Replacement Shocks

Hey guys!

I have a 2018 TRD Off-road that I took to the dealer and found my rear shocks are leaking badly. The truck is just shy of 100K miles and I guess I need a replacement set. The dealer would replace with OEM. Another shop that people have recommended to me quoted me only about 100 bucks cheaper but is trying to sell me “VSV Shocks.”

I can’t really find any info on them, but the mechanic insists and says they are better and have a 3 year warranty. The only info I did find was from a forum that said they’re the OEM for Autoparts International and most likely cheap Chinese parts. Just wanted to ask the experts here and see what y’all recommend for replacements. The truck is a daily drive and lives on pavement 90% of the time.

Somebody did also recommend to me Bilstein 5100 for the rear but I wasn’t sure if I needed any upgrades to run those.

Thanks!

 

No upgrade needed.

For whatever your choice, it's a short job lying in the garage floor with basic hand tools.

No need to pay shop fees, easier than an oil change.

 

bilstein 4600

 

It's far from being as easy as a oil change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-bhPa7d0Hk&ab_channel=MyNameIdeasWereTaken

 

This job is much simpler than doing the front shocks.

Not as messy as an oil change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3oiM4xNO6o

 

https://hotshotoffroad.com/collections/16-23-tacoma-suspension-components

 

op said rear shocks specifically. which yea. unless your in the rust belt and that top nut is siezed its pretty basic. even the front is basic. idk why people use those sketch spring compressors when you can just release the spring pressure on the truck itself without any special tools

 

its so weird to call people out yet not actually read the issue yourself...

 

Stupidly dangerous. If you underestimate the tension still left in the spring (which is easy to do), once the nut is loose enough it undergoes explosive decompression and your spring or hardware goes flying with the force of a bullet, your jack slips and truck rolls, you get seriously injured or killed by one or both of those things.

Can you do it? Sure. You can also skydive without a parachute. Only works once though.

Edit: I've done my entire suspension twice now, which includes the entire shock assemblies. The rear is different since the shock isn't under tension, its more or less hanging there. The front though? hell naw. Pay the extra $50 for preassembled springs or take it to a shop. I would NEVER use the truck's weight as a spring compressor.

 

Preassembled is the only way to go and makes the job faster and the parts are put on in the correct order. No need to worry about what goes where in the stack.

 

what? truck on jackstands. hydraulic jack under the lca with strut still bolted into place. undo top shock nut and lower ball joint. slowly lower the jack and all temsion is released. the coil physically cant even pop out at this point and il argue any day of the week that its safer than those sketchy coil compressors on a 700lb spring rate coil. it is the only method i use at this point

 

Your sentiments are definitely on my mind.

Can I do it?

With lots of confidence, sure.

But if something goes wrong?

I'd feel better having the shop/dealership do the work and cry once.

 

Fox 2.0, not super expensive. Probably $160-$170 depending on where you go. Good ride characteristics for the rears. Fairly easy install if you have a jack and tools.

 

I'll agree with some of the posts. Pre assembled spring/shock assembly would be your safest bet. However I just installed 2" OME springs and Bilstein 5100 shocks on my 2022 SR5 and used the floor jack method for spring decompression. Jack stands with the E-Brake on and wheel chocks kept everything stable. The hardest part was actually putting that 500 lb (LOL) tire back on the truck. I feel ashamed when I watch a video and some small person simply picks up a tire and lifts it on.

 

Team oil drop has the easiest video for front end springs/shocks installation