5100 post installation - ride is more solid, but awful

I have my billy's at 1.75 lift and they were a little stiff even on the dirt with my tires aired out. so i took my sway bar off, and out holy crap it made such a difference. there wasn't even that much of a difference in the turns cause the 1.75 made the suspension stiffer.

 

5100s @ .85 rides and handles better... maybe its the tires?
An example is railroad tracks by the house... ride over em daily - before bump
-now its smooth as silk

 

Another issue I forgot to mention is that the alignment may be off a bit as she drifts (almost pulls) to the left at highway speeds. She also seems to "float" quite a bit more on the highway. Lesson learned I guess - each Taco is unique.

I'm not certain if a new set of OME or Toytec coils will help or not but, for now, I'm going to switch back to the OE TRD shocks. While she won't look the exact way I'd prefer, the ride is more important to me since I'd rather not feel every single bump, hole or imperfection in the road.[/quote]

You are describing the exact way my new Tacoma DC Sport feels on the highway with the stock suspension and wheels. It has me ready to turn her in for something else. I did take mine back to dealer for an alignment. They said it was off but I still feel that drift you are describing and the "float" as well. I did not feel this driving an H3T or a Nissan Frontier. Can't say I enjoy that feel either.

 

Mine used to float a lot but a good alignment all but cured it. It still does it a little bit but I just chalk that up to over sized tires.

 

I have mine at 1.75 and I love the way it drives. What ever melts your butter.

 

i did have alignment problems before i got my light racing uca's, but the LR's cured that. the ride was pretty much like having 2x4's as struts and shocks. it was a very rough ride. my gas mileage has gone down from about 19.5mpg to mayb 16mpg if i dont go foot-heavy. if i could have done it over again, i probably would've went with the bilstein's at 2.5' with an aal or the ome full lift kit from toytec

 

can the 5100's be adjusted after they've been installed if you change your mind and want to set them higher or lower?

 

Yeah. Mine were at 1.75 and they are at 2.5 now.

 

No, you have to take everything off and use a compressor.



I don't know the whole procedure, I had somebody else do it for me. I didn't want to hurt myself.



I just know they took them both off and then adjusted them.

 

After a long drive today, I've made the call to uninstall the 5100s. While I like the solid feel and better dampening, I'm just not going to be doing enough wheeling to justify the lack of highway ride/comfort (a.k.a. every bump).

Head's up for folks installing or planning to: .85 setting should enable perfect alignment but may float a bit. Also, you'll be able to feel every expansion crack, bump and groove, but not a harsh way. Rather, it feels to me like driving a sports car with a seriously dialed-in suspension with low profile tires.

Pic of 5100 (getting uninstalled tomorrow morning):

 

Did you check your tires to see what pressure they are at? Over inflated tires can cause exactly what you have described.

 

mine are at 2.5 ride is stiff but much better than stock. the handling is way better. if i wanted a soft smooth ride i would have kept it stock. I did alot of research and questioning of the TW members so i knew what to expect. hope you can get it to a ride you like.

 

Can you set them at 2.5 but then get more lift from a spring? like to get 3inches of lift total?

what companies would sell .5 lift spring set?

 

I've got all four tires @ 40# of pressure. This is (within a few lbs) the same pressure I've always run for the BFG T/As. Last truck (Nissan Hardbody) had 32X11.50s on it @ 38# for highway driving and ran smooth as butter.

Might try lowing the pressure by a few #'s to see if it makes a difference - thanks for the suggestion.

 

x 2.

 

There is no difference between the 5100's and a spacer lift that compresses the spring, as they both do the same thing to lift the front end.

 

Seems like I threw some gasoline on a constantly lit ember: personal preference vs. suspension modifications. Kudos mpgnc64 - whatever you decide you like should be what you go with. x3

As such, I prefer a soft, smooth ride for the type of driving I do, which is mostly highway. Your mileage will vary!

 

Everyone has their own opinion on ride compliance...Here's my take on the billys...

My Taco came with the black Tokicos...if any of you are familiar at all with these shocks...man are they soft...

I got a set of TRD Bilsteins from a local and swapped those in and felt an immediate difference in ride quality. To put it into terms, it rode like a truck finally. I felt the TRD bilsteins were decently valved, but felt they still lacked a bit because they still don't feel really well matched to the spring rates of the factory springs.

Moving forward, I wanted a decent lift and chose to go with the 5100s due to everyones great raves about them. I knew full well what I was getting myself into, knowing that ride quality was likely to firm up. Post install, I must say they actually rode better than the OEM TRD Bilsteins. They feel nice and firm, not overly stiff, but nicely damped and the truck feels more "composed"...honestly though, I still don't know where I stand with them.

My Subaru STi has too much money into it's suspension (she sees track duty)...but coming in with this car's background, I must say I have a REAL appreciation for well matched spring rates and valving on shocks.

The Billy's feel "better", but they still lack for me. The ride is not crazy stiff, but you do feel small ruts, expansion joints, etc. with them...IT IS A truck though. If I could, I'd buy a set of Icons, Fox, etc. coilovers, but because this truck doesn't see crazy off-roading, there would be no sense in me spending the extra $$$...so my next step is OME. They are still very affordable and because their springs are made to work with their shocks, I don't doubt that that'll be my winning set-up for anything less than minor offroad trails, etc. Everyone that has them loves how they ride much better than the TRD bilsteins and better yet the 5100s.

With that in mind, I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to buy the OME set-up. I'm actually going to by the rear shocks tomorrow or Tuesday following the front set-up at a later time.

Anyway, just some food for thought. The truck rides well with it's current set-up, but at this point, I'm still seeking for a bit more. I'm hoping the OME set-up will do it.

Flu33ys, maybe this is what you need to get instead?

Kind Regards,
Ryan

 

I didn't like them one bit. I experienced the same thing. I had them for a month then switched to the OME setup and couldnt be happier.

 

Yota,

That's exactly what I want to hear!!

Don't mean to thread jack, but do you run the top spacer to acheive the full 3" lift?

I'm really only looking for a 2.5" lift with the OMEs...maybe even a little less?

Kind Regards,
Ryan