2nd Generation Tacoma suspension

I am constantly changing my suspension. I first purchased 5100s. I set them at 2.5" lift with the stock coils. After adding a bumper, this setup was too soft. I them bought OME 885s and set them to 0" lift. That too seemed too soft for me, so I bumped them up to .85" lift. I ran with that for a short while, but as the springs broke in, th squishy feeling came back. I ended up getting rid of the 885s and going with OME 886s set at 0". I have been running that for over a year now. However, i find it too soft still, especially when I am doing retrievals, and bouncing across whoops at 50mph. I just recently got TC UCAs. While installing them I went ahead and bumped up the 5100s to .85" lift with the OME 886s. I have a full plate bumper, and a 1/4" steel IFS/Engine skid. As stated in the OP, I don't have much down travel and more up travel, which in my case is better for me. I'd rather have little up travel than hitting the bump stops every time, which is more harsh than a stiff spring.

Also, I use my front bumper to move things around so it being stiff helps...



Here is how it sits now. (Sorry it's dark)



Edit; I failed to mention I have 5100s in the rear, with a 2" AAL on TSB springs. I will be upgrading the leaf pack soon to match the stiffness of the front.

 

thats a great write up, but what i dont understand is how do the 5100s compress the stock spring if set above the stock height? youre raising the height of the spring perch to gain lift but the top of the strut is getting raised with it, the distance between the spring perch and the top of the strut is staying the same so it doesnt seem as though its compressing the spring.

 

The top plate stays in the same spot. The 5100's give you lift by raising the bottom spring perch, preloading the coil so the distance between the perch and top plate is shorter.

Rab is correct about preloading a progressive coil. It can result in a rough ride. SR5's and TRD Sports have linear coils and the TRD Off Roads have progressive coils. The Eibach coils are linear also so they take preloading well.

To the guy trying to gain 5" of lift using spindles and coils, you'll gain 4" of lift from the spindles and you can gain the other 1" by using 5100's set to .85. It will ride stiffer but shouldn't be terrible. If you preload progressive coils too much, they gain strength in a hurry but at .85 it shouldn't be bad.

 

Do you think the ride would be better with 1.6" Eibachs and 5100s set at 0"?

 

Will my sr5 with 5100's set at .85 have a smoother ride than my stock suspension on highway or rough roads? DFW roads are horrible. I just ordered the shocks so hope i did right.

 

I'd imagine it'll be fairly comparable but it's hard to say. The Eibach coils are quite a bit stiffer than stock coils but they're not progressive. Preloading a progressive coil means you're starting with a stiff coil that will only get stronger the more you compress it. Between a slight preload on a progressive coil or a stiffer and taller linear coil, I'm not sure which would be 'better'. Both will be stiffer than stock but neither should be teeth jarring by any means'

Preloading your stock coils will make for a stiffer ride but the 5100's will do a good job dampening. If you're looking for a softer ride, keep the 5100's at 0 and keep your stock coils. In my opinion, that would be the best combination for ride comfort. For better handling and a better feel, the slight preload will be a welcomed change.

My experience is with the Eibach coils on 5100's set at 0 and I drive through some pretty rough, chopped up roads in Cambridge daily. I notice the coils being stiff and sometimes it is a little much. Outside of the city though, they are great. I get less roll in corners, less brake induce nose dive and a more stable feel in corners. Even on the rough roads, I don't get bounced around, the 5100's do a good job keeping the tires on the ground.

In short, what you're asking is a personal preference. I think the truck is better and more controled with the stiffer front end.

 

Wow, Pugga, thanks so much man. This is the clearest that I have heard it explained. I now understand the options I have. I appreciate it.

One more question. Is there a "shelf life" for coils? I hate to get new struts, shocks and springs and leave coils in there that have 100,000 miles if they won't last.

 

In short, there is not a shelf life on suspension parts. The life span on suspension components depends 100% on the type of use they see. If your suspension has been flexed out frequently, sees a lot of high speed off road runs on bumpy roads or has been used for a lot of towing, they will crap out much much quicker. At 100k miles, if you can get a new or newer pair of coils that have not seen much use, it'd be a good idea to grab a set. If yours have only seen highway driving or regular road driving, they'll probably be fine for a while longer but preloading them will kill them quickly.

 

Good enough! Considering that I purchased the truck used with 70,000 miles and don't know the conditions it were put through, I will go ahead and look for newer set or just get the eibachs. Once again, thanks so much!

 

No problem, good luck with your setup!

If you're looking in the 1.5" range, you can go with OME 883's also. They give roughly 1.5" of lift and aren't as stiff as Eibach coils (still a little stiffer than stock though).

 

Since this truck will never go off road. I assume this would be a better option for a daily driver and give better ride comfort.

 

Personal preference really. Some people like the stiffer ride on the road because of the better handling (reduced truck roll and nose dive). I kind of wish I had gone with OME rather than Eibach at times but when I was looking, I came across a great deal on a new set of Eibachs already assembled on 5100's so I couldn't pass it up. Both are good setups and you'll find lots of people with each setup that really like it. If you live in an area with lots of TW members, you might be able to take a ride in someone else's truck with Eibachs and OME coils to compare for yourself.

 

Pugga,

Do you know if the 883's would work with the double cab? I have been reading that the 885's are recommended for the double cab. It looks as thought the 883's would give the best ride though...

 

883's will work with a double cab. 883's, 884's and 885's will all work with the double cab, it's just a matter of how much lift you want. All 3 coils have the same spring rate, they are just taller my 10mm (about .5") from the previous number (884's are 10mm taller than 883's, you get the idea).

On an unarmored double cab, you can expect to gain about 1.5" from 883's, 2" from 884's and 2.5" from 885's.

 

On point yet again...thank you sir!

 

Pugga,

Can you confirm that you have received a PM from me within the last 30 minutes?

 

Yep, I did and you should have gotten a response from me also.

 

Thanks for the help. Ive got a buddy with a wall mounted spring compressor. he typically does infiniti cars for his club, but we've used it for all kinds of other vehicles. Since I've not dis assembled a 2nd gen taco front end b4 whats my best method. I assume that the strut/shock and coil spring assembly can be removed as a whole. I also assume that the truck will need an alignment post install. I hope they arrive soon.... I'm itching to put these shocks on!

 

there are 3 nuts on the top of the strut, and one at the bottom to remove the strut. you'll also need to loosen the cam bolts, and the 2 large bolts in the bottom of the LCA, not sure what they are called. then your LCA can go far enough down to get the shocks out. then you'll need to use the compressor to take off the top nut that holds the coil together.

I'm going to add a video of an easy way to install coils without a spring compressor. I'll edit the OP.

 

Good info