Send me advice for choosing new shocks and suspension

My 2015 prerunner just hit 103,000 miles. I’m finally deciding to mod the truck and make it my own. I want to lift/level the truck (2.5” max) but will probably keep it to a point where I don’t have to buy new UCA’s just yet.

I know 5100’s are the go to shocks for what you get for the price and adjustability but I’m willing to invest a bit more to get the ride quality and handling that I want. I don’t wheel my truck. It’s a daily driver and the off road use it sees is only when my wife and I go to the mountains and camp. I’m just looking to improve ride quality and make the suspension as smooth as realistically possible. Right now everything is stock except for new tires, wilpeak 265/75/16 at 30psi all 4 corners and I feel like the truck rides like a horse drawn cart over a railroad track and potholes are literally everywhere where I live.

I will not be investing more than $1500 on shocks alone so fox/kings are out of the question unless someone has used set that hasn’t been abused they would sell me. I’ve looked at 5100’s obviously as well as 5160/6112, the eibach pro truck Coilover 2.0, and some affordable icon setups.

I want to know what you guys have experience with and suggest, what I can realistically expect as far as improvement, if any and all digressive shocks will be pretty much the same, and if I’ll see more improvement in changing leaf packs to a different spring rate than I will in an expensive shock.

I’ve read the threads, watched the videos, etc but wanted to ask my own individual questions to see if I could get some sound advice. Any and all will be taken with gratitude

 

I had 4600 and 5100. They were not good.
You get what you want.
you get what you pay for. There’s a reason they’re cheap and the same price.
even a decent sedan suspension costs more.

the amount of times I’ve had my suspension in and out. Money lost on parts. Labor to install. Could’ve been avoided.

there’s a reason 6112/5160 came on TRD Pro/Baja Tacomas, 4Runners, Tundra, etc.
There’s a reason why it has more fluid and is much thicker, and has big threads on lots of people putting them. And why Bilstein not only continues to make them, but updated the collar design with more adjustability.

you can certainly start doing comparisons to what else is out there. That would be wise. But if it was me doing research and comparisons, 4600 and 5100 would not be on the list of shocks to compare.

Spring quality and mounting is also a factor in ride such as in the rear. Whether that be a good AAL, whole pack, better hangers, etc - depends on budget and what you can find, including any used deals.

 

Thanks for the advice. I really don’t have the budget or patience to change or try out multiple options before I find what I like the rec against 5100’s is appreciated.

How much of an improvement can I expect to see with the 6112/5160? I understand that’s subjective but for what it’s worth.

also if you have advice here, would I get better ride quality from an entirely upgraded leaf pack? Or would an AAL be just as good/indiscernible?

 

Also haven’t even thought about new hangers. I’ll read up on that

 

I mean Archive HH is popular but could be optional in the sense of not having to do it now and maybe later. 5160 rear and Icon RXT used is still a big improvement.

a regular AAL is like $90 and Icon supposedly has a better progressive one that costs more.
The question is just how much better.

shock is a major component of ride quality. So leaf work without a good shock will be limited. And require above stock height shock if lifting which leaf work does.

if you want to try it you can find a local truck to ride in or test drive a TRD Pro that has it.

I don’t have complaints with 6112/5160 and Icon RXT. Each is a noticeable difference. If I won the lottery I’d look at Fox adjustable and Archive relocate and Accutuned. Either RXT pack, Deaver, or Archive pack. Supposedly higher end shocks like Fox generally need rebuild service more often.

I too live and have lived by not smooth roads and it doesn’t really bother me.
Buddy with a car on ST coils was impressed by the ride. Only car I’ve ever driven that rode better had KW V3 or something and those are like $3k.

 

Gotcha! Thanks for the advice! I got my tires a week ago and love them. Just got alignment today. Small steps to get it where I want but I plan to drive this thing until I can’t anymore. Hopefully I’ll be able to post a follow up soon when I’ve finished all the work

 

Dobinsons from Exitoffroad.com

 

I’ll subject my setup on here. I’m on 6112/5160 with an icon RTX. Absolutely love the truck. If you never haul anything go with option two on the rtx.

6112 is a huge upgrade over stock, I off-road them heavily in the summer. They are amazing on road control and damping, yes they are stiffer but trust it’s worth it in going over pot holes speed bumps with even caring. They are just a dependable setup that handles really well. I’m on chip 3 in the front on the older models do around 1.5” of lift. The higher the chip the worse the ride. You also don’t have issues with alignment or breaking tie rods and dif bearings if you stay under 2” with everything else stock.

 

Well, you're going to get a lot of viable options here. When I picked up my truck, I installed the OME kit with Dakar leaf pack from Headstrong Off-road. It comes with everything, front & rear shocks with springs mounted and replacement leaf pack. I chose to add the SPC UCA when I bought mine over 10 years ago. I did the 886 coils and the HD Dakar pack but you can go lighter and save a little bit of cash. Unfortunately for your case, the price has gone up a bit from the $1200ish I spent on it back in the day. If I was to do it again, I would go with the BP-51 remote reservoir. I did get over 10 years of high mileage and forest service roads and average camping on that suspension. Spent more time on pavement and it treated me well. With that said, it's going to depend on what you plan on doing with your rig. You might want to buy once, cry once and really dig into a suspension system that fits exactly what you need instead of replacing it down the line with the system you want. I have since replaced my suspension with 2.5 Kings and I am extremely happy. I kept my Dakars since they are still serviceable. I have to replace the centering pin and some anti-squeak pads but that's for when the weather warms up a bit.

-J

 

keep an eye on your pinion angles if you are modifying the rear springs
It is an often overlooked fail point that causes vibration

 

I’d say best all around suspension with little to no maintenance, you can’t beat the bilstein 6112/5160 combo.

 

I'm currently riding on 6112's/7100's. A little bit more modification to fit the 7100's as they have the remote reservoirs. I ended up doing the relocate kit from Archive Garage. Budget build was my main goal for my rig and honestly this suspension rides just as good as some other folks in my crew that have king setups. Very little difference in my opinion. Daily driving is smooth as the 6112's soak up potholes with no issues. My spring rating is a little higher with my full skids/bumpers and winch so I'm at 650lb springs up front.

In the rear I've got Icon's RXT's Stage 2. I've also got Archive's Hammer Hanger kit as this stiffened up the rear flex and the protection of my hangers. I've gotten caught up on many of rocks but the hanger just lays right on top of it with no issues. I've had a lot of weight on one hanger at a tie and no flex or distortion was seen. They've been worth their weight for sure.

Take your time and shop around. Just because something is pricey doesn't always mean its the best for your setup. Good luck with your build!

 

thanks for the advice bc I had honestly not even considered this. I looked into it a little and it seems like it’s hit or miss if your new driveline angles will create an issue? And it seems like there’s no way to predict if it will or not? Correct me if wrong.


The truck is my daily and too nice to create more issues than a lift is worth. Does this eventually create more wear and reliability issues if shimmed or whatever to correct driveshaft angle? Or if fixed correctly is it good to go?

 

It is not rocket science, the angles just need to be with "X" degrees of each other UNDER ACCELLERATION
The mistake often made is measuring it when the vehicle is at rest and assuming it is "within spec" , but the axle tries to spin and lift the pinion angle under accel and can go out of spec . That is why it looks like many OEM axles appear to have the axle pinion pointing slightly down at rest
Not something to fear , it is easily corrected with shims and not always an issue unless a radical change is made in spring arc or hangers Often the vibration only happens when accelerating up at high speed or when taking off from a stop, and will not cause damage unless driven like that for a long time. Most shop mechanics misdiagnose it as "torque converter shudder" (LOL)

 

this sounds good…
A longer Bilstein in back that’s cheap, maintenance free, more travel than a 5160

if I can figure out what’s best to hold it, the 2.0 or 2.5 relocate (wider, more expensive, more need for spacers)

supposedly 6112 is a 2.3” shock vs competitor 2.0’s, so maybe thicker is better. Heard mixed things on 2.0 vs 2.5 thickness choice on a Tacoma.

makes sense. Soft suspension + leaving it in 2WD = front lift and rear squat during accel

 

Im probably massively overthinking this but I’m pretty good at overthinking haha. If I swap with new leaf packs or go with AAL and change the rear spring rate, wont the degree of lift under acceleration/braking change even more? I’m that case do I just chase balance with different shim angles until I find the perfect angle?


Or would best course of action be to measure angles while it’s stock and replicate the same angles with shims after lift?

 

I replaced the original shocks on my 2010 Prerunner, 165k, this year with the 5100's all around. I left it stock height with no other mods. Not sure I notice a huge difference from the original Hitachi shocks. It may be a little bit more firm but nothing extremely noticeable.