Selecting the right suspension (3rd gen Taco Overlander)

Hey all, I'm new to TW, got a 2019 Taco about a month ago, and the mods have already began and have been getting away from me! I'm wanting to turn the Rig into an overlander for my family of four for backcountry adventures in the SouthEast.

So far I've added RCI rock sliders, a 10" Voodoo bed rack, and a RTT. Next up will be skid plates and a Prinsu Cab rack.

My questions is this: I'm putting a lot of weight on this thing, and I need help selecting the right suspension upgrades. There are so many options, and I'm having trouble finding a solid guide based on the weight the truck will carry and driving conditions. Figured you rock stars probably already have a thread on this, but I can't seem to find it. At this point I have a couple ideas but don't know how to narrow down my selection. On my first trip last weekend I can already see the back end is sagging quite a bit.

Here are my inputs/requirements, would love to get your ideas:

• total estimated weight I'm adding to the truck (including gear, tent, mods, people, bikes, water, etc) ~ 1,400lbs.
• want to be able to do some minor offroading. Think forest service roads in East TN. I'll be limited to how much crazy stuff I can do with my giant bike rack hanging off the back of the truck
• the bike rack and bikes is about 180lbs itself, and it sits way behind the vehicle (hitch mounted), so I'm assuming it has an additional impact on the suspension due to the leverage it exerts at that distance
• I'll be sticking with stock wheels/tires (for a while)
• I've got limited garage height space, so can't lift beyond 2"

What do you all think?

 

@AccuTune Offroad

 

1,400lb are you sure about that?

For something like that you will definitely want a set of tuned shocks. Off the shelf stuff wont be ideal. Although you may get some good suggestions on which route to go with, unless someone has the exact same setup you do, it will be hard to compare.

Shoot us a message and we can discuss some options.

 

I know, sounds like a lot! Here's my calculations, what am I messing up? Note that people weight a lot, even fairly small ones...
I tried to over estimate on camping gear and bike weights, but seems like however you slice it there's 1,000+ lbs on this thing spread across the truck.
And if I'm putting WAY too much on my truck, let me know. I'm new to this! :-D

 

I see. So most of the time, you will not be driving fully loaded, correct? If thats the case, then about half that weight will be on occasional weekend trips. Shocks with adjusters will help keep the vehicle from bottoming out quickly, so thats something to consider. It's a going to be a trade off. Over spring the truck and have it ride rough most of the time, or have it sag a little when full loaded. We would split the difference but lean towards having a better ride for driving it daily.

 

Upon further reflection, it's probably important to note that it's not always going to be filled up like this, and still needs to drive well under a more normal load. So I've revised my list. If I'm overloading this thing, let me know. I haven't installed all this stuff yet, and am hoping to tap into the knowledge base of TW to help me make sure I'm not doing something stupid :-D

 

Rotopax suck BTW. Look at alternatives.

They leak. They swell and bloat in any sunlight, rendering them impossible to open when needed. You're supposed to "vent" them every day. And in the winter the nozzle won't seal so when you attempt to use them gasoline runs down the side of your truck instead of down the fill nozzle.

 

Yup, I suggest tuned shocks. Let me save you the trouble; Accutune or Radflo are your two choices for custom tune/valving. Accutune tunes Foxes, Kings and I believe Icons. Radflo is a manufacturer and they tune it themselves as they are built to order. Radflo doesnt have a large following with Tacomas, but more with Jeeps, Rock crawlers/bouncers, etc. You are going to also need to change your leaf pack, but most leaf packs will increase your ride height so just be aware of that.
I pretty much have the same weight as you do when I go offroading, and I take about a third or half of it off when I am daily driving.

 

Thanks @ZekeR7 that's helpful. I figured I'd go with the Heavy Duty Old Man Emu leaf pack with the 2" lift for the rear. Sounds along the lines of what you might recommend. I'll circle up with those vendors.

 

I know this is an old thread but what alternatives have you found? I want to mount to my rci 12" rack. space is limited because of the trip being 2 weeks w/ wife and 2 girls.

 

I haven't really looked honestly. Although I've seen some good reviews on the NATO style gas cans that Harbor Freight sells.

I haven't been able to get out in a while.

 

thats what I'm going to get. just gonna ratchet strap it to the prinsu