Tacoma SR5 - how to soften the ride

I just bought a silver 2018 Tacoma SR5 with a 5 ft bed, and love it. However, the ride is quite bumpy and stiff feeling. I drove one other SR5 that was lifted with TRD tires and I loved the bounce and smoothness of the ride, but it was $12k over my budget. The car I bought was a great buy and it's not critical that I change things now, I know that in general trucks do feel different from a car. But I wonder how I can get the feel I like in the future (maybe when I need to get new tires, for example). Any information would be greatly appreciated, it's my first Tacoma and am just trying to figure this stuff out.

 

Welcome to the forum.
More info is required. Are you stock? Lifted? Post some pics of your front shocks, including the top connection. Also pics of rear leaf springs, at the connection to the axle.
Which brand, size, and load rating of tire? What psi are you running them at?

 

well I will jump in with basically the same question. I have a 2016 Limited 4X4 still factory at 91k miles and I am also wanting a smoother ride. I understand that it will never be as smooth as my wife's crosstrek, but there has to be something better. I know the limited has the SR5 suspension and I know the 18" rims will naturally give a slightly rougher ride than 16s due to less tire wall, but I like the wheels and want to keep the truck mostly factory looking. I don't really care about or want any lift. Currently the tires are factory spec: Michelin Defenders LTX MS2. door sill says to run at 29 psi, but dealership doesn't seem to understand that number and puts it a 36 . I will usually drop it to 32 if I think about it. Its not uncommon for me to put about 300lbs in the bed, or towing a small boat, but would like to keep my 6500LB tow capacity if I can. I know that weight in the bed will help the ride, but I like to keep my bed empty when not in use.

I have looked on here and have seen that either the OR shocks or pro shocks are the best, but don't know if that is perfect or me or if there are other options that are better for my particular situation.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Oh and I should add, I live in the south east and do very little true offroading. I often take gravel roads for work, but they are very well compacted. Mostly just driving on roads. its not uncommon for those roads to have potholes or patches that make them rough

 

I don't have any firsthand experience with OffRoad or Pro shocks, but I can say that my custom-tuned rear Fox shocks from @AccuTune Offroad made a real difference in ride quality over stock shocks, Bilstein 5100's, and Bilstein 5125's. I'm really looking forward to adding custom-tuned Fox's in the front.
But shocks are just part of the equation.

I went thru many possible types of rear leafs (stock, AAL, Dakar, All-Pro Expo) until I got to Deaver U402's. They are the best so far, but they would give you a lift in the rear. Deaver or another shop will make you a custom leaf pack based on your comfort and load capacity needs.
Tires definitely play a big part also. After I switched from Load E to Load C tires, I did chalk tests, different cold psi's, and just generally played around with it until I liked it best. I settled on the lowest psi that wouldn't set off the TPMS sensor. This will wear my tires out quicker than the chalk test psi, and give less MPG than a higher psi, but it's my comfort zone. YMMV.

Everything you're asking about is completely subjective, so you'll have to experiment a bit. Hope that helps.

 

Well said @LC7