Coilovers and Rear Suspension

So, currently getting the money up there for a new suspension system and I am really big on doing things myself. From people that have done UCA's and A-arms and coilovers and basically anything to do with suspension, what are some tools that are a must, as well as possibly a procedure on this whole process. Thank you anyone in advance. (2016 TRD OR 4WD)

 

I run the ome bp 51s front and back and dakkars HD leafs. Couldn't be happier

 

You should add Elka to your list for suspension, good luck with your build

 

What kind of off roading? What % of total miles driven in a year?

Miles on truck? Is that why you need a new setup, the old is worn out?

Are you planning on lifting? Any purpose other than looks? I mean real functional need, as in you are solving a problem you've run into over the last 4 years.

Budget?

 

Everything @Clearwater Bill just said. Also your options are all over the place price wise so comparisons aren't fair

Also when it comes to installs and stuff, youtube and Google are your best friend if you don't have anyone that knows how
https://youtu.be/bbsTJgb6S_c
https://youtu.be/exWfp36p9nw

 

Trailing, mudding, rocky, a lot of other stuff. Honestly, any trail I can find in WV or DMV area because I live in Northern Virginia. I currently am running the Billy 4100's that came stock and ive been told they don't handle a whole lot and I don't wanna SOL when I'm in the middle of a trail and they break on me. I wanna lift it like 3" because im currently running 285/75/16 and its tight and rubs up against the UCA when I turn the wheel all the way. I know spacers will fix the rubbing on the UCA but travel is good to look into. Ive had the truck for almost a year now and the only issue ive run into is that I need a stronger suspension because I know its not gonna handle as much as id like to put it through. My budget is roughly $3,000

 

Call Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road. Tell her your goals, ask her to price a King package for you. Don't know if you'll need to save up more or not.

You don't need 3" for your rub issue, you need correctly backspaced wheels. Keeping 2 - 2.5" in your lift will save other future headaches.

 

Based on this description, your budget may need to increase a bit to get to something that will be comfortable and last a long time. For that lift height, you will need an UCA. Long road trips and off-road performance can be achieved with a properly tuned set of shocks, not just off the shelf stuff. Fox would be a suggestion due to the terrain you plan on driving through, they have high quality parts and will be very durable. If you plan to add a lot of weight to the rear, you may want to look into a full leaf pack, if not an add-a-leaf will be fine.

 

If you want a quality ride for any situation I would for sure get any of the major brands 2.5" resi shocks all around with the clicker adjustments. You can run them softer around town and if you want to smash out just crank the knobs up. I recently rebuilt/revalved my Icon 2.5's all round for firmer off-road ride and it was not a easy as turning a knob in a few seconds. The clickers will help you easily tune the shocks for most scenarios.


Some of the 2.5" shocks also come with position sensitive dampening like the rear Icon shocks or bilstein 8112s (and KINGs?) where there is a built in bump zone or even bypass tubes. It basically gets stiffer as you almost bottom out your suspension no matter how fast or slow the shock is moving.

As far as brand it doesn't really make a big difference if you intend on actually tuning the shocks. If you don't want to tune the shocks and would like to try the "off the shelf" valving they come with from the factory, then maybe a Fox/King/bilstein 8112s with the clickers will work best. It's just opinion but factory valved Icons are not super great for high speed stuff (especially with their digressive piston design).

I hear a lot of people mention ride quality and seem to focus on how much they need to lift or worse just focus on spring rates (stiffer leaf springs or coils and so on). No. The biggest contributor to your ride quality on/off road will be the shocks and how well they are tuned. A 2.0 shock is not going to cut it on a 4,000lb truck. Not just because it lacks oil volume to keep it cool but the 2.0's shock piston area and flow through ports on the piston can not be tuned for all shock speeds it will see (road, high speed off road...) From low speed to high speed shock movements, a 2.5" shocks with a remote resi can be tuned to accommodate most situations. Basically you can have a great ride on the road / off-road fast/ off-road slow with 2.5" remote resi shocks.


edit* i even think KING makes a 3.0" shock

 

@2000prerunner23

This is why we custom valve the shocks before shipping them out to our customers (free).