Bought a truck that came with lift. Need advice on what to do next

What's up everybody. I bought a 2001 double cab prerunner 2wd 6lug last month. I have been driving it for about 1k miles and noticed how rough the ride is and bump I take I have to seriously slow down or if feels like I'm about to be off the ground lol.

The truck came lifted already when I bought it. I'm not familiar at all with lifted trucks or trucks in general this is my first truck ever.

The front is sitting on fabtech coilovers. (Not the body lift fabetech). The back struts are sitting on Tokico gas struts. I'm not sure what else has been done. But I been looking at the bilstein 5100 or even maybe fox 2.0 I rather not spend that much If I don't have too. I just want a smooth ride. This is my daily. Also I do not offroad at all.

What should I do?

 

Also I'm not sure how many inches the truck is lifted. But do you think adjust them could make the drive alot smoother?

 

You could soften the ride by dropping down to the tire pressure recommended on the truck. I’m not sure lowering would soften it up that much being your coil is probably rated at a constant heavier weight per inch. Might help to get a better alignment though.

 

@Smokestacks what should I lower the psi too? Also I just got an alignment done

 

Vote for Fox 2.0s! Just put them on my F150 and they ride great!

 

Going with the Bilstein 5100 front and rear would be a good start. On the front I would make sure to do a complete assembly with stock springs set at stock height, with new top hats with cushions. I would also be taking a close look at the ball joints and control arm bushings (ball joint boots look torn in picture?. If needed I would just replace both upper and lower control arms with OEM. How is the steering? New tie rod ends and perhaps steering rack mounting bushings should also be considered. But I would also consider a stock replacement Bilstein's instead of the 5100's based on your description of intended use.

 

Lowering that lift will be achieved by taking the preload off those coil springs (loosening the adjuster collar) which will very likely soften the ride. May depend what condition the shock/strut is in.

You’ll possibly need an alignment depending on how far you lower it.

 

What’s your psi right now?

 

How many miles are on the truck? Start there. Also what @01 dhrracer said too. The rear shocks are definitely original. I’d replace those.

 

Yea, i want to replace the balljoints and possibly get upgraded UCAs possibly? So I still want a lifted truck I love the way it looks I just want to be alot more comfy lol. Just have her as a pavement princess lol

 

The truck has 237k miles.

 

This is how she sits right now.

 

You’ll want a spring/coil with a lower load rating. I think those fab teks are around 500lbs per inch. Your probably looking for something around 380lb or 400lbs per inch if you have the 3.4L. Possibly even lower due to it being a 2wd model

my truck states 26psi up front. I do have a different model.

 

I would agree with Laxtoy, reducing the preload will likely soften the ride. It will also lower the truck, as long as you are OK with a lower ride height that's where I would start. What little I can see in the rear looks to be all stock. Putting some fresh shocks out back would also be a step in the right direction.

If you want to retain that much lift you'll have to accept some harshness. Going to a lower spring rate will just require even more preload to give the same lift, resulting in a crap ride

 

I can tell you the Fabtech springs we put on a ranger were stiff as hell. I bet yours are the same way. Going with a new setup will make a world of difference, but I can also tell you Bilsteins tend to ride pretty firm. If you can afford it, the Fox 2.0 would be very nice. There is a ton of options out there, but you get what you pay for....

 

I haven't looked at Fabtech coilovers for many years but most all of the available adjustable coilovers for the 1st gen Tacoma come with either 600lb or 650lb coils. FOX included. I doubt Fabtech used a higher rate than that. Not saying that a new setup might not ride better, or that Fabtech is good, but I doubt the coil springs are the problem. I had a pair of what some would consider a good coilover, Camburg/Sway a Way 2.5's, hated them. At the desired lift, which required max preload, they were very harsh. Curious to know what lift his are cranked up to, reducing preload would be my first step.

 

Bin the old fabtech coilovers and get some new bilstein 5100s. Those shocks have to be so blown out. I know you just got that truck, but shocks are only good for 50k before they need to be replaced (or rebuilt if you have rebuildable shocks). People think the shocks are fine unless they are leaking oil, which is not true at all, and operate under the "if it aint broke" mentality.

Those rear shocks are the OEM units- extremely overdue for replacement. Also incorrectly spec'd for the lift.

Also, unless you have service records or receipts showing the lower ball joints have been replaced with Toyota (not OEM equivalent) ball joints within the last 50k, do that before one of them fails. They fail without warning. Non-OEM parts fail sooner than OEM LBJs. If you're lucky, it'll happen at low speed.

 

Okay I want to replace them. What do you guys think should I save the money go with bilstein or do you think the fox or icon really make a difference in ride quality? For daily communiting, there are alot of potholes and bad roads in my area. Also I don't really want to upgrade my UCAs. But I don't plan on replacing the LBJs. I don't mind having just a 2" lift. I really don't know what I have right now with my fabtechs

 

You do not need expensive coilovers for a daily. You don't even need the 5100s. 4600s would be better for you, but to maintain the lift, you need the 5100s.

You do not need a UCA.

YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR LBJ's. (unless, as I stated above, you know they have been replaced with 100% genuine Toyota parts within the last 50k, even then they're only good for another 20k).

 

Measure from center of hub to bottom of fender and tell us what it is
Oh yeah. With that amount of miles on the truck. If there’s no record of when the LBJ’s were last changed. Change those suckers!