TRD. Do I need to upgrade suspension?

OME 884s on Nitros up front with a 2" 3 leaf progressive AAL in back for around 2".
Airbags for the Flipac. Add more air when loaded up.
265/75/16s for tires.

 

Thanks for the info. 1st post here and I really appreciate it.

 

I say leave it stock for now, and upgrade when it becomes necessary. I've rocked the Toyota factory 4-leaf pack in my '09 for years off-road and it does okay for what the OP wants to do... Camping, exploring, etc.

 

Denverf1,

Don't let 'em fool you, you need the locker for average rock crawling. When you add the extra weight of the Flippac, rack/bikes, and camping gear mid-grade trails become more difficult because the rig will 'bounce' around for traction- esta es muey mal... You need to be able to creep with all the extra traction you can get. Have first hand knowledge myself.

Also, you should seriously consider having a custom leaf pack from Alcan; you can tell them how much lift you want (2" will not cause driveline vibes and allow 265/75/16's to stuff completely on all four corners!) and how much weight the truck will carry all the time (approximately 285#'s for Flippac), as well as how much it will carry with bikes and gear (additional 500#'s).

I took this route for my Flippac and got an Alcan 2" leaf pack with the above weight spec's as well as Bilstein 5100's on all four corners and Eibach springs up front from Toytech (1.75" lift in front). It rides slightly ass high with no load, then straight even when fully loaded. The rear locker allows me to creep over some pretty burly trails- seriously, I camp in comfort where most people can't go. The suspension upgrades (~$1,000 with self install) ride better than stock empty or fully loaded.

Oh, and I recommend Goodyear Duratrac's (265/75/16) with the C load. The traction they get in all off road conditions is seriously incredible and their road manners are very nice. Get the tires from Discount (free balancing and rotation warranty throughout the country) and get an alignment from Firestone (free lifetime warranty nationwide). I drove out to the Pacific coast and rallied off road the whole way there, then hit a Firestone in CA and got an alignment for the road trip back for free!!! Smooth sailing at 75mph and 19mpg. (I know BFG A/T lovers are gonna start squawking, but I'm serious here...).

Hit me up if you want more specs on the rig...

 

I have a '12 DCSB Off Road. I have Bilstein 5100's up front set to 0 with Eibach coils for 1.6" lift in the front and Bilstein 5100's in the back with ride rite air bags. The air bags give you a lot of flexibility. I keep about 15 pounds of air in the bags in normal driving, ride is good, adds about 1" of lift to the back. When I haul heavier loads I can air them up as needed.

David

 

Add a leaf. That offers the best return for the money.

 

I disagree, they are a short term fix only and they require you to do something with the front to compensate unless you really want to be ass-high. A couple years of heavy loading and the leaf pack will be worn out, even with the AAL installed. For a long term fix, replacement leaf pack made to support weight or air bags will have a better return on investment.