I want a truck that Toyota never made

I was recommend these Hawk Performance Ceramic pads HB141Z.650. I have been running these now for about 2 weeks and very happy with them for daily street driving. They seem to stop very well and very little to no dust and they are quite.

 

I had the SOS Performance 5 Lug 1.5-inch front lowering kit on the Tacoma but wanted the truck a little bit lower but not DJM kit 3 inches lowered (DJM2816-3/3)… somewhere between plus I would like to soften the ride up a bit since it is a daily driver. So, I am using the DJM upper and lower control arms to drop the truck 3 inches and keep it closer to alignment specs but using the coilovers to raise the truck about ¾ of an inch and soften the ride by using a 550-pound rated spring instead of the factory X-Runner 650 lbs/in with a length of 8.00 inches rated spring (per my research online). This should put me at about 2 ¼ inches lower than factory X-Runner height but I have the ability to fine tune my adjustment of height as needed and the ability to control the shock damping per the double adjustability of the C210 Viking coilovers (eye/poly to eye/poly). I am using the Eibach Spring 2.50 inch I.D 1200.250.05505 which is 550-pound rated spring (12 inch length, 2.50 2.50 inner diameter). I am using the Strictly Street coilover mounts to bolt everything to the factory location without doing any modification or drilling.

 

This is a picture of the truck with the SOS Performance 5 Lug 1.5-inch front lowering kit before the coilovers go on. I have the blue tape as reference points of measurement before changing anything. I also have a few reference points from the Tacoma’s frame so that I can use these to adjust the coilovers to my target height of 2 ¼ inches lower than factory X-runner height.

 

Getting started… you can see in the background the SOS Performance 5 Lug 1.5-inch front lowering kit which is an adaptor that is added to the factory X-Runner shock perch to low the spring which lowers the truck 1.5-inches.

 

I went to Texas Track Works to get the alignment done and everything went smoothly. The front end didn't give them any problems doing my alignment. Sweet.

 

All that hard work paid off .

 

I love threaded shock bodies........

That whole thing of guessing with spring lengths or a few perch choices just isn't accurate enough.

 

I have been playing around with the 2 way adjustable Viking shocks to find my favor setting. It is pretty easy to do. On the front end, I just jack up the front end and reach in-between the top of the tire and the fender well to adjust the knobs. Then lower it back down and drive it for a day or two before trying another setting. Currently, my favorite setting is 3 clicks on compression and 7 clicks on rebound on the front and 2 clicks on compression and 5 clicks on rebound for the rear.

Update on adjustable shock setting.. I have been currently running C3 R8 for the front and C2 R7 for the rear. I think this is a much better setting for me after many miles and many adjustments over the year plus time that they have been on my truck. I think I was getting too much spring bounce in the previous setting and needed to stiffen up the shock more to control the spring and it rides much smoother now.

 

Are you running 550ppi springs?

 

Yes, I believe the same springs that you listed in your post (Eibach Spring 2.50 inch I.D 1200.250.05505). I really liked the stance of your X-Runner so I copied what you did with your front suspension. I am very happy the ride and glad I bumped into your post. Thank you very much for posting that... it saved me tons of time and research.

 

No problem.

I am running mine at 8 compression and 12 rebound in the front.

I recently installed the rack spacers like yours. This has made a big improvement with the bump steer.

 

Mine set at 3 ,7 in front 2 ,6 in back with 550lb springs on my prerunner . Almost the same . Will be spacing the rack like you. Just need to buy the bolts . Got coilover idea from arcenic thread and spacer from you .
To me money well spent.

 

That is where I got the idea for coilovers from Arcenik's thread and he is using my idea for spacers on the rack for bump steer. That is the great thing about sharing on a thread. We can find out what works best and use it to make our trucks what we want. Great community. Great feedback. Great Information from everyone.

 

I am happy with the height right now. I like the look of the stance but my front tires do rub on the top of the wheel wells a little bit on extreme bumps or angles (a few times a week) with the DJM provided bump stops on the lower a-arms. I think I am getting too much travel on the a-arms in these cases and need more bump stop height to stop this. I don't want too much bump stop height where I am bottoming out all the time or sitting on the bump stop to prevent this travel. I have tried about a dozen or so different bump stops and combinations with spacers. DJM's lower a-arm uses a 3/8 stud for their bump stop, so finding other bump stops to fit this thread without modification is pretty easy from what I have found. Right now, my favor setup is an

$15 Energy Suspension 9.9101G All Purpose Bump Stop - Pack of 2

Energy Suspension 9.9101G bump stop which is 2 1/8 inch diameter and 2 inch in height with 2 rubber 1/8 inch washers ... so total height is 2 1/4 inch. This does go on pretty tight if the suspension is hanging while the frame is jacked and tire removed but you have to spin the coilover spring to the right spot for the bump stop to thread into the lower a-arm. As far as I can tell right now.. this gives me enough travel but stops or slows the reflection of the suspension down enough to prove the rubbing. Still testing but happy so far.

 

@sshadow69 this has been one of the most enjoyable threads I've read on TacomaWorld. You didn't talk much about your planning but it has been apparent throughout this thread. The execution of the plan was inspiring! Your attention to details was just as impressive

The best plans include the flexibility needed to respond to the things that are just not possible to plan for when you are executing something you've not done before. I am truly impressed. You say you are no mechanic; automotive repair may not be how you put a roof over your head but the quality of your works says otherwise. A lot of people are good at starting a project like this but never finish. Other people shine when it comes to picking up where somebody walked away and finish the job. What is also very impressive is the fact that you are apparently both a "starter" and a "finisher".

If I heard you correctly, it is certainly understandable wanting to drive a truck you seem to have flawlessly customized to match a dream. I wish for you miles of smiles; you deserve it. Enjoy your truck. Doing so will allow you to recover from the expense of your project which I have to believe was impressive as well. It will be interesting to watch where you go from here. I hope you will continue to post as you continue to build out your dream.

One of the trucks you seemed impressed with early in this thread talked about the 20x9 275/40s in front and the 20x11.5 315/35s rear wheels and tires. I'm not sure I'm smart enough to anticipate what wheel diameter or tire size would look best but you clearly have an eye for details. Just wondering if you have any plans for wheels and tires.

Great job.

 

The wheel that I think I am going to use is an Enkei PF07. I maybe doing 19x9 or 19x9.5 no sure on the offset as of yet... that is why I am dialing in my suspension first. I will be doing the same size front and rear. No a fan of the staggered setup for me. Then tackling the challenge of getting factory x-runner ground effects on this pre-runner body. Then I will be doing wheels and tires. I personally think the 20 inch rims looked too big for the wheel wells when sitting at my height... just a personal option but this is not for all Tacomas and is on a case by case bases. I just like the look of a 40 or 45 series tire on the 19 inch rims.

 

Aaaaaand subbed, awesome build man! I’ve always wanted an x runner as a daily/side project but it’s just too expensive atm so to help scratch that itch I’m gonna live vicariously through you

 

Thanks