire hits a bump, shock force is distributed to the right side as well. Not without one.

Depends on the vehicle. Take the front sway off an old Audi, it feels like it's going to flip. Why? Because the engine and transmission is a mile ahead of the front axle hub centerline on those cars, unlike other vehicles.

I'd bet they wear by 10yr/100k or if signs of leaks
in my case, holding a steady sweeping corner hitting a crack in the road, the rear would bounce up and skip, almost like it was trying to drift on it's own at a low speed

TRD Sport is yellow and blue shocks that pretend to be 4600, but are not actual new 4600. Because real 4600 is thicker.
But still cheap. Less warranty than 5100. You get what you pay for.
4600 due to the dimensions, is not liftable.
5100 is. And lifetime warranty I believe. Silver/blue.

But 6112/5160 is likely thicker, more fluid, added reservoir in the back, and different valving (digressive) and resists heat better in prolonged use

I helped a friend install 6112/5160 on his 4x4. That is what put me on to them.
I was proud of my 5100. I thought they must be just as good. 6112/5160 looking similar can't possibly ride better.
Then we followed eachother on a trail. His ride was fine and comfortable. Mine sucked.
We went for a test drive, me in the passenger seat. He hit certain bumps we both knew on purpose, to see if it felt any different with the new upgrade. It did. It felt much better. While my 5100 felt like shit.
A nice shock will absorb bumps. A shitty one, besides jarring you, is gonna jar the hell out of the truck making it feel like it's rattling apart gradually over time.
And will have go much slower off road.
It's a personal decision

me, I am not glad I took my truck apart and put it back together again I don't know how many times, try this try that, sell the old parts at a discount or give them away
instead of just doing it the right the first time
Now is it done forever? No.
One day, I'm sure it would be better to have Fox adjustable, but that day is not today.
Fox is probably up there if not better than Icon, King, ADS, Elka, OME, etc. (which all fall into a different and higher price point)

not to mention the ability to go longer travel in the rear with Archive relocate that I believe requires spacers
6112/5160 might have decent warranty
Bilstein came out with 8100 series to compete with higher end stuff but again, higher price point
8100 has external resi up front (like the above shocks) whereas 6112 although thicker, does not have external resi in front

Or, it may be possible to find used 3rd gen TRD Pro red color Fox takeoffs
6112 gives the option of a heavy duty spring for steel front bumper
both 5100 and 6112 have adjustable perches to set ride height

they have a very noticeable difference


another thing to consider is supporting labor.
Let's say you go back in again to adjust height. That's more time spent, if you end up not liking the shock.
Let's say you do a 2-3hr alignment after, end up not liking the shock, then upgrading. You'd end up doing the alignment a 2nd time.

If 4600 and 5100 is really that popular (judging by the threads on here, it's 6112 that's the more popular one) - it shouldn't be hard to find a local truck to go for a test ride in.
How do I know KW V3 is an excellent passenger car suspension? ($3k, from Germany)
because I test drove a car with it

You get what you pay for. If one thing is $300 and the other $600, there's a reason for it
Which is a small amount compared to how much these trucks cost and how much they last
6112/5160 is the budget way of making your own Pro, without paying $10k extra for a badge

 

The answer is purely speculative. Ask 10 different people on here you’ll probably get 10 different responses. It depends on how you intend to use your truck.

I tried looking up the service life of your oem shocks and couldn’t find any definitive answers. Lots of people claiming that life expectancy is generally in the 60-80k range depending on use but others have more 100k and say they are just fine. I would agree with the masses that 60-80k seems reasonable for regular duty- average Joe use. Significantly less depending on the degree of abuse off road.

I replaced my oem front and rear shocks and coils @ 63k. Visually looked fine but were worn. After removing them from the truck it was obvious they were worn and lost or losing their charge.

I replaced my oem leafs at 86k. They were not only visibly shot, both sides had the same leaf broken in two different spots.

Truck currently has just over 100k.

If I decide to keep this truck for several more years the suspension will be built again, probably next spring/summer.

 

Great info.

 

I'm no shock expert by any means, but I went with the 4600's from reading different posts here on T.W. They're basically a stock shock for non lifted trucks. They have a larger diameter body than the factory 1st gen shocks that come on our trucks. Are they the best, nope, not by any means. I would do some reading here on TW, and use the search function for "1st Gen Shocks" or something similar. I should get at least 50k miles from these shocks, and they didn't break the wallet.

 

It has been a few years, but I had Rancho RS5000's on a Bronco and a Blazer back in the day. They were gas charged, but the best thing about them was the variable valving. They sensed conditions and automatically firmed up on rough, dirt washboard roads and then gradually adjusted back to a highway ride when you returned to paved roads. The change happened very quickly as well. I climbed a certain wash-board dirt Forest Service road in Maine for many years to get to hunting and fishing spots that road was always kind of maintained but always wash-board in spots: Within 20-30 yards those shocks would completely damp-out the chattering rear-suspension. They were a good example of something that actually worked as claimed and had nice flexible boot to protect the piston rods. Rancho also had self auto-leveling shocks which worked as well. If I ever replace the rear shocks on my truck, they are what I will install. (RS5000) My truck chatters on this same road...I just don't get up there as often now.

 

i would say its a sport .