Dobinsons 2016-2023 Taco Suspension Options

I wanted to share my experience with the Dobinson's kit. I purchased the GTS Quick Ride kit (light front load) from Mainline Overland a few months ago and worked with Eric and Matt there. They were great in answering my questions and I had my kit 4 days after placing my order. I gained 2" in the rear and 2.25" upfront after a month of settling and a few shake down rides.

The suspension soaks up everything that I throw at it. I ran an OME kit and 5100's on my old Gen2 and compared to that this is kit is light years ahead. It's not a high performance coilover but I feel it's more than adequate for my needs. The ride is slightly stiffer in a good way over stock and I have no wandering nor any need for UCA's due to keeping it under 3".

I recently purchased a camper shell and was worried about having blocks in the rear with the extra weight plus the camping and recovery gear that we take with us. So I reached out to Mike at Dobinsons for a recommendation on a replacement leaf pack. He suggested the L59-110-R which netted me 2.25" in the rear empty. It made a huge difference in the balance of the suspension which I attribute to the new leaf packs and weight of the shell (180 lbs). The ride is even smoother flowing than before especially offroad. I cannot say enough about this suspension after running it for four months in the desert, mountains and as my DD. Mike and the guys at Mainline were great and will make sure that you get the proper set up for your needs.

Also want to say thank you to everyone that posted their experiences in this thread and Mack7n's thread https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/5100s-vs-dobinson-quick-ride.587065/ which ultimately helped make my decision.

@Dobinsons Mike @eevaldes @Mack7n @PapaRee

 

Thanks for the review. I'm glad we got you sorted out to exactly where you want to be. The truck is looking great, and I'm jealous of those kickass mountains you get to go exploring in!!!

 

Truck looks amazing. I'm glad my view on it is helping people. I may go for the leaf springs at some point also. Been hauling a SXS all summer, and been worried about the block and the extra tongue weight I've added for the past 4 months. I've had no issues so far, but feel like I'm borderline going to cause issues if I don't swap over. I'll be contacting Evan/Mike soon for suggestions on my situation also.

 

I take delivery of my dcsb Sport today. Have a set of Toyo Open Country ATx In my garage waiting to be installed. I was about to pull the trigger on a set of 5100s and OME till I stumbled on Mack7n’s posts. Now I’m pretty convinced Dobsons is a better fit for the Sport Taco. Do you guys still like it over 5100 for a softer ride? Would u go for 302 or 314? Not planning on adding UCA, or extra weight up front.

keep updating your impressions, they DO help us new folks a lot.

 

314's are the most common coil we sell for the newer Tacos

 

And what if I just want to upgrade my suspension without lifting. I’d like to soften it up from my stock Sport setting. I still don’t know if I need the lift, other than looks. Do you have such a kit?

maybe just a slight level. 1/2 - 1 inch if any. Up front. And rear shocks with no blocks.

 

Our only option for that would be to only replace the struts and shocks with ours. All of our coil options are stronger than stock, so if you want to go softer, you need to do it with the shocks.

 

I now had a chance to drive my new taco for a few days. Even went Camping over the weekend. The stock front doesn’t seem that stiff anymore. Those tires DO soak up quite a bit. Now my main concern is the rear. It still shakes and bounces a lot. If your rear shocks help settle it down, I will try them out.

 

I believe they do help the ride quality a lot. The stock rear shocks aren't anything fantastic.

 

Got mine all installed over the weekend. Jmscheider1983 has a lot of good information here that I found helpful. If I were going to do it over again knowing what I learned from this install I would do it a little differently.
- Forget the greasable bolts. They are too long. I ended up only using 2 on the end without the shackle where there is plenty of room. I also chose not to replace the lower shackle bushings.
- You will need to modify the bracket that holds the brake line that runs along the leaf springs. If not it is super tight and looks like it will fail in some capacity very soon. Just move it to where it will attach and then once you do attach it get some channel locks and bend it where it relieves the pressure from pulling and stretching the line. I also squeezed it to where the line wasn't getting cut into by the edge of the bracket.
- UCA'S I would consider not changing them and seeing how the truck rides first before ordering them. Too much of a pain. We cut, bent, pryed and beat each of the 2 bolts out. The passenger side required the trimming. On the drivers side the bolt head gets stuck every step of the way against the ribs underneath where the battery sits. There is also a big wire loom in the way. Neither side was as easy just grabbing some channel locks and and bending some metal out of the way.

 

how is this kit compared to OME?

 

how was the ride?

 

DobinsonsUSA, Any word on the MRR or MRA shock? I have added weight up front and needing to get into something different. Thank you

 

MRA's (3-way adjustable version of the MRR's) are being released at the SEMA show next week. Stock of them for Tacoma's is due in the next 2 months or so.

We won't be stocking the MRR's (non adjustable), but they can be special ordered as needed (by air freight).

 

Cant wait to hear about them at SEMA! I want to go so bad but cant swing it balancing work/family and getting out and enjoying the outdoors. Thanks for the response.

 

Seems to me after reading tons of post on TW all brands of coils settle over time and with any added weight. UCAs and diff drop kits are recommended for 3" or more of lift so does the alignment need to be rechecked after settling and also will UCAs still be needed after settling if your total is now under 3"?

 

Also what do I need to take into consideration when determining added weight. Are passengers already accounted for.Some on here have said the reason for "taco lean" is from battery driver and gas tank all being on the left side. There again all this is gonna keep the lift below 3". Would it be better to buy the shocks and coil and try them first with the he stock UCAs and no diff drop kit ?

 

I have really only seen OME coils sagging. Most people will run a setup knowing in the future if they will have added weight or not. To fix driver side lean just get a 1/4" spacer from headstrong. People are not added weight when it comes to determining lift. If you are under 3" you will probably be fine with the stock UCA as long as you are not running 33" tires. If you are runnning 33" tires get ready to cmc. I assume you are going to be lifting from 2-3" so you might as well do the ecgs bushing instead and forget about the diff drop.

 

No, not all brands, but some more than others. A little after a bit of time is common, but people keep buying taller coils then adding weight and complaining about sag. It's not sag generally, it's squatting. Coils squat with weight added. Also, people mistakenly post lift results as soon as the lift is installed and before it has even settled from driving it around the block.

Not including passenger weight, only accessory weight is calculated since it's generally levering the front or rear suspension down.

Dobinsons makes the front spacer too but not every vehicle leans and not the same amount as each other.

With any front ride height change, alignment will be affected.

 

Thanks for the info guys!! I'm really interested in running DOBINSONS SUSPENSION AND THINK They ARE BOSS,also wanting to run a 285 76 16, want the truck to be able to off road also with no issues.The cmc May be what I tackle 1st looks to be simple and straight forward